How Do You Repair Mountain Bike Forks & Suspensions?
Most mountain bicycles sold today have a suspension, which generally consists of a suspension fork with anywhere from 3 to 10 inches of travel, and more expensive bicycles have a rear suspension. The primary purpose of a suspension is to absorb the shock created by various types of terrain and keep you in control of your mountain bike. Figure out what type of suspension you have. Inexpensive suspensions sometimes only consist of springs built into the blades of the fork without any compression damping. More commonly, forks will use springs or air for compression with oil or air used for compression damping. This damping mechanism is generally adjustable, and adding more oil, or thicker oil, will increase the damping effect. Similarly, adding more air to an air fork will result in a firmer suspension. Familiarize yourself with the external controls of your suspension. Often, if something about your fork feels “wrong,” there’s nothing actually broken or in need of repair; the external ad
