Specialized Rockhopper Comp FS Sport Shock Bushing Repair Kit

> Yet, recently, a friend who rides bikes suggested repairing the FS
> shocks. She found this FS Repair Parts Kit (with photo) URL for $15
at
> Specialized.com
> http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=10319

I also called the Specialized equipment number(877)808-8154

The guy answering the phone tried to be helpful but he was only at
Specialized for two months so he had trouble identifying the bike to
see if there were any parts to repair the shocks (he didn't even know
what the shocks were made up of).

He did correct me in that URL is for seat post bushings.
He also corrected my naming conventions as FS stands for Full
Suspension.
He suggested I find someone who knew Specialized bikes to determine the
model.
He asked if it said "ground control" but it does not say that.

All I know at this point is the bike is a:
Specialized Rockhopper Comp Full Suspension with Sport Shock

They guy said I needed to tell him the EXACT YEAR I bought it (heck, it
was about 8 years ago but I could be off by two or three years either
way as I never rode it all that much having lent it out to friends to
ride).

I do know it has a black Cr-Mb alloy frame with that unique
one-of-a-kind wierd front fork that you just can't get the front wheel
off without two people (someone said I should sand down the tabs which
hold it on). I guess that was to prevent theft (it takes me about 20
minutes plus finger skin just to get the quick-relesae front wheel to
actually release!). Does that help with the year ( I can't believe
people didn't complain when that engineering modification came out!).

Is there anyone out there who has experience with bicycle repair that
can advise me as to what kind of bike it is I have (year, make, model)
so that I can tell Specialized this so that I can get a shock-repair
kit?

Linda C. Donovan

Your looking for a shock repair kit for a shock that is 8 years old. Good
luck - you'll need it.
Most companies only support back a few years.

Spring some money for a replacement shock. It will likely be better than
your original anyhow. $200 is pretty inexpensive for a shock by the way.
Most decent shocks are in the $300 range.

Whats damaged on the shock, do you happen to know?

Paul

"L. C. Donovan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> Yet, recently, a friend who rides bikes suggested repairing the FS
>> shocks. She found this FS Repair Parts Kit (with photo) URL for $15
> at
>> Specialized.com
>> http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=10319
>
> I also called the Specialized equipment number(877)808-8154
>
> The guy answering the phone tried to be helpful but he was only at
> Specialized for two months so he had trouble identifying the bike to
> see if there were any parts to repair the shocks (he didn't even know
> what the shocks were made up of).
>
> He did correct me in that URL is for seat post bushings.
> He also corrected my naming conventions as FS stands for Full
> Suspension.
> He suggested I find someone who knew Specialized bikes to determine the
> model.
> He asked if it said "ground control" but it does not say that.
>
> All I know at this point is the bike is a:
> Specialized Rockhopper Comp Full Suspension with Sport Shock
>
> They guy said I needed to tell him the EXACT YEAR I bought it (heck, it
> was about 8 years ago but I could be off by two or three years either
> way as I never rode it all that much having lent it out to friends to
> ride).
>
> I do know it has a black Cr-Mb alloy frame with that unique
> one-of-a-kind wierd front fork that you just can't get the front wheel
> off without two people (someone said I should sand down the tabs which
> hold it on). I guess that was to prevent theft (it takes me about 20
> minutes plus finger skin just to get the quick-relesae front wheel to
> actually release!). Does that help with the year ( I can't believe
> people didn't complain when that engineering modification came out!).
>
> Is there anyone out there who has experience with bicycle repair that
> can advise me as to what kind of bike it is I have (year, make, model)
> so that I can tell Specialized this so that I can get a shock-repair
> kit?
>
> Linda C. Donovan
>

In article <[email protected]>, "Paul Scrutton" <[email protected]> wrote:
>You'relooking for a shock repair kit for a shock that is 8 years old. Good
>luck - you'll need it.
>Most companies only support back a few years.
>
>Spring some money for a replacement shock.

Pun intended?

The two front Specialized Comp Full Suspension Sport Shocks you mentioned DO
NOT use springs or elastomer materials so don't worry about breakage (there's
nothing to break inside). These front-fork Sport Shocks merely contain pistons
(like the type in your bicycle pump) which have compressed air and
transmission fluid in them.

These Sport Shocks often fail after six months to a year of hard use so it's
quite normal for yours to have lasted five or more years before failing
(assuming you merely rode the bike on mountain trails of moderate height, say
just a few thousand feet in total riding elevation for your average ride).
And, yes, you CAN get parts for these (call Specialized with the bike, year,
and model if you can. Otherwise, send them a photo of the bike and a closeup
of the shocks. I hesitate to provide you with Specialized support email
address as that would inundate them with spam (spammers mine these message
boards regularly) so just call the phone numbers above to obtain the email
address. These guys at Specialized are a wonderful bunch when you get to know
them personally. They'll track down the parts for you from your photo but you
really won't need the parts because this is a common problem with these
shocks.

So, please just forget what you've been told by the bike shop and others on
this board and simply go back to any reputable Specialized bike shop to tell
them to add AIR and FLUID. From my experience, 99% of the time that fixes the
flaccid front shocks. Any bike shop who tells you otherwise is just trying to
make money on a new set of shocks (they sell for $300 but they bought them for
$150 to $180).

Once they replace the fluid and pump the air back in, your Sport Shocks
will be good as new. A reputable shop should charge about $30 bucks (give or
take 5 or 10 bucks) for the front shocks overhaul.

T&S

Thomas & Sons Cycle Shop wrote:
> These Sport Shocks often fail after six months
> it's normal for yours to have lasted five or more years

The stickers say:
- "Specialized RockHopper Comp Future Shock Sport"
- with an "AheadSet Dia-Compe" steering column
- and a "Direct Drive Light Cr-Mo" frame
- and the "GripShift" hand grips
- and "Versa L3 Dia-Compe" brakes
- and the impossible-to-remove quick-release front wheel,
- all with "California" and "Made in USA" labels.

Does anyone know what the make/model/year of this bike really is?
Does anyone know of an exploded diagram of the INSIDE of these shocks?
Can someone point me to a removal-and-repair procedure on the web?
Does anyone know the part number for the kit to repair these shocks?

I'm now super curious what's inside these shocks!
See photos at http://img222.echo.cx/img222/5484/shockb5gb.jpg &
http://img222.echo.cx/img222/5071/shock1np.jpg

L. C. Donovan

I would think the serial number of the bike would be useful (to
Specialized anyway) in determining exactly what bike you have.

"Jerry" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I would think the serial number of the bike would be useful (to Specialized
>anyway) in determining exactly what bike you have.

Is there even a serial number on these bicycles?
I have a non-fork decade-old specialized rockhopper mountain bicycle.
I don't see no serial number.
Where is it located?

Jerry wrote:
> I would think the serial number of the bike would be useful (to
> Specialized anyway) in determining exactly what bike you have.

If there is a serial number on the bike, I don't see it.

Luckily, Nic at the Specialized Customer Service/Online Store in Salt
Lake City, UT, left me a message on my cell phone. From the photos, he
could easily determine the worn shocks are on a 1994 Specialized
Rockhopper Comp FS mountain bike with the Future Shock Sport elastomer
dual-shock front suspension.

So, now the specific quest morphs to fix the clunk thunk in the shocks.
a) Anyone know how to pump the air back into these front shocks?
(i.e., where to get the special pump & what pressure to use)?
b) Any experts out there know what oil for rebuilding these two shocks?
(i.e., what oil and how much and who sells it)
c) Any mountain bikers who do their own work have an exploded diagram
(i.e., how does this shock dampen motion anyway?)

Thanks,
L. C. Donovan

> a) Anyone know how to pump the air into these shocks?
> b) Any experts out there know what oil to use?
> c) Any mountain bikers have an exploded diagram?

At long last, my Specialized Future Shock shocks are now fixed!
It turned out that most (almost all) the advice given me was stale.
Even the first bicycle shop gave me totally wrong information!
At a second bike shop, the shocks were fixed today!

All the shop added was:
a) Air (pumped to 140 psi according) with a FOX Shox pump
b) Oil (Dexron ATF)

There was nothing else wrong with these shocks despite the fact the
first (wrong) bike shop told me they always sell new shocks to everyone
who comes in with Specialized Rockhopper shocks which lost their
rebound.

However, this second dealer told me this was a common problem (and that
the first dealer probably just wanted to sell new shocks). The
technician said the shock was basically a slightly modified "Rocks
Shocks" (whatever that is); and that they'd have both shocks 'fixed' by
the end of the day.

Sure enough, when I picked up the bike just now, the front shocks were
fixed!

In response to my incredulous questioning, the bicycle technician
nodded his head saying he sees at least a bike a week with this very
same problem and he rarely fails to fix it this way (besides, it's part
of their 60-dollar yearly tuneup that I never brought the mountain bike
in for, shame on me).

If only I knew it was that easy!
Why didn't anyone here suggest Air + Oil?

Oh well. My loss. At least for the next rider with the same problem, I
can provide the steps (from memory) explained to me by the technician
today so others can benefit.

For a 1994 Rockhopper Comp Future Sport front shock pair:
- Pry off the black cap at top (clean it with alcohol)
- Discard the old oil (by tipping the forks upside down)
- Bounce a few times to help expel the oil
- Clean with kerosene, bounce again & then let it all dry upside down
- Add new Dexron ATF (measured from the top about 40 mm down)
- With a Fox air pump, hand pump to 50 psi & wait 10 minutes
- Release pressure & pump to 100 psi & wait another 10 minutes
- Release pressure & pump to 140 psi (or more depending on your needs)
- Charge customer $30 dollars for time & materials.

I asked a lot of questions so they spent about an hour with me in the
shop. The technician didn't have a diagram of the shocks but he said
almost any Rocks Shocks diagram would be similar (where would I get
that?).

The bicycle technician also said parts were widely available for these
decade-old shocks; and, when I asked for a supplier, he scribbled the
name of Hippie-Tech Suspension in Boise Idaho (208.724.8949) on the
back of his card.

In summary, what was wrong with the Specialized RockHopper Future Sport
shocks was merely that the oil and air had leaked out over the last
decade. The solution was a $30 replenishing of the oil and air. I rode
the bike home (only about five miles and 1200 feet elevation overall)
and they seem fine, if a bit on the stiff side.

Geez, I wish I knew a year ago what I now know (see above) about
shocks!

L. C. Donovan

In article <[email protected]>, "L. C. Donovan" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> a) Anyone know how to pump the air into these shocks?
>> b) Any experts out there know what oil to use?
>> c) Any mountain bikers have an exploded diagram?
>
>At long last, my Specialized Future Shock shocks are now fixed!
>It turned out that most (almost all) the advice given me was stale.
>Even the first bicycle shop gave me totally wrong information!
>At a second bike shop, the shocks were fixed today!
>
>All the shop added was:
>a) Air (pumped to 140 psi according) with a FOX Shox pump
>b) Oil (Dexron ATF)

We're all glad our repair suggestions helped.

140 psi is for a light person (we generally add more pressure than that). We
use the FOX FORX SHOCK PUMP in our shop (it goes to 300 psi). Specialized
(1.877.808.8154) sells the shock pump for less than $50 USD
at http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.
jsp?minisite=10080&spid=5072&xsrc=1063
but you can get shock pumps almost anywhere,
http://www.webmountainbike.com/foxhppumforf.html
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.
php?id=1679&category=133
http://store.yahoo.com/phattire1/foxhipressure.html
http://www.webcyclery.com/product.php?productid=16870&cat=0&page=1
etc

If you continue to maintain the bike properly, you should get more than twenty
years of mountain use out of it before something major breaks. Pick up a tool
catalogue from http://www.performancebike.com/shop/category_tools.cfm and do
the work yourself (nothing on a bike is difficult except starting on a steep
hill).

Once a year isn't too much maintenance if you do hard rocky muddy riding like
most of us. Just don't hang the bike upside down from your garage rafters (one
of the worst things that can be done to a mountain bike).

Happy riding,
BTW, it's Rox Shox (not Rocks Shocks).

Thomas & Sons Cycle Shop wrote:

<snip>
>
> Happy riding,
> BTW, it's Rox Shox (not Rocks Shocks).

No, it's Rox Sucks.

Thomas & Sons Cycle Shop wrote:
> Once a year isn't too much maintenance if you do hard rocky muddy
riding like
> most of us. Just don't hang the bike upside down from your garage rafters (one
> of the worst things that can be done to a mountain bike).
>

OK I'll ask. Why is it bad to hang a MTB upside down?

Jerry who? writes:

>> Once a year isn't too much maintenance if you do hard rocky muddy
>> riding like most of us. Just don't hang the bike upside down from
>> your garage rafters (one of the worst things that can be done to a
>> mountain bike).

> OK I'll ask. Why is it bad to hang a MTB upside down?

Oh! Don' ahsk! As Arnold(t) would say. It's a grave subject often
used as and intro to bad puns, a subject with much gravity.

[email protected]

Jerry wrote:
> Thomas & Sons Cycle Shop wrote:
> > Once a year isn't too much maintenance if you do hard rocky muddy
> riding like
>> most of us. Just don't hang the bike upside down from your garage
>> rafters (one of the worst things that can be done to a mountain
>> bike).
>>
>
> OK I'll ask. Why is it bad to hang a MTB upside down?

It's not. (Only caveat would be a sus fork that uses an oil bath; might not
be a great idea to store THAT upside down for an extended period.)

Look in the back of the service dept. at any LBS: the bikes might not be
upside down, but they're hanging by the front wheel more often than not.

Space Saver Bill

Bill Sornson writes:

>>> Once a year isn't too much maintenance if you do hard rocky muddy
>>> riding like most of us. Just don't hang the bike upside down from
>>> your garage rafters (one of the worst things that can be done to a
>>> mountain bike).


>> OK I'll ask. Why is it bad to hang a MTB upside down?

> It's not. (Only caveat would be a suspension fork that uses an oil
> bath; might not be a great idea to store THAT upside down for an
> extended period.)

> Look in the back of the service dept. at any LBS: the bikes might
> not be upside down, but they're hanging by the front wheel more
> often than not.

That's as good as upside down, the fork rake putting the top lower
than the bottom end of the stanchions.

[email protected]

Bill Sornson wrote:

> Jerry wrote:

>> OK I'll ask. Why is it bad to hang a MTB upside down?

> It's not. (Only caveat would be a sus fork that uses an oil bath;
> might not be a great idea to store THAT upside down for an extended
> period.)

Such forks actually benefit from being stored upside down, because it gives the
oil a chance to run into the upper bushings. Once you start storing your bike
upside down, you'll notice the usual stiction present when you first start
riding your bike is gone.

> Look in the back of the service dept. at any LBS: the bikes might
> not be upside down, but they're hanging by the front wheel more often
> than not.

Same difference.

Matt O.

In article <[email protected]>, "L. C.
Donovan" <[email protected]> wrote:
>For a 1994 Rockhopper Comp Future Sport front shock pair:
>- Pry off the black cap at top (clean it with alcohol)
>- Discard the old oil (by tipping the forks upside down)
>- Bounce a few times to help expel the oil
>- Clean with kerosene, bounce again & then let it all dry upside down
>- Add new Dexron ATF (measured from the top about 40 mm down)
>- With a Fox air pump, hand pump to 50 psi & wait 10 minutes
>- Release pressure & pump to 100 psi & wait another 10 minutes
>- Release pressure & pump to 140 psi (or more depending on your needs)
>- Charge customer $30 dollars for time & materials.

Regular oil (5 or 10 weight) works just as well as transmission fluid.

Your looking for a shock repair kit for a shock that is 8 years old. Good
luck - you'll need it.
Most companies only support back a few years.

Spring some money for a replacement shock. It will likely be better than
your original anyhow. $200 is pretty inexpensive for a shock by the way.
Most decent shocks are in the $300 range.

Whats damaged on the shock, do you happen to know?

Paul

"L. C. Donovan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> Yet, recently, a friend who rides bikes suggested repairing the FS
>> shocks. She found this FS Repair Parts Kit (with photo) URL for $15
> at
>> Specialized.com
>> http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=10319
>
> I also called the Specialized equipment number(877)808-8154
>
> The guy answering the phone tried to be helpful but he was only at
> Specialized for two months so he had trouble identifying the bike to
> see if there were any parts to repair the shocks (he didn't even know
> what the shocks were made up of).
>
> He did correct me in that URL is for seat post bushings.
> He also corrected my naming conventions as FS stands for Full
> Suspension.
> He suggested I find someone who knew Specialized bikes to determine the
> model.
> He asked if it said "ground control" but it does not say that.
>
> All I know at this point is the bike is a:
> Specialized Rockhopper Comp Full Suspension with Sport Shock
>
> They guy said I needed to tell him the EXACT YEAR I bought it (heck, it
> was about 8 years ago but I could be off by two or three years either
> way as I never rode it all that much having lent it out to friends to
> ride).
>
> I do know it has a black Cr-Mb alloy frame with that unique
> one-of-a-kind wierd front fork that you just can't get the front wheel
> off without two people (someone said I should sand down the tabs which
> hold it on). I guess that was to prevent theft (it takes me about 20
> minutes plus finger skin just to get the quick-relesae front wheel to
> actually release!). Does that help with the year ( I can't believe
> people didn't complain when that engineering modification came out!).
>
> Is there anyone out there who has experience with bicycle repair that
> can advise me as to what kind of bike it is I have (year, make, model)
> so that I can tell Specialized this so that I can get a shock-repair
> kit?
>
> Linda C. Donovan
>

In article
<[email protected]>,
"L. C. Donovan" <[email protected]> wrote:

> > a) Anyone know how to pump the air into these shocks?
> > b) Any experts out there know what oil to use?
> > c) Any mountain bikers have an exploded diagram?
>
> At long last, my Specialized Future Shock shocks are now fixed!
> It turned out that most (almost all) the advice given me was stale.
> Even the first bicycle shop gave me totally wrong information!
> At a second bike shop, the shocks were fixed today!
>
> All the shop added was:
> a) Air (pumped to 140 psi according) with a FOX Shox pump
> b) Oil (Dexron ATF)
>
> There was nothing else wrong with these shocks despite the fact the
> first (wrong) bike shop told me they always sell new shocks to everyone
> who comes in with Specialized Rockhopper shocks which lost their
> rebound.
>
> However, this second dealer told me this was a common problem (and that
> the first dealer probably just wanted to sell new shocks). The
> technician said the shock was basically a slightly modified "Rocks
> Shocks" (whatever that is); and that they'd have both shocks 'fixed' by
> the end of the day.
>
> Sure enough, when I picked up the bike just now, the front shocks were
> fixed!
>
> In response to my incredulous questioning, the bicycle technician
> nodded his head saying he sees at least a bike a week with this very
> same problem and he rarely fails to fix it this way (besides, it's part
> of their 60-dollar yearly tuneup that I never brought the mountain bike
> in for, shame on me).
>
> If only I knew it was that easy!
> Why didn't anyone here suggest Air + Oil?

But someone did on 11 May 2005: Thomas and Sons. I quote the message.

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From: [email protected] (Thomas & Sons Cycle Shop)
Subject: Re: Specialized Rockhopper Comp FS Sport Shock Bushing Repair Kit
Organization: Thomas & Sons Cycle Shop
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The two front Specialized Comp Full Suspension Sport Shocks you mentioned DO
NOT use springs or elastomer materials so don't worry about breakage (there's
nothing to break inside). These front-fork Sport Shocks merely contain pistons
(like the type in your bicycle pump) which have compressed air and
transmission fluid in them.

These Sport Shocks often fail after six months to a year of hard use so it's
quite normal for yours to have lasted five or more years before failing
(assuming you merely rode the bike on mountain trails of moderate height, say
just a few thousand feet in total riding elevation for your average ride).
And, yes, you CAN get parts for these (call Specialized with the bike, year,
and model if you can. Otherwise, send them a photo of the bike and a closeup
of the shocks. I hesitate to provide you with Specialized support email
address as that would inundate them with spam (spammers mine these message
boards regularly) so just call the phone numbers above to obtain the email
address. These guys at Specialized are a wonderful bunch when you get to know
them personally. They'll track down the parts for you from your photo but you
really won't need the parts because this is a common problem with these
shocks.

So, please just forget what you've been told by the bike shop and others on
this board and simply go back to any reputable Specialized bike shop to tell
them to add AIR and FLUID. From my experience, 99% of the time that fixes the
flaccid front shocks. Any bike shop who tells you otherwise is just trying to
make money on a new set of shocks (they sell for $300 but they bought them for
$150 to $180).

Once they replace the fluid and pump the air back in, your Sport Shocks
will be good as new. A reputable shop should charge about $30 bucks (give or
take 5 or 10 bucks) for the front shocks overhaul.

T&S

_________________End_________________

--
Michael Press

> a) Anyone know how to pump the air into these shocks?
> b) Any experts out there know what oil to use?
> c) Any mountain bikers have an exploded diagram?

At long last, my Specialized Future Shock shocks are now fixed!
It turned out that most (almost all) the advice given me was stale.
Even the first bicycle shop gave me totally wrong information!
At a second bike shop, the shocks were fixed today!

All the shop added was:
a) Air (pumped to 140 psi according) with a FOX Shox pump
b) Oil (Dexron ATF)

There was nothing else wrong with these shocks despite the fact the
first (wrong) bike shop told me they always sell new shocks to everyone
who comes in with Specialized Rockhopper shocks which lost their
rebound.

However, this second dealer told me this was a common problem (and that
the first dealer probably just wanted to sell new shocks). The
technician said the shock was basically a slightly modified "Rocks
Shocks" (whatever that is); and that they'd have both shocks 'fixed' by
the end of the day.

Sure enough, when I picked up the bike just now, the front shocks were
fixed!

In response to my incredulous questioning, the bicycle technician
nodded his head saying he sees at least a bike a week with this very
same problem and he rarely fails to fix it this way (besides, it's part
of their 60-dollar yearly tuneup that I never brought the mountain bike
in for, shame on me).

If only I knew it was that easy!
Why didn't anyone here suggest Air + Oil?

Oh well. My loss. At least for the next rider with the same problem, I
can provide the steps (from memory) explained to me by the technician
today so others can benefit.

For a 1994 Rockhopper Comp Future Sport front shock pair:
- Pry off the black cap at top (clean it with alcohol)
- Discard the old oil (by tipping the forks upside down)
- Bounce a few times to help expel the oil
- Clean with kerosene, bounce again & then let it all dry upside down
- Add new Dexron ATF (measured from the top about 40 mm down)
- With a Fox air pump, hand pump to 50 psi & wait 10 minutes
- Release pressure & pump to 100 psi & wait another 10 minutes
- Release pressure & pump to 140 psi (or more depending on your needs)
- Charge customer $30 dollars for time & materials.

I asked a lot of questions so they spent about an hour with me in the
shop. The technician didn't have a diagram of the shocks but he said
almost any Rocks Shocks diagram would be similar (where would I get
that?).

The bicycle technician also said parts were widely available for these
decade-old shocks; and, when I asked for a supplier, he scribbled the
name of Hippie-Tech Suspension in Boise Idaho (208.724.8949) on the
back of his card.

In summary, what was wrong with the Specialized RockHopper Future Sport
shocks was merely that the oil and air had leaked out over the last
decade. The solution was a $30 replenishing of the oil and air. I rode
the bike home (only about five miles and 1200 feet elevation overall)
and they seem fine, if a bit on the stiff side.

Geez, I wish I knew a year ago what I now know (see above) about
shocks!

L. C. Donovan