How to take care of the front suspension of your mountain bike?

Brakes and gears on a mountain bike are important for controlling speeds and stopping, but it’s the suspension that keeps riders on their bikes. If you want to keep pedaling without pain, make sure your front suspension is in good condition.

The suspensions of a mountain bike are undoubtedly very important to have a better performance on the descents. That is why taking care of them is an essential part for them to function properly.

What front suspension is?

Front suspensions are components that help absorb bumps and shocks, making riding more than just a short-lived adrenaline rush. It’s important to learn how to maintain your suspension so that it can do its job well and last longer. If you are an entry level rider, the big wheel mongoose bike could be the best option for you.

Why do we need to take care of the front suspension of your mountain bike?

There are many different reasons why you would want to take care of the front suspension of your mountain bike. One reason is that a worn down front suspension could cause a lot of damage to the bike. Front suspension can keep dirt and pebbles from damaging the fork, which allows for a smoother ride.

1. The first step to maintaining your front suspension would be inspecting it for any signs of wear or damage. If it is in good condition, you should be able to adjust it yourself.
2. The second step is to make sure that the belt is not too tight. If it is too tight, it will not allow your stomach to expand when you sit down. If it is too loose, it will not be able to support your stomach when you get up.
3. The last step is to be sure that you are not sitting on something that could damage your suspension.

How to take care of the front suspension of your mountain bike?

Check the fork before each ride

Before each ride, you should check the fork of your bicycle. This way, you will check that all its parts are working and you could even realize if any part, especially the covers, are in place and well fixed. It is very annoying to lose the covers and more so if they are for controls since there are almost no spare parts or they are very expensive.

Clean the bars

Before using your bicycle, we must try to remove the dust and dirt that may be stuck to the bars of your suspension. In this way, we will prevent elements that could damage the operation of your suspension from entering under the retainers in the suspension spring.

We recommend using a damp disposable cloth or towel without any type of product that can wear down the rubber and plastic components of the seals.

By doing this every ride, we will avoid friction wear and the suspension will work as it should.

Be careful when washing the bike with high-pressure water

If you are used to washing your bike with high-pressure water, you must be very careful how you aim the gun at some parts of your bike.

Never aim directly at the fork retainers, as this component is the one that prevents dust from passing into the bottles; it keeps the oil and damping system isolated. If you shoot directly into that area, you will be introducing both water and dirt and dust particles and this can be a silent killer for your fork. The best way to clean it is with a damp cloth or a pressure less jet of water.

Use a fender

We recommend using a simple fender, which, unlike double or rigid plastic fenders, the simple fender will not get in the way and will not hurt much if it breaks in practice.

The simple mudguard will prevent the mud on the rim from being projected onto the bars and thus avoid possible scratches or direct blows that could affect their operation.

Lubricate front bike suspension

Keeping your suspension in good working order is the easy part. All you have to do is lubricate it often. Whether that your front suspension or your rear, grease will help the bolts loosen, which makes it easier to work on the bike. It also smoothes out any rough patches of metal on the frame of the bike. The last thing you want is for a bolt to seize up and make it impossible to change out an item on your bike.

Protect your fork legs

Although the fork legs are very strong, they are the first to take damage in most falls. So that it always looks new, we recommend using a protective plastic lens that will keep the paint on the bottles in better condition and you will always be able to see your bike as new.

Protect your bike from the elements

When we have the need to leave or store the bicycle for personal reasons or accidents. We must consider the place where we are going to keep it. Leaving the bike out in the open will do a lot of damage to all the components, frame, and obviously to your fork.

We recommend you leave it in an indoor place, which does not have humidity. But yes, it’s not possible for you. Make sure that the space where you keep it has a roof and it is best to get a tarp or cover to cover your bike from environmental damage.

If you have stored your bicycle, you should consider from time to time, using the suspensions of your bicycle, especially the fork. This is to keep your system lubricated and less likely to fail by the time you reactivate it.

Maintain it regularly

Maintenance is recommended every 150 hours of use if it is frequently used, or every 6 months or every year if you do not use it much. This maintenance should be done by a suspension professional.

Not all auto shops have a suspension specialist. Therefore it is necessary that you get a workshop where they can do it or even a workshop specialized in suspensions only.

It should also be clarified that when we take our bicycle to basic service, this service does not include the maintenance of our fork. So do not think that if we do a basic service, the suspension does not need it.

In professional maintenance, the interior components are cleaned and the oil is changed and, if necessary, the gaskets or another system that could be damaged is changed.

Do not lubricate the suspension rods

You don’t need to oil the bars. The forks have their own suspension oil and this is inside the bottles. It is the only oil they need.

Be careful not to scrape or hit the bars

The bars, when exposed, suffer most of the bumps or scratches firsthand during our mountain rides. For this reason, we must take the greatest care so that they suffer less damage. And at the end of the ride, check under a quick observation that the bars do not have any serious scratches. If we do not check it, it is possible that through that blow, the dirt gets into the interior system and our suspension begins to fail.

Final words,

In conclusion, a mountain bike is a great way for people to explore nature in a fun, adventurous way. Though it’s not always easy to know how to take care of the front suspension of your mountain bike, with a little work and patience, you can keep your bike in the best shape possible. With these tips, you are ready to have your fork in the best possible conditions and you can even sell it at a better price.

Tips: How To Read a Bike Tire Size Top Guideline