Anyone miss the Fox 36 160 RC2 damper?
- Thread starter abbike18
- Start date
I've never been a fan of fork lockout at full height- seems fairly useless to me unless you have a hardtail. Whenever I've tried to use it, the lockout seems to compound any "bob" that normally happens out back while the front stays jacked up in the sky. Not a fun climbing situation.
The Van 160 still comes with RC2, and you can drop a Float 180/RC2 to 160mm. I do agree that the RLC doesn't belong on the 160 forks, but maybe they were trying to avoid too many options. When the Lyric 170 came out there were something ridiculous like 17 different damper/spring/travel options.
I kept my 09 Float RC2, Kashima looks nice but rlc, no thanks
Hell. Yes.
no because the van still comes rc2, the 180mm float can be lowered to 160 if you want, and the talas has external travel adjust down to 160 if you want. you only loose if you buy a complete bike with a 160, aftermarket your still ok
Yeah. That was a stupid move. I guess they figured that the 180 will be used the way the 160 was when it came out and the 160 is now used on bikes that see more XC use.
Disagree. The 180 is quite a bit heavier than the 160. If you don't need/ want that extra 20mm lowering a 180 Float is just going to net you an unnecessarily heavy fork. And I don't particularly want a Vanilla because I'd like it to be easier to lower. (yes, you can lower a Vanilla. I've got one. It's just a bit of a PITA and less reversible than with a Float).
160mm=545 A2C, 180mm=565 A2C. I'm guessing the lowers are so much longer because Fox moved the lower bushings down to make the 36 chassis stiffer to deal with the extra travel.
Also the 180 Talas only has 2 options, 180 and 140.
I sure hope the new 160mm 36s can handle the abuse the old ones could, cause I plan on putting my 2011 through even more than I put my 09.
Nice to see other people think the RLC was stupid. I thought I might be alone there...but its like putting XC tunability in a DH capable fork. I rode my 09 RC2 XC a ton, I would just throw an extra click or two of LSC on in the morning before the ride if it was a smooth trail (Buff Creek).
locking out a 160mm fork makes more sense then locking out a 180mm though... just saying. i still agree with what people are saying though. the van is the best 160 or 180mm fork out there
I kept my 09 Float RC2, Kashima looks nice my Local Cause but rlc, no thanks
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I had a 36 Talas RC2 and have a 36 Talas RLC now. I don't miss the RC2 really, the damping on the RLC is fine. Lets face it these forks are going on bikes for going up as well as down, and there is a half pound weight penalty on the RC2 fork. What do you need? a high speed compression adjustment you probably don't know how to use right or a fork that's half a pound lighter?
Thread resurection... I'm looking for info on Talas vs Float, and this thread discusses the 160mm 36 line of forks, so I thought it was the logical one to resurrect.
I'm considering ugrading my 2009 (pre-FIT) 36 Talas RC2. I want FIT, Kashima, and better mid-stroke support (or at least not blowing through all its travel). I'm under the impression these new forks can be tuned for better mid-stroke support than my current one. I'm not interested in the 160 34 because CTD and RLC. I like my 20mm and RC2. So that leaves me with two options from Fox: Float and Talas.
I've read that Talas has slightly more stiction and has less mid-stroke support. Is this still the case? Can anyone (perhaps IH8RICE) provide side-by-side comparisons?
I used to use Talas a lot, but since I got a new bike, I've been taking on my steep technical climbs without dropping the fork, and I've cleaned many things I used to struggle with. So that leads me to believe maybe I don't need the Talas. But it's been useful in the past so why not keep it, it's not like it weighs that much more. kinda like an insurance policy. Unless of course there are net benefits to going the Float route. Like noticeably less stiction and much better mid-stroke support.
Any comments/thoughts/experience appreciated.
I'm considering ugrading my 2009 (pre-FIT) 36 Talas RC2. I want FIT, Kashima, and better mid-stroke support (or at least not blowing through all its travel). I'm under the impression these new forks can be tuned for better mid-stroke support than my current one. I'm not interested in the 160 34 because CTD and RLC. I like my 20mm and RC2. So that leaves me with two options from Fox: Float and Talas.
I've read that Talas has slightly more stiction and has less mid-stroke support. Is this still the case? Can anyone (perhaps IH8RICE) provide side-by-side comparisons?
I used to use Talas a lot, but since I got a new bike, I've been taking on my steep technical climbs without dropping the fork, and I've cleaned many things I used to struggle with. So that leads me to believe maybe I don't need the Talas. But it's been useful in the past so why not keep it, it's not like it weighs that much more. kinda like an insurance policy. Unless of course there are net benefits to going the Float route. Like noticeably less stiction and much better mid-stroke support.
Any comments/thoughts/experience appreciated.
2009 was the first year for FIT. The 36 talas rc2, Float 36 rc2 and 40 all have the fit cartridge
I'm pretty sure my fork is pre-fit. The HSC adjustment does nothing unless fully on.
Anyways, what I'm really after is performance observations between the 2013 36 Float RC2 and the 2013 36 Talas RC2.
I still don't have an answer to my question, and would love to hear feedback. I haven't switched my fork yet, after a bit more tweaking and a bit more servicing I found a pretty useable sweet spot. Though when I was in Sedona* on a bike trip in November I came sooooo close to picking up a X-Fusion Vengeance. I think in terms of mid-stroke support and lack of stiction... that's the way to go.
*:Holy eff does that place ever have some good riding. definitely one of my favourite destinations to ride. that and Flagstaff. I think I may have ridden perhaps the best trail of my life in Flag....
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Thinking of swapping already?
*ALL* 36 RC2 cartridges are FIT. Even those from 2006.
The Float will have less stiction and longer service intervals. But personally I choose Talas - the gains for uphills are worth a little sacrifice in DH performance. But YMMV.
As for midstroke, I didn't have enough riding time on Float to comment. But having owned 2006, 2010 and 2013 Talas RC2, the midstroke was improved with each revision. Still, the Van had better midstroke support than both air siblings.
The Float will have less stiction and longer service intervals. But personally I choose Talas - the gains for uphills are worth a little sacrifice in DH performance. But YMMV.
As for midstroke, I didn't have enough riding time on Float to comment. But having owned 2006, 2010 and 2013 Talas RC2, the midstroke was improved with each revision. Still, the Van had better midstroke support than both air siblings.
Nah, just wanting to read good things about it while I can't use it...
In the same boat here. I have a shiny new '13 36 Float RC2 just waiting to get dirty, but it just won't stop frickn snowing here in MA. I originally ordered the TALAS but a Float showed up and I didn't feel like waiting to exchange. As long as it was a 36 with the RC2 FIT damper. I've been happy with the new FIT damper I dropped in my 40 so hopefully the new 36 will have a similar feel...