For most people just doing regular lower services would be a great improvement. The topic of fork service came up on a ride earlier this year. One guy asked where I got my damper serviced \[Vorsprung\], one guy proudly proclaimed he had not serviced either end of his FS bike since he bought it two years ago \[subtlety implying suspension service was \#FAKEnews!\] and one lady perked up and inquired "You are supposed to service your fork?!?!".
Next up would be people actually doing some effective setup work on their suspension. It's shocking \[pun intended\] how many times I grab a bike on the trail and the suspension is not even close to where it should be for the rider in question. Not even counting the "Why are you riding with your fork and shock locked out on the downhills?" moments. It's kind of sad to think about all the effort that goes into designing suspension for mountain bikes and then what actually happens to it once sold to most customers.
I've had custom damper tunes done on a few shocks and really enjoyed the results. For some reason I have not done that at the front of the bike. I try to stay on top of maintenance, but I've left everything stock. I have a hankering to try something a bit more "fancy" next time I build a new FS bike.
March 2, 2021, 8:27 a.m. - Vik Banerjee
For most people just doing regular lower services would be a great improvement. The topic of fork service came up on a ride earlier this year. One guy asked where I got my damper serviced \[Vorsprung\], one guy proudly proclaimed he had not serviced either end of his FS bike since he bought it two years ago \[subtlety implying suspension service was \#FAKEnews!\] and one lady perked up and inquired "You are supposed to service your fork?!?!". Next up would be people actually doing some effective setup work on their suspension. It's shocking \[pun intended\] how many times I grab a bike on the trail and the suspension is not even close to where it should be for the rider in question. Not even counting the "Why are you riding with your fork and shock locked out on the downhills?" moments. It's kind of sad to think about all the effort that goes into designing suspension for mountain bikes and then what actually happens to it once sold to most customers. I've had custom damper tunes done on a few shocks and really enjoyed the results. For some reason I have not done that at the front of the bike. I try to stay on top of maintenance, but I've left everything stock. I have a hankering to try something a bit more "fancy" next time I build a new FS bike.