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Ok, I have been reading a few posts on here of late regarding Fork servicing, Dropper seat post servicing etc...if, like me, you just want to ride your bike with the least amount of faff, keep it in good shape, you could be talking hundreds of pounds each year. Granted, some of us have the time and skill to service our own bikes, but if like me time is limited, you may have to take your bike to a LBS for this.
So, considering servicing and even keeping forks running as they should may now cost as much as running an average car, what is going on? Are suspension companies taking the mickey? After an initial high cost fo a set of forks, should we be paying hundreds each year to keep them running.....?
Thoughts?
Take up golf.
Can't. Don't own an Audi..
Knitting?
OR go rigid single speed.Total servicing cost in the last year....£3 for new grips.
Supply and demand.
People need forks/shocks servicing so companies will charge whatever people are prepared to pay.
ride a HT and some old Z2 Bombers - sorted...
Say you spend £500 on running costs in a year and you get 100 rides (av twice a week).Then that's a fiver a ride.Not bad value if you ask me (cost me £16 to watch Star Trek the other night).
Rorschach, that doesn't take into account initial purchase price, depreciation. You probably could double that.
Learn to do it yourself 50 quid for a kit its not that hard and theres even step by step videos to show you?
You said servicing costs 😉
I once calculated how much it cost me to go windsurfing....£50 a pop 😥
Compared to drinking/smoking/eating/mostly everything else in life the cost vs enjoyment equation is pretty good.
Just didn't realise fun cost so much 😕
Nothing is free.. We all have to pay the piper 😉
Servicing a set of forks takes an hour of someone's time plus parts? So I don't know what bike shop labour rate is nowadays, but say its £30/hour and £30 on oil, seals and maybe even bushes?
Good proactive maintenance, like wiping down fork stanchions and dropper posts with silicone oil after rides etc, minimises the regularity of full strip downs. Doing the full strip down yourself isn't that hard either, so if you think bike shop labour is too steep for the skillset you're employing, then learn how to do it yourself?
So, considering servicing and even keeping forks running as they should may now cost as much as running an average car, what is going on?
No fuel, insurance or tax for the bike though, is there?
If you don't want to pay to do the servicing, don't buy suspension and silly seat posts! 😉
I once calculated how much it cost me to go windsurfing....£50 a pop
....... you should try jetskiing. Sorting out my bike is positively bargainous.
.. you should try jetskiing
Fortunately I have a modicum of self respect....
S,pose forks needs servicing once every year or two and that maybe best left to a shop but I don't get the get a lbs to everything thing. What happens when you need to fix something when your out? And bikes in general don't need servicing they need ongoing fettling.
Rigid singlespeed +1
this months up keep on my commuter equates to £40 for a new rim and rebuild....
Used to do that pretty much every week on diesel to and from work so I'm happy here
You could buy a Marzoccki fork? Three year warranty with no service requirements. My 2005 AM1 has never been seviced. I did open it up last year, but the oil levels were spot on and the oil clean so I didn't even change it.
And a Gravity dropper post - I serviced mine once in 7 years. Not because it needed it, but because I was curious and I needed to see inside as I had a customer bringing one in on a bike for a full service. It's so quick and simple I didn't add any extra for doing it. If a customer just wanted their GD serviced, I'd so it for a fiver.
Buy sensibly, keep stuff cleaned and servicing costs are negligible.
And if FS get a Turner - apparently the average time people go between changing bushings is more than 3 years.