Did you know we have our own Suspension Studio here at Sports Garage, located right in downtown Boulder, Colorado?
Gone are the days of lugging your mountain bike to the farthest stretches of Boulder County. That’s right: there’s a lot more going on behind our maintenance counter than you might think! Not only do we offer a full maintenance menu and bike fitting service, but we can also take care of all your suspension needs.
Our Suspension Studio services some of the most important components on your mountain bike: your fork, shock, and dropper post. Without these modern elements, mountain biking would still be a bumpy experience cut out for only the hardest of spinal columns. And while often overlooked, it’s important to service these components at regular intervals to keep your ride as plush as possible. Think of it like putting oil in your car—you won’t notice there’s a problem until it’s too late.
We caught up with team member and bike mechanic, Blake Sommer, to find out why you should consider scheduling a suspension service sooner rather than later.
Blake Sommer
Manufacturers generally recommend a lower leg fork service every 50 hours. Can you explain how this isn’t quite as often as it sounds?
There are a lot of variables that can affect the wear and tear on your suspension. Riding the creek path up to Betasso puts far less wear and tear on your suspension than riding the chair lift at Winter Park. For example, Jesse gets his suspension serviced 3x a year, while Dan only opts for 1x. Both service schedules make sense for their riding schedule. Jesse spends a lot of time at downhill parks and also races enduro. Dan mostly rides trails and does a lot more pedaling to the trails.
Regular maintenance is definitely an investment. Can you explain how you can actually save money over time by servicing your bike?
Spending $110 to get your fork serviced can feel like a lot of money. However, it is less than 10 percent of the cost of a new fork. A new Fox Fork can cost as much as $1,249! If you service your fork once a year (like Dan), it would take you 11 years to spend that much.
Why is it so unique that Sports Garage offers suspension services?
The biggest benefit is timing. When you send your fork or shock off to a vendor like Fox, it can take 2-4 weeks to get it back. That’s 2-4 weeks without your bike!
At Sports Garage you can drop your bike off for scheduled suspension service in the morning and we will have your suspension overhauled by the end of the day.
At Sports Garage we are able to offer a full factory service on Fox, Rock Shox, and DVO suspension. This requires an investment in expensive, specialized equipment. The complex internals of suspension require intricate tools to do the job correctly. It also requires a lot of training and know-how from our suspension technicians. They regularly recharge dampers and deal with nitrogen in excess of 500 PSI.
What else can riders do to increase the longevity of their suspension components?
Wiping down your suspension after each ride can keep that dirt from getting into your suspension components. Everything else is internal so there’s not much maintenance to be done. Servicing your suspension at the recommended intervals will keep your suspension working better for longer.