Do air suspensions really need full servicing every 250 - 500 miles?

[bikeman242]

I plan to purchase a full air suspension mountain bike because I really like the comfort, but have no intention of doing any mountain biking. I ride flat rail trails, around parks, and occasional fire roads.

Multiple LBS have told me that the only maintenance I will ever need to do is put air in the suspension, and the routing service interval is only for people who are really putting the shock/fork to work. Of course, being a bike novice, it is hard to tell if this is accurate or they are just trying to make a sale.

What do you guys think?

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Keep them aired up to your riding comfort.... After every ride, inspect and clean the sliding surfaces and seal tops so dirt won't have a chance to damage the shock seals. I'll apply a few drops of lube on the pivot points and wipe clean of excess though I imagine some will say that only attracts more dirt into the pivot bushings.

Maybe those cats who rip down Alpine mountain passes like in the Megavalanche race might be interested in a 250 to 500 mile service, but for the rest of us, the above should keep you riding problem free for thousands of miles.

 

[Alaskan]

I sought maintenance and care advice from the LBS here in Bellingham that enjoys the best reputation for suspension expertise. They told me that using oil on a suspension bushings for lubrication is also putting cutting fluid on that same bushing, attracting and retaining abrasive grit and enhancing the ability of that grit to wear and degrade nylon/hmd/plastic bushings. Best to just do a wipe down after every ride and when it arrives home dirty, give it a good rinse, with adequate time to dry out before the next ride. They also said that suspension on a bike that is used mainly for street and developed trail riding should be good for thousands of miles between service.

 

[Ken M]

I think the numbers you were told were in the wrong units. I've been told 200-500 hours of riding time. 200 hours obviously being the aggressive trail riders and 500 being the urban commuters with suspensions. I have Magura TS6 air forks on one of my ebikes and after about 5000 miles (probably close to to 500 hours) one leg is starting to leak so I'm pretty sure it needs service soon.

This is a subject I brought up recently because I don't think a lot of urban riders factor in this service cost which could be $200+ / year if you ride regularly. I thought many riders would be better off with larger air volume tires and going with rigid ebikes for commuting but I kind of got slammed by many claiming a front fork or full suspension commuting ebike is much safer (I think a lot of marketing koolaid is still be consumed these days).

 

[Ken M]

This is what drives me crazy, I'm supposed to inspect and clean the fork every ride.

Why don't forks today no longer have fork boots?

Back in 1990s or 2000s, every MTBs had fork boots, the manufacture's argument is that fork seal and wipe can do the job to keep the dirt out, but there's nothing wrong with extra layer of barrier to keep the dirt out.

I think fork boots went out of style like the banana seat.

I tend to look for good bikes at thrift stores and one thing that is ubiquitous - virtually every donated bike that has a front fork, the fork is typically so bad it's literally stuck at a position (repair the cheap forks would cost more than the value of the bike after they are fixed so they are destined to land fills ... maybe that has something to do with my position that suspensions on urban bikes isn't such a good idea and mainly driven by marketing and bean counters at the bike manufacturers).

 

[Johnny]

I think the numbers you were told were in the wrong units. I've been told 200-500 hours of riding time. 200 hours obviously being the aggressive trail riders and 500 being the urban commuters with suspensions. I have Magura TS6 air forks on one of my ebikes and after about 5000 miles (probably close to to 500 hours) one leg is starting to leak so I'm pretty sure it needs service soon.

This is a subject I brought up recently because I don't think a lot of urban riders factor in this service cost which could be $200+ / year if you ride regularly. I thought many riders would be better off with larger air volume tires and going with rigid ebikes for commuting but I kind of got slammed by many claiming a front fork or full suspension commuting ebike is much safer (I think a lot of marketing koolaid is still be consumed these days).

One of my friends is riding an oldish Trek hardtail , 2006 model and has been ridden continuously since then. He told me that he never had any maintenance on the fork, rode it on trails but did not put it under too much stress by stunts/jumping etc. I looked at the fork and it was in perfect shape, clean , no leaking etc.

Also urban commuters will ride at speeds >15mph on average hence 500 hours of riding translates into at least 7500 miles after which it may need servicing. I also believe that higher quality/newer forks will be much more durable and require less maintenance under commuting conditions.

 

[Ken M]

One of my friends is riding an oldish Trek hardtail , 2006 model and has been ridden continuously since then. He told me that he never had any maintenance on the fork, rode it on trails but did not put it under too much stress by stunts/jumping etc. I looked at the fork and it was in perfect shape, clean , no leaking etc.

Also urban commuter will ride at speeds >15mph which means even at 500hours that is at least 7500 miles before needing a rebuild. I also believe higher quality/never forks will be much more durable and require less maintenance under commuting conditions.

I know motorcycle forks seem to good for the most part for 10s of 1000s of miles. I'm not sure why some bike forks have such low rated maintenance cycles.

Maybe urban ebike should have steel stanchion tubes like most motorcycles because they may be smoother than the hard anodized aluminum ones found on most modern ebikes.

I'm just probably more in the camp that with good air volume tires (like 2" wide or wider) you really don't need suspension for urban riding.

 

[gorse]

I'm a long time mtber who does own servicing down to damper level. I'd recommend annual fork and shock servicing, even if you're only riding on the road. Replacing the bath lubricant in fork lowers, cleaning and lubricating the fork seals is an easy job and wil extend the life of the seals as well as the stanchions. Taking the air can off and cleaning shock seals is also an easy job. These jobs should take no more than an hour per year, maybe 2hr if new to the job.
PS. Fork boots did more harm than good, hiding water and dust accumulating on the stanchions that quickly became a grinding paste.

 

[steve mercier]

I plan to purchase a full air suspension mountain bike because I really like the comfort, but have no intention of doing any mountain biking. I ride flat rail trails, around parks, and occasional fire roads.

Multiple LBS have told me that the only maintenance I will ever need to do is put air in the suspension, and the routing service interval is only for people who are really putting the shock/fork to work. Of course, being a bike novice, it is hard to tell if this is accurate or they are just trying to make a sale.

What do you guys think?

I think that any kind of rigorous maintainance involving overhauling would apply to serious Downhill riding only just like the LBS says. I have no issues with my air shock and coming up now for 16,000 km of mixed trails and roads.

 

[FlatSix911]

The truth... thanks for posting!

I think the numbers you were told were in the wrong units. I've been told 200-500 hours of riding time. 200 hours obviously being the aggressive trail riders and 500 being the urban commuters with suspensions. I have Magura TS6 air forks on one of my ebikes and after about 5000 miles (probably close to 500 hours) one leg is starting to leak so I'm pretty sure it needs service soon.

This is a subject I brought up recently because I don't think a lot of urban riders factor in this service cost which could be $200+ / year if you ride regularly. I thought many riders would be better off with larger air volume tires and going with rigid ebikes for commuting but I kind of got slammed by many claiming a front fork or full suspension commuting ebike is much safer (I think a lot of marketing Koolaid is still be consumed these days).

 

[6zfshdb]

My Pedego Platinum Interceptor came equipped with RST Gila 26 air suspension forks. There is no maintenance mentioned in the manual specific to the air shocks except to monitor and maintain pressure. I primarily ride trails, some of which can get rough at times. At around 1000 miles, the shocks began loosing air. Eventually, they would go completely flat during a single day ride. Pedego replaced the forks under warranty but I chose to replace them with RockShox 30 Gold instead. I now have another 1000 miles on the bike with no air loss at all.

My LBS recommends wiping dirt from the tubes after each ride and to check the pressure before going out again. Riding with pressure below the minimum can cause damage. He also says not to use any type of lube which can attract and hold dirt causing premature seal wear.

I did learn fairly quickly that if you run with air suspension forks, you need to have a shock pump. Most tire pumps aren't capable of producing pressures high enough for air forks. I bought this fairly cheap product from Amazon which works surprisingly well:

Amazon.com: Fox High Pressure Shock Pump: Sports & Outdoors

Buy Fox High Pressure Shock Pump: Replacement Parts - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[steve mercier]

My Pedego Platinum Interceptor came equipped with RST Gila 26 air suspension forks. There is no maintenance mentioned in the manual specific to the air shocks except to monitor and maintain pressure. I primarily ride trails, some of which can get rough at times. At around 1000 miles, the shocks began loosing air. Eventually, they would go completely flat during a single day ride. Pedego replaced the forks under warranty but I chose to replace them with RockShox 30 Gold instead. I now have another 1000 miles on the bike with no air loss at all.

My LBS recommends wiping dirt from the tubes after each ride and to check the pressure before going out again. Riding with pressure below the minimum can cause damage. He also says not to use any type of lube which can attract and hold dirt causing premature seal wear.

I did learn fairly quickly that if you run with air suspension forks, you need to have a shock pump. Most tire pumps aren't capable of producing pressures high enough for air forks. I bought this fairly cheap product from Amazon which works surprisingly well:

Amazon.com: Fox High Pressure Shock Pump: Sports & Outdoors

Buy Fox High Pressure Shock Pump: Replacement Parts - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

My bike came with a shock pump. I have never used it on the fork yet though but It is also handy to refill my AirZ horn. The fork also came with a rubber band around it so you can see how far it is travelling at a glance. It never rises above 65% of the way to the top. If the rubber band gets too close to the top of the travel range , I will add more air.

 

[gorse]

Air spring forks rely on a wet seal around the air shaft piston. If you never service the fork you can expect the piston seal to wear out more quickly and the air chamber will need refilling often. A little Slickoleum on the orings and seals once a year or two will prevent a lot of grief. Coil spring forks are more tolerant of neglect but I’ve seen forks on city bikes that have never been touched with the lowers half full of water and barely moving. At that point they are sometimes recoverable but more often become landfill.