Sure, lower leg service is easier on sealed dampers. But sealed cartridge forks have a massive weak link of the rubber bladder that inevitably gets crimped, crushed, dislodged, torn or just full of air well before most people send their fork in for a damper service. And let's be real, most riders _never_ do a damper service. Open bath and GRIP last way, way longer before the damper is effectively blown.
Back when I was on Fox RC2 forks and did my own damper service, I never pulled them apart with the bladder in decent shape. More recent (non-GRIP) Fox forks might have been better, but they went in for so many CSU replacements that I never got to see the insides of the damper.
My current DVO at least makes it super easy to bleed the damper, but you still need to do it annually. It's one of those things where there's no perfect solution - both cartridge and open have their service challenges.
July 8, 2020, 10:33 a.m. - JVP
Sure, lower leg service is easier on sealed dampers. But sealed cartridge forks have a massive weak link of the rubber bladder that inevitably gets crimped, crushed, dislodged, torn or just full of air well before most people send their fork in for a damper service. And let's be real, most riders _never_ do a damper service. Open bath and GRIP last way, way longer before the damper is effectively blown. Back when I was on Fox RC2 forks and did my own damper service, I never pulled them apart with the bladder in decent shape. More recent (non-GRIP) Fox forks might have been better, but they went in for so many CSU replacements that I never got to see the insides of the damper. My current DVO at least makes it super easy to bleed the damper, but you still need to do it annually. It's one of those things where there's no perfect solution - both cartridge and open have their service challenges.