As a pretty competent mechanic (for example – bike: wheel building, suspension fork servicing and tuning; car: gearbox swaps, suspension etc.) it irritates me that I cannot service my own rear shocks. I resent both the cost and the turnaround time it takes to get a shock serviced.
For example, this weekend I found I had a problem with my shock and even though I contacted the company who will do the servicing first thing Monday morning and put the shock in the post with guaranteed next day delivery I still cannot be certain of having it back ready for next weekend and all this will cost me a min. of £100 + any additional parts costs.
It seems to me that the only factors preventing me from doing the servicing myself are: 1) availability of spare internal parts, 2) availability of detailed workshop manuals, 3) some means of recharging the high pressure gas in the shock, 4) custom tools required for assembly and disassembly.
Items 3 and 4 I expect I can deal with as I have a friend who is an engineer and fellow mountain biker who is more than capable of manufacturing solutions to such problems.
This leaves 1 and 2 to sort out which will only be possible with the support of the shock manufacturers and/or importers. I just can’t see any reason why they should decide to make life easy for me and agree to provide the spare parts and workshop manuals I require.
Has anyone on here any first-hand experience of servicing shocks? Could it be DIYed or am I deluding myself? Equally, has anyone ever got a manufacturer or importer to provide shock internal spares and/or workshop manuals?
Over to you guys and gals…