Fork service intervals starting to bug me

I had a customer bring in a 2019 suspension fork last month that was completely dry inside, and the seals were shot at maybe 300 hours of use. The manufacturer says 50 hours for a lower service, but honestly most weekend riders I see skip it entirely and still get years out of the thing. Is anyone else finding that these service charts are more about selling parts than matching how people actually ride?

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joseph_baker13d ago

Wait, are you sure that fork was actually at 300 hours of use? That seems low for the seals to be completely shot unless it was rode in some serious mud or rain. Most 2019 forks Ive seen are usually fine past that mark if you at least wipe the stanchions down after rides. The 50 hour thing is more of a best case for people racing or riding in nasty conditions, not the average guy hitting trails on weekends. I think the real issue is people never even check for oil on the stanchions, so by the time they bring it in its way past any service window.