I have some RS Coil U-Turn Lyriks that I generally do oil changes on myself, but historically I have been sending them away once a year to get them thoroughly checked out. However, I am beginning to question whether I even need to do this.

I am going to Canada at the beginning of next month and obviously want everything working fine.

Is there anything that a professional would do that us lesser mortals, with far inferior tool boxes, can’t really do?

I guess that the only slightly complicated elements are the mission control damper and fitting new bushings.

I’ve a mate who has a 10 year old pair of Fox Floats that have never been serviced and they still work

Main thing you get from a pro service is they replace all the damper seals internally. However I’ve always just kept forks running good condition oil, never let lowers develop any contamination from mud and never replace seals. IMHO if you keep stanchions clean before every ride and clean the top of the seals, most forks seals etc should last many years.

Only forks I’ve worn out the internals were some Marzocchi 888s that had done in excess of 3k of Downhill track mileage!

The trouble is that it’s not so much the cost of the service, it’s the added postage that goes on top: This adds another £30 (almost 50%) to the price.

Any cheap couriers around? I have already tried PF. The service people say they can arrange to collect for £18, plus another £13 to return.

You can get service kits for rockshox forks, about £40 IIRC, new seals, o-rings etc. Unless there’s bushing play theres no need to replace them, although I’ve twice had forks develop play within weeks of a full service which is just annoying!

Is there anything that a professional would do that us lesser mortals, with far inferior tool boxes, can’t really do?

Only one thing: They check and resize the bushes to the stanchions. And if there’s no play, it’s pretty pointless IMO.
EVERYTHING else you can do yourself, including ANY AND ALL internal seals.

I tend to send a pair of forks of to be pro-serviced once, after about a year if they have some bushing play. After that I do it myself and it seems the bushings never go slack again….

🙂

You don’t even need to do the favour to rockshox of buying their hilariously overpriced o-rings, just do a search on mtbr for one of the o-ring size threads and buy them from simplybearings for a few quid. Just need a few tools, syringe and some oil and you are there! Its quite interesting to take them apart and see how it all works too.

“search on mtbr for one of the o-ring size threads”

Umm don’t suppose you have a link handy, not finding anything really useful when I do a search of the site (shocks & suspension forum?)

There’s also the chap on ebay who’s gone to the bother of creating his own O-Ring kits…

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rock-Shox-Reba-Race-O-rings-Seals-Crush-Washer-kit-/180672242219?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2a10e7a22b

I know (cheers though), but half the kit is no use if have u-turn forks (majority of my RS forks…3 sets vs one normal).
If I could get the o-ring sizes, it would make servicing them all really cheap…

If I could get the o-ring sizes, it would make servicing them all really cheap…

Indeed… Will have a look too, and if I find anything I’ll let you know… Economies of scale and all, perhaps we could sew up the local RS servicing market? 😉

As an aside, and decided against it already mainly due to lack of space, but was going to find the O-rings and buy a tonne of them then just scour ebay looking for Rebas, Revs and Pikes in need of a service, buy em, service and sell on…

hmmm getting closer…Rev’s, are these the same for Reba’s?
(read the whole thread not just the 1st couple of posts, as they mention one o-ring is incorrect later on)

I have had feedback from customers saying that they have fitted them successfully to Revelations, SL’s and Pikes (not U-Turn type forks), but I do not guarantee this.

from the e-bay ad, so maybe those above are the same?

A quick butchers at loco’s site, says that the same kits are used throughout “Reba/Revelation/Pike” ranges, so I’m guess they will be the same… 8)

thats the thread I used, and ordered from simply bearings. I have a u turn fork but also tried to get them for my gf’s dual air, simply bearings don’t stock the weird sized metric one that caused some confusion in that thread but apart from that all there and cheap.