Fork assembly: bearing orientation question

[schwim ✓ supporter]

Hi there folks,

I’m replacing the stock fork with a used Recon 351 on my ’08 KHS XC – 004. I’ve got a question concerning the assembly.

When I removed the fork, the bearing and a washer hung in the cup and later fell out, leaving me questioning which one goes first and which direction the bearing sits.

Here’s my best guess(it seems to "sit" well this way):

The only reason I am wary is because when I did the test install, I had to tighten the top cap quite a bit more than I thought I should(no torque wrench, sorry!) before I was no longer able to sense any slop in the bottom of the fork.

Does this look correct to you? One other thing to mention is I did not move the old crown race over because the one on the Recon looks identical in shape.

[gar29]

That’s the right way.

[schwim ✓ supporter]

Thanks a bunch.

Unfortunately, under closer inspection, the two crown races do differ, so I’ll be hauling the forks to the not-so-lbs in the morning to do the old switcheroo as I’m not a fan of beating them to death with a mallet and screwdriver.

[Author]

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