Fork Service
Fork Lowers Spring service
Fork lowers should be serviced every 50 hours according to Fox and RockShox. A better rule of thumb, though, is to service them as soon as you stop seeing grease rings on your stanchions—that’s a clear sign your dust wipers are no longer being lubricated.
Dust wipers are critical for keeping fork internals clean. On many forks, such as the Fox Grip series, the damper uses a one-way seal that actively flushes the lowers with damper fluid on compression. The idea is to keep the bath oil fresh.
The problem comes when you run lowers service too long: instead of flushing clean fluid, you’re pushing dirt and grit back through the damper. This accelerates wear and can lead to a premature (and more costly) damper rebuild.
Service Cost: $75 plus the cost of your fork-specific dust wipers.
Fork Air Spring Service
Fork air springs should be serviced once per season. If your fork starts feeling rough, the most likely culprit is worn air-spring seals. These seals endure immense friction—compressing and rebounding thousands of times during a single ride.
As the seals wear, stiction builds up in the air spring, and the positive and negative air chambers stop being effectively separated. The result is a harsh, inconsistent feel. This service is especially important on high-end forks like the Fox 38, which use an expensive air-cartridge system for the spring.
Service Cost: Typically $30–$60 when performed at the same time as a lowers service.
Damper Rebuild
Both Fox and RockShox recommend damper rebuilds every 200 hours for optimum performance. For most riders, that translates to about once every two full seasons of riding.
Regular lowers service is essential for prolonging the interval between damper rebuilds. The main seal head in a fork damper wears with every compression and rebound, much like in an air spring. However, damper seals are larger and benefit from constant lubrication by damper oil, so they typically last a bit longer.
As these seals wear, damper fluid can leak into the lowers. When this happens, damping becomes less effective, and the fork starts to feel inconsistent or “off.” A telltale sign is when you suddenly feel the need to adjust your damper settings even though you haven’t touched them in a while. This is usually caused by air passing through the valving instead of oil. Every damper service includes a complete bleed to purge air and restore proper function.
Damper oil also degrades over time—heat from friction and contamination both break it down. Old or contaminated oil accelerates wear on expensive damper components and significantly reduces performance.
Service Cost: $125 plus parts (typically $50–$100 depending on model).
Complete Fork Rebuild
A Complete Fork Rebuild is typically recommended every two full seasons of riding. This service includes everything outlined above—lowers, air spring, and damper service—and is the equivalent of a full factory service.
A rebuild restores your fork’s internals to a like-new state, ensuring maximum performance, longevity, and reliability.
Service Cost: $150 plus all parts specific to your fork.