Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

You could do it. The only thing is the recommendation for charging the damper with pure nitrogen. Rock Shox say that you can use standard air as well but long term some say this can effect performance, especially at altitude. And pure nitrogen has some definite benefits over mutt nitrogen for use in suspension components.
I've used standard air in a Monarch RT3 I had for a few strip downs and rebuilds and it seemed to work fine. Well, until it died. I think that was more to do with Clyne mud than anything.

I think.

Anyway, go for it. If it goes wrong you can always blame the mechanic.

Don’t get a carbon scale for sdw, I loved mine but it had f all mud clearance

How did you do the bit where you need to fix the IFP to the correct height in the damper? Did you use the RS clamp tool? Or will axle clamps work?

Obvs key is to not scratch anything

Can anyone recommend a bike shop in London which is a specialist for MTB?

I need to get some bearings pressed out of/in a carbon Mondraker - not itself a big deal - and also some DVOs pulled apart to get the travel reduced and some sloppily bashed in wiper seals re-seated.

While the bearing job is the more pressing (haha), it's a suspension specialist I'm more interested in finding. Any recommendations?

Done! 2 weeks out apparently. Building this as a shared bike for me (winter) and the Mrs (towpath pootling) - will also be the bike that the child seat goes on.

Parts purchased so far £411 in total;
XL Scandal in Black £150
RS Judy Gold £144
Fulcrum Red Zone 500 £82
FSA Afterburner Boost Cranks £35

Parts bin;
Kona Bars & Stem
No brand seatpost
GX1 mech and shifter
SLX Cassette
XT Brakes
Nobbly Nics (Tan walls)

Needed;
96bcd 32 tooth ring
11spd chain (gold!?)

In the meantime here is a pic of my current and only bike having sold off everything else- A NOS 2017 Kona Hei Hei Race DL with a few upgrades!
Hope X2 Race Brakes
Next SL Bar and Seatpost
XTR Derailleur + Shifter
Hope XC Stem
Fox 34 Perf Elite & Float DPS Perf Elite Lockout

Wants;
New wheels - probably Hope!
Hope Cranks

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it's a suspension specialist I'm more interested in finding. Any recommendations?

You could do worse than asking Mario at LMNH - but it might be worth asking DVO who they recommend or authorise.

Goddam that looks like some fun, do you race it?

Wouldn't have thought to go to LMNH for mtb stuff, they are 10 minutes walk away, so I'll probably give Mario a shout then.

It is a simple enough job for someone who is used to cracking open forks - heck I'd give it a go myself if I had a workshop. Thanks for the response!

Not currently, but likely next year! Just need to lose 10KG over the winter.... And keep out on the bike....

I use the Rock Shox clamping tools or soft jaws as appropriate. The Rock Shox clamps are expensive but superb quality.
In contrast, I fitted a Vorsprung Luftkappe the other day on my own fork and used the shaft clamp TF Tuned supply. I went ahead and used it without checking the clamp properly. It made a slight scratch to the air shaft. Very slight so using some fine emory cloth I smoothed it out. Will see if this works long term, right now the Luftkappe does it job very well.
The TF Tuned clamp I received is made very poorly. So if anyone else fits a Luftkappe check the clamp!

Ok. Food for thought. Maybe I’ll get the proper tools and give it a whirl.

How good / bad Mavic EN323 rims are? Is it worth to replace them with WTB STp i29 which I've got for cheap from Wiggle?

Depends on what size tyres you run. The i29's, being wider, can offer a better tyre profile for trail riding (wider tyre footprint thanks to the wider rim, more tread in the ground, better traction; greater volume, can run slightly lower pressures again for better tyre deformation to the ground & grip, etc). But such gains on a 29mm internal width rim like the i29 are best seen with tyres in the 2.35"-2.5" range usually. Extra benefit of the STp is that they're symmetrical spoke bed. The asymmetrical versions offer more balanced spoke tensions but the offset spoke bed has less material on one side and is more prone to denting. Lots of the MTB asymmetrical rims share this problem.
The EN323 is a very good rim, better made than the i29 arguably and will be lighter, but has a 23mm internal width so tyres in the size mentioned above will tend to have less support on the side walls, squirm more under hard cornering load, burp, etc.
But if you're running 2.1"-2.2" tyres then the EN323 will be fine.

Vorsprung Luftkappe

Ohh this is a curious thing.

It's vastly improved the feel of the fork. It's a nice upgrade.

If I have a nobby nic and a magic mary, which should I put on the front and which should I put on the back?

magic Mary

Front

It's vastly improved the feel of the fork

Interesting that a (simple) increase in negative spring can do that - you'd have thought RS would have got it right from the design phase.

Took a punt. Was wrong.

These tyres are insane, I'm totally new to this but they're so chonky. It's so satisfying.

Magic Mary is truly the Kween of Chonk

Dirty Dan says 'hold my beer'

Dan is the King of Chonk, obvs

I reckon once up Claypit Hill riding those and I'd give up bikes

That's really helpful, thanks a lot.

Despite the fact I am running 2.35" I doubt I could feel the difference due a lack of riding skills.

So, I will send i29 back to Wiggle then and upgrade for something fancier later on.

Or maybe someone happy to grab these for £28? I took the last two from Wiggle.

Also, I am going to try set up EN323 tubeless - it looks doable with the right amount of tape.

Yeah, I thought exactly the same. I actually asked Steve from Vorsprung Suspension this exact thing, "Why hadn't Rock Shox done this from the start?" His reply was something like "That's something like asking why didn't Fox release the 2018 36 in 2014?"

Sometimes it's trial and error in design and application, I suppose.