The “lowers,” or the part of your suspension fork that rides up and down on the silky smooth surfaces of your stanchions, wholly deserve your ever-loving care and affection.
Servicing the lowers (keeping everything clean and slippery-like) is crucial for maintaining supple suspension response and the highest level of stoke out on the trail. Not to mention extending the lifespan of your fork.
And if you sprung for Kashima, you’re about to get to admire ALL of it!
Why
See those foam rings above? Those sit within the dust wipers and their job is to wipe off contaminants picked up while riding to keep them from getting down into the fork.
This pair was in the fork for many years, is packed with grime (they should be one color, not two), and was in dire need of replacement. Yikes!
Over time, dirt and debris builds up inside your suspension leading to more friction, wear on the stanchions, and degraded suspension performance.
Servicing the lowers cleans the suspension’s key surfaces, refreshes parts designed to be rejuvenated or replaced regularly, and changes the oil.
How often
Regular maintenance—Fox says every 30 to 50 hours of riding but some kind of regularity is the main key here—ensures that your fork runs smoothly and efficiently, providing you better traction, control, and comfort on the trails.
This will immediately improve sensitivity to small bumps and prevent long-term damage that can lead to expensive repairs down the line.
Why start now?
Behind on this one? Don’t despair! We’ve seen unmaintained forks with years of being ridden hard over thousands of miles come in, get serviced, and go back out just fine and refreshed.
This is a case of better late than never.
How much money can I save?
A typical lower leg service by a reputable shop is going to cost you about USD 80.
If you ride an average of just two hours every week you should be servicing your fork twice a year.
If you keep your fork for five years and make sure it’s well serviced you’ll end up spending north of $800 on just the most basic suspension maintenance.
That’s the cost of a new fork.
How Hard Is It to DIY Service Your Fork?
While the idea of servicing suspension may seem intimidating, overhauling the lowers is a job that almost any rider can do with patience and a few basic tools.
Here’s our quick test to determine whether you should DIY this maintenance:
Do you own a bike repair stand?
If the answer is yes = go for it, service the lowers yourself!
If the answer is no = take your fork to a shop!
The Procedure
Doing this job calls for a straightforward process that just seems complicated.
By following a step-by-step guide (see the videos and links below), you can easily remove the lower legs, audios the old oil, clean things up, replace key parts like the dust wipers as-needed, add fresh lubricant and oil, and get back on the trail.
Taking the time to perform this service yourself will not only save you good money but also give you a better understanding of how your suspension works.
In our opinion the trickiest task in all of this is removing the old dust seals (and the most basic service doesn’t require this), which just takes some careful and accurately placed force. Once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll pop ’em out again and again no problem.
Watch some videos to know what you’re getting into first. Then do it once or twice taking your sweet time, and know that forever more this’ll be downright easy!
Supplies, Parts, and Tools You’ll Need
Here’s the basic list of stuff needed to conduct a lower service on Fox Racing Shox forks, as well as most others. Substitute or add parts as appropriate for other brands of forks. Affiliate links for our favorite goodies on Amazon are offered where available.
Supplies and Parts
- Suspension cleaner (universal)
- Suspension grease (universal)
- Dust sealer/wiper kit (includes o-ring and crush washers, link is for Fox 36, check brand and diameter size for your fork, most basic service doesn’t replace these parts but just pulls, cleans, and soaks the foam rings)
- Fork oil (link to Fox 20wt Gold, check to make sure different or additional weight oils aren’t needed for your fork)
Tools
- Rags (plenty)
- Valve core removal tool (to be sure all air is out)
- Allen keys (metric, buy this set as a well-deserved treat for doing this job)
- Metric sockets (15, 10) and rachet (linked is another treat for if you’ve been really good recently)
- Removal tools for lower legs (but sockets work fine too, see second video below)
- Pick (for removing dust wiper foam rings)
- Medium standard screwdriver (for removing dust wipers)
- Rubber mallet (for detaching legs and seating new dust wipers)
- Seal driver (for seating new dust wipers)
- Torque wrench (optional, without one be careful not to over-tighten lower leg nuts during reassembly)
- Syringe (~60 cc, for adding new oil)
- Shock pump
- A good old bucket or pan (to catch the old oil)
Resources
Here are the best YouTube videos to help you service your mountain bike suspension lowers.
For an entertaining and quick overview of the most basic service, it’s gotta be Mahalo My Dude:
Then, for a (slightly) less glossy production we like this video from Syd Fixes Bikes because she works her way through all the steps doing the things for the first time, including the slightly terrifying act of popping out old dust wipers (at 9:03).
Finally, for an at home production showing a more comprehensive service of the lowers, including removing the air spring and cleaning the inners of the uppers, Trail Breaker does a nice job:
Print Out These 16 Steps From Fox and Check ‘Em Off As You Go
16 Steps to completing a service of your suspension fork lowers (great to print out for following the general steps)
Here are some additional links from Fox to confirm what’s needed for your fork:
- Example bath oil volume chart (how to know how much oil to put in, this is for Fox 2017 forks)
- Link to owner’s manuals (Fox)
Happy (and Smooth) Trails!