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I've currently got a Ragley big Al that I got in the Wiggle/Chain Reaction sale and I've never really got on with the Marzocchi Bomber Z2 forks. It feels like something is loose/rattly and despite Silverfish inspecting them twice they can find nothing wrong with them (seems like it's a characteristic of this fork as multiple users online have reported this issue).
I'm considering taking advantage of the £249 Fox 36 forks from Merlin but there are just a couple of things I'm not sure about.
The Big Al currently has 140mm forks, the Fox 36 are 160mm and Ragley recommend 130-150mm forks, do I:
A. Buy the Fox 36 forks and reduce the travel to 140mm or 150mm (if this is possible) to bring it inline with what Ragley recommend
B. Buy the Fox 36 and ride them with 160mm travel (anyone doing this?), how will this make a difference to the bike and the way it handles, climbs etc.?
C. Stick with the Marzocchi Z2 forks
I'm guessing Fox 34's would be comparable with the Marzocchi Z2 forks but the 36's are really good value and according to the Fox/Marzocchi website the 36's weigh less than the Marzocchi's anyway.
My bike:
https://www.ragleybikes.com/collections/2022-bikes/products/big-al-1-0-hardtail-bike-2022
Fox 36's:
Travel reduction would just require a new air shaft. Fox 36 shafts are 40-50 quid at Biketart. It's not much more complex than a lowers service to replace.
Buy the 36 and run it at 160mm you can always lower it if you don’t get on with it. I had a 170mm Ext Era on mine and it was great, fitted a 140mm 34 to see how a more sensible build would suit it… absolutely ruined it. Currently looking for a cheap 160/170 fork to rebuild it.
check the price of the airshafts, I reduced my fox 36 2021 to 140 and it was a £90 airshaft (some are £45 others £90 depending on the model), sold on the old 150mm for £40
buy the fox 36 £249 and see what its like, then replace the airshaft if needs be..
34 always seem to flex for me, I love the shorter travel 36
The 36 is great and it's such a good price right now that you almost wouldn't lose money if you sold it later. You can try it at 160mm, I personally find it a bit too much on a hardtail and prefer 140mm. Keep an eye on eBay for 2nd hand air springs as I've bought a few for £20
I've got 150mm Lyriks on mine and reckon it would be absolutely fine with 160's
Check the airshaft price and also check ebay and Pinkbike for secondhand or new ones people have taken out of their fork.
I ran 170s on my big al . 160 will be perfect . the Geo numbers make it a great aggressive hardtail.
I'm running a 160mm 36 rhythm on my big al, it's great! And I had a bomber z2 on my previous big al and the 36 is a noticeable upgrade, even being the basic rhythm model. It'll be awesome with those 36 performances from merlin! I'd be tempted to upgrade myself for that price if I wasn't ploughing every penny into the house at the moment.
Actually, edit to caveat that - my frame's a 2023 which has a slacker head angle and a longer reach which more readily takes a 160mm fork, looks like yours is the 2022 which is shorter and steeper so may not be quite as suitable for longer travel. I'd still give it a go and if you find it's too long you can pick up an air shaft to drop the travel.
Yes it's the older Ragley Big Al so slightly different geometry to the recent frames most people bought.
Worst case scenario it's roughly £100 to replace the air shaft (but I could get it much cheaper on eBay etc.) but I could sell the old one then, I would also have some Marzocchi Bomber Z2's I could sell. Taking that in to account and the low cost of the Fox forks I don't think I could get anything close (performance wise) for this price?
I've looked at a few YouTube videos and swapping the air shaft looks simple enough, is it?
Also the offset of the Fox forks is different (44mm Vs 51mm), is that likely to cause any issues? Would I even notice?
No, you won't get a better fork for the price. You'd struggle to get a better fork for even more. Changing an air spring is very simple and all the instructions are online, just take your time and remember what order things go in!
If it's the older one, if be buying the 36s and stocking a -2 headset in!
Forks arrived this morning and managed to fit them this afternoon!
Cutting the steerer was a bit nerve wracking and the caliper bolts I had are now too long but I managed to find some old bolts until I decide whether to upgrade to 200mm rotors (I can use the 20mm spacer I already have, my man maths prompted me to look at bigger rotors rather than buying shorter bolts!) but other than that it went smoothly and I'm very impressed.
The paint defect is absolutely tiny and to be honest I'm tempted to leave them bare without all the Fox stickers.
Had a quick ride up the street and it feels good, feel like I could ride over anything! Looking forward to trying them off-road at some point but the weather's not looking good for the next couple of days 🙁
I'd upgrade to a 200mm rotor and look at a thicker one too assuming you haven't already done that. A small weight penalty is worth it for better braking