I came across a comment which said that Fox forks need serviced after 30 hours of use, and Rockshox after every 50 hours of use. Is that true of all forks, and what sort of servicing would be required? It seems very frequent!
Fox used to be 20 hours.
Marzocchi are currently 3 years 😀
Unfortunately I dont own any 🙁
I was slowly coming around to the idea of buying a bike with suspension, but I couldn't cope with that sort of hassle!
Old bombers. Think they may need a fettle after 10 years 
I've got a 13 year old set of Bombers. They are due a service 2050.
It's no hassle, just another skill to learn. The frequent services just involve a quick clean and oil change really.
Depends how "fussy" you are , gave my lyriks grief for 2 yrs before they went for a service . Doing a lower leg service is a simple process ( well i am mechanically minded so that helps)
50 hour intervals for a simple(check bushing/change oil) DT Swiss service.
I'm not great at fettling bikes - even cleaning and lubing a chain is a big job which I put off for as long as possible (on road bikes). At a demo at the weekend I saw how muddy a mountain bike can get, and after seeing the mechanics washing them down I realised that's something I'd have to do! A fork service at least once a month is enough to really put me off the idea of a mountain bike! I suspect I'd just ride them until something went wrong with them - which would probably happen a long way from home!
Why do they require such frequent maintenance? I know motorbikes have short service intervals compared with cars, but even they probably have 3000 - 6000 miles between oil changes.
Fox vary theirs, it's been 20 hours in the past. Warranty avoidance tbh.
I service my Rockshox- Lyrik, Revelation and Boxxer- when I can be bothered which probably comes to once every couple of hundred hours (or on the boxxers, every time i buy a new frame, which happens almost as often as I ride it...)
Once you're familiar with it, it takes no time and a lowers service on a Rockshox is as hard as undoing a bolt, wiping your bum, and pouring a shot of whisky.
all at the same time?!
I lift the seals on my fox probably every 20 ish hours since i had the dreaded scouring a couple of years ago & not had a problem since. its a 10 min job as part of the cleaning job and is dead easy.
my rockshox recon get an oil change every 50 or so - again, its really easy to do, and when you do it a few times, its not a hassle at all.
Isn't the short service interval pretty much just cleaning them?
Fwiw I have both types and service once a year. Dead simple case of undo a few bolts drop the lowers, drain, wipe, replace oil, put back together. More YouTube guides than you could pwn with bombers. Also plenty of alternatives to the overpriced specialist oils - normally just from a garage. Been doing that for years without issue. I did have some bombers, 5 years, serviced once, opened them up to realise they were fine anyway but had the oil. Sold them on, mate still commutes on them, 9 years now. If new ones are as reliable as the 2004 vintage then they are a good buy. They went through a rough patch years ago.
Thanks - it sounds like it's maybe not too bad once you know what needs to be done.
Not a difficult job once you've done it a couple of times, and once you've seen the cost of not doing it, it's a big incentive. Today i'm taking a pair of Sektors to Loco for new uppers & bushes and a fairly hefty bill for the customer, last week I quoted an astronomical price to replace the same on a pair of Lyriks, both the result of not bothering with simple routine servicing.
I have some Rockshox revelations. They haven't been serviced in 5 years - and now they're a little wobbly
I guess the need spacers / shims replacing. I'm just wondering it it is easier to buy new shocks ....
got some 2007 marzocchi Z1 sport rv on my bike and had a pair of 2005 marzocchi 66rc on my recently stolen dh bike...neither have never been serviced apart from a yearly drop of lube around the seals and they still work as smoothly as the day i got them...
Do the Marzocchi forks differ in design from Fox and Rockshox? If they're longer lived I wonder if it's because they've made motorbike shocks for years.
I suspect I'd just ride them until something went wrong with them
Marzocchi - you'd be riding for considerably longer than you would with Fox/RS.
Do the Marzocchi forks differ in design from Fox and Rockshox
Yes: Better seals, loads of oil inside 'em & better stanchion coatings.
3 years "no service required" warranty.
It's not a big deal but there is no getting away from the fact that servicing suspension requires extra effort and/or cash. That's just the price you have to pay for suspension I'm afraid. But remember, suspension is optional. You can always ride rigid and then there are those fat bikes. Three to four inches of air sprung suspension with zero extra maintenance. The damping is pretty rubbish though 🙂
My 03 Bombers will be sent of to a health spa as a little treat later this year.
Must be the only Italian company (albeit now American-owned I believe) to offer reliably bombproof manufacturing 🙂