WPL ForkBoost review

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Our rating

4.0

18.00

Russell Eich / Immediate Media

Published: July 22, 2017 at 7:00 am

Our review
A dang easy way to keep your expensive suspension parts performing like they should Buy if, You're a mountain biker looking to get the best performance out of your bike's suspension

Pros:

Easy to use, non-toxic, works as claimed

Cons:

$18 seems like a lot for a 120ml bottle

Coming out of one of the world's best riding locales, Whistler Performance Lubricants makes lubricants and maintenance products from biodegradable materials that it claims outperform conventional chemical-based lubes. Further, WPL claims its ForkBoost to be "the world's most advanced stanchion and fork seal lubricant."

I don't know about that, but ForkBoost definitely helped keep my suspension forks and shocks feeling slick and smooth, and I haven't experience any seal failures while using it.

ForkBoost slathered on my fork's stanchion - Russell Eich / Immediate Media

Easy as lubing a chain

Degradation of suspension performance is something that sneaks up on most riders. With every ride, the damping oil breaks down a little more and a bit more dirt sneaks past the seals, slowly turning your expensive squishy components into lousy-feeling pogo sticks.

Applying ForkBoost is about as easy as lubing a chain. It's relatively thick, about ketchup consistency, so it's easy to apply to the (clean) fork stanchions after a ride. Next up is compressing the suspension a few times to work ForkBoost into the seal area.

I ride mostly in dry, dusty conditions, so on my forks a streak of black was pulled away from the seals. Wipe that off, and wipe off any excess around the seals, and that's it. It's important to wipe off the excess as ForkBoost could work its way down the left fork leg and onto the disc brake pads or rotor.

Performance

Compared to my favorite suspension lube and bike polish, Maxima's SC1, WPL's ForkBoost is noticeably thicker and more sticky.

It's designed to work a bit differently as well. Where SC1 keeps the suspension's seals lubricated, ForkBoost lubes as well as pulls dirt up and out of the seals where it can be wiped away.

After a few fork compressions it's easy to see the dirt pulled out of the seal area - Russell Eich / Immediate Media

Performance-wise, ForkBoost has definitely helped keep my suspension forks and shocks feeling slick and smooth. I also haven't had any Exxon Valdez moments where my fork leg is covered in oil and black gunk due to a seal giving up.

WPL claims all of its products are bio-based. Judging solely on scent, it's a believable claim. I'll leave it at that as I'm not going to ingest any products to find out.

Bottom line: WPL ForkBoost is cheap insurance for expensive mountain bike suspension

Overhauling suspension parts isn't rocket science, but it's also not dead simple or quick either, since tools, lube, knowledge and time are required. With that in mind, and with how much suspension forks and shocks cost, adding ForkBoost to your post-ride routine of getting your bike ready is a pretty easy recommendation.

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