How hard to rebuild suspension components?

[NHAero]

I had my Rock Shox SID and Fox Float suspension bits rebuilt 4 years ago by a good Boston-area shop. This time I'd like to do it myself. How difficult is it to do this, and what special tools are needed? Is it hard to make sure that one has the correct rebuild kit (it seems that RS has made a bunch of forks called SID, and mine doesn't have any other language on it.)

I called the shop and they are several weeks out, plus it will cost close to $400, so I am motivated.

[Veloo]

Subscribing.
I have been hesitant as well.

I will say that on my neighbour's 1990's MTB with shocks, the plastic adjustment knob broke right off when I tried to unscrew it to decompress the spring/damper. So just beware of brittle plastic on really old shocks.

[Likes2ridefar]

My mechanic won’t do them and gave me a few shops locally that will but it seems most don’t. I’d be curious as to why…

[avalonracing]

I've been doing all my wrenching for decades. My buddy says doing suspension isn't hard and recommends I try it. But when I rode the fork he just did it bounced like a pogo stick so I think I'll keep taking mine to the pros.

[thermalattorney]

There are two types of service: the more frequent ~50hr lowers/aircan service and the 200+hr damper service you need.

The former takes time but is dumb easy. It's the kind of service any one can do as it only takes a hex key, pick, and maybe snap ring pliers. The only specialty tools are cheap: a seal installer for forks and strap wrench for shocks.

The latter takes time, more tools, and generally a sense of what can go wrong. If you're keen to learn, I'd start with the fork as RS provides excellent documentation for all their products. The upside besides cost savings is the ability to change shim stacks to tune rebound and/or compression damping to your liking.

Personally I cough up the $$ each season or factor that service charge into the price of "upgrading" to a new fork or shock.

EDIT: For parts, try putting your fork's serial # into RS' Trailhead site to get all the info you need.

[Likes2ridefar]

I am just here to complain about the 50 hours. I’m not adhering to this as it would require service WAY more frequently than I prefer. I am well beyond double that first round and the fork feels fine… maybe my full suspension experience will be very short lived!

[benb]

Originally Posted by NHAero

I had my Rock Shox SID and Fox Float suspension bits rebuilt 4 years ago by a good Boston-area shop. This time I'd like to do it myself. How difficult is it to do this, and what special tools are needed? Is it hard to make sure that one has the correct rebuild kit (it seems that RS has made a bunch of forks called SID, and mine doesn't have any other language on it.)

I called the shop and they are several weeks out, plus it will cost close to $400, so I am motivated.

I don't know what exact ones you're talking about but think about how many services at $400 before you could have just bought a new fork or shock? I have a $650 fork on my current MTB. If I got the fancier version it would be $950. Doesn't take many services at $400 before you wonder can you upgrade instead. The tool lists are long and aggravatingly specific. And for my time it is definitely not worth it unless I really thought it was going to be fun to rebuild a fork.

Installing a new fork or shock is not as much work as doing these maintenance procedures and I would do that myself (and have).

I had a SID-XC and that thing was a POS and absolutely did need the service as it would start leaking. But both times it ended up having to get sent off and the bike had to sit. PITA. Later it got replaced with a Monarch and the Monarch just kept working and never complained and I never did any service on it. That took a lot of work to track down all the correct pieces to change the frame to the Monarch but I did the work myself and it was a huge upgrade and never gave me any trouble.

If I was hucking off giant jumps and trying to get my life sponsored by Red Bull maybe I'd be more proactive about doing all this stuff. Otherwise if the fork/shock is not showing symptoms I'm inclined to just keep riding it.

Every fork or shock I have had has shown clear signs in a non-dangerous way that it was time for work. So of course I have not been good about following the maintenance schedule. The last few years I have been riding MTB more though, so I guess I should be watching my fork carefully.

No LBS has ever tried to tell me I needed to track hours and do all this stuff if the bike wasn't showing signs of something wrong. I have never gotten a speech about it when taking delivery of a MTB. I think that is interesting, if it was truly a mandatory safety thing the manufacturers would be on the warpath to get the dealers to be crystal clear about this stuff.

I am not really good about tagging my rides in Garmin/Strava with the bike.. but that would be a way to go back and count hours.

One thing I find confusing is a lot of these shocks and forks are actually produced in a confusing array of variations. The retail version might be present in 2 versions but the OEMs are picking from a bunch of extra variations where the mounting hardware is different or travel or spacing is changed or something else.

[fmradio516]

There are different kinds of "service" that is needed on suspension. The more frequent one is pretty easy as long as you have the correct washer/o-ring kit along with whatever oils/grease needed. The first one you do will be more expensive than the rest because of the upfront cost of the oils/grease, but those will get you through the next few years of service.

I havent done the more in-depth service, mainly because i havent needed to. My fork/shock works fine, and im not riding as much as i used to.

Lookup the serial number on the Fox/RS service website, and that'll get you all the parts and oil quantities you need, along with instructions.

Also anytime you do any work on your suspension, take your time and make sure your work environment is CLEAN.

[45K10]

The Fox Float shock is an easy service and that is probably all you need. Replace o- rings, seals and some fresh lube. Tons of videos on ytube on how to do it.

If it were my fork and it hadn't been serviced in 4 years, I would just replace it. You are going to need to do an extensive service on it and more than likely the damper is going to need quite a bit done to it or you'll need to source a replacement one.

[weaponsgrade]

As mentioned, there are two types of service: fork lowers/rear shock air can and damper. The damper is more involved, but the former is very easy. I generally don't ride in wet, muddy conditions and I go well past the 50hr service intervals. Each time I've opened up things up for service everything still looked good. There are plenty of YouTube videos, but for the simple service it's a matter of getting the right service kit and fluids. The only speciality tools are maybe snap ring pliers and/or fork seal driver tool. If no leaks, I wouldn't bother changing the fork seals.

In a nutshell, the fork lowers just means unbolting the fork lowers from the stanchions, draining the oil, replacing the foam rings, wiping everything down, and refilling. The air can just means unscrewing the big cylinder, wiping down, replacing some o-rings, and regreasing. I haven't needed to use a strap wrench for the air can.

The fork service can be done w/o removing the fork from bike, but it's easier to do w/ the fork removed. The rear shock needs to be removed.

Only caveat is if you have an X2 shock. I think the X2 requires some speciality tools even for basic service.

[m_sasso]

I rebuilt my 2007 Fox 32, Series F100RLC this past fall. Thermalattorney and Weaponsgrade are giving you some good advice, requires the purchase of some specialized tool, some of the tools can be MacGyvered. The process is not difficult if you can read and comprehend technical manuals and have a reasonable clean and equipped place to perform the work.

[NHAero]

I should be clear that there are no obvious failures occurring, no leakage or odd effects. I have maybe 300 hours on the bike since last service. Our trails are benign, my group is a few old guys, we ride easy, no jumps, I'm 140 pounds.

I'm skeptical of some recommendations based on hours but they have to be based on something, and it's either going to be miles, elapsed time, or time since last service. I do recall feeling driven to finally change brake oil in my XT hydros and seeing how it came out completely clear with no obvious corrosion or contamination. I'm not messing with them again until something goes wrong, YMMV.

Seem as though the easy service is easy, and maybe I'll start there.

Thanks!

[EB]

The maintenance cycles are needed. Ignore them at your peril. Dirt and grime creeps into the seals inevitably and maintenance cycles are required to prevent eventual failure of the equipment, and to restore the original performance. It's part of the price you pay for the joy of a full suspension bike (or even a hardtail).

Once you get back on your bike after a properly done full maintenance cycle, you'll know what you've been missing. In some cases (side eyes at Fox) the opponents may not have even been properly setup at the factory, and proper maintenance can unlock performance you may never have experienced.

While you can definitely do it yourself, and I always recommend DIY, finding a skilled shop that focuses specifically on suspension maintenance and tuning can be a big unlock. It's definitely not a job to just give to any old LBS.

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

I am just here to complain about the 50 hours. I’m not adhering to this as it would require service WAY more frequently than I prefer. I am well beyond double that first round and the fork feels fine… maybe my full suspension experience will be very short lived!

It's funny I said exactly the same thing. I was also around double and thought my fork and shock felt fine and they both seemed to compress & rebound smoothly when standing still. But I had been noticing some hand fatigue though and I thought I was just riding too much. Anyway, I took my Epic Evo to update the group so I asked them to service the shock and fork because they had the bike in the shop. I got the bike back and wow I was wrong. It felt like I had updated the bike to some new, better-riding model. I'm not talking about the group I'm talking about the suspension. So much smoother and more compliant with the big hits too. (Yes, the air pressure was the same before and after the service so that wasn't it). Next time I will not wait so long.

[EB]

Originally Posted by avalonracing

It's funny I said exactly the same thing. I was also around double and thought my fork and shock felt fine and they both seemed to compress & rebound smoothly when standing still. But I had been noticing some hand fatigue though and I thought I was just riding too much. Anyway, I took my Epic Evo to update the group so I asked them to service the shock and fork because they had the bike in the shop. I got the bike back and wow I was wrong. It felt like I had updated the bike to some new, better-riding model. I'm not talking about the group I'm talking about the suspension. So much smoother and more compliant with the big hits too. (Yes, the air pressure was the same before and after the service so that wasn't it). Next time I will not wait so long.

This ^ is why you follow the guidelines