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Help to identify year of my Rock Shox BoXXer

2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
I just bought my first freeride bike and am about to attempt to rebuild it as I am not sure of the condition of the components, oil, etc. Before I do that I need to figure out what year of BoXXer I have. If any of you could help me that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

What I know -
- Looks to only have rebound adjustment on the bottom of the fork.
- No model numbers on any part of the front fork


Pictures to help below



 

2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
Stanchions are from an 05 Boxxer WC though I believe.
Interesting......Is that a bad thing? My knowledge on DH biking is very limited.

So this looks like a hybrid of some sorts? 2005 BoXXer Race with 2005 Boxxer World Cup stanchions?

Sorry if this all sounds pretty elementary for you oldies, but thanks for the help.
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
Nope, not a bad thing. Just looks to me like there are parts from a few models, like you mentioned.

I could be wrong on that though, but I'm pretty sure that's the case, since you only have a rebound adjust, but slippery silver uppers.

On the left here is a pic of the 2005 World Cup, note the stanchions:
 

2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
Ok it looks like the picture you posted on the left is a 2005 Boxxer Race? My lower fork piece matches that style exactly except that it is black.

I am having a very hard time telling if the stanchions are goldish or silver though.

If I am correct there is the Team, Race, and World Cup forks correct, what differianted(sp) them? I believe the only adjustment I have is the Rebound with the rabbit and the turtle symbol, so did the Team not have this or extra, and the World Cup and Race only had rebound?
 

djivotno

Monkey
Oct 3, 2008
108
0
Interesting......Is that a bad thing? My knowledge on DH biking is very limited.

So this looks like a hybrid of some sorts? 2005 BoXXer Race with 2005 Boxxer World Cup stanchions?

Sorry if this all sounds pretty elementary for you oldies, but thanks for the help.
If you have compression adjust on the left lower (inside the bolt) it's an 05 WC with black lowers, if not it's a 05 Race with WC stanchions.

In any case you can upgrade it to the Motion control system (06-09) and than you'll be the only one to know what is it :biggrin:

Ok it looks like the picture you posted on the left is a 2005 Boxxer Race? My lower fork piece matches that style exactly except that it is black.

I am having a very hard time telling if the stanchions are goldish or silver though.

If I am correct there is the Team, Race, and World Cup forks correct, what differianted(sp) them? I believe the only adjustment I have is the Rebound with the rabbit and the turtle symbol, so did the Team not have this or extra, and the World Cup and Race only had rebound?
The race has only rebound, the Team has rebound (lower right) and compression (lower left). The WC has the same as the Team but has the bling of the better stanchions and the improved performance from the better coating.
 
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2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
Ok so it seems that I have a 2005 RS BoXXer Race!! The guy mentioned it had titanium springs in it. I assume the stanchions on the WC and the Race are the same so that I should order all parts for the 2005 Race Boxxer.

Here is what is leading me to my next few questions...........

1. as I am a beginner rider I just want to ride and enjoy it, and not get to technical. I am going to assume the fork needs to be rebuilt from the bottom up, and that is what I plan on doing. Should I just order all the stock parts from Rock Shox or get a different internals which could cost effectively improve my riding experience?

2. I noticed while riding this weekend that when I took a jump and landed the front sprung up so fast that it bucked me off my bike, it was quite hillarious, but the rebound needs to be adjusted. I went ahead and tried to adjust it with a 2.5MM allen wrench but it seems a bit too small, or the white adjuster knob is stripped out?

3. I have a pretty good mechanical background, but I am wondering if I am chewing off to much by trying to do this myself, opinions?

All in all I just want to ride and get this thing back to new condition, I am a newb that just wants to make sure everything works great!

help is appreciate and thanks!
 
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JohnnyC

Monkey
Feb 10, 2006
399
1
Rotorua, New Zealand
Ok so it seems that I have a 2005 RS BoXXer Race!! The guy mentioned it had Ti springs in it, so that may be from the WC stanchions? BUT if the WC was the same as the Team that had rebound (right) and Compression (left), does that mean I have Race internals inside and just the WC stanchions for bling? Wow I am sorry for all the confusion!
Definitely race internals but there may be Ti springs that he may have scored at the same time as the stanchions.
 

Salami

Turbo Monkey
Jul 17, 2003
1,784
118
Waxhaw, NC
I just bought my first freeride bike and am about to attempt to rebuild it as I am not sure of the condition of the components, oil, etc. Before I do that I need to figure out what year of BoXXer I have. If any of you could help me that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

What I know -
- Looks to only have rebound adjustment on the bottom of the fork.
- No model numbers on any part of the front fork
Please post a picture of the bottom of the fork showing the silver bolts/adjusters at the bottom. There will be a solid bolt at the bottom of the leg that would have the compression adjustments if it has the Race internals.

The stanchions appear to be silver like the ones used on the 2005 World Cup. Black lowers where used on the 2005 Team. If your fork does have compression and has the Ti springs like you mentioned you have a World Cup with Team lowers.

It seems unlikely you would have Ti springs and the WC stanchions but have the Race internals.
 
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Pegboy

Turbo Monkey
Jan 20, 2003
1,139
27
New Hamp-sha
I have the exact same fork on my old bike. It's an 05 World cup which came with the super silver stanchions and titanium springs(I believe the WC was the only fork in the line up that offered these 2 features). The right hand leg has the rebound adjustment and the left leg probably has a hollow bolt that you can slide a small allen into to adjust the compression. 05 offered the WC in black and silver lowers with plains decals vs the metal stick on logos of 04. The 05 is also 8" of travel vs 7" from 04.

The confusing thing will be when you download a users manual because they (RS) state that that the 04&05 share the same manual and specs even though they are different in travel which makes determining the right oil levels kind of tricky. Google Sram fork oil chart and you will find a Sram /tuning /tips page that offers a oil volume chart which I believe is probably the most accurate. I Just re-read what Salami posted and I second that info. I thought the WC came in Silver and black but now it rings a bell that people were requesting team lowers to get the black color...I'm not positive on that part.

Either way, the 04 online manual will get you through the rebuild with minimal mechanical abilities, just use the oil chart that I referred to for oil levels and you will be all set. The top out that you experienced could be as simple as incorrect oil levels..crack into it,replace the oil seals and wipers, grease up the seals and add new oil, it's pretty easy and that is where I would start if there does not seem to be a bunch of excessive play or broken internals.
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
Nope, pegboy is correct - the 05 fork is 8" (the chassis is the same as the 06-07 forks apart from the maxle, and 08-09 still use the same chassis except with minor durability revisions).
 

dhr-racer

Monkey
Jan 24, 2007
410
0
A, A
it most likely if he has the stantions and springs that the 05 wc lowers cracked and those are team/race lowers that were a cheap replacement. not really worth the cash to sink cash into stantions and ti springs without getting the upgraded interals to
 

lovebunny

can i lick your balls?
Dec 14, 2003
7,310
209
San Diego, California, United States
I have the exact same fork on my old bike. It's an 05 World cup which came with the super silver stanchions and titanium springs(I believe the WC was the only fork in the line up that offered these 2 features). The right hand leg has the rebound adjustment and the left leg probably has a hollow bolt that you can slide a small allen into to adjust the compression. 05 offered the WC in black and silver lowers with plains decals vs the metal stick on logos of 04. The 05 is also 8" of travel vs 7" from 04.

The confusing thing will be when you download a users manual because they (RS) state that that the 04&05 share the same manual and specs even though they are different in travel which makes determining the right oil levels kind of tricky. Google Sram fork oil chart and you will find a Sram /tuning /tips page that offers a oil volume chart which I believe is probably the most accurate. I Just re-read what Salami posted and I second that info. I thought the WC came in Silver and black but now it rings a bell that people were requesting team lowers to get the black color...I'm not positive on that part.

Either way, the 04 online manual will get you through the rebuild with minimal mechanical abilities, just use the oil chart that I referred to for oil levels and you will be all set. The top out that you experienced could be as simple as incorrect oil levels..crack into it,replace the oil seals and wipers, grease up the seals and add new oil, it's pretty easy and that is where I would start if there does not seem to be a bunch of excessive play or broken internals.

JASON! how you doing man?
 

2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
Ok now I am really confused. I was so set on having a 2005 Rock Shox Boxxer Race..........but!!

I went ahead and looked and here is what I found...

The right lower leg has a hole in the bottom bolt, and when I take that out it has a white allen screw that is plastic. I think it is stripped out because the 2.5mm allen wrench just rolls around. I went ahead and stuck a slightly bigger allen in there to see how much it moved. The plastic allen screw only moves 180 degrees. There is also a rebound sticker on that lower right hand of the fork. I think the HC2 rebound dampener may be broken since it doesn't move much, and well it is stripped from the previous owner.

The left lower leg has a hole in the bottom bolt also. When I took that bolt out it has a metal allen hole in it that accepts a 2.5mm allen wrench. This bolt screws around quite a bit and does come to a stop.

So what the heck kind of fork do I have?!:busted:

It looks to me in the pictures above it has the Race lower fork according to the lower crown arch.

BTW - I highly believe that this is an 8" travel fork. I measured from the lower duest seal and the bottom of the lower crown and it is 8" long.

I am in no way shape or form able to diagnose the shape of this fork, so I am planning on taking this to Fluid Ride in Seattle (the downhill guys) and have them get this thing completely rebuilt. I think it will need a new HC2 rebound assembly and possibly a few other things. I am not sure how much all of this will cost, but is it worth sinking the full refurbish cost into this?

Any help would be great!
 
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Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
You could always convert it to Motion Control...I would think though that the best would just be to dial your current fork in for as cheap as you can, and upgrade to a current one if you don't like it.
 

2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
You could always convert it to Motion Control...I would think though that the best would just be to dial your current fork in for as cheap as you can, and upgrade to a current one if you don't like it.
upgrade to motion control?? Man I am sorry but I am so confused I am losing it.

I can rebuild this fork, and I am not going to worry about the bushings. I will change all the seals and the oil, as that is easy, but the rebound assembly seems to be messed up, but the other side whatever that adjuster may be, seems ok. Help?
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
It's probably not worth spending much money on.

It's definitely an 05 WC with team lowers judging by what you've said, it's better than a race (because the WC/Team have that compression adjuster in the other leg - which is the working adjuster you found).

Motion control is the damping system in the newer 06-09 forks, but I wouldn't really advise it, purely because it will cost a lot for all the parts needed (long story short). It shouldn't cost you much to get that fork working at its best, just ride after that. :)
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
I just sort of threw the Motion Control idea out there - Motion Control refers to the damper unit that the 06-09 Boxxers used, that were worlds ahead of the old ones in terms of performance. However, it would cost a lot to convert it, and probably wouldn't be worth it. Sorry for the confusion there, you should pretty much just ignore my previous comment!

Worst case scenario, take it somewhere to have the damper looked at, and do the seals/oil/grease yourself.
 
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2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
It's probably not worth spending much money on.

It's definitely an 05 WC with team lowers judging by what you've said, it's better than a race (because the WC/Team have that compression adjuster in the other leg - which is the working adjuster you found).

Motion control is the damping system in the newer 06-09 forks, but I wouldn't really advise it, purely because it will cost a lot for all the parts needed (long story short). It shouldn't cost you much to get that fork working at its best, just ride after that. :)
Thanks Udi, that is what I plan on doing. I got a part number for the HC2 rebound assembly so is that user replaceable by myself? I believe that the compression side is working correctly.
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
Should be easy enough to replace provided you have the service manual and be careful. Good luck!
 

2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
Wonderful. I will order up the parts and have at it. Here is a stupid question when you guys say pack the seals with grease, does that mean just shove it in the seals?

Also what kind of grease should I use? The service manual says Judy Lube, but I am sure things have changed since 2005;)
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,855
9,560
AK
I just sort of threw the Motion Control idea out there - Motion Control refers to the damper unit that the 06-09 Boxxers used, that were worlds ahead of the old ones in terms of performance.
What? Back in 05 Boxxer supporters were telling us how HC2 was the SHIZNIT! Motion control is better?


(yeah, I have motion control RS right now, it is lightyears ahead, but the racer-boy wannabes pushed the 1970s technology HC2 boxxer a few years ago like it was solid gold)

It's great that stuff has come pretty far since then, although old TPC+ and a few other systems were pretty damn good, and definitely not invalidated just because another season rolled by.
 

JohnnyC

Monkey
Feb 10, 2006
399
1
Rotorua, New Zealand
It's great that stuff has come pretty far since then, although old TPC+ and a few other systems were pretty damn good, and definitely not invalidated just because another season rolled by.
TPC is still one of the best dampers ever made for push bikes, the 2010 Marzocchi 888 uses the same principle but in an open bath system, its simple but works really really well
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
Wonderful. I will order up the parts and have at it. Here is a stupid question when you guys say pack the seals with grease, does that mean just shove it in the seals?
Install the new seals and wipers, and then pack them (especially the area between them) with grease. Judy butter works fine, otherwise some good/common choices are Rock'n'Roll Super Slick, or Slick Honey. Bike shops will stock one or the other if not both.

but the racer-boy wannabes pushed the 1970s technology HC2 boxxer a few years ago like it was solid gold
I don't really recall anyone doing that (to that extent anyway), but I do recall borrowing a friend's HC2 for a race back in my marzocchi-fanboy days because I broke my 888. The reason the racerboys pushed them was because they actually had working compression damping. It was crude, but it worked fairly well, and I got my best result at the time on it. Noticeable difference from the grab-front-brake-eat-tyre 888/monster/super alternatives of the time. In retrospect I would have bought a TPC dorado or any boxxer instead of marzocchi back in those days, because while both required more care, I think they were a better performing fork for racing.
 

Curb Hucker

I am an idiot
Feb 4, 2004
3,661
0
Sleeping in my Kenworth
That looks to be my old fork. I bought a 2005 Boxxer WC and a Boxxer Race. I bought both and made my WC with black lowers and sold the Race uppers with silver WC lowers to Gemini2k. If its my old fork, its just a 2005 WC with 2005 Race lowers. Nothing sepecial.

 

2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
My fork looks exactly like yours, although I am not sure if it is yours specifically. I bought my bike off of Seattle Craigslist from a guy named Aaron that used to work at a bike shop. It does indeed seem to be a 2005WC with a black Race lower.
 

Curb Hucker

I am an idiot
Feb 4, 2004
3,661
0
Sleeping in my Kenworth
My fork looks exactly like yours, although I am not sure if it is yours specifically. I bought my bike off of Seattle Craigslist from a guy named Aaron that used to work at a bike shop. It does indeed seem to be a 2005WC with a black Race lower.
I sold that fork 4 years ago. It could have changed hands 5 times by now
 

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
okay, so from what I know and gather, you simply have a 2005 rock shox World Cup with race lowers. The lay down was like this
Race 2005, rebound ajust
Team 2005, rebound ajust plus low speed compresion on left leg (that is the 2,5 allen key on the left side)
World Cup 2005, rebound ajust, plus low speed compresion, plus slippery silver (thats why your stanctions are silver) and titanium springs. The previous owner must have busted the lowers or something thats why he changed them.

You could upgrade to motion control, it is by all means a good upgrade, with the slippery you'll get a better fork than the current motion control boxxers. If you decide not to upgrade your fork, there is a black box tuning you can do to it, which can cost you as little as 5 dolars. If you have someone redo your fork, once you open the compresion cartridge (left side) you will see a disc where the fluid comes through (its a disk with ten holes near the end of the leg). Normally it comes with 10 holes. If you can have one made with 12 holes, or more, you can change the oil flow of the fork, thus adding to its super sensitive feel. I had this done on my fork, and it was almost day and night for me. I know of a lot of people that normally swap out their fork springs for a softer spring in order to get more plushness out of the 2005 HC2 boxxer. But since this "tune" give you a softer feel, you can put some stiffer springs on it making it nice and progressive, but at the same time have it soak up all the small stuff. Does it make any sense? Hope it does, I remeber moding it and never wanting to buy a Motion Control Boxxer.

forgot to mention, your rebound is probably okay. You should check two things once it is open. First, if you cant ajust it from the bottom via the 2,5mm allen key, then you can still open or close it once you have taken the rebound cartridge out of your boxxer. You will see that the inside of the rebound has a beige color plastic which moves inside, letting oil flow through. At one end you can move it manually once out of the fork, opening it or closing it. I would suggest you leave it semi open and play around with oil viscosity to achieve the desired rebound rate (probably 15 or 10 WT oil). Second, there is a sort of blow off spring at one end (which prevents the fork from extending too fast). This is where you will see a metallic piece that has a cut and wavy o-ring inside (the piece as I say has another set of wholes through where the oil passes through, you can take it appart with your hands... even more, it comes appart once taken out of the fork, but dont worry, this is how it is). Check the wavy cut o ring. This little o ring is basically what keeps your rebound working. What Im trying to say is, if you end up changing the oil on your rebound and there isnt any change in the rebound, it is most likely the this oring is either broken or missing. Do not try to fix the ajustment of the rebound since you will probably end up braking the whole thing and its next to imposible to find a replacement. I hope my vague explanations work, cheers!
 
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2tirefire

Chimp
Jun 1, 2009
29
0
I took my fork to the guys at Fluid Ride and Jerry said that the rebound as it is set is pretty slow right at this point and for a starter it should be find and I shouldn't fiddle around with it. I can mess around with the compression if needed, but I highly doubt I will do any of that until I start riding(crashing) more. I appreciate everyones help greatly, and I look forward to learning more as the days go by.
 
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SB43

Chimp
Jul 10, 2009
2
0
From the stickers it looks like a 2002 or 2003 World Cup to me. I have the same stickers on my 7" 2003 but the for is red which was the standard model.
 

boogenman

Turbo Monkey
Nov 3, 2004
4,290
973
BUFFALO
It is not a WC, they had 'slippery silver' stanchions. It is a 2003 or 2004 Team or race. If it has LS compression adjust and rebound it is a Team. I don't recall which side each adjuster is on. If it only has a rebound adjust it is Race.