How do fork bleeders work

No tools, no hassle. Instillation takes just a few minutes with a large flat-bladed screwdriver and provided there are no obstructions near the bleeder it is simple. On some instances the forks must be rotated to allow the raised profile of the bleeder clear the handlebar, but usually there is a clear position for it. On some extremely cluttered bar setups with wrap-around handguards, extra wires, headlights, fitting can be difficult, but that is out of the ordinary.

Air pressure can build or decrease in the forks from temperature and altitude changes. The air pressure has a direct relation to the performance of the fork. On most conventional spring forks, zero air pressure with the forks fully extended is the baseline setting.

Air buildup can cause the forks to act harsh. A simple press on the bleeder before your ride can cure this. Additionally Motion Pro even recommends bleeding off the air when you are transporting your bike by with compressed forks to make life on your fork seals easier.

Once the fork stops warming stabilizes there is no more pressure build-up and therefore nothing else to bleed off. There is an exception to this because sometimes a bleeder or a fork might leak when it goes to or nears full compression. When this happens, the fork is under a vacuum when it returns to full extension. When you press the bleeder and hear an exchange, it's actually air entering the fork. Lastly, there is nothing on a WP fork or any fork that is designed to leak or release pressure, externally that is.

The o-ring with the counter-sunk screw that you mentioned is designed to fully seal for all pressures encountered with the fork. By the way, the WP-CC fork has two screws on top, one which accesses the outer or lower chamber, the other serves as a portal for charging the cartridge bladder.

I should add, that there is a pressure release valve on the inside cartridge of a WP Closed Cartridge fork, but this has nothing to do with the tubes or anything related to bleeders.

Does that help? Vital MX - Motocross. Related: Edit Tags Done. Edit Tags Done. So how does MX suspension differ in that it needs a valve for bleeding the compressed air off? Our minis have been used solely on pavement, yet I "bled" them this past weekend and there was a small "whoosh" as I popped off the screws. After asking why you would bleed the forks on an MX related site, it appears that it does affect handling. It's recommended that bleed after every ride. So why don't road race bikes have anything like this?

Clay , Jun 25, Got me! I never thought about it? Designed in! Designed in??? I think the idea is you can ADD air to restrict full travel and to "adust" the spring tension effect. Tunersricebowl , Jun 25, I don't think so. They make speed bleeders for the sole purpose of pushing a button to instantly bleed the pressure out. Several people told me that it's recommended to bleed the forks after every ride. I went out and bled my CR forks, which were built for road racing and only seen the street, and sure enough air escaped.

So, there was some built up pressure. It wasn't much, but it was there. So I'm confused as to how it all works and why. I thought that air never got into the forks. There is always air on top of the oil when you install the fork cap.