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Recently got my first XC bike, a trek superfly 9.7 fitted with a Fox Evolution Series 32 CTD 100mm fork. Based on first few rides, I'm not impressed with the fork. It seems harsh and has a lot of stiction ... Not to mention the horrible quacking noise it makes at times.
The bike I ride most, my FS, has pikes on it. So, questions are:
- is the fork rubbish and I should upgrade it to rock shox SID or Reba? Or something else?
- does it need to be bedded in? (LBS said yes!)
- it is just harsh because I'm used to longer travel and /or pikes?
Other than the fork, I'm really happy with the bike and it rides much better than I expected, but the fork does not inspire confidence in the rougher stuff. I wouldn't be happy taking it down a rough and rooty red for instance, yet I regularly ride blacks in my FS.
Should I just WTFU?
I had this fork on my superfly after 3 warranty returns ,shit awful dampening I sacked them of. Within a week of selling them the buyer contacted me , a loud cracking noise had appeared! CSU came loose need I say a refund was in order. Replaced eventually with Reba's so much better other than the bar mounted pushloc lasted one muddy ride sent them back under warranty had crown lockout fitted, now satisfied.
Might be worth looking into a FIT cartridge upgrade, made a huge difference to my old open bath Vanillas, much plusher, smoother over harsh surfaces, and less dive under braking.
Faulty.
I used a 2014 140mm version on a Canyon Spectral last summer - tweaked it as much as I could but it either dived through the travel or jittered harshly - not half as good as the 2010 open bath 140mm 32s on my hardtail and even worse compared to my Pikes. However, with cheap forks how well they work depends a lot on your weight and how well it matches the limited damping - and new forks usually take some time to loosen up.
So I wouldn't change them quite yet!
thanks for the replies so far.
I'm 65kg, can't remember what psi is in them but they are set for recommended sag. They are just really harsh and kinda sticky. Might mess about with the rebound and see if that makes a difference. Really I'm just trying to work out if this is normal for 100mm forks to feel this harsh or If the forks are just cr4p.
Couple more questions....
- anyone know if this bike will take a 120mm fork?
- being a superfly it has G2 geometry, so specific offset on the stock fork. Is it essential or can I upgrade it for any suitable fork, but accept it will make HA slightly steeper?
Fox know how to make forks. If it's harsh and sticky then there's something wrong with them imo. Are they new? If used, then they sound like they are dry and need a service.
Nope brand new. It was a 2014 bike that I bought so have wondered if maybe they've been stored upside down and run dry on the oil ?
I had them on my anthem and loved them, there's something wrong with yours
Could be a manufacturing defect too. Back to the shop.