Headshok vs. all others- maintenance

I located a pdf manual for Cannondale shocks (why don't they make that stuff easier to find on their web pages?) and found out there is a preload adjustment screw under the shock control knob. I gave it a twist (actually, several turns) and got the thing to sit up in its proper position! I wonder how many people don't know that it's there.

The girl I got the bike from weighs more than I do, so she was riding the thing with the preload set way too low for how many years?

Such are the hazards of used equipment...

I still don't know if the damping is right, or if the noise is any concern.

TD

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tyler_derden
Looking at the manual, the recommended service interval for the shock (DD50) is 20 hours of riding. I can't believe they ever sold anything that required maintenance every 20 hours when the thing is not rider maintainable. Is this typical of all shocks or is Cannondale "special"?

Is my bike typical- do people generally just neglect the maintenance on these shocks and then get rid of the bike when they have worn them out, or does anyone out there actually take the bike to their local dealer for the recommended service? For that matter, does anyone actually maintain any shock, or do they all suffer from neglect?

im pretty sure the maintenance interval for SIDs is 20hrs riding time, i do and know alot of people who service their own shocks, most of those people have SID's... but i think theyre pretty easy to maintain, no idea about the headshocks though

and yeah i know alot of fools who dont look after their bikes, particularly their shocks, they stop working propperly then they complain about it 🙄 most of the people i know who DO maintain their shocks do it themselves, usually costs quite a bit to get shocks serviced so often

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tyler_derden
I located a pdf manual for Cannondale shocks (why don't they make that stuff easier to find on their web pages?)

TD

I sympathise with you... I have a F700 (i think) that I bought new in 2001. I love riding it but HATE the Magura brakes that are on it and am dumbfounded about the service intervals on the shock. Would love to get hold of the maintenance manual for the Headshock, because they cost an arm and a leg to get serviced. Whereabouts did you find it?🙂 Was it on their site or elsewhere?

The manuals at Cannondales web site are not full-blown maintenance manuals. Just owner's manuals that give you specs and maintenance intervals. There is no link (that I could find) that takes you directly to the headshok manuals. You have to do a search for your headshok by name, then find the manual from there.

TD

Do happen to recall or remember the URL to the PDF manual?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tyler_derden
I located a pdf manual for Cannondale shocks (why don't they make that stuff easier to find on their web pages?) and found out there is a preload adjustment screw under the shock control knob. I gave it a twist (actually, several turns) and got the thing to sit up in its proper position! I wonder how many people don't know that it's there.

The girl I got the bike from weighs more than I do, so she was riding the thing with the preload set way too low for how many years?

Such are the hazards of used equipment...

I still don't know if the damping is right, or if the noise is any concern.

TD

I Have F700, my headshock blew out and I had to have it replaced. Cost £150. The thing is the new one loks compressed with me just sitting on it, does anyone know if the headshock can be adjusted. I weigh 80kgs at the moment.

😕

Depending on what model headshok you have, it can be adjusted either by using a shock pump (for air/oil cartridges) or by changing the spring inside it (for spring cartridges).

If it's compressing that much I'd be thinking you have an air/oil cartridge with little to no air pressure in it..

markski said:

I Have F700, my headshock blew out and I had to have it replaced. Cost £150. The thing is the new one loks compressed with me just sitting on it, does anyone know if the headshock can be adjusted. I weigh 80kgs at the moment.

😕

I don't know which headshok you have now but if it is an oil/air type, you need to pressurize it using a shock pump that you attach to the valve located at the bottom of the steering tube (between the fork legs). If it is an elastomer type, in addition to having the correct spring installed for your weight range (and the standard spring is probably OK for your weight), there is a preload screw that you need to adjust. The preload screw is located under the screw that holds the lockout knob on the top of the steerer tube. You need to remove the knob screw completely, then insert an Allen wrench (3mm if I recall correctly) into the now apparently empty screw hole. Tightening the hidden screw increases the preload and will keep the shock from compressing more than a few mm just from sitting on the bike. Check the manual that came with the bike or search Cannondale's web site for the info specific to your shock.

TD

My F600 has been ridden pretty hard and the headshok has gradually collapsed.
I was going to have a go at repairing it but I can't even get it out of the frame.
I took the stem off and expected it to drop out but there's something more, any ideas?

Is it an air shock or elastomer type?

If it's an air shock, you may just need to pump it up. You may need to replace some seals (i.e. have your local bike shop send it to cannondale and pay them to fix it).

If it's elastomer, it may need a new cartridge, in which case you need to have you local bike shop send it to cannondale for repair.

Good luck!

TD

I picked up a 98(?) F2000. It's the one that's usually brown-sometimes purple when the light hits it. When I pump up the shock it rides well and I am 210-225ish. Anyone know which shock it is? It only says Fatty on it. How many PSI can I pump into it? Does it still require the 20hr servicing if I ride it locked out most of the time (I love rigid bikes)? Thanks.

The '98 F2000 has a Fatty SL from the factory, according to Google's cache of old web sites.

There'll be a PDF manual on the tech section of the C'dale web site with all the pressure details and such.

I have an F800, which I've been riding at least 3 times a week for a year now. So far, I haven't had the headshok serviced at all. Mainly because I haven't had any problems with it.

I'm not always out there thrashing it on trails, I usually ride it a few times a week to/from work instead of my track bike, then out on trails maybe every second or third weekend.

I guess the service level just depends on the history of the fork, how often you ride and most importantly how you ride the bike.

OK heres the scoop. I am in the same boat and I talked to an authorized dealer today. He said at the bike shop, they wont even touch it. They send it to the Cannondale Shop where they can service it properly. He told me that inside the Headshok, there are 87 different micro bearings that need replaced along with the seals. The measurements of these parts are to the thosandths of an inch and need to be replaced by Cannondale, who has the rebuild kits all set up, and micrometered to fit correctly. He said that servicing can cost anywhere from 50-150$. Take it for what its worth. He also said you can buy a reducer for the tube on the frame where the fork inserts, and then that opens other doors for getting a new fork such as rock shox, manitou, marzochi, ect...

xcdeeds said:

OK heres the scoop. I am in the same boat and I talked to an authorized dealer today. He said at the bike shop, they wont even touch it. They send it to the Cannondale Shop where they can service it properly. He told me that inside the Headshok, there are 87 different micro bearings that need replaced along with the seals. The measurements of these parts are to the thosandths of an inch and need to be replaced by Cannondale, who has the rebuild kits all set up, and micrometered to fit correctly. He said that servicing can cost anywhere from 50-150$. Take it for what its worth. He also said you can buy a reducer for the tube on the frame where the fork inserts, and then that opens other doors for getting a new fork such as rock shox, manitou, marzochi, ect...

The needle bearings are mounted on 4 rectangular cages that hold them in place. They come in a blister pack like every other bike part. Sure the measurements are spec'd in mils, but that's true of all bearings. It doesn't mean anything- it's marketing BS to keep people paying top dollar for service. The car makers try to do the same to force people back for service. Nothing new there.

The real problem is that a few specialized tools are required. Since they are not mass made tools, they are a bit expensive. On the other hand, if you can service the thing yourself, the tools pay for themselves in their first or second use. The final problem is that Cannondale doesn't make the parts or service info readily available. Sure you can find .pdf on their web site showing parts assemblies, but there isn't anything that tell what you have to do to disassemble the thing or put it back together.

My bike's shock service interval was recommended at 20 hours. Someone who rides a lot would have to have the bike in the shop weekly. How fast will they service it? Do you have to buy two bikes so you can ride one while the other is in the shop? I live in rural Mo. The nearest Cannondale dealer is about 2 hours away. The bike shops don't fix the forks- they send them to Cannondale. So if I ride a lot, am I supposed to drive 2 hours to a shop so they can ship the fork to Cannondale for service every week? How fast will they ship it back? How many time will I be able to ride in a season with the fork out for service every 20 hours?

Who is the marketing dope at Cdale who came up with this idea and is he/she still working there, and if they are, what is wrong with management that they would keep someone like that around?

Whew! I feel much better!
TD

Its not the Bearings, its the Bearing RACES that are spec'd in Mils.due to variances in the machining of the steerer tube. It's not marketing BS. C-DALE says a yearly oil change seal replacement should be sufficient or sooner if you notice any change in performance. Unless you are quite adept at bike mechanic's I highly recomend seeing ONLY a C-DALE dealer for this service,if you never submerged the fork in water or have had a torn boot your bearings should be O.K. all that is required for bearings is yearly lubing with a good spray grease(tube grease causes too much stichion)then you should only need a cartidge service which includes oil change(you pick the wt.)and most seals are changed and this should should only take a few hours at most depending on your mechanic's workload.All newer C-DALE's w/headshok's have a DL/80 cartridge inside with 80mm of travel.You can DO-It-YOURSELF,but it requires special tools and sealkits that most C-DALE dealers won't sell to you due to liability reasons.Feel free to ask me more if you are interested! I'm a world of Headshok knowledge!
Kenman

tyler_derden said:

The needle bearings are mounted on 4 rectangular cages that hold them in place. They come in a blister pack like every other bike part. Sure the measurements are spec'd in mils, but that's true of all bearings. It doesn't mean anything- it's marketing BS to keep people paying top dollar for service. The car makers try to do the same to force people back for service. Nothing new there.

The real problem is that a few specialized tools are required. Since they are not mass made tools, they are a bit expensive. On the other hand, if you can service the thing yourself, the tools pay for themselves in their first or second use. The final problem is that Cannondale doesn't make the parts or service info readily available. Sure you can find .pdf on their web site showing parts assemblies, but there isn't anything that tell what you have to do to disassemble the thing or put it back together.

My bike's shock service interval was recommended at 20 hours. Someone who rides a lot would have to have the bike in the shop weekly. How fast will they service it? Do you have to buy two bikes so you can ride one while the other is in the shop? I live in rural Mo. The nearest Cannondale dealer is about 2 hours away. The bike shops don't fix the forks- they send them to Cannondale. So if I ride a lot, am I supposed to drive 2 hours to a shop so they can ship the fork to Cannondale for service every week? How fast will they ship it back? How many time will I be able to ride in a season with the fork out for service every 20 hours?

Who is the marketing dope at Cdale who came up with this idea and is he/she still working there, and if they are, what is wrong with management that they would keep someone like that around?

Whew! I feel much better!
TD

fastglass.netindex.htmlOpen ↗

Guys, here's the only site I've been able to find that shows you how to pull apart a headshok.