Services
NOTE: Service is not available for every fork, shock or seatpost.
We pride ourselves on being able to tackle almost every job, but spare parts availability, actual servicablility, and particularly obscure pieces would need to be considered before a service can be accepted.
Parts that will not be considered include, but are not limited to: Cannondale DYAD pull shocks, Lefty, Headshok, EXT, Push, Specialized Brain and Scott Nude.
If you're unsure, please reach out at hello@raceservicesuspension.com to discuss your options!
Fork Services
Base Charge – €85
This is the minimum charge. Your fork will be cleaned, disassembled, and parts checked for function. The following will be performed on every basic service:
New lower leg oil, foam rings cleaned, wiper selas greased.
Riding a mountain bike in the mountains will invariably lead to dust and dirt covering your suspension parts. This will eventually make it inside your fork, reducing the lubricity of your oil, and sit on your foam rings and seals increasing the amount of friction and the possibility for wear.
Almost all new forks don’t have the correct amount of lubricants in the right places either, so there is performance to be gained from day 1.
Where appropriate, different (better) oils will be used to replace the manufacturer suggested lubricants, ensuring an even plusher ride.
Air spring service
As well as the possibility for contamination, your air spring is likely to be clogged up with excess grease from the manufacturer. This can cause problems such as air chamber imbalances and harsh initial stroke as the negative air chamber volume is reduced.
The air spring will be pulled, cleaned and assembled with the slipperiest oils available.
Bushing burnishing
From manufacture, the bushings in your fork are likely to be installed less than perfectly, often ovalised or tapered due to the throughput needed in the factory and the lack of precision needed to push out so many forks so quickly. A tight or misaligned bushing will increase friction on every single bump the fork encounters.
I have custom tools that will ensure perfect roundness of the bushing interface, clearanced exactly to your stanchion size.
Cartridge bleed
The movement of your fork is controlled by the oil in the cartridge, and when there’s air in the system (or too much oil in the case of some bladder systems), performance suffers. Pushing air through the circuits that should have oil in them results in wildly inconsistent performance. The factory bleed is very rarely even close to good enough.
Every cartridge is bled with the appropriate oil, ensuring your clickers can do what they’re designed to.
Additional services
All other parts of the service are paid upgrades, from seal kits to full cartridge replacements. Price will vary piece by piece in both parts and time charged.
New wiper seals
Over time and usage, the rubber in your seals is degrading, increasing friction and leading to oil escaping and dirt entering.
It is strongly suggested that the wiper seals are changed every 50 hours.
Seals for most forks for most major brands are on stock.
SKF green seals
The only aftermarket seal I will install, and for good reason, as they’re the lowest friction, longest lasting and best sealing parts around.
Available in single and dual compound versions, it’s the single best upgrade you can make to your fork.
Full service
To keep your fork working in tip-top condition, prevention is better and cheaper than the cure, as fixing something after it becomes a problem is probably too late.
Manufacturer supplied full service kits are available to be installed, ensuring perfect operation and maximum performance for as long as possible.
Travel change
Almost every fork can have it’s travel changed within a certain range. Air springs are on stock for most forks, helping you get a little more plushness out of your ride, or changing the fork to suit a new bike.
Bushing replacement
Bushings, like any wear part, unfortunately don’t last forever, and if you’re experiencing play between your stanchions and lowers, it might be time to change the bushings. Fox and Rock Shox are possible, with other manufacturers by request.
Steerer tube / stanchion de-creak
If your front end has developed an annoying creak, it could be the interface between your steerer tube or stanchions into the crown having an imperfect fit. We have the ability to solve this permanently.
Steerer tube / stanchion replacement
Is your steerer tube too short for your new frame? Did you take a spill and scratch your fork stanchion?
We carry official and aftermarket replacements for Fox and Rock Shox,
Cartridge Replacement
Got the new bike you wanted, but the fork doesn’t have all the adjustments you’d like? Changing to a Charger 3 or GRIP2 is possible during your service!
Shock Services
Base Charge – €85
This is the minimum charge. Your shock will be cleaned, disassembled, and parts checked for function. The following will be performed on every basic service:
Damper bleed
Your damping circuit will be opened up, oil replaced and bled with correct volumes and IFP height.
Foamed oil has the disadvantages of being compressible and providing no resistance in the damping circuit, which means shock response is wildly unpredictable. If it makes a squelching sound, you’re due a service.
Air can service
After the damping circuit, the air can will then be cleaned and lubricated to spec before being reinstalled, and pressure reset to how it arrived.
Additional services
All other parts of the service are paid upgrades, from seal kits to full damper replacements. Price will vary piece by piece in both parts and time charged.
Air Can Seals
Replacement of the air can seals can solve air loss problems and unbalanced air chambers, useful if you find your shock going flat over time, or have a harsh ride or using travel too easily. This is recommended every 50 hours by the manufacturer.
Full Service
The shock will be stripped down and all seals and wear parts replaced as per the manufacturer’s specifications.
Travel/Mount Change
Most shocks are incredibly modular, and within a few reasonable constraints, can be modified in most ways to fit your new frame. Stroke lengths can be modified and eyelets can be changed to/from bearings.
+ Damping Upgrade
The most recent crop of shocks, with the correct parts, are able to be upgraded from Select/Performance level to Ultimate/Factory specifications, with lockouts and compression adjusters.
Eyelet Bearings
If you have a frame design that has a particularly large amount of rotation at the shock eyelet (Propain et al), shock performance can be improved by reducing friction by way of replacing the plain bushing with a needle bearing.
Seatpost Services
Base Charge – €by request
Since seatposts vary wildly in construction and time needed, one quote cannot be given.
Service
Post will be stripped down as far as possible, clean and regreased and reinflated to specification.
Full Service
The manufacturer specified rebuild kit will be used to rebuild the post, bringing it back to as-new performance.
Frame Services
Base Charge – €by request
Amounts of bearings, and ease of access to them will differ, no flat rate can be offered.
Bearing Replacement
The best suspension in the world will be rendered useless if you can’t get the force from your tyre to the shock. Rusted, gritty or worn bearings will add additional drag and friction to your rear end, giving a harsher ride and potentially loading your shock with forces it wasn’t designed to take.
Furnished with a full set of bearing extraction and pressing tools, we can take on even the most complicated of frame designs.
