# Who remembers Stratos forks!?



## entrophize5150 (May 4, 2007)

Hey everyone - 

I just recently came upon a sweet fork - an 8" Stratos S8 DH triple-clamp. 

This thing is HUGE. 35 mm stanchions, 1" of negative travel...upside-down moto-style configuration.

The problem is, Stratos is no longer in business. So, getting spring kits/seals/service for this fork is sure to be an issue.

That is, unless you have some advice. 

Know of any OEM companies out there who reproduce Stratos parts? Anyone know anything about these forks?? 

Thanks!!


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Yeah, their names gets brought up a lot. I wonder what happened to the folks behind them and the tooling and machinery, along with the inventory.


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## Guest (Jan 23, 2009)

They got put out of business by Specialized a few years back.

No idea about finding parts for them, but if they are anything like the old Risse forks, you can probably find what you need at Ace Hardware


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## scabrider (Oct 3, 2004)

okay. mike destroyed all his parts/tooling when spec. did what they did. he aso erased all the programs he wrote and destroyed the prints with all the dimensions, ect. i can see if he has or would be willing to make any parts you need, just shoot me a pm or something...


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## entrophize5150 (May 4, 2007)

*Thanks, Scabrider*

What I'm really looking for is a firmer spring kit.

Again, the model I have is the S8, 8" travel DH fork.

I understand that each leg has THREE different springs in it. If I could locate an 'extra firm' spring kit for both legs, that would be superb.

Also, it would be nice to have a spare set of seals handy in case they're needed.

Thanks man...

Bret


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

I would ride it till it goes then buy another fork where parts were available


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Bet you Sabre_Rider from Iran would be able to keep it running.

(due to the possible language barrier, that was a complement!)


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## FBC2008 (May 5, 2008)

I have an old stratos s8 laying around and my own machine shop, what did you want to possibly want to reverse engineer


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

scabrider said:


> okay. mike destroyed all his parts/tooling when spec. did what they did. he aso erased all the programs he wrote and destroyed the prints with all the dimensions, ect. i can see if he has or would be willing to make any parts you need, just shoot me a pm or something...


Did he do it under order, or voluntarily? What's he up to now?


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> Did he do it under order, or voluntarily? What's he up to now?


most likely with specialized under order


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## entrophize5150 (May 4, 2007)

FBC2008 said:


> I have an old stratos s8 laying around and my own machine shop, what did you want to possibly want to reverse engineer


I'd really just like a spare set of seals for the fork as well as an extra-firm spring kit for it. No reverse-engineering required, I don't think...


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## Renegade (May 10, 2004)

I don't think any of these internet machinists are going to be able to wind a spring for you, or get you seals. Why don't you do yourself a favor, and buy a fork that has manufacturer support available?


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## eltazar (Nov 1, 2006)

Maybe look for seals in moto shops? I've found seals that would fit my shiver in that kind of place, maybe they have other dimensions/sizes. Springs would be trickier to find...


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## Gman086 (Jul 4, 2004)

Do you need extra firm springs because your sag is too low or because you bottom out? I used to have one and the trick (if the latter is your issue) is to just add more suspension fluid. I used Golden Spectro fork oil instead of the recommended ATF fluid and the fork worked better and seals lasted longer. Incredible fork, just heavy. You can still find them on E-bay occasionally so might not be a bad idea to get another for parts as they're cheap.

Have FUN!

G MAN


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## bullcrew (Jan 2, 2005)

Boxxer springs work in there, I used to make custom set ups. 1 small spring from the S8 and a longer spring from the boxxer makes for a smokin hot set up, real plush at the initial and then ramps nice. Best fork Ive ever owned!


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

do you have any pics of ur stratos fork or what its gonna go on?

i like pics


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## jimarin (Mar 19, 2005)

I WONDER IF THESE SEALS WOULD WORK.

http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id53.html


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## scabrider (Oct 3, 2004)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> Did he do it under order, or voluntarily? What's he up to now?


voluntary. he is still making shocks for prosthetic arms/legs as well as other machine work. right now he is working out of my parent's shop and his garage...


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> most likely with specialized under order


I doubt it, stratos self-imploded due to many things, improperly speced seals, improperly machined crowns, glide rings in the dampers broke fairly often, the chassis were never updated and way heavy, etc. There were some good points, but they never evolved, and then they started doing stupid stuff. There's a whole lot more info out there if you do a little digging, and they didn't implode because of specialized.


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## _Hitman47 (Oct 25, 2007)

Hey I've got stratos fork too, I need new seals asap, the old ones are leaking terribly


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## Leethal (Feb 5, 2004)

I had one and thought is was a great fork, had Zero problems with it... That said it was tall as hell..


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Here's an exceprt from a post made by a former Stratos employee;



> Business wasn't flying right - product kept changing but standards weren't being met - both Dave and I had to do a lot of dancing and jumping through flaming hoops to get what we could to the folks who wanted them.
> 
> It was a constant battle. Somehow, Mike got Catharine to invest her own money into the business, thus bringing in a new partner. Although she was a CPA, she had very little experience with this kind of business.
> 
> ...


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## vack (Jan 2, 2003)

Regardless of how you feel about the company or the reason they are no longer with us, I like my Stratos Fork, and if the gentleman who used to make them can point me in the right direction as to where to get springs, rebuild kits, seals. I'm more than willing to listen. 

Heck Retro is in these days.............;p Seriously though if anyone knows where I can get some parts, or a manual to try to figure it out myself, please let me know.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

vack said:


> Regardless of how you feel about the company or the reason they are no longer with us, I like my Stratos Fork, and if the gentleman who used to make them can point me in the right direction as to where to get springs, rebuild kits, seals. I'm more than willing to listen.
> 
> Heck Retro is in these days.............;p Seriously though if anyone knows where I can get some parts, or a manual to try to figure it out myself, please let me know.


We weren't talking about how we "feel", but rather how stratos imploded.

Anyways, there are potentially more problems with the seals. This is another excerpt from the ex-stratos employee.



> ...Oh, and the thing about the Seals on the S8
> 
> Two things:
> Part One - we used to have these brilliant seals that we used on the Stratashock Pro - very high quality and very expensive. We started using them on the S8 and the first few hundred worked like a charm.
> ...


So, even if you find "stratos" seals, they may actually be totally wrong. The best thing to do may be to take your seals to a seal/hydraulic supply store. These are usually in the industrial area of a city. Have them try to match the specs of the seals. Otherwise other suppliers like marzocchi, RS, and Push can probably supply 35mm seals, but you have no guarentee they'll work.

Ever wonder what those cool looking "dimples" are at the end of your uppers? The forks were made to accept some huge car-bearing or something that served as the "wrench" to loosen those caps. That's what holds the seals in place evidently (I never had to take em off). A strap-wrench should be sufficient I'd imagine.

There are no "kits" for stratos stuff.

I'd also suggest taking a look at the hydraulic cartridge. I had the glide-ring fail on my MX6, which caused clunking in the travel. Well, don't take it apart if it isn't broken, but it was a wear-item prone to failure.

As far a springs, you could probably make a variety of springs work, possibly with spacers made out of PVC pipe.

It's not going to be impossible to rebuild stratos forks, but it is going to be extremely challenging and going to take some resourcefulness. Good luck.

Yeah, stratos had some good damping cartridges based on sound principles (which hasn't always been the case for the bigger manufacturers), but they fell behind in so many other areas, then there were the QC/design issues, then there was the squandering of resources and simply many bad business decisions. Once you get a few pages into this thread, you see the real picture. It starts off with simple conjecture and assumptions. http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165385&highlight=stratos


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## rideonjon (May 27, 2009)

cross reference the specs to a hydraulic seal retailer.you will probably be able to find another brand maybe Federal Mogul.


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## mclane1 (Dec 30, 2008)

Ive got an s8 been sitting in shop basement for about 4 years everything works $100.00 and ill ship it to you


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## schoolisbad1 (Dec 17, 2004)

i still ride a S8, i have the springs, but i switch them around every so often. I remember there were ones that were problematic from the start, then the few that worked great. I got a great one. im thinking of servicing it soon/ changing spring rates


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## joerojas134 (Oct 14, 2009)

mclane1 said:


> Ive got an s8 been sitting in shop basement for about 4 years everything works $100.00 and ill ship it to you


Hey I will give you $100 buck for the S8 forks. How do I get in touch with you? email or pm


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## burgundy snake (Dec 12, 2007)

up for grabs

http://classifieds.mtbr.com/showproduct.php?product=40987&cat=all


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## abikerider (May 8, 2007)

Hi, I have a Stratos FR4 Tandem fork that I want to find seals for. Anyone know of compatible seals and wipers for it. Anybody try Marzocchi 35mm seals on one?


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## _rich_ (Jan 22, 2004)

I had a Stratos Superstar6 back in the day...
That fork was a work of art back then..The machining can only be compared to Avalanche today...
The fork was very nice but this was before the started having alot of seal issue's...
I loved the fork until i broke it


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## Brian HCM#1 (Jan 18, 2004)

I had a S8. It was a way heavy fork, but it felt & worked awesome.


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## gticlay (Dec 13, 2007)

Weird this came up... I don't know the Specialized story? I'd like to know.


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## daisycutter (Sep 18, 2005)

specialized sued Stratos for patient violations. Stratos goes down for the count.


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## abikerider (May 8, 2007)

Update on Stratos FR4 fork seals. I took it apart and measured the seals. Looks like 35mm x 43mm x 4.5mm for the seal and 35mm x 43mm x 3mm x 5mm for the wiper. None of the enduro fork seals will work. I've ordered some seals online that I think will work. Stay tuned. Maybe they'll fit the other models too.


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## Demo-9 (Mar 24, 2006)

Stratos S-8. Huckadelic back in the day. My 54 lb machine:


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## Gilly32 (Mar 28, 2010)

oh my god those look like gold potato guns hahaa


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## SV11 (Jan 2, 2011)

The best fork I have ridden on, todate!


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## Gman086 (Jul 4, 2004)

*Death To Specialized!*

Have FUN!

G MAN


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## 1000-oaks (Nov 15, 2006)

Speaking of older forks, if anyone needs seals for Foes F1 or F1-XL send me a message, I have a bunch. I didn't feel like spending $8 per seal and found out where Foes was buying them, and bought 100. Got about 40 left I think, was selling them on ebay for awhile.

These are the later model fork seals that are tucked up into the rings on the bottom of each upper tube, not the early ones that stick out and you can see the coil spring around the wiper.


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## doesyourchainhanglow (Sep 27, 2010)

lancia stratos


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## AmirBernard (Apr 25, 2010)

doesyourchainhanglow said:


> lancia stratos


:ihih:


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## The Dude (Jan 19, 2004)

BAM!


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## abikerider (May 8, 2007)

Well I said I would post results for my FR4 seals and here they are. I ordered the seals and wipers from here: Allegheny York Company - U-Cups, Rod Seals, Buffer Rings, Wipers, Piston Cups, O-Rings, Backup Rings, Piston Seals, Guide Bearings, Vee Packing, Telescopic Cylinders
I ordered two BS Type Metric Urethane Rod U-Cups part #BS-35x43x5.7 at $7.56 ea and two A40 Type Metric Urethane Wipers part# A40-35x43x5x7 at $4.46 ea for a total of $24.04 plus shipping. Prices have changed since then.

Then I placed a piece of medium sandpaper facing up on a flat surface and proceeded to sand down the flat bottom surface of each seal until the thickness went from the original 5.7mm to 4.5mm. Then I did the same with the wipers till the base height (the height of the part that fits into the groove) went from 5mm to 3mm. This took an hour or so and removed some skin from my fingers but it worked! The seals and wipers fit! After assembling the fork it felt pretty stiff but after several rides it felt very good and there were no more oil leaks. I saved myself from having to buy an expensive fork for my tandem. I hope this helps someone else too.

Update: Although the forks don't leak, there is still a lot of sticktion after many rides. I was hoping they'd break in. It was not ideal, but it allowed me time to get a different fork.


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## [email protected] (Dec 29, 2003)

I'm pretty sure we have some S8 & other Stratos springs laying around the shop if anyone needs. I don't think we have any seals.


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