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Fork service?
I've put about 1,500kms/75 hrs on my 6 month old MTB, and wondering if I should be thinking about servicing the forks? They are Rockshox Recon Gold Air, and the manual says to clean bushings/replace oil bath/lubricate air spring @ 50hrs, and change oil in damping system @ 100hrs.
What's the view on this - are the manufacturers just playing safe, or is it really advisable to follow their service intervals closely? I've noticed no issues as such, and understand it's an expensive job, so I don't want to do it unnecessarily.
And, if a service is in order, where to get it done in Perth? I'd prefer a fork specialist and someone that comes recommended, rather than just leave it to the LBS! Any suggestions...
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Just my 2c. I have just had my Fox talas serviced (150hrs) by a lbs in Perth.
Cost me $165 for a less than optimal job.
the Paint was chipped around the seals where they used a screw driver to remove them.
The Seals themselves were slightly damaged in the removal process but still re used.
Functionally it works, but I expected better.
Rear shock went to FOX in Melbourne. took two weeks, cost about the same and came back perfect.
There are several places that will do it in Perth.
I got two sets of Reba's serviced very well by Chris at Cycles Bespoke for $75 ea. They probably each had more than 200 hours of riding on them.
My Fox F29's would be nearly up to 500hours and haven't been serviced. They are still awesome.
I generally wouldn't worry too much until the seals start leaking oil.
I was told by a bike mechanic at a LBS that Fox forks in particular are quite 'dry' when manufactured. That is, they are built & oiled correctly, but the amount of lube/grease used on o-rings & shafts is minimal... He recommended servicing once initially around 50 hrs, then much longer in-between after that.
All this is only one mans opinion. I'd be intrigued to hear if anyone thinks this is correct/false.
As for me & my Rockshox Recon forks - I rode around 100hrs & then serviced them myself. The SRAM website + Youtube videos makes it too easy.
Its weird.. i had my f120rl's serviced a while back (i left them too long and i had to do bushings as well) and when i got them back they felt incredible, plush responsive and silky smooth but i don't no... I got my new bike and it has a 150rl on the front and it dosen't feel nearly as good as the 120 despite lower pressures and more sag.. I feel like theres more stiction in the brand new forks opposed to my old ones.
Both my front and back were sent to fox in melbourne as well and i think they cost me $200.00 a pop!!!
One thing to take from this is regardless of hours just do a basic service front and rear once a year because the cost of overstepping just some routing maintenance can cost you an arm and a leg, much cheaper in the long run. Not to mention haveing the forks much more enjoyable.
By the way i also though my forks were great until i got them serviced and far out viva la difference!!
I've just found a thread on Rotorburn that says some company called "Monza" is the service agent for Rockshox in Oz. A google search only found a "website under construction" page - not very promising! Anyone had experience with them?
Monza
are the real deal
they updated my juicys when the seals blew
to elixers, at cost price
they are probably just updating the website.
I've had mixed results with shop shock servicing and I believe the problem is that some LBSs simply don't have as much experience or knowledge as others. Some also use the correct oils and greases whereas others may not.
I have serviced and modified forks for over 10 years now but with most new forks performing well from new (And having less time on my hands these days) I decided to give a shop another go when I needed new seals & a service on my Revelations.
I trusted my forks to Kalamunda cycles after talking to Tim & co. The reason why is that when I chatted to them they clearly understood shocks and also STOCK several seal kits including aftermarket stuff like the "Enduro bearings" kit which I have used previously on Fox forks and found them great. This gave me confidence that they have experience of fork work.
At the end of the day though I personally wouldn't bother servicing a Recon unless it played up or I did a basic fluid change myself using the correct oil from a motorbike shop. The fork is easy to strip & lube. Save the dough towards a fork upgrade in a couple of years.
All the best
Tony
... for the feedback guys. With a service costing up to $200, and patchy results from local shops, I think I'll take Tempest & Tony's advice and keep riding them for now. Probably revisit it in another six months and check out the shops recommended above, or even try my hand at servicing them myself...
1 key point on servicing yourself...
I was told to get my 26mm socket head ground down. Which I did. The amount of surface area that the socket has to grip at the top of both legs is extremely minimal. If you take a close look at the inside of the socket head, you'll notice that the first 1mm of contact area is tapered. Take this down to a metal machinist type place & get them to ground it flat.
The guys down at an engine rebuilding place were kind enough to help me out.
try googling Monza imports thats the full name, they have been around for a long time!
They do in house fox shock servicing and yes I would recommend as they will set them up for you and offer warranty on the seals. They did fudge the rear one with putting the wrong seal but it was an honest mistake and quickly fixed it up there and then for me.
They have loads of bike candy as well.
I know a couple of people that have awesome service from this mob.
http://www.tekinsuspension.com.au/
As someone has said previously, give it a shot yourself. If everything is still working fine and you don’t need to replace a damper or anything like that then all you would really need to look at doing would be dropping the oil out of the lowers and swapping it with some new stuff and giving the seals a good pasting of slick honey. If rebound and compression are working fine, then I wouldn’t worry about them.
Sram’s service guides are easy to follow and their youtube vids are also pretty helpful. Doing an oil change yourself is never going to cost you 200 bucks – unless you completely faff it and you need to take it to a shop to fix it.
If that’s the case there are a number of decent shops around who do a good job on suspension services.
You’d only need to send it to Monza or Tekin or NSDynamics or someone over east if you wanted a custom tune.
Backdoor, thanks for that.
You metioned there are a few good LBS for fork service. So far Kalamunda Cycles and Cycles Bespoke have been mentioned (and Mortdale Bike Shed, but as far as I can see they are in NSW). Can you add any others to the list?
Thanks.
My mate has used them & said that they were good & had a quick turnaround. They work out of the For The Riders store in Brisbane. Check out thier website; nsdynamics.com.au or look at the store tour vid on fortheriders.com.au to see thier set up. Looks impressive.
Monza are the importers of Rock Shoxs products, but I would never let them service my forks.
I race in the state and national DH series and have had them service my forks once and they came back completly dry no oil at all!!
I called and asked why that was so and was told by there head mech that thats the way they are supposed to be. What a load of shit!
I have talked to many many people that have had the same experience with Monza. They are a huge company and wont give your forks the love and care that you will. Download the service manual or watch the youtube vids and do it yourself.
I convert Boxxer Race to Team or World Cups so I know what I am doing when it goes to forks. Its actually quite easy!
a few Perth places to try, that have (mtb riders as staff) would be, in no particular order...
Cott/Carine Cycles
Midland Cycles
Malaga Cycles
Wembley Cycles
ring joe at carine cycles. downhill specialist shop and an authorized fox service and repairer. not sure about rock shox but definately knows his stuff about suspension and his pricing is good too.