Dear fellow trials riders.

I am reaching out to ask if anyone could assist or help me in my wee query.

I have a couple of chips - scratches on one of my stanchions which I want repaired, they have damaged a fork seal so it needs done. Filling and poishing the scratches just doesn't do it for me.

So does anyone know of any reputable companies or people that repair stanchions? I would also like to get the pair re done with the black nitrite coating as well. I have searched the internet but there is none that do what I am wanting. 

Original replacements are £360 each stanchion so I would like to think repairing them is going to be cheaper.

The forks are Paioli from a Beta Evo in case you ask.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Edited August 21, 20197 yr by wonder boy

Hello Wonder Boy,

I used Philpots in Bedfordshire to rechrome my Beta Rev 3 fork stanchions after reading an article in a Classic bike magazine.  The magazine explained the processes and what they can do to refurbish fork legs.  Very good service and a very good price. The results were excellent and I reckon the refurbished fork legs were better than the original finish.

I have attached the link below for Philpots.  They are meant to be the best in the business and I would tend to agree. Recommended.

http://www.pittedforks.co.uk/index.php

I would look at a coating other than chrome as it chips.  Most OE trials forks are something like Titanium Nitride.  This is available if you look, there are places in the UK that do it just search specifically for that.  https://www.brooksuspension.co.uk/stanchions-inner-tubes-titanium-nitride-coating/

That W3 shows the price at £200. (Pr)  Whether that is a better option than new forks is hard to say - they might charge you extra on top of that to fill in the pits.  Lots of secondhand Evo forks about.  The 38mm Paioli were ubiquitous until they went bust.  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sherco-Trials-Bike-38mm-Paioli-Forks-Beta-Montesa-Gas-Gas/254330194703?hash=item3b3742cb0f:g:6WQAAOSwGVRdU53p

If you are going to have to shell out big time then you are getting close to replacement with the new Tech forks - maybe a grand with the new yoke.

Depends on the rest of the bike I guess and if you intend to keep it or change it in a year or two.  Whatever you spend on it you will not get it back in the sales price.  If you keep it for yourself then what you spend is for you so it doesn't matter.  Well that's how I look at this kind of repair anyway.

5 hours ago, ChrisCH said:

I would look at a coating other than chrome as it chips. 

Thats just not true, I've mx forks over 40 year old with no chips. Chrome has been and still is the industry standard

+1 from me for philipots although not sure they do the coating you are looking

Edited August 22, 20197 yr by faussy

As Faussy says, just get them done at Philpotts. They straightened and rechromed my AJS forks nearly 10 years ago,its done a lot of work since then and isn't very well looked after,they are still perfect.

3 hours ago, faussy said:

Thats just not true, I've mx forks over 40 year old with no chips. Chrome has been and still is the industry standard

+1 from me for philipots although not sure they do the coating you are looking

I'll jump on the bandwagon, anything that chips chrome would write off an alloy one.

15 hours ago, b40rt said:

I'll jump on the bandwagon, anything that chips chrome would write off an alloy one.

Fair point.  My experiences of crappy old Japanese road bikes is influencing my thinking.  I guess a good chrome coating is a different beast.  The OP asked about modern coatings and there certainly are places that can do that procedure you just need to be a bit more specific in the search engine.

I am surprised that no one has made a stock replacement for the Paioli items given how many must be out there.  Tarozzi make them for nearly every road bike.

The fancy modern fork tube coatings are on there to reduce friction, not to protect the tube from crash damage

Anyone know how the weights compare, and how much less friction  ?

I have been told that the fork tubes first are hard chromed then are DLC coated

https://www.ionbond.com/

https://www.oerlikon.com/ecomaXL/files/balzers/oerlikon_HQ218EN_Motorsports.pdf

Edited August 24, 20197 yr by carl ekblom

The hard chromed stanchions with a slight grind have the best properties depending sticktion, smoothness, beeing gas and oil tight, durability and lubricating the seals.

The same system is used to ecxcavators and their hydraulics.

The slightly grinded surface of a fresh cromed stanchion offers an oil film which gives the mentioned advantages.

With the time the stanchions get "polished" and will loose the oil film thus have more sticktion, will wear the seals faster and is not as tight.

Thus I personal recommend steel stanchions with hardchrome and a slightly grinded surface over aluminium ones with fancy coating and chemical etching.

My supplier since 2012:

Wissing Hartchrome