I bought my 9.8 in the spring of 2018 and it was great for the first year, then it started needing the top nut re-lube every few weeks (using their proprietary grease of course). By mid-summer it was leaking air slowly and I had to top it up every ride or so.
I ordered the rebuild kit in January this year for $100 and that brought it back to life. However, the customer service was slow to respond and shipping was expensive and no-one stocks any parts other than 9.8 themselves.
I noticed a new sound coming from somewhere related to the post / saddle area and investigated to find a crack in the eyelet on the post that the head bolts to. I contacted 9.8 and was told that they only replace that part (the stanchion) in the factory and only for original owners and that it would cost about $200.
Instead of putting more money into the post I bought a one-up 210mm and it's been flawless so far.
Having dealt with the design short-comings of the 9.8, I looked more closely at the maintenance procedures of the one-up. They seem to be easier to work on and parts are easier to get, so kudos to them.
Sept. 15, 2020, 2:33 p.m. - Jonas Dodd
I bought my 9.8 in the spring of 2018 and it was great for the first year, then it started needing the top nut re-lube every few weeks (using their proprietary grease of course). By mid-summer it was leaking air slowly and I had to top it up every ride or so. I ordered the rebuild kit in January this year for $100 and that brought it back to life. However, the customer service was slow to respond and shipping was expensive and no-one stocks any parts other than 9.8 themselves. I noticed a new sound coming from somewhere related to the post / saddle area and investigated to find a crack in the eyelet on the post that the head bolts to. I contacted 9.8 and was told that they only replace that part (the stanchion) in the factory and only for original owners and that it would cost about $200. Instead of putting more money into the post I bought a one-up 210mm and it's been flawless so far. Having dealt with the design short-comings of the 9.8, I looked more closely at the maintenance procedures of the one-up. They seem to be easier to work on and parts are easier to get, so kudos to them.