FS vs Hardtail Regular Maintenance

It’s a given that FS bikes require more maintenance than a hardtail, but specifically, how much more? How regularly do the pivots and bearings need to be cleaned or lubed? Do most of you do this maintenance yourselves or let a shop handle it?

I’m considering an upgrade, and just want to know what I’m getting into.

Thanks!

[slipfinger]

"arvi" wrote

It’s a given that FS bikes require more maintenance than a hardtail, but specifically, how much more? How regularly do the pivots and bearings need to be cleaned or lubed? Do most of you do this maintenance yourselves or let a shop handle it?

I’m considering an upgrade, and just want to know what I’m getting into.

Thanks!

FS don’t really require more maintenance. Pivot bearings are very low maintenance, If a pivot bearing needs lubing then it basically needs replacing which depending on how much you ride can be a few years. The rear shock may need a rebuild but again depending on how much you ride this could be after many years of use. As long as you spray your bike down after every ride and avoid the use of a pressure washer the suspension parts of a FS bike should last you many maintenance free years.

As for doing the work yourself, if you are mechanically inclined and have the right tools replacing bearing can be easy.

The rebuild of a rear shock is a different story. If you’ve not really messed around with suspension rebuilds in the past then I would defiantly leave this one to your LBS, lots of shops don’t even do the rebuilds in house and send them out to suspension shops to do the rebuild. You defiantly need to know what you are doing or it could lead to a bigger bill then you thought to repair your mess.

[schwim ✓ supporter]

3,000 miles on my FS so far and have not needed to do anything at all, in relation to the rear suspension. That includes the shock.

My brother, on the other hand has had to rebuild his Fox shock once, his Fox fork twice and has to tighten his pivots every now and then, which we usually take care of on the trail when it develops a creak.

IMHO, staying away from a FS because of maintenance is folly. If it interests you, go for it!

[JT Orlando]

"schwim" wrote

3,000 miles on my FS so far and have not needed to do anything at all, in relation to the rear suspension. That includes the shock.

Holy crap! I wish I could say the same! I had 6 months (somewhere around 400-500 miles) on my stumpy before blowing a gasket in the rear shock. Fox’s suggested timeframe between maintenance is now 30 hours of use and that’s just not feasible if you ride every day. Not trying to dissuade you from a full suspension though, I love mine. Just haven’t had good luck.

[gar29]

Been riding my FS for years with really no maintenance, other than cleaning and checking tightness. I think cleaning is important. Let the crap build up, you’re going to have more problems.

Thanks to everyone for the info. I do keep my bikes clean and am comfortable with basic maintenance, so it’s good to hear that an upgrade won’t mean more frequent downtime.

What about air pressure? Do air shocks need to be topped off regularly?

@schwim, I wasn’t going to let a marginal increase in maintenance stop me from upgrading. Just wanted to know if I’d be doing any additional care and feeding after upgrading.

[gar29]

"arvi" wrote

Thanks to everyone for the info. I do keep my bikes clean and am comfortable with basic maintenance, so it’s good to hear that an upgrade won’t mean more frequent downtime.

What about air pressure? Do air shocks need to be topped off regularly?

@schwim, I wasn’t going to let a marginal increase in maintenance stop me from upgrading. Just wanted to know if I’d be doing any additional care and feeding after upgrading.

I do check my air shock and fork irregularly. You can generally tell if you have lost air. I have a fox rear that does bleed down a bit. My son has a RockShox rear that is solid. I have a bomber fork needs to be checked very rarely.

I would definitely recommend picking up a shock pump, they aren’t really expensive and are needed to dial in your suspension.

Here is an example for you [url:3ae3j051]http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Shock-Gauge-Silver-Black/dp/B00165Q912/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_1[/url:3ae3j051]

[schwim ✓ supporter]

I didn’t intend to imply that you were full of folly(follyful?) Just agreeing with the others that you’ve nothing to worry about 😀

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

Even if you don’t start leaking oil or blow a seal, it’s recommended that you get your fork and shock serviced about every 1,000 miles to keep things running well and to ward off doing serious damage down the road.

But some companies (fox) are notorious for requiring frequent service and others (such as rock shox) could probably go a little longer without service.

[Author]

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