Overlooked Maintenance

[iridesl4]

I picked up a new to me DH bike. Its a lot nicer than the one I used last year so I want to make sure I maintain it the way it should be so it doesn't fall apart on me. I'm most confused when it comes to servicing the fork and shock and brakes. I have a fox van rc and a boxxer rc with elixer 5 brakes. Besides the basic before every ride, what kind of schedule should I be doing some upkeep to everything that would go overlooked?

[Carraig042]

I am not sure with the Boxxers, but look on Rockshox's website for the manual for it. It will show service intervals, oil volumes, etc.

Every month or so:
pivot bearing service
wheel tensioning,
bleed brakes if needed,

Check every time:
all bolt torques.
air pressure

After each ride:
A good cleaning,
Lube chain


There is more, but my brain is done for the day. Maybe I helped you, maybe not. haha

-Brett

[iridesl4]

It helps me out no worries. I didn't think to check manufacturers manuals for intervals. Thanks!

[airwreck]

Check spoke tension and all bolts every ride, if after a bunch of rides you aren't experiencing any looseness then you can quit checking as often but still check for loose wheels, headset, cranks, seat, etc. every ride. Loose spokes gets ignored a lot and thats when wheels fall apart. My rear derailer bolt comes loose often.

Take your wheels out of the bike and spin them to see how the bearings feel. You won't be able to tell if your bearings are going bad while the wheels are on the bike. Take the chain off and spin your cranks to check your BB bearings are smooth. With the chain off check your rear derailleur pulleys too. When they freeze up during a run is when your derailleur explodes. Check the cable for fraying.

There is no user service possible with the Van RC except make sure your spring preload hasn't backed off, no oil leaking and check for bushing plus eyelet reducer wear. Bushings and reducers wear fast on DH bikes.

Boxxer oil change every 10 hours of riding and clean the seals.

Brakes should only need new pads and make sure the calipers are centered on the rotor. Change your pads before they are toast to avoid additional problems. Make sure your hose fittings are all tight in the caliper and lever. If brakes need bleeding that is a sign of a problem, either worn pads, centering caliper, or loose fittings..

[lernr]

Wow - Boxxer oil change every 10 hrs of riding? So the guys who ride Whistler change oil every week?

Hard to believe...

[iridesl4]

There's alot I didn't do with my last bike. How often should I break it all down like that? Once a month? Do I new to change the fork oil every 10 hours even if it won't be hard abuse. I could probably see doing that once a month depending how much I actually ride.

[airwreck]

There is such a small amount of oil in the Boxxers that is why the frequency. I'm sure the average person doesn't do it but a serious racer will do it in less than 10 hours ride time. That's a lot of runs, we're talking dh here not xc epics. Oil has tendency to disappear from RS forks too, so checking = change.
The whistler factor. You ever notice all the random bike parts strewn on the trails there? And then there's the people who get to the bottom and wonder why some of the spoke nipples have vanished from their wheel. Place can get extra expensive if you don't stay on top of your maintenance.

[Gemini2k05]

Wow - Boxxer oil change every 10 hrs of riding? So the guys who ride Whistler change oil every week?

Hard to believe...

and THAT's why you don't run a boxxer! But yeah, 10 hours of saddletime is actually quite a bit. An average beginner rider is getting like maybe 2 hours of real saddle time in a resort weekend, at most.

[iridesl4]

Is the oil expensive. I'm sure it's easy to find I just didn't look it up yet. Anyone know off the top of their head?

[Josie7]

Is the oil expensive. I'm sure it's easy to find I just didn't look it up yet. Anyone know off the top of their head?

No, its cheap and with the amount in the lowers of a Boxxer (10 mm in each side), a quart will last a long time.

I got my first boxxer this year and have tried to change the oil monthly or so, it might just be the easiest thing ever to do on a bike.. takes maybe 30 min from start to finish. Its easy, there are videos on the internet to show you, and your fork feels super smooth after..

Because I changed oil regularly, I have not had to put in new seals yet. Basically, if you keep it lubed, the seals will last much longer. I think I have 6 oil changes on the same seals. New seals in May, at least 20 resort days, a two week trip shuttling every day and probably, 10-15 other shuttling days.

[howardyudoing]

at least 20 resort days, a two week trip shuttling every day and probably, 10-15 other shuttling days.

you must be godly!!!!

[Josie7]

you must be godly!!!!

no, just lucky I can ride every single sunday and live in a place with great resorts in the summer and nearly year round shuttling...(plus a two week trip to the NW every year)

[iridesl4]

Just read the boxxer manual and it said 100 hours not 10.

[ustemuf]

i can rebuild an entire boxxer in 1 hour, change the lowers oil in like 15 minutes..... its not really difficult, and it should be done.

[mullen119]

Just read the boxxer manual and it said 100 hours not 10.

when people say oil change, they are talking semi bath oil, not damper oil. Damper oil is a once a year deal for the most part. Bath oil changes are needed much more often.

[mtbnozpikr]

Every month or so:
pivot bearing service
wheel tensioning,
bleed brakes if needed,

Check every time:
all bolt torques.
air pressure

After each ride:
A good cleaning,
Lube chain

Not a bad list you put together there and I know that you wrote "if needed" but do you really bleed your brakes monthly? Maybe I'm just being nit-picky but I think that you check them every time you squeeze the levers.

I would venture to say that most people probably never bleed their brakes but it certainly wouldn't hurt to. If they feel "spongy" or like there's a lack of positive actuation in the levers chances are it's time to bleed them. Obviously it is going to depend on how much and how you use them but if you had to pin a time frame to it I would suggest maybe a yearly schedule.

[Gemini2k05]

Just read the boxxer manual and it said 100 hours not 10.

A boxxer doesn't even last with 100 hours of ride time. 100 hours of ride time is several years of riding for 99% of people.

[BC Bomber]

A boxxer doesn't even last with 100 hours of ride time. 100 hours of ride time is several years of riding for 99% of people.

To put it in perspective, lets say your average DH run is 5 minutes, in ten hours you'll have 120 runs under your belt. I think anyone would agree that changing oil after 120 serious DH runs is a no brainer...

[iridesl4]

To put it in perspective, lets say your average DH run is 5 minutes, in ten hours you'll have 120 runs under your belt. I think anyone would agree that changing oil after 120 serious DH runs is a no brainer...

Good point. I'll need to check out YouTube for to see how to do it. Are the bath and damper oils the same? I was reading a few threads where people were using motorcycle fork oil because it's just as good but twice as cheap. Anyone do that?

[BC Bomber]

moto fork oil is fine, just be sure you get the correct weight... been using this with good results:
Bel-Ray High Performance Fork Oil - Street Motorcycle - Motorcycle Superstore

[arkon11]

My Maintenance Routine:

Each Ride:

Hand check tire pressure (fill as needed)

Monthly:
Hose off bike
Quick squirt of lube on the chain
Make sure key bolts are snug
Make sure the fork isn't bleeding oil (Lyrik)

Everyother Month:
Give it a decent cleaning
Change Fork Oil


Pretty low maintenance.


I change the oil in my Lyrik alot less frequently than I did with my Fox Van

[VTSession]

Every ride:

tire pressure
spoke tension
lube the chain
check hubs for play

Every few rides:

Spray with degreaser, hose down, towel dry
check for chain stretch
check crank bolt
clean rotors
check shifting/cable tension

A few times per season:

remove/clean/regrease/reinstall pivot bolts and hardware
replace chain
check headset
check bolts for tightness

Once a year:

fork/shock rebuild
strip frame and parts, clean, grease, re-build
new tires
new shift cables/housing
new brake pads

That's about it.

[pizon]

before every ride:
tire pressure
shock pressure (i have air shock)
hand check for loose spokes
bike pending, any problem bolts (on my old bike, my linkage bolts liked to undo themselves)

i'll be changing oil in forks probably once every two months, and throwing more stans in the tires
lubing the chain monthly

brakes i dont mess with unless they feel off

chain/tires every season, if chainring/cassette looks bad change those too

[csermonet]

Lube chain when needed, usually every 3 rides or more often.

Check tire pressure every once a week or so, add air as needed.

Hand check spokes for tension every 2/3 rides and tighten as needed.

Check boost valve air pressure on rc4 every few weeks.

Clean bike as needed, when it gets muddy etc.

Change Fox 40 lowers oil once every 5/6 weeks.

Bleed brakes when new pads are installed(some people are intimidated by this, it's very easy if you have the proper tools. Takes me as little as 20 minutes sometimes less.)

Do complete cleaning and disassembly every 4ish months, cleaning and regreasing bottom bracket and spindle, headset and steer tube etc, take cassette off rear wheel and clean, clean chain guide and chainring, absolutely everything. My DHR has zerk fittings on the pivots that i shoot grease in. every so often ill take the caps off and clean the internals of the bearings and regrease. very heavy duty setup, hasnt developed any play and shows no signs of developing anytime soon. Using torque wrench to get proper torques on everything with a torque spec on reassembly. Any time I take something off or apart in between the times I do the complete overhaul, I always retorque to spec.

If you don't mind getting greasy and oily and are mechanically inclined, it's very easy to learn the ins-n-outs of bike maintenance and doesn't require much work. I find myself doing things more often than needed and trying to come up with cool/cheap mods to further enhance and personalize my ride. A bike stand is something to invest in if you are getting in to the hobby. You'll find it much easier and thus more willing/motivated to work on your bike.

One good source of instructions on how to do things is the Tech Tuesday articles on pinkbike. They cover many things and have detailed instructions with pictures and/or videos.