8.3 suspension

Air Spring Service

This goes deeper than the lower leg service — accesses the air spring assembly to clean and re-grease internal seals.

Difficulty ★★★ advanced
Time ~60 min
Applies to Bikes with suspension fork (advanced service)

Tools

  • All from 8.2
  • plus a brand-specific air spring socket/cassette tool
  • suspension grease (e.g., RockShox Slick Honey, Slickoleum, Fox Float Fluid for some)

Procedure

  1. Lower-leg service first

    (8.2 steps 1–9).

  2. Remove the air spring assembly

    from the upper tube — typically by unthreading a top cap or bottom assembly.

  3. Disassemble the air piston

    — careful note of seal orientation and order.

  4. Clean all parts

    in clean suspension oil (not solvent — solvents damage rubber seals).

  5. Apply fresh suspension grease

    to all seals.

  6. Reassemble

    in reverse order.

  7. Reinstall in fork.

  8. Pressurize and test.

    Most home mechanics either watch a brand-specific YouTube video for their exact fork or send the fork to a service center for this depth of work. The tools are not interchangeable between Fox, RockShox, Manitou, etc. ---

This goes deeper than the lower leg service — accesses the air spring assembly to clean and re-grease internal seals.

Service interval: Typically every 100–200 hours.

Procedure (overview — exact steps vary):

  1. Lower-leg service first (8.2 steps 1–9).
  2. Remove the air spring assembly from the upper tube — typically by unthreading a top cap or bottom assembly.
  3. Disassemble the air piston — careful note of seal orientation and order.
  4. Clean all parts in clean suspension oil (not solvent — solvents damage rubber seals).
  5. Apply fresh suspension grease to all seals.
  6. Reassemble in reverse order.
  7. Reinstall in fork.
  8. Pressurize and test.

Most home mechanics either watch a brand-specific YouTube video for their exact fork or send the fork to a service center for this depth of work. The tools are not interchangeable between Fox, RockShox, Manitou, etc.