[Closed] Fox forks = poo poo?

I'm not over-enamoured by my Fox rear shock either. I paid extra for it as an 'upgrade' on my bike, but so far it's on it's second warranty visit. The juries still out, but I'll not be tolerating a third warranty return. My Rockshox forks on the other hand, have been nothing but faultless. As for being overpriced, well at the end of the day they're cans of air, there is not much to them in terms on new or high technology, so yes, they're a rip off. But then again this is cycling. Everything's a rip off.

pinhead - Member
They look good and that's as far as it goes other than that total over priced but ok for trail centres I suppose

What makes them OK for trail centres? I'm baffled by that.
Also, open a set up and you'll see where your money went.

Double post

Op...the hot weather getting a bit much for you?

Which fork / issues have you had ?

Must admit, I blew up a set on the 2nd day of use....second pair appear to be doing better.....I did find it strange considering I wasn't really hammering them.

What makes them OK for trail centres? I'm baffled by that.

It's an elitist dig, the OP's too cool for trail centres which are too easy, he has to ride 'proper' trails, which need better forks 🙄

[quote=njee20 ]What makes them OK for trail centres? I'm baffled by that.

It's an elitist dig, the OP's too cool for trail centres which are too easy, he has to ride 'proper' trails, which need better forks
He probably rides all day on boggy trails dodging dog eggs and walkers testing his forks to the Max with dials at 11 too.

Just got my new ones and love them, the last lot are on the HT 06 36's going fine.

They look good and that's as far as it goes other than that total over priced [b]but ok for trail centres I suppose[/b]

I don't understand what you are saying here. Why would they be ok for trail centers if you deem them bad? Do you consider trail centers not to be a full work out of the forks?

There are so many threads dissing Fox forks. I think it's two reasons:

1: Service intervals are quite short (officially)
2: They are so common/popular that they are likely to have more issues reported

I have Fox forks and they need attention, but then I haven't touched them in 2 years. I do worry that if I leave them I will get Stanchion wear so I need to look at them. However, in terms of actual feel and performance...fine. They work and feel plush to me. I'm not sure how much better "better" forks could feel for me and my riding.

I've only ever owned one set of fox forks, 2011 180 rcs vans with that kashima coating, they worked ok for a few rides and the performance was ok but not mind blowing, then the creaking started, after 3 new CSU's within 18 months I got shot of them, it also seems like the issues are still going on http://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspension/2011-fox-forks-creaking-cracking-noise-711911-post8082272.html

I'm now on a set of 2012 marzocchi 55's the ti ones,
whilst they perform way better than the fox's, guess what? they've started creaking too, they're going back for a warranty replacement CSU once they have stock.

I'm currently under the opinion that all modern high end forks are rubbish, if you ever strip them down and see just how little is in them your just left feeling a bit ripped off

Was a bit concerned about perceived reliability of the Fox 140 TALAS forks that my Stumpjumper came with.
But, in reality they've been brilliant. Haven't been serviced as often as 'required' but are still operating fine. They can sit unused for several weeks and work fine striaght away, they don't leak oil, they are consistent, the air spring never needs topping up....

Whereas my 2008 Reba's have been a real pain. They don't seem to maintain air in the spring side very well, they require more frequent servicing or the damping goes to pot, the lockout sticks, they leak oil profusely in warm weather when the bike is turned upside down...

Only thing I don't like about the Fox is that grit gets caught between the lockout dial & the rebound dial so if you use the lockout, you invariably twiddle the damping too, which is a pain.

I'd only ever ridden mine at trail centres, then I took them down a canal towpath and they vapourised. Would you believe it?

Mine are way, way better than the Pace forks I used to run. They were a bloody nightmare!

They're like the iPhone of the fork world.

well at the end of the day they're cans of air

Shock guru in the house!

Whereas my 2008 Reba's have been a real pain. They don't seem to maintain air in the spring side very well, they require more frequent servicing or the damping goes to pot, the lockout sticks, they leak oil profusely in warm weather when the bike is turned upside down...

Sounds like they need new air seals, especially as they are 5 years old.

The leaking from the top cap means can be fixed for 25 pounds if you take it out and send it TFTuned. Theres an "umbrella" seal in the motion control unit that needs replacing. Its reverse threaded if you want to take a look yourself. Some people have just put a rubber seal on the threshold adjuster, but that just stops the oil coming out the top rather than fixes the damper.

I used to get on fine with the old RLC damper but I don't like the new CTD. I haven't tried the CTD adjust yet which might offer enough adjust-ability so I can adjust to my liking.

But its the cost of the forks that really puts me off. Far more expensive than the competition and for me anyway no benefit. If the forks came as part of a full bike the costs don't seem to be too high so don' think I'd mind too much but I don't think I'll be buying one after market any time soon.

my 03 float rlcs have taken a battering, the stanchions are a bit worn and scratched, the enduro seals were a big improvement, I had to get LoCo to fix my rebound cartridge and the lockouts intermittent
theyeve been all over the UK, megavalnche, spain etc etc

they are on my xc bike these days and while the arent as plush and controlled as my 44rc3tis they still work

however

[b]RRP for the equivalent model is 3x what I paid for them ten years ago[/b] which imho is ridiculous

I'm a hater when it comes to Fox forks.

They were the least resilient of anythin I've had.
RS faired little better. Neither lasted more than 9 months from new before waring through the stanchion coating. They'd both had lowers off and oil changed at about 3 month intervals.

2010 Marzocchi ti coils have been excellent for me though. Oil changed annually and still on original seals/wipers. So much nicer to ride and far more resilient.

Only thing I don't like about the Fox is that grit gets caught between the lockout dial & the rebound dial so if you use the lockout, you invariably twiddle the damping too, which is a pain.

This is the only thing I've found was a problem with my Fox fork
( I now have Rockshox though)

Supposedly this year's damper fixes the diving problem of last year, it had better tbh as they were terrible out of the box. But that won't fix the high price, and the flex of the 32s, and the essential ropeyness of TALAS.

I really like mine - a pair of 2005 36RC2's with the Talas removed and swapped to Vanilla internals. They get serviced once a year and are still in their original stanchions. They seem plush, adjustable, stiff and reasonably light for a 160mm coil fork.

My previous 32 Vanilla's were great forks too. I've never had issues with stanchion wear band yes, I do ride my bikes). I've never quite gelled with Rock Shox forks for some reason. I've had a few pairs of Boxxers and not liked them and the first pair of Pikes I had were a pain in the bum.

I'll get some 55 RC3's when the 36's die having been a Marzocchi fan boy for a long time. I wouldn't buy any fork new they're all over priced. Lyrik's aren't cheap the only difference is that they get discounted. Hopefully X Fusion will shake things up a bit with regards to costs.

Just put some x-fusion slants on my Nomad. They seem very good out of the box and cost half what Fox are charging. Time will tell on durability, but x-fusion could be taking a big slice of the market at this rate.

What does CTD or RLC mean and stand for? I cannot find this on google.

The new price is eyewateringly large and hard to justify

Despite the ropeyness claim I like my TALAS
granted you take a choice of performance for adjustability v the FLOAT

CTD: climb, trail, descend
RLC: Rebound, lockout, compression

I thinks

CTD: climb, trail, descend
RLC: Rebound, lockout, compression

I thinks

Yep got it right.

The RLC had adjustable low speed compression tune from fully open to lockout. So I could add a tiny bit of compression damping to stop the front end diving too much but still kept it supple enough over the small stuff.

The CTD has 3 pre-set positions, in descend mode its far too open and dives everywhere and in climb mode is far too stiff and doesn't track well over smaller bumps.

Trail centres are groomed man made tracks and designed to be rode zzzz
Lakes,munros peaks non classic etc warrant a fork which is both reliable and up to the job
Pal

[img] [/img]

ok for trail centres I suppose

Industry boys riding trail centres shock horror

I'm not sure if you're trolling or just plain thick!

Ey Pal c'mon now think about it

Glad I just sold mine.

They were ok but as they were n my holiday bike probably only got used for 30 days or riding, 6 or 7 hours a day.

I couldn't live with the servicing if they were n my UK bike!

That's got Rockshox

Pinhead please explain what you mean by ok for trail centres, what are they not ok for?

I have had a few sets. Find them ok for mot things. Think the FIT damper feels better on the small bump than the older open bath system.
Have had to replace a CSU due to wear as there is little lube oil in the TALAS side leg.
I would like to try so Marrzochi 55 TI but they are pretty costly too.

I guess im open minded to the strengths and weaknesses of fox forks. I just dont understand your original post...

Performance of the 2013 stuff is leagues ahead of previous generations. You can also run more oil in the spring side of the air forks without knackering them, which will help longevity.

I lube the seals with Float Fluid every ride anyway. My 2003 TALASs wore out three sets of stanchions in 7 years. The 2010 Floats had no wear after three years, and we'll see how I get on with the Factory Floats on the Sight.

I must have serviced 20+ sets of Fox forks this year (I've done 3 this week). I've probably seen the inside of more forks in general than all but the Big Boys like Loco and TFTuned.
I've only ever seen one set of worn Fox forks which are actually sitting in my garage as I type. They're 8 years old. I've done the seals and a service and I reckon they'll go into double digits as they are. Which is pretty good in my book

PeterPoddy - Member
I must have serviced 20+ sets of Fox forks this year (I've done 3 this week). I've probably seen the inside of more forks in general than all but the Big Boys like Loco and TFTuned.
I've only ever seen one set of worn Fox forks which are actually sitting in my garage as I type. They're 8 years old. I've done the seals and a service and I reckon they'll go into double digits as they are. Which is pretty good in my book

POSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST

You must be clearly bull shitting there

Forks are by far the weakest and most vulnerable to damage/wear than any one other by far!

Marzochi are for real riders!

You must be clearly bull shitting there

[u]Fox[/u] Forks are by far the weakest and most vulnerable to damage/wear than any one other by far!

Marzochi are for real riders!

We do see a trashed csu at about one a month on the bikes that come through the workshop
But Personaly I like most of my fox forks ( 34 talas seem rather poor but getting sorted slowly) and with tlc they last just fine.
One of my riding pals wore the coating off his lyriks the parts would have been about £400 to get fixed
Even with recent price rises fox are half that

You must be clearly bull shitting there

🙄
Which part?
Because I'm not at all.
I've done 4 sets and one rear shock for one person alone this year. I was thinking 20+ sets purely based on how many 1l bottles of 10w suspension oil I've got through recently. 5 forks per bottle, and at least 4, 5, 6 bottles.....

I only do Fox and Rockshox, but I service a considerable amount of them, and shocks too. Bring your forks along, I'll teach you how it's done.

Fox are not as bad as people who know very little think they are.

Which part?
Because I'm not at all.

Back in the day, Fox stanchions were pretty crap (going back 10 years plus), but my recent forks have been fine. Prefer the action of Fox over Rock Shox and Marzocchis I've owned and the weights are good too.

The last pair of Fox I had were F100 RLC's & they were mint after 3 years riding when I sold 'em. Been on SID's for the last 3 years and, despite regular servicing, are showing signs of wear & a creaking CSU - all normally "expected" on Fox.

Just picked up a used set of F Series which are the same age as the SID's yet immaculate by comparison.

Glad I just sold mine.
They were ok but as they were n my holiday bike probably only got used for 30 days or riding, 6 or 7 hours a day.
I couldn't live with the servicing if they were n my UK bike!

I've never serviced my 36 Vans myself - had them for years then recently got a professional service and they were absolutely fine. Couldn't say the same for the Pikes where the stanchions wore down like crazy and they started pissing oil after only a year's use.

Fox forks are ludicrously expensive now though.

You know what is "poo poo"?

... The grammar in your initial post. Seriously, that was a terrible attempt at expressing an opinion!

I must have serviced 20+ sets of Fox forks this year (I've done 3 this week). I've probably seen the inside of more forks in general than all but the Big Boys like Loco and TFTuned.
I've only ever seen one set of worn Fox forks which are actually sitting in my garage as I type. They're 8 years old. I've done the seals and a service and I reckon they'll go into double digits as they are. Which is pretty good in my book

Was worried when I read that Peter. Then I read the age of the worn forks. Guess mine were the other 2 sets this week!!

And no bullshit in his post. He's done 2 fox forks and a fox shock for me this week.

I've never serviced my 36 Vans myself - had them for years

Mine were completely shagged after 2 years on my Spicy. A bike that I used for trail centre duty so ridden infrequently.

Out of the three Fox forks I've owned, the wear rate on two of them has been appalling. Strangely the third was unmarked. At the other end I've never had a problem with Fox rear shocks and never had one serviced or felt the need to have one serviced.

I spent more on the last bike to avoid the Fox fork on the lower model.

I can never get Fox forks to work very well. I have Fox F120 RLC 29 on my Rumblefish.
I can set them up to be plush so they soak up all the bumps brilliantly but then on steep descents they sit at full travel giving no suspension.
Or, I add some more air to stop it diving through its travel on descents and it rides harshly.
I don't have this problem with Rockshox.

I've got a pair of Fox 36 VAN RC2's on a Nomad, mine do the peaks, Wharncliffe and most of the major trail centres so they're ok for half my riding but not the other half ?

In your opinion !

Thank god I don't listen to know it all guru's who spend valuable riding time posting shite sorry I mean poo poo ! And blaming the bike parts for their inadequacy !

I wished I'd got a quid for every rider I'd seen throwing their bike about because it made them face plant off a drop or come up short on a gap jump !
It's always the bikes fault as well !

Was worried when I read that Peter. Then I read the age of the worn forks. Guess mine were the other 2 sets this week!!
And no bullshit in his post. He's done 2 fox forks and a fox shock for me this week.

Hi Gren
Yeah yours were fine mate.
Thanks for the back up too! 🙂

Nobby - Member
The last pair of Fox I had were F100 RLC's & they were mint after 3 years riding when I sold 'em. Been on SID's for the last 3 years and, despite regular servicing, are showing signs of wear & a creaking CSU - all normally "expected" on Fox.

Just picked up a used set of F Series which are the same age as the SID's yet immaculate by comparison.

Similar to Nobby, I have some 2010 F120's FIT on my Yeti (reviewed in 2010 as the perfect trail fork) which were described as "mint" when serviced last year.

I have dual air RLT SIDS on the other bike and have two issues: a) For the money, there seems to be not much going on inside them b) there's not a lot of small bump compliance. I know this not to be setup after [posting a fair bit about it and comparing with others with the same fork. IMO the SIDS are a racing fork which can be used for Trails, the F120 a trail fork which could be used for racing.

I wouldn't want to pay £800 for a set of fox's though.

I have this sneaking suspicion fox forks are perfectly ok.

Barring the infrequent aforementioned incidents of inexplicably rapid wear.

In 14 years of using spending forks I've had 5 sets.

'99 Manitou Spyder RS - blew up within 6 months and we're replaced under warrant at which point I upgraded them to....

2000 Manitou X-Vert Supers - I'll come back to these in a mo

2006 Fox Float 140's - used for 3 years on Spesh Enduro and were still fine when I sold em.

Spesh E150 SL's that came on my S-Works. They were lovely and stiff, ok for big hits but just as crap as all the reputed started for everything else. After 4 years and not being serviced they have now bitten the dust. Needed a service and we're weeping oil from the negative air leg. Didn't have the heart to pay money to get them fixed.

So, not wanting to pay £900 for Fox, or nearly as much for Marz, I've ended up with X-Fusion. Seem great out of the box but have no more input to give yet as I'm not in the country to ride em.

So - my experience with Fox has been fine - and they were bloody nice to ride.

However - Manitou, err didn't everyone call em Manipoo? They are still going strong - spring and elastomer. Been serviced once in 13 years. Obviously don't get ridden every day but just goes to show - different experiences

I see Pussywillow has come over all quiet since I called his bluff.......

I've got a pair of Fox 36 VAN RC2's on a Nomad, mine do the peaks, Wharncliffe and most of the major trail centres so they're ok for half my riding but not the other half ?

Ey pal you got it spot on there

Hey natural riding gnarly dude.....your probably not as good as you think you are. For one you don't know how to set forks up.

I'm interested in knowing one thing:

What's the difference between a bump at, say, Afan to a bump in, say, Cut Gate? How does that make a difference to a fork?
Hmmmmm......

I see Pussywillow has come over all quiet since I called his bluff.......

I assume he's off somewhere else ranting about 29ers? 😛

Not much pal as cut Gay I mean gate is a bit like a trail centre now innit

Never had anything other than fox, either as stock on new bike or purchased new at a greatly reduced price.

No issues so far over 10 years and being 12st, never noticed noticeable flex on my 32s or talas and run a few more psi and less damping which appears to help the dive factor.

Not sure about servicing them myself as i cant even put up a level bookshelf...so it does cost.

PeterPoddy - Member
I see Pussywillow has come over all quiet since I called his bluff.......

POSTED 8 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Ok peterpoddy, I'm a man of my word if you or any one else on here want to prove that I'm talking shit and my riding isn't up to it to qualify that fox are Shiite then I openly offer a ride off, which will envolve proper mountain bike trails that I would say a descent set of trail forks should be easily left undamaged, fox forks are weak and shite, will you accept my ride off to prove my theory or will you stick to being a keyboard warrior, the choice is yours pal???

Ok peterpoddy, I'm a boy of my word

Fixed.

[img] [/img]

That Gee Atherton fellow, he always sticks to the easy trails.

People are moaning about stanchion wear, which is caused by dirt being left on the seals over the course of months. Not going out for a ride and your forks exploding.

The only Fox I've had with stanchion wear are some that I bought off the forum. My own sets I keep the seals clean, no issues in any, the oldest at the moment being about 5 years old. I've had multiple sets of Rockshocks dying, for a variety of reasons, never have a set of Fox died.

Kaesae anyone?

He had a better grasp of punctuation.

I"ve only ever owned fox rear shocks.

My first Van 125 fork (I was one of the owners in the UK) were amazing and my 02 36 floats survived my hamfisted muppetry.

All other forks, well. Nuff said. Now I cant afford Fox!
Awesome products. IMO.

[img] [/img]
And some totally unacceptable Fox Stanchion wear on my 2006 36's which get a lowers service every 1-2 years. Seals need doing but it has been 4 years since they were done.
and look at these guys just mincing round on fox forks..
[img] http://www.ridefox.com/newspics/newspic_1165-2458.jpg [/img][img] http://oneindustries.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DanAtherton2Alpedheuz.jp g" target="_blank">http://www.ridefox.com/newspics/newspic_1165-2458.jpg [/img][img] http://oneindustries.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DanAtherton2Alpedheuz.jp g"/> [/img]

Industry boys riding Fox forks shock horror

Accept the ride off! That'll prove a point scientifically and definitively 🙄

What annoys me is the Mojo/Fox servicing costs- upto a third of RRP on shocks is ridiculous. Especially if the shock is VERY simple internally.

Daylight robbery.

Fox forks are very nice and perform very well from my experiance. They do/did make the stantions out of cheese though and you do see a far higher % with worn stantions then other brands.

Marzochi are for real riders!

Andreau- bent 888's
Hopkins- snapped 888's
Doerfling- snapped 888's

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

I like marz stuffs, I like fox stuffs. Blind brand whoring is a sign of a juvenile mentality.

If I'm ever buying a fork for the Rampage I'll bear that in mind 😆 The fact that these are really downhill race forks but can still be used for absolute [i]madness[/i] is pretty impressive.

They can't though...!

If I'm ever buying a fork for the Rampage I'll bear that in mind

Well no 40s or boxxers broke, which are also a a DH race fork so it's relevant.

People have broken other forks (and ridden succesfully on 888s) so it's a bit of an odd argument tbh- things break, and things are more likely to break when you're doing something daft, so it's hard to see it as useful info...

Romaniuk broke his by nosediving the big wallride gap thing, I don't think you can fault them for that. And didn't the other guy screw up the oakley sender? It's a bit like complaining that a car broke because you drove it into a wall 🙂

Not really. Unless marz only sponsor riders who case everything, and the fox and RS riders are faultless, then it seems a very good test ground for kit comparison. Everything is pretty equal, all riders are riding nutcase grade trails. 3 sets of marz broke. No Fox or RS forks broke. Is it just bad luck? 3-0 suggests not.
I'm no marz hater, I'd still buy a set. But the comparison is a fair one IMHO.

Id imagine the fox 40s are stronger as they have wider stanchions, but jonsey of dirt fame reckons that makes them too stiff he also slaggs off the servicing intervals they require

fwiw id have any of the big 3 on my dh bike quite happily us mere mortals are unlikely to get near to their limits
although being lazy the lower servicing requirements make me a marzocchi man

Industry boys riding Fox forks shock horror

There's a bit of an inconsistency there; if Fox forks are as rubbish as you make out, then why would industry folk (who one might presume have easier access to whatever they want) ride them?

Given that I doubt the Fox marketing budget is bottomless enough to give free forks to journos/bike shop workers, I think there are the conclusion that can be drawn from your post is that Fox forks are good enough that lots of industry people buy them even with other options.

Andy

DOI: Have never ridden a bike with a Fox fork, so have no idea how good. bad or indifferent they actually are.