Fork Maintenance
Different brands of forks have different service intervals.
There are many brands of forks out there, some require more maintenance than others. One example is that Fox recommends to have their forks serviced every 30 hours of riding. That may sound like a lot of work and yes we would agree. However, without the constant maintenance you will be looking at more costly repairs down the road due to internal parts being worn prematurely from the contamination of dirt.
What can be done to maintain the health of my fork at home?
Wipe the gold upper tubes (stanchions) off with a soft cotton cloth and clean off any accumulated dirt after each ride. This will really help with the overall lifespan of your fork and seals. This of course is not a substitute for the maintenance, but could buy you extra time between servicing. Muddy conditions require more attention to detail, clean off all mud after every ride.
What does fork service consist of and cost?
Here is a link to the Fox Service website that shows exactly what we do for a fork maintenance service. It is a complicated procedure and requires many specific tools, lubricants, and safety knowledge. Our price is $65 and up for labor that does not include parts and oil. Seals run about an extra $20-25 and oil runs about $5. This is not a quote but more of an estimation of cost. Expect to spend about $100 during each servicing.
This is the result of no maintenance after one year of riding.
What happens if I don’t service my fork?
No service = more $$$ spent on service later or ruining your fork and needing to buy a new one. View the photo to the right. This is a Fox fork after 1 year of riding and no servicing. This kind of wear on the upper stanchions can also lead to wear on the internal cartridge which will also run you additional $$$ in repairs. The wear on the upper stanchions will eventually wear down the seals which will allow more debris to enter the chamber that will in turn increase the erosion of the seals which allows oil to seep out and cause damage to the cartridge…….At $800-1000 for a new fork, the service seems downright smart.
Choose your fork based on your service commitment.
As we mentioned earlier, different brands of forks have different servicing. Fox is the most service intense because they use high performance parts and have a design that utilizes only one set of seals for improved performance. Rock Shox uses 2 sets of seals which protects the stanchions more, and results in less servicing. If you run a Fox fork we highly recommend that you have your fork serviced twice a year for the rider that rides 4-8 hours a week. At the bare minimum have your fork serviced once a year, but know that you run the risk of the damage seen in these photos.
