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As a pretty competent mechanic (for example - bike: wheel building, suspension fork servicing and tuning; car: gearbox swaps, suspension etc.) it irritates me that I cannot service my own rear shocks. I resent both the cost and the turnaround time it takes to get a shock serviced.
For example, this weekend I found I had a problem with my shock and even though I contacted the company who will do the servicing first thing Monday morning and put the shock in the post with guaranteed next day delivery I still cannot be certain of having it back ready for next weekend and all this will cost me a min. of £100 + any additional parts costs.
It seems to me that the only factors preventing me from doing the servicing myself are: 1) availability of spare internal parts, 2) availability of detailed workshop manuals, 3) some means of recharging the high pressure gas in the shock, 4) custom tools required for assembly and disassembly.
Items 3 and 4 I expect I can deal with as I have a friend who is an engineer and fellow mountain biker who is more than capable of manufacturing solutions to such problems.
This leaves 1 and 2 to sort out which will only be possible with the support of the shock manufacturers and/or importers. I just can't see any reason why they should decide to make life easy for me and agree to provide the spare parts and workshop manuals I require.
Has anyone on here any first-hand experience of servicing shocks? Could it be DIYed or am I deluding myself? Equally, has anyone ever got a manufacturer or importer to provide shock internal spares and/or workshop manuals?
Over to you guys and gals...
Depends on shock, Fox? forget it, I have to get my own seal kits manufactured if bodytubes or any other internal parts need replacing they will have to go back to Mojo too as nobody other than them casn get the internal parts, and as for instructions same again, Rockshox and Marzocchi, have manuels about and seal kits.
I look at in the same way I do DIY, costing my time per hour, e.g I could tile and fit a new shower unit however it works out cheaper, timewise to get a professional to do it giving me time to spend with my family.
service on a float air shock would cost £62.50 and £6 postage.
The whole suspension industry is really busy with most people quoting a least 2 weeks for ealiest bookings available even with 15 technicians in the workshop as more people are rding full suspension bikes and all want their kit servicing at the same time.
With regards to pressure charging the damper, I've done it to a monarch shock using an adapter a bit like the one you used to get with Marzocchi forks except it's red and has an o-ring at the top of the thread. I got it from TF Tuned.
No idea on FOx, but it looks like it needs some kind of needle adaptor.
Thanks LoCo and cheeseburger for your responses.
For info, I actually have a number of shocks I might want to service including Fox & X-Fusion but my current one is a Specialized "own brand" AFR.
'Needle thing' is a Nitrogen charging tool which you charge the damper IFP chamber with upto 500psi depending on shock.
All different seal kits then, there maybe some cross over in parts from the Fox to X fusion though.
Interesting to see the price you quote LoCo for servicing a Float. How come Specialized think it is reasonable to charge £90 + postage + parts?!
Their overheads are somewhat higher than mine, TF also do Specialized units. I don't do them.
I've serviced my own DT and Spark Nude rear shocks. You can get the seals and I also worked out an adaptor to use when re-charging the IFP.
Getting the info on how to do was NOT easy.....!
Just had my forks and triad serviced by MOJO and it was a 2 week wait.
As an aside something not quite right. Seems to be leaving a bit more fluid than normal on the stanchion and the shock is not rebounding on a slower setting leading to peddle strikes. More air and rebound helps.
I also used air instead of nitrogen. I take the advice from the RS video on youtube, for servicing the Monarch. They say you can use air fine in the IFP, but you just make have to do the service more often. Biggest expense was getting the parts needed - ie the air valve adaptor and the (Scott) shock pump which goes up to 500psi.
Go on then Strike share the info with the good people 😉
Got a Fox RP rebuilt by the lbs. They got the seal/lube/top hat/bushing kit kit from Mojo and a local car tuning shop recharged the cylinder. £70 all in, turnaround 2 days.
Shock is better than it was new
Where'd they get the damper seal kit from though?
Re. DT shocks, on the 165mm shocks (plus the Scott Spark Nude), the IFP depth is 38mm. The oil to use is 5wt and the IFP pressure is 35bar. The air-valve adpator to use is the one that Manitou SPV shocks use, however, the neck of the valve needs turning down by about 1-2mm to allow it to insert in to the valve port. The seals can be obtained from a Belgian-based tuner - forkparts.com.
If anyone wants anymore info, then email me at cws196 <AT> googlemail <DOT> com