Fox CTD Remote 2014-2015

In the process of removing the Climb, Trail, Descend (CTD) remote level from Shelley's bike, I am fairly sure that I have worked out why it did not work very well. For the avoidance of doubt, this is for the remote used for Fox Evolution forks and rear shocks for model years around 2014 to 2015. That remote has long since been superseded.

Shelley did not use the remote and it was getting in the way on her handlebars. It would have been removed, even if it had worked reliably.

The otherwise good instructions for setting up the cables are not clear about some essential requirements.
The main bit, that needs better clarification, is that the CTD shock control knob and the forks topcap, need to be pre-loaded. By that, I mean that the knob needs to be rotated so that the cable is tightened up with the spring tension pulling on the cable.

On both the forks and the shock, this means the pale blue topcap and control knob have to be rotated nearly a quarter turn before the spring tension is felt. It is that tension that returns the remote lever to it's open position.

The above is easy, when you know how. Unfortunately, in my opinion, there is a design flaw with the remote operation when the remote is used for the dual setup of forks and rear shock. The through cable goes to the rear shock but the red rebound control, on the rear shock, tightens the blue CTD control knob so that the spring tension is reduced or completely locked out.

If too much rebound control is applied, deliberately or accidentally, the remote lever will never return to the open position, so both the rear shock and forks do not return to their open positions!

The photo from the instructions, shown above, makes it obvious where Fox expect the cables to go. I have not tried it but in my opinion, the remote might work better if the through cable, clamped with the grub screw, went to the front forks. The opposite of what is shown in that photo.

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Specialist grease for bikes

A few weeks ago, my brother and I serviced a Rockshox dropper post. The recommended grease for the seals within those posts is a product called SRAM butter.

We didn't have any of that at the time but do now. What I set out to find out is, if it is necessary and would general purpose car grease have had any significant disadvantages for this purpose and, perhaps, the reverse of that question, what actually is SRAM butter.

I'll start by saying, that I am not in any way qualified to talk on this subject. This is all based on what I have been able to find and, as much as I can, understand from articles and adverts on the internet. Not only that but I still don't have definitive answers to either of the questions that I started with. I do, however, know a lot more about grease.

My conclusion:

I know it's odd to start at the end but for most people all they want to know, is what should I use.
The short answers are:

• For all normal bike maintenance, axles, bearings and spindles, general purpose lithium based car grease or the white marine stuff, is all you need.
• For specialist jobs, such as inside dropper posts, suspension forks and on rubber or plastic seals, for the price the manufacturers charge, just buy what they suggest, even if the price does appear a bit over inflated.

If you want a choice, for use on the seals on hydraulic shocks, forks and dropper posts, I'd use one of the following:
If I was in the US, I'd probably use Slickoleum.
In Europe, I can buy SRAM butter and Slick Honey which, as far as I can tell, is the same sort of thing as Slickoleum, just sold in smaller more expensive pots. Even then, it does not cost very much and only a little is needed.
There are plenty of other alternatives available in Europe, which the manufacturers claim, do the same thing. Motorcycle mechanics are a useful comparable source of information. They tend to use a generic, Red Rubber Grease, although, that may be a bit thick for bicycle forks, it will probably work.

It is likely, that general purpose lithium based car grease would dissolve in some hydraulic fluids, so a specialist grease would be required for the seals in those cases.

I liked the sound of :
RSP Slick Kick Grease (Ultra Slick) which is available in 500g tubs. Trouble is, it was more expensive, per gram, than importing Slickoleum from the US!

Technical

Two Components

Grease has two major parts which can be made of many combinations of materials to produce a grease that is best suited for any particular application. The major components are, lubricant and thickener.

Lubricant
This can be oil, synthetic oil or any number of polymers. I found a fairly scientific paper that was still clear enough to understand, at least for the basics.

Thickener
This is where is gets a bit hazy. What I know for sure is that the thickener, in the general purpose grease, used for cars, is lithium. That, however, is just one of many possibilities. In the case of Slickoleum, it is Anhy Calcium.

What to use for each purpose:

• Smooth running of wire cables - silicone grease
• Rubber seals - red rubber grease or perhaps silicone grease but probably not inside hydraulic systems.
• Seals in forks and dropper posts - specialists, such as RSP Slick Kick, Slickoleum, SRAM Butter, Slick Honey
• Rear shocks - includes PTFE - specialists, like Rockshox Dynamic Seal Grease
• Bearings and axles - General purpose lithium grease
• Threads that you need to get apart again - copper grease or anti-seize
• Threads that could work loose - thread lock - do not grease
• Seat posts - friction paste

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Reference:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/lubricating-grease
http://slickoleum.com/specifications.html
http://www.redrubbergrease.com
https://silverhook.co.uk/grease
https://www.silkolene.com/motorcycle/grease/pro-rg2-grease/
https://www.greasemonkeydirect.com/blogs/news/grease-guide-what-is-red-rubber-grease-used-for

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