Over a decade later, I can still vividly recollect the smell that filled the shop whenever a Marzocchi Monster T came in for a round of long overdue service. Cracking open the top caps would release a face-puckering scent that can only be created by starting with nearly a quart of oil, exposing it to mud, silt, water, and fluctuating temperatures, and then letting it steep for a season (or two, or three) to create a putrid sludge. If the customer was still in the shop when that toxic smelling oil soup hit the catch pan, the look on their face usually made it clear they realized sooner would have been better than later when it came to servicing their fork.
It's the remembering that's the hard part, especially since many of today's high end suspension forks can go well past their recommended service intervals without even emitting an oil seep of complaint. Plus, unlike cars, there's no odometer to tell you how long it's been since the last oil change, and with service intervals typically measured in ride hours, it usually comes down to making an educated guess about when it's time to show your suspension some love. On modern, cartridge style suspension forks, most manufacturers recommend at least changing the lubrication oil every 30-50 hours, and doing a full, more extensive damper overhaul once a year. It doesn't take long to rack up 30 hours of riding, especially in the middle of summer when there's time to sneak in a three hour ride even after working a 9-5, but this type of service can typically be done without the use of any special tools in the comfort of your own home (but you might want to put something down to cover the carpet if your living room also serves as your personal suspension service center).
Does this resemble your local riding area? If so, it's probably time to service your fork.
Despite what the conspiracy theorists might have you believe, the recommendation that you service your fork regularly isn't a ploy to separate you from your hard earned dollars. It's simply a way to extend the lifespan of its internals, which in the long run will prevent you from shelling out even more money to replace parts that break or wear out due to neglect. Is it mandatory that you stop everything and rush straight to the bike shop when that 30 or 50 hour mark rolls around? Nope, but it shouldn't be ignored completely either. A little preventative maintenance goes a long way, and with high end forks hovering around the $1000 mark, spending a fraction of that on an oil change is a worthwhile investment.
Think back to the last time you serviced your suspension, and answer the poll below. All participants will be entered into a drawing to win a brand new SR Suntour Aion Fork.
The SR Suntour Aion has 34mm stanchions, and is available in two versions - a 130-160mm travel 27.5", and a 130-140mm travel 29" option. Adjustments include air pressure, along with rebound and low speed compression damping.
Im on a Sb66 with CC DB rear and like i said she will have new pikes in 3 weeks she will do me for a while .. maybe longer while those mini infinity shocks get tested by the public !!
ZIP
I just got a Marzocchi 888 because I heard so much about the reliability of the 11+ forks, but I realized that Marzocchi USA rarely has anything in stock! Springs are hard to come by, rebuild kits aren't in stock, etc. The 888 is plusher than the old Boxxer, but after riding the Charger Boxxer, I decided to go back to Rock Shox with a '15 World Cup.
2.bp.blogspot.com/-33p8iv2ts70/TwzDuiHyheI/AAAAAAAAAz8/lh8kOSLhJ5A/s1600/-Free-Shipping-RDCS-043-Camping-Titanium-Spork-with-Opener.jpg
Dirt Jumper 3 100 185 Oil SAE 7,5 - Cod: 550013 185 Oil SAE 7,5 - Cod: 550013
I was thinking of the new 2014 models
My Boxxer on the other hand...half a season and bye bye oil! wonder if it came with oil in the first place!
I wanted to do a full service myself as the cost put me off. So got the full boxxer service kit off TF tuned for about ÂŁ45 rather than ÂŁ90ish to send them away.
So did plenty of research, some youtube vids and printed out the official boxxer manual from SRAM and spent 2 evenings doing it. That was the best thing I ever did. I really enjoyed doing it myself. The fork had little oil in it so I guessed they had never been serviced and they were one of the boxxer's with little oil in from the factory.
So long as you have the right tools, a clean working space I would say give it a go. Just do your research first.
but before i sound too anal aboout maintenance, i run rockshox for about 3-400 hours before doing a full rebuild (ie all seals). Lowers come off every 100 hrs or so, new fluids go in. I'm lazier than other people but I've been doing this for years and everything keeps running smooth. Up around 600 hours the seals shit th bed.
Brakes > suspension (> meaning more important than)
I would maybe suggest putting your bike upside down and pumping the forks a few times (it should be enough for oil to soak the foam rings a bit...) then pump the forks the right way up a few times (then all the oil in the damper will be in the right place).
Avid are the worst brakes available (sorry for saying that), I remember on the chairlift, the bike is upside down for a few minutes. It doesn't do the brakes any good (even freshly bled).
Even better brakes (shimano or hope IMO) shouldn't be stored upside down, they just don't work as well afterwards (brake point varies afterwards) (even with a fresh bleed).
In my opinion the "standard service" including Oil change, dust wiper replacement and relubricate the foam rings, could be done easily by yourself and would cost you half the price....
Different forks vary greatly, an old Zoke can be done in 15 minutes with zero knowledge, a Fox TALAS is harder to rebuild than it is to put a man on the moon.
(maybe there are super cheap lbs' in some places....)
Heck even my FOX dropper(which i really like) has literally no basic maintenance manual even for little things like cleaning the seals.
it is very easy to service the forks - most of them are basically the same. If you have FIT then doing lower legs service would be like 20 min tops, doing the FIT is like 10 min more. For the lower legs I'm using motor oil as this is just lubrication for the bushings. For the FIT you can use Silkolene PRO RSF 10W
BTW with RS it easier as they have all the tools, parts and instructions on line
Do lower legs every 3 month of riding and full service every 6 months and you would never have any issues with you forks
I'm considering buying a new fork pretty soon , more for weight saving than performance upgrade really ( not that more performance isn't what I want as well )
I'm currently looking at Boxxer Teams with the Charger unit , at that price they are hard to dismiss , but I'm scared to hell of losing that Zocchi reliability , rarely hear of problems with 888's but Boxxers on the other hand..
If the new 308's are as reliable as my old 888's, it could tempt me away from the Boxxer teams , but the price hike is quite considerable.
Once a year for a full strip and build
3 times a year for a lower leg clean up (without seals) which can easily be done on the majority of forks at home with our Plush service kits! (shameless plug sorry!)
TF had it on the bench for less than 5 mins and discovered it ... thanks for the month with no riding !
We warranty our workmanship for 3 months however we can guarantee that parts wont fail after servicing and we always inspect items properly for any faults however we do understand that things can go wrong sometimes its easy to miss small things like cracks.
I haven't got any record of a Vivid coming back to us 3 times in our entire service history.
Could you supply your name so I can investigate?
Thanks
I always end up breaking the internals. And I swear I usually run slightly high pressure. I'm so sick of it that I sometimes just keep riding the fork broken (depending on what's broke). 'Cause I hate the down time.
I'm glad I sent it for service under warranty and they finally put a '14 fit ctd with trail adjust there instead of that crap. Completely different now.
Other side of the spectrum. I thought my van 36 was sensitive then I did a seal change and such dear lord.... It sags under the weight of my bike its soo smooth well worth the $20 in seals.
Cheaper to sell second hand an put the ÂŁ towards a new fork upgrade
www.pinkbike.com/photo/8878211
www.Facebook.com/drivechaincycles
Thanks Matt
Every 3 weeks for a 40,
Twice a season for a 888
Once a season for a Dorado (and it doesn't even feel/look like it needed it). Best fork ever.
...