You rely on your mountain bike suspension to keep you from feeling the impact of every collision your bike tires make with tough terrain. From rear and front suspension to the shocks and fork, it’s all very important. That has you wondering then, how often should you service your mountain bike suspension?
Aim to get your mountain bike suspension serviced at least every year, if not more often. For instance, if you ride for 125 hours before you hit that year mark, then you should take your bike in at that point. You can also get the bike’s suspension serviced more often than that if you prefer so it performs even more exceptionally.
In this article, we will talk a lot more about your mountain bike suspension service timeline. We’ll also touch on what will happen when a technician services your bike and how much it will cost you. If you’re new to mountain biking, you do not want to miss this!
How Often Do You need to Get Your Mountain Bike Suspension Serviced?
As we mentioned in the intro, mountain bike professionals recommend you bring your bike in for suspension servicing either every year or when you ride for 125 hours. That’s the longest amount of time you’d have to wait. If you’d like to get your bike serviced more than once a year, that’s certainly fine. In fact, bike pros believe that your mountain bike will work even better with more regular servicing.
Let’s also take this section to talk a little bit more about your mountain bike suspension itself. What exactly is it? Your bike may include either hardtail or full suspension.
You only get front suspension with a hardtail setup. This tends to make the initial costs less expensive, and it won’t be as pricy to maintain your mountain bike over the long-term, either. A bike with hardtail suspension may weigh less. You should use this type of suspension for riding less bumpy trails, climbing hills, and traversing pavement. It can also handle fire roads, singletrack, and doubletrack terrain.
Full suspension, as the name may tell you, includes rear suspension as well as front. You get dual shock absorbers that can rebound and compress so you don’t feel every bump and crevice hard terrain has in store for you. While full suspension mountain bikes cost and weigh more, they can endure more terrain scenarios. For instance, you can feel free to descend at high speeds and ride tough paths with drops, rocks, and roots.
What Happens During Servicing?
Alright, so, per the timetable above, you figure it’s high time that you take your mountain bike in for some suspension servicing. What exactly will the technician do during your appointment? Here’s an overview.
Shock and Fork Work
Most technicians will begin with the shocks and fork of your mountain bike. A shock is part of the suspension system. As we mentioned in the last section, your bicycle will have one or two shock absorbers depending on the type of suspension. If it’s hardtail suspension, then you get only one shock absorber. If your mountain bike comes with full suspension, then you get two.
Each shock absorber has a damper and a spring. The spring works with the suspension system to expand or contract depending on when you hit a bump with your bike. The damper transfers the spring energy so your suspension system works optimally.
The shock absorbers serve an incredibly important purpose, as it’s their job to cushion you from the direct impacts of riding on rocky and other hard terrain. Otherwise, you’d feel very sore after a day out on your mountain bike.
Your mountain bike’s suspension fork is found in the front of the bicycle. The fork maintains the positioning of the bike’s front wheel. It has a series of tubes with their own shocks, including springs. During impact, the spring compacts, moving piston fluid through the tubes.
Depending on the last time you got your mountain bike suspension serviced, your technician may clean parts of the shocks and fork, such as the seals and stanchions. They may also have to replace the air spring or damper cartridge from scratch.
Steerer Tube Upgrade
The steerer tube holds your fork to the bike’s frame. Most steerer tubes have a diameter of 1 1/8 inches, with some including a diameter of only an inch. Those are typically found in older bikes, as today’s models boast oversized or tapered steerer tube designs. Older steerer tubes will likely have to be replaced, which your technician can take care of.
Fork Replacements
In a worst-case scenario, like if you owned your mountain bike for many years but never took great care of it, you might need a new fork outright.
Axle Dropout Checks
The axle should be 15 to 20 millimeters. If not, then it might not match your wheel size. Your bike technician can confirm that you have the right axle for your mountain bike wheels.
How Much Does It Cost to Get Your Mountain Bike Suspension Serviced?
You know your mountain bike needs some work, but how much will you spend on this service? Well, it depends on where you go. The extent of service you require also plays a role in how much the total bill will be. For instance, if you’ve taken great care of your mountain bike to this point, then it likely won’t need much work. Compare that to someone who rides their bike hard without maintenance from one year to the next. They’d need much more work.
Here’s an overview of what you might pay for suspension servicing:
- For a basic suspension tune-up, about $20
- For air sleeve servicing for your shocks, about $30; this includes a basic inspection, an oil bath, a valve core and air seal replacement (if necessary), and an air sleeve cleaning
- For full service on the fork, about $100; this includes a basic inspection, an oil replacement, foam ring and dust wiper replacement (as necessary), seal and air spring inspection, damper rebuilding or replacement, and cleaning other parts
- Lower leg service for the fork, about $50; this includes a basic inspection, an oil bath, foam ring and dust wiper replacement, and lower leg cleaning
Do keep in mind the above prices are by no means set in stone. If you have concerns or questions on what you may pay for mountain bike suspension servicing near you, then we recommend calling or emailing a bike shop and asking.
Conclusion
If you can’t remember the last time you’ve taken your mountain bike in for suspension servicing, that’s not a good thing. You’re supposed to do so once you reach 125 hours of riding or per year. You don’t have to follow that to the letter, either. If you’re the type who wants to get their bike serviced more often, this is to the benefit of your mountain bike, so go for it!
Regular maintenance trips like these can keep your bike operating in tip-top shape. You’ll also spend less money on maintenance since you shouldn’t have to worry about fork or shock absorber replacements.
If you have a relatively new mountain bike, then today is a great day to get on a maintenance schedule going forward. You’ve invested the money into your bike, after all, so make sure you take great care of all its components, including the suspension. Now that you’ve read this article, you know exactly what to do. Good luck!