How much does it cost you????

alexthebear

To keep your full sus riding right year on year? I'm not talking about upgrading parts before they have worn out but more shock services, worn bush replacements and general servicing.

I know it's all relative to how much you ride and how hard you hit the trails when your out but it would be good to see a comparison

JMcP92

Not too much really, keep bushings greased and suspension cleaned appropriately, it all last longer.
However, if I had to give example of everything needing done in a year
Bushings: <£30
Suspension service F+R: £40
Brake pads year round: £50

Now you can also build in wear and tear, chainrings, chains, cassettes, ripped off rear mech, new headset/BB if/when required, tyres etc. but that's all relevant to buying which parts you replace

lawman

Depends on the bike and components, I'm quite happy servicing Rockshox forks but won't touch my Fox's, so every year my 32's and RP23 get oxed up for Mojo to service, so there's £200 before you start, but I've always had amazing service from them and Imo it's worth paying to keep them top notch. Having said this my next bike will probably have Pikes to bring back some user serviceability. My Mojo tends to eat bearings, so again they're replaced every year, about £50 all in. As far as frame and fork that's it pretty much covered, but I'm starting to add Reverb services to the list, I sent one of mine via my LBS to the UK distributor, general service charge is £50 plus £10 postage, but seeing as they've sent me a brand spanking new 2014 post that's a freaking good deal in my book!! It also means that over the past 2 years I've acquired 4 or 5 reverb bleed kits as well, so I'll never run out of hydrolic fluid!

I'd say overall I spend around £500-£600 a year keeping my 2 bikes going, that's including suspension services and worn out drivetrain and brake pads, but not the inevitable good deal that pops up that's too good to resist!!

.blitz

alexthebear wrote:

...shock services, worn bush replacements and general servicing

Errmmmmmmmmm...not a lot

In all fairness every FS I've owned has needed a teardown and rebuild from new because ime they are just thrown together at the factory and a little bit of tlc and careful re-assembly goes a long way...like years in the case of my Cannondale & Scott. RS forks are hardly worth the effort of servicing just use them for a year or two and then get another set from Merlin

The other thing is I never wash my bikes I firmly believe water kills MTBs quicker than anything.

oxocube1

I tend to service my forks, shock, and frame bearings myself so the only cost is the consumables used in those processes (fork oil, workshop towels etc.).
It's kind of obvious but keeping up with maintenance really does go a long way. I take out, clean and regrease my Hollowtech 2 BB every 3-4 weeks and its been going for over 2 years now. Also I remove, clean and lightly sand my pads every 3 rides to make them last longer. The original sintered pads that came with my XT brakes lasted over a year and that was through all the snow, ice and rain we had last winter, so a very low cost for pads over the year too!

So for me over the past 12 months my maintenance costs have probably been under £50.

mcnultycop

I chuck all my spare change in a massive tub with the lid glued on and a slot cut in. When the suspension feels ropey I take it in and the LBS sorts/sends to Mojo. I pay with the cash I the tub, so it doesn't feel like it costs anything.

ednino

JMcP92 wrote:

Suspension service F+R: £40

:shock:

More like £80+ front & £80+ rear
and I use J Tech (cheaper than TF etc..)

Northwind

I tend to give the full suss one mighty service either before or after the summer hols- new bearings, shock bushings, etc, it'll always need some done so I tend to do them all. Aircan service and fork service and fluid change, seals if they seem like they need them- I diy it but if there's anything untowards it goes off to Mojo or TF.

So, hmm. Maybe £100 in a good year, £250 in a bad? But that bike gets used a hell of a lot. My other full suss gets ridden like 3 times a year so is well on schedule for a service in about 2025.

JMcP92

ednino wrote:

JMcP92 wrote:

Suspension service F+R: £40

:shock:

More like £80+ front & £80+ rear
and I use J Tech (cheaper than TF etc..)

Got a mate that does it for pennies, £40 for both ends

rockmonkeysc

There's nothing all that difficult in a fork service if you're reasonably mechanically minded and can follow simple instructions in the service manual.
I think the biggest expense from riding my full sus bike year round is replacing worn transmission parts and thats no different to a hardtail.
Bearing life can be doubled by stripping the rear end and turning bearings 180 degrees. The bearings are all just part turn so wear in one area of the bearing while the other half gets very light use.

Northwind

Suspension's easy to service when all is well but not so easy when it's going wrong- and one of the things pro servicing can do that competent-but-relatively-inexperienced DIYers generally can't, is notice things going wrong before they go totally sideways. Course, you have to offset the potential saving there, against the cost of the service. But I still like to get someone else to see the insides of my suspension from time to time in case I miss things.

paul.skibum

I am currently riding a pair of 2003 Marzocchi Bombers that have never seen more than a sponge bath after a muddy ride. The rear shock is 2 years old and never touched except to add air, the bushings are 5 years old and show no signs of play. Brake pads sometimes?

rockmonkeysc

My Revelations cost me £300. If they last three years with DIY servicing I'm happy with that.
My BoXXers would cost £900 to replace so they will be going to TF Tuned once a year for a service.

paul.skibum

Oh I got my Domains serviced during a summer in the bike park - cost about $50 parts and labour with a staff discount (call it £30 in your money)

alexthebear

Cheers for your posts guys, really helped me with my desision and I have just bought myself a Spesh Camber Elite so I'll be sure to post my costs here in a year or 2