Fluid Focus Suspension (and general bike mechanic)...

Discussion in 'Local Bike Shop Reviews' started by mtbMike, May 29, 2018.


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  1. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    I know most folks on this board don't live down here in San Diego County but for those that do, I want to let you know about Fluid Focus in San Marcos (north SD County). It's technically a one man suspension shop run by Ryan but he also does every type of bike repair and enjoys building wheels as well. As far as suspension goes, I know he's certified to rebuild/repair Fox, Rock Shox, Cane Creek and X-Fusion but there may be others as well.

    Ryan himself used to work in probably the busiest shop in SD County for several years at Bike Bling which is where I first met him in 2013 or 14. Ryan left Bike Bling for a job as a suspension specialist with KTM Motorsports where he specifically worked with their Supercross and Motocross teams including World Champion Ryan Dungey. After becoming a father, he decided he had had enough of the constant travel and pursued his dream to open his own shop. He continued to fix my bike(s) out of his garage while working for KTM. As you can see below, I'm not the only one who think he does good work.

    Ryan's website link....https://www.fluid-focus.com

    His Yelp reviews....https://www.yelp.com/biz/fluid-focus-san-marcos

    Reviews on MTBR....http://forums.mtbr.com/california-s...pair-shop-north-county-san-diego-1045265.html
     
    kioti, Old&InTheWay, Stkx66 and 16 others like this.
  2. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Someone who knows and works on suspension! LIKE!!!

    Thank you.
     
  3. TwoWheel Eric

    TwoWheel Eric Member

    Location:
    Orange County
    Name:
    Eric
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley V4
    Thanks Mike for the heads up on Fluid Focus...just what I needed for my suspension service and he's a service center for Cane Creek which certainly beats mailing my shock back to North Carolina. It was well worth the drive from Orange County...my shock and fork now feel better than new. Ryan does all the work himself and spent a lot of time talking to me and answering my questions.
     
  4. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    Glad he worked out for you. I picked up my Tracer from him earlier today.
     
    Mikie, Cyclotourist, herzalot and 4 others like this.
  5. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    Think I’ll send him my xfusion stuff instead of to mad suspension in reno
     
    Mikie, Cyclotourist and Danmtchl like this.
  6. Fluid Focus

    Fluid Focus Newbie with Hope!

    Location:
    San Diego County, CA
    Name:
    Ryan
    Current Bike:
    Antidote Carbonjack
    Thank you all for the support!
     
    ~JB~, kioti, Old&InTheWay and 10 others like this.
  7. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Thank YOU, but don't you get tired of riding a bike that everyone around you owns? Man, can't go anywhere without seeing a dozen Antidote Carbonjacks clogging up the trails.

    You should try a Santa Cruz. I hear they are unique! :thumbsup:

    OK, sorry. Just bustin' some balls on the forum regulars. Thanks for chiming in here. I highly value a suspension guru!!! :thumbsup:
     
  8. mountaingirl sara

    mountaingirl sara iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    So Cal
    Name:
    Sara
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley
    Jeeez, why the disdain for SC?:unsure:
    :)
     
  9. Fluid Focus

    Fluid Focus Newbie with Hope!

    Location:
    San Diego County, CA
    Name:
    Ryan
    Current Bike:
    Antidote Carbonjack
    Exactly why I partnered with Antidote, I like boutique things!
     
  10. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    Because he doesn't have one????? :whistling:

    He's just joshin' ya.
     
  11. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    None. Just extremely popular 'round these parts to the point of being cliche.
     
  12. mountaingirl sara

    mountaingirl sara iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    So Cal
    Name:
    Sara
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley
    I figured..I’m just messing with you :sneaky:
     
  13. mountaingirl sara

    mountaingirl sara iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    So Cal
    Name:
    Sara
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley
    I’m not offended, just stirring the pot:p
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, Cyclotourist and 4 others like this.
  14. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    :eek::eek::eek:
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, Cyclotourist and 3 others like this.
  15. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    So you are telling the forum owner, moderator, and troll banner his pride and joy Santa Cruz is... cliché? o_O Huh....
     
  16. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    Looking at your signature, I thought the Yeti was still the top dog! :whistling:

    #stirthepot
     
  17. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Here in the heart of SoCal rad mt. biking, 70.43% of all riders are on Santa Cruz. But it's more than just a Santa Cruz. They have the look - you know - full Endurbro. They ride the hard trails. They are cool. Way cool. No stupid hydration packs for these guys/gals - they know what's up!

    OK, I am just playing. But the distribution of Santa Cruz (under good riders) in LCWP and Aliso truly seems to be surpassing 1 out of 2. OC is known to be trend driven and image conscious, so once a look/brand takes hold, it spreads. #scformetoo!
     
  18. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    If you go to Santa Cruz, all the locals have one. I did a shuttle ride awhile ago and all the bikes but two of them were Santa Cruz bikes.
     
    Faust29, Mikie, Cyclotourist and 3 others like this.
  19. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    On a recent visit to the bike shop to browse at, uh, some bikes that may or may not have been Santa Cruz, uh... :cautious: One of the shop guys mentioned that SC has surpassed the big S in mountain bike sales in the US. Not sure if it's true or not... Just throwing it out there.

    And... My next bike purchase may not be a Santa Cruz. I want to be different. :p
     
    herzalot, Mikie, Old&InTheWay and 5 others like this.
  20. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    Not too many Banshees around here!
     
    herzalot, Faust29, Mikie and 3 others like this.
  21. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    Never seen another Devinci either!!
     
    herzalot, Faust29, Mikie and 2 others like this.
  22. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    Not a big secret but it varies by region for sure and even micro-regions for that matter. While Santa Cruz may be numero uno in OC, there are more Intense bikes than almost all others combined out at Greer. When I was in Whistler, I saw a ton of Norcos, a few Devinci's and very few rocky Mountain's which surprised me. I saw a plethora of Transition bikes in Oregon, Washington and Whistler as well. I haven't been paying too much attention here in Durango (and I've seen maybe 7-8 riders total anyway) but I have noticed quite a few Yeti's on bike racks rolling thru town.

    As far as Santa Cruz passing Specialized, I highly doubt that they are even close to S, Trek or Giant just because of their sales and marketing models. Now that doesn't mean there aren't more hardcore riders on SC vs some of those others. I'd be interested in seeing what most people are riding in the NE and SE as well.
     
  23. HBkites

    HBkites Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Huntington Beach
    Name:
    Sharone
    Current Bike:
    Why S7, Revel Rascal, Spark RC
    "locals only" prices?
     
  24. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    When I was in Bend this summer, I met two guys from Canada. We bonded over our Santa Cruz bikes and joked about how they weren't riding Rocky Mountain.
     
  25. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    They both make a great product, but the “it” bike is a SC. I had one back in 2000, when they were still a small boutique frame. They have grown exponentially since then but, I prefer small and up and coming companies.
     
  26. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I have no idea of what you speak...;)

    #simplesolutions
     
  27. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Change is gonna' come around (it came)!
     
  28. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I stand corrected! Man, my eyes are getting worse by the day.
     
  29. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    That was probably my signature you saw and transposed spandex wearing mikie with M TB shorts wearing Mike. I've always said that my original 2015 Yeti SB5C was probably the best bike I ever owned and the only one I regret selling. Let's just say I'm happy to be back on the 2019 version. I'm no fan of Yeti's customer service (they answer e-mails after 2-4 days and then respond in a manner that it's like you're bothering them...they could learn a lot from Ibis) but their bikes are as good as they get.
     
  30. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    And Fluid Focus Suspension works on all makes and models including Santa Cruz, Intense, Ibis, Banshee, DeVinci and Yeti!
    Maybe even Specialized, who knows?
     


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?