Meanwhile, back at the workshop..

Replaced the fork seals on my Rockshox SID Team (circa 2006) MTB forks which are fitted to the Jamis Exile, the ones with 28mm diameter stanchions.
Replaced them with Enduro fork seals .Apart from what is outlined in the Rockshox SID Team forks service pdf manual, I found the following:
• Enduro aftermarket fork seals are slightly different in configuration to the original standard Rockshox fork seal. The original standard fork seal is a combined dust & oil seal – that’s what you see on the top – with a foam ring underneath that, & then the upper bush. The Enduro seal set, is a separate dust seal (in blue), with a separate oil seal (in black) underneath. There is no space to run a foam ring like the original set up once the Enduro seals are in place.
• Replacing the dust/oil seal is pretty easy if you have a socket set with a 29mm socket (for my particular 28mm diameter forks) to drive the replacement seals into place in the fork lowers.
• When driving the new seals into place, first apply grease ( I purchased & used Enduros’ Superslick grease) onto the fork lowers surfaces that will be contacting the seal & only lightly tap the seal into place.
• Removing the original Rockshox seals can be done by prying it out with a broad flathead screwdriver. This will damage the old seal, but if you place a cloth where the screwdriver contacts the fork outer for leverage, it would not damage any other part.
• Placing the seals in a plastic bag & placing them in a freezer for a while, assisted with driving the seal into the top of the fork lowers. (This works with wheel/headset bearings to an extent, so I tried it with rubber seals).
• I was surprised how much grit gets into the fork internals. I previously serviced a pair of Rockshox Pilot SLs & found the same thing. There’s no surprise that I thorough cleaned the internals prior to reassembly.
• Doing the oil/dust seals does not require the disassembly of the damping rods - which are the most complicated part of the fork - located within the fork uppers or stanchions. This makes the job so much easier as it’s only the oil in the fork lowers, in my case 10cc/ml of 15wt fork oil in each leg, which needs to be replaced & then the fork stanchions reinserted into the fork lowers – then fastened, on reassembly.
• Fork oil is fork oil, as long as the weight is correct (for example 15wt or 5wt), then you can purchase fork oil from motorcycle dealers if your Local Bicycle Shop cannot help you.