MTB Suspension Service Intervals – one of the most common questions we get asked is “do my forks/shock/dropper post need servicing?”.
It’s actually a really easy question to answer, even if we haven’t seen the item in question. The answer is quite often “yes” but let us explain, we aren’t just saying that because we are in the business of servicing suspension.
Fox, Rockshox, Marzocchi and all the other suspension manufacturers have specified service intervals for their products. This is usually expressed in hours rather than miles covered and will break down whether your forks or shock need just a lower leg service or air can service or whether a more serious overhaul is required. These manufacturers are walking a bit of a tightrope, on the one hand they don’t want to put potential buyers off their products by specifying short service intervals, but on the other hand they don’t want you running your expensive forks or shock into the ground.
Based upon testing of several riders in different riding conditions your aforementioned suspension manufacturer will devise a servicing schedule. They will take into account various factors including a visual inspection of disassembled suspension components after various riders have ridden in various conditions for various amounts of time. At one end of the spectrum, depending upon the components in question the recommended service interval might be as little as 30 hours for a lower leg fork service or an air can service on a shock.
Here is the thing, you are not that rider, nor do you ride in those conditions or for that length of time. In addition just to complicate matters you may ride harder or not as hard as that rider, your cleaning routine may not be as effective or maybe it’s more so. Maybe you run a mudguard or a shock boot, maybe the last service conducted was a really good job and the components were cleaned immaculately, or maybe you bought the forks second hand and the last DIY service wasn’t exactly thorough.
I’m afraid that there are just too many variables involved to accurately predict the internal condition of your forks. One thing we do find however is that suspension components, with a minority of exceptions, are more often than not quite a bit more dirty than the owner had expected.
There are many things that can ruin the way a bike feels and rob you of confidence, none more so than suspension condition/setup and tyre pressures. In the same way you should always know exactly what your tyre pressures are, you should be confident regarding the internal condition of your forks. Don’t think of your forks or shock as a battery that will reach an exact moment when they will die and absolutely have to be serviced, from the moment that they are serviced performance will, (very gradually) begin to go down hill. If you leave it to the point that they “need” servicing damage will probably already have occurred. Marks and wear to the stanchions for example that you may well be able to feel, even after a good service.
How long you will get between services before suspension performance begins to deteriorate or you start to see damage to the internals will depend upon all of the factors mentioned above. If the question is “do my forks NEED servicing?” where “need” means that damage has already begun to occur and the question itself implies that the owner isn’t sure, the answer is probably yes, they did a while ago. If you can’t say that your forks etc. are clean inside with a confident smile, they are probably quite dirty.
The most extreme personal example I can think of is when I raced at Mountain Mayhem a few years ago on a brand new set of forks. After one race through what at times resembled hub deep chicken korma, my forks were full of water and dirt. If left the un-checked the dirt and debris would have undoubtedly damaged the stanchions etc. So I had ridden less than the 30 hours recommended for a lower leg service but the lowers were filled with mud.
Our advice is just stick to the recommended manufacturer’s service intervals for your model and year of fork at least initially. Once you have had them serviced you will have a better idea of how you can expect your forks/shock to hold up after X number of hours riding, but don’t forget the potential for voiding warranty claims through lack of servicing.
If you are local and want a quick health check with no obligation for you to continue with a service we are happy to help and talk you through any potential signs that your suspension service is overdue.
Frank
