Shocks (front and back) damage when over burdened?

technical

Hi,

Whats the worse damage I can do to my shocks by riding it over the weight limit? I've put on 17KG since last summer (injury and then Lockdown) and I was already 15KG over the recommended bike weight limit then (yes, I'm a fat office sloth lol).

I have Fox 36 FIT and FOX DPX2, I'll be just riding trails for now, no technical, they are pretty smooth around here. If it is just a rebuild and wearable parts and that is a reasonable cost I'm eager to get back out, but I am not up for fragging them completely its a lot of money to replace them, and I can wait until I shed some of these KGs before I get back in the saddle. How much is a rebuild for these normally, any ideas?

Thanks.

steve_sordy

As long as you do not exceed the max stated pressure when inflating the fork and shock then I very much doubt that you will damage the suspension. One thing that might happen, depending just how heavy you are, is that the forks might deflect and stick or stutter when compressing. That is likely to be when any damage occurs, so you need to be sure that there is sufficient lubricating fluid inside the fork to reduce the sticking.

The cost of a full service is about £80 for the fork and £100 for the shock, plus postage. I can recommend TF Tuned. Go to their website and look up the cost of a service etc. You can remove the suspension yourself or take the bike to a bike shop and they will deal with the whole thing for you. Add in another £20 for that.

https://www.tftuned.com/servicing-booking-faqs

If you have never had the suspension serviced than I would strongly recommend that you do so.

However the max recommended weight for a bike is based upon more than just the suspension, but the frame and the wheels. The frame has welds and they will be under more stress than they were designed for, so they may crack or even give way completely. When overloaded, this may happen after crossing a level but rough section as your weight is bouncing up and down. It doesn't just happen after jumps.

In addition, the wheels are strong when all the components are working properly and properly secured. All your weight is hanging off the few spokes at the top of the wheel. The bottom spokes provide virtually no support whatsoever. As a minimum I would take the wheels to a bike shop and get them to check the spoke tension and the bearings.

After that, make peace with your loved ones and don't do any jumps!

oxoman

Your Fox 36s are pretty robust compared with say 32,s or smaller. Agree with what Steve mentions above. As your not ragging it about jumping etc you should be ok.

technical

Thanks for the responses guys. The bike was only new last summer and it is in pretty good condition (I clean the bike and service the drive train regularly myself). So hopefully there won't be age related issues. I'll check the local shops and see if I can find someone to service the forks.

The bike is solid I have put it through its paces hard so I have no worries about frames and wheels on trails, its built like an absolute tank. The shocks are the unknown for me though as this is my first full suspension.

I'll just ride it carefully and be a little extra conscientious when deciding where I am riding. Hopefully if I can start putting the miles in some of the weight will drop off and Ill be back within specs.

Thanks again!

steve_sordy

technical said:

Thanks for the responses guys. The bike was only new last summer and it is in pretty good condition (I clean the bike and service the drive train regularly myself). So hopefully there won't be age related issues. I'll check the local shops and see if I can find someone to service the forks.

The bike is solid I have put it through its paces hard so I have no worries about frames and wheels on trails, its built like an absolute tank. The shocks are the unknown for me though as this is my first full suspension.

I'll just ride it carefully and be a little extra conscientious when deciding where I am riding. Hopefully if I can start putting the miles in some of the weight will drop off and Ill be back within specs.

Thanks again!

Seeing as it is that new, I don't believe that there is a need for a full service of the suspension. But a lower leg service for the fork and an air can service for the shock should easily be within the capability of a local bike shop that regularly does MTBs. Ask though, because some LBS don't do suspension servicing of any kind.

PS: Go around all the spokes and ping them with a Allen key. Allowing for different spoke lengths, they should all sound the same. Anything that sounds radically different needs attention.