What Cannondale suspension does TF Tuned work on?
What is done during a TF Tuned Cannondale service?
How often should I service my Cannondale suspension?
Can TF Tuned carry out repairs to my Cannondale fork?
What does the 'Tuning' in TF Tuned mean for Cannondale suspension?
What is involved in an Oil Damper Service?
What is involved in a Telescope Needle Bearing Service/Tuning?
What happens during a Telescope Needle Bearing Repair?
What Cannondale suspension does TF Tuned work on?
We currently service and tune Cannondale Lefty and Headshok forks from 2006 onwards.
We don't carry the parts for earlier models, but our technicians will be happy to try and provide advice with regards to these earlier forks.
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What is done during a TF Tuned Cannondale service?
When you call to book your Cannondale service, our technician will discuss your requirements on the phone.
Every single Cannondale fork that comes to TF Tuned will go through an initial diagnosis with one of our Cannondale technicians to establish the specific service and tuning requirements. If these are different from the service booked, then our technician will call you to discuss his findings to agree a course of action with you. By this point we will have disassembled your fork, and should you choose not to go ahead with the service, we will reassemble and make a charge of £20 + Carriage.
We extract the internals from the telescope and check them for defects and function. The telescope gets cleaned and checked for its correct (smooth) function. Then we check if the telescope provides the full travel stroke. We also check the shock boot and the head set bearing. We carry out all necessary repair and service work then we lube the telescope, re-install the internals and prepare the fork to be returned to you. This will include the production of a detailed invoice and a Service Record detailing the work carried out and the fork set up.
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How often should I service my Cannondale suspension?
Your Cannondale fork is a high performance bicycle suspension component. Inside your suspension are moving parts, seals, o-rings and oil which are subject to wear.
Like all higher end suspension it comes with recommended service intervals.
These can vary from 40-100 hours. In reality this is very hard to control, since it does make a difference if you just ride to the local pub or if you rock a hard-core single trail.
Our experience suggests you should have your fork serviced every six months or at least once a year (even if the bike is not being used!) For racers and intense users this period might be even quite a bit shorter. A definite indicator for a service or repair is usually a change in how well it is performing and only you can judge this (e.g. lock doesn't work, looses air etc.)
We generally differentiate between the telescope and the internals.
The telescope with its 88 needle roller bearings is mainly responsible for taking the loads and transferring them to the internal/damper. It needs to be clean, slightly lubed and its shock boot must be properly fitted. On Leftys it is also important that the air filter above the shock boot is clean.
The internals consist of the damper (which is usually also responsible for the lock out feature) and the spring (this can be a coil or air).
You can remove the fork from the bike by using our instructions and send it to us yourself, or have it done through a Dealer.
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Can TF Tuned carry out repairs to my Cannondale fork?
Circumstances such as a crash, accident, improper use, improper maintenance or just a lack of maintenance can make the need for a repair necessary.
This is the point at which the high compatibility of many Cannondale suspension systems with each other comes in handy. TF Tuned has almost all necessary parts, cartridges, seals, bearings etc. in stock. All internals can be partially or completely replaced. In most cases we can make your suspension as new or even better.
You can take the fork out of the bike yourself and send it to us or have it done through a Dealer.
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What does the 'Tuning' in TF Tuned mean for Cannondale suspension?
Tuning is a widely used expression. It does not necessarily mean that parts of a product are changed, but that its functions are optimised. TF Tuned has unique experience in that it has expert technicians trained on Cannondale suspension systems but also drawing on experience of working with a broad range of high quality suspension brands.
The tremendous stiffness the Cannondale system is known for is mainly a result of its telescopic system on 88 needle roller bearings (instead of conventional bushings). The tolerances (which can vary slightly in production) between the two square tubes are adjusted with steel races and are mainly responsible for the smoothness of its performance.
TF Tuned uses a process which has been developed to optimise/tune these tolerances without having torsional play. This capability draws upon years of experience gained by the Eighty Aid team of Cannondale technicians across Europe, frequently repeated routines, special tools, and precision gauges. Every TF Tuned fork receives a TF Tuned quality label in the form of a small decal. Each fork will also be returned with a detailed service record of work done and set up for the individual rider.
To achieve a satisfying tuning result a few parameters such as rider's weight, preferred terrain and riding style are essential. This is even more important for very light or very heavy riders. To adjust properly we mainly use the negative spring, air volume, air pressure, oil viscosity and shimming.
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What is involved in an Oil Damper Service?
We disassemble the damper, clean it and check all the critical parts. All relevant data is recorded (air volume, shimming, oil viscosity, negative spring etc.) After that the damper is filled with fresh, high quality full synthetic damper oil. The function control test is the final step telling us if the result is successful.
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What is involved in a Telescope Needle Bearing Service/Tuning?
If the telescope is not running as smooth as it should/could or keeps migrating dramatically the following steps are taken.
We disassemble the telescope completely, clean it, measure all the critical dimensions with precision gauges and check all parts for any kind of damage. All the data is recorded and processed. We calculate the correct measurements of the parts to be replaced (inner/outer races and needle bearings). Re-assembling the telescope requires knowledge, special tools, experience and a lot of repetition over time.
The function control tells us if the result is successful and if “yes”, the telescope receives a fine coat of special grease and the TF Tuned trademark decal.
What happens during a Telescope Needle Bearing Repair?
If our assessment shows the need for a needle-bearing repair (e.g. inner/outer races and needle bearings are rusty or the overall condition of the fork is very poor the following steps are taken.
We disassemble the telescope completely, de-rust, clean and treat it with rust converter. We then measure all the critical dimensions with precision gauges and check all parts for any kind of damage. All the data is recorded and processed. We calculates the correct measurements of the parts to be replaced (inner/outer races and needle bearings).
Re-assembling the telescope requires knowledge, special tools, experience and a lot of frequently repeated routines. Due to rust contamination we always have to use a new shock boot.
The function control tells us if the result is successful and if yes, the telescope receives a fine coat of special grease and the TF Tuned trademark decal.
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