Fork, shock and dropper post stanchions are no match for the rocks you find in a crash or various trail projectiles such a grit or shale. Scratches massively compromise the functional longevity of these expensive components; dependent on how rough they are, they can pretty much immediately damage the wiper seal, and they’ll allow the introduction of water and grit into the inner workings of your suspension. In the unfortunate event that you do get a scratch on your precious stanchion, all is not lost. Many people go to the awful expense of replacing the stanchions entirely but for those who can’t (excuse the pun) fork out the cash to do this, there is another, more wallet-friendly option. French company Sendhit have just launched the first complete stanchion repair kit. We have the details.
Sendhit Stanchion Repair Kit
On the whole, the best solution to the problem of stanchion scratches is of course, prevention. Lizard Skins for example, sell fork stanchion covers to prevent such damage, but they can be fiddly to work with and, you might not want to cover the beautiful gold stanchions of your Fox Factory suspension (not to mention they tend to trap dirt underneath). To be clear, the concept of repairing scratched stanchions is by no means new; Sendhit just seem like the first to sell a complete kit specifically for the job. People have been doing bodge repairs on stanchion scratches since errr, stanchions. It generally involves sandpaper, metal polish, nail polish, disk brake cleaner, a very steady hand and a wee bit of dutch courage. Personally, I can’t help but wince at the thought of sandpaper going anywhere near my fork stanchion, but needs must hey.
Inside your Sendhit Stanchion repair kit you will find a pair of gloves, enough epoxy resin for 5 repairs, a pipette, some eppendorfs, a file, some sandpaper, and a sanding spacer. Briefly, the process involves the filing down of any metal burrs created followed by filling of the cavity with the epoxy resin. Once dried, you can gently sand down any excess epoxy resin until the area feels completely smooth and uniform in height to the rest of the stanchion. The whole process can take anything from 8 to 24 hours, depending on the environmental conditions, as the drying time of the epoxy resin is sensitive to temperature and humidity. Sendhit have provided a step by step tutorial to guide users through the delicate operation.
Pricing & Availability
The Sendhit Stanchion Scratch Repair Kit is available now from various online retailers at a price of €39 ($43). At the moment, only a transparent and a black epoxy resin are available but a gold resin for your Fox Factory components is currently under testing.
