Apologies if there's already a post/article on this subject, I couldn't find one.

What checks should one perform on a 2nd hand full suspension bike to see whether the shock, forks, bearings and frame aren't too worn down? Is there anything specific you can do to see whether the seals are wrecked, other than bouncing the bike and listening for bad noises? And how do you tell if the bearings/pivots are wrecked – if they're worn, can you flex the frame, like when you're checking the headset?

Thanks, I'm sure much of this is common sense but it's always helpful to hear any tricks of the trade etc

Lift the bike lightly by the saddle, should show any play in the bushes. Grabbing hold of the swingarm and trying for side to side movemnet as well.

Hold front brake on and rock bike to check the headset but this will also show play in forks. You may need other person to rock while you lightly feel the fork legs against the sliders for movement.

Check the sliders for any big nicks or scuffing. If there Fox's Mojo will have a party with your credit card to service them.

If it's more than 18 months old and been ridden a fair bit chances are it would need the bearings looked at in the rear.

Grab crank arm and try and pull away from the bike, this will show any BB play. Same with wheels, check for any lateral play or lift and spin them to hear grumbling bearings.

Buy a chain checker as well and measure the chain.

Get an idea of how much it would cost to serice shock, fork and replace the bearings from a bike shop. Factor it in unless they can prove they've done it recently.

Thanks, that's helpful – sounds like all the info I need.

I hope this doesn't sound like a silly question, but if you're dealing with sealed cartridge bearings, does that mean they'll necessarily need replacing every 18 months – or does it mean you just have to squirt in some grease every year or so?

Also why do scuffed sliders increase the cost of a Fox service by Mojo – is it because ordinarily they'd do it on warranty, but scuffmarks indicates misuse so they bill you?

to check the state of the bearings unbolt one end of the shock and run the swing-arm through the travel and feel for excessive resistance, notchy feeling or grittyness.

Badly scuffed or scratched ones can suck dirt into the lower legs increasing seal wear. They will want to put new ones on.

Warranty wise, you won't have any. It's not a new bike and if they've not been service regularly mojo can tell and spot it a mile off.

Bearing wise 18-24mths is about general lifetime on most although I'm sure someone will disagree.
Pulling the out and clean would probably increase lifetime but is a faff.

What bike is it? How old and how much?

I wouldn't be that arsed about play in the bearings on a second hand fs frame – they're consumable items. It can cost a few quid to get them sorted out, particularly with more complex linkages, so you should certainly check the bearing / bushing play as described above – it will give you some wiggle room to negotiate the price. But stuff like checking for hairline cracks at the head tube / bb is much more important.

Thanks for these tips. It's a 2009 Specialized Enduro Comp SL. I hope they're built a bit more robustly now than the old Enduros, as I once snapped the linkage on my 2002 Enduro, and I know a lot of people had chainstay problems. I think now though they market the Enduro frames more to aggressive riders, whereas my old Enduro was more of an XC bike. It's not like I was using it on dirt jumps or crashing a lot or anything, just riding singletrack hard. Either way – thanks – it's good to hear that bearings are seen as consumables now and easy to replace – it used to be a right pain!