Just wanna hear your actual ride impressions. Will it be on pinkbike anytime soon or what? Anything you can say about the WC would be sweet.
Acadian, When will the 2005 Boxxer review come?
- Thread starter biker3
- Start date
Next year - later in the summer when I get some time on it. At this point I just need a bike to mount it on :nuts:biker3 said:
It's nothing about ride quality, just some bling photos. An 2005 Team looks pretty sweet right now...
Come on Luc, just give it an ewrite-upAcadian said:Next year - later in the summer when I get some time on it. At this point I just need a bike to mount it on :nuts:
Hey,
Merry Christmas Luc, Brian. I hope you guys have a great day...
Merry Christmas Luc, Brian. I hope you guys have a great day...
Thanks Matt same to you, hows life been?thatoneguy said:
back atcha Matt!thatoneguy said:
Acadian said:Next year - later in the summer when I get some time on it. At this point I just need a bike to mount it on :nuts:
You mean you are actually going to wait until you ride it before doing a review on it? Didn't you push on the fork a few times? That should be enough to tell everybody what a great fork the Boxxer is :devil:
from the little bit i've ridden it, it feels exactly the same as last years. no better, no worse. i also rode the team fork with the u-turn and thought that felt better than the world cup.
I've got a short review from one of my teammates, who rode it for 3 races at the end of last season. 1 sec while I find it.
------
Some time in mid-October a new 2005 Boxxer Team showed up at my house just in time for the final 2 races of the season. Hardly enough time to get it super fine tuned by plenty long enough to get a feel for the extra inch of travel and the possible changes to my bikes handling.
Visually the most obvious changes to the 05 fork are the redesigned lower casting which, besides being more mud friendly, is also much stiffer and less prone to breaking (my teammates and I have broken several over the years). The upper crown, too, gets a much needed diet and is redesigned for more turning radius. The old drop crown, when mated with the unusually wide headtube/downtube juncture of the Orange 223 resulted in the crown slamming into the frame long before the fork bumpers. Obviously this is no way to treat such a lovely frame and flat Boxxer crowns had to be substituted subsequently limiting a riders ability to raise and lower the ride height of the forks. No problems on the 05 model as there are no contact issues to speak of and I was able to lose the Boxxer bumpers for frame mounted Dorado bumpers without worrying about wrecking my frame in a crash. On another note, upper crown bolts face out to the side so adjustments can be made without removing the number plate and the stanchion tubes actually slide easily in and out of the crowns for a change.
The fork mounted with no problemslike I was expecting anyand when lowered to the absolute minimum with the dust wipers contacting the upper crown at bottom-out the 8 travel fork measure in with an axle-to-crown length only ½ taller than my previous settings. Not bad, and do doubt a result of the new recessed seal design and the slimmer lower crown all which are designed to make the fork as short as possible without being dangerous.
Internally the forks are identical to the 04 Boxxer (read, aluminum rebound base valve and no compression spike) except for obvious modifications accounting for the extra 1 in travel. The Bushing overlap is less on the longer travel fork but the bushings are longer than the pair of ½ items in the previous 7 incarnations of the fork. The springs actually feel lighter than the 7 model and appear to be made of less material (I didnt actually weight them but they felt lighter for what its worth). I swapped the stock medium springs for 2 soft springs as I am only 160 pounds and prefer my suspension soft with a raised oil height to make everything feel more progressive. Of course, having another 1 of travel didnt hurt.
Thanks to the adjustable shock mount on the Orange 223 I easily compensated for the extra fork height and change in headtube angle. The result was a raise in bottom bracket height by ¼, to aprox. 14 ½. Still fall lower than most bikes so no worries there. No spacers under the stem to make up for the taller ride height and I was set.
First run on the new fork was at Bolton Valley in Vermont and about 50 feet into the ride I was hating it. The fork was awesome, so much more plush than the old Boxxer with the first inch and a half of travel feeling almost undamped. It tracked the ground so damn well my custom valved 5th Element rear shock felt harsh. Anyone who knows whats up will tell you that suspension balance is key. A 7 fork with a 9 rear suspension meant a slightly stiffer setting to feel right. The same rear setting with an 8 fork was awful. Quick trip to the parking lot and a drop in rear shock reservoir pressure and it was all smiles for the rest of the day. Didnt hurt that I later won the Mountain Cross race on my DH bike either.
The most extensive testing I gave the fork was a few weeks later at the Collegiate National Championships at Seven Springs, Pennsylvania. It was a real DH course, not the lame flatness form 1997-99. And it was muddy. Fork was awesome, and unlike my teammates 04 fork I had no issues with the arch packing up. On another note, he refused to ride my bike because he didnt want to feel the difference of the new fork until after the season was over. Something about not wanting to know what he was missing. So stole his bike and rode it down trail to the bike wash. He had to ride mine, and he wasnt happy in the best possible way.
Final thoughts: 2005 Boxxer is the best fork Ive ridden so far and I was a big skeptic of 8 forks all season. With Manitou really dropping the ball on SPV and the 888s being skyscraper tall it looks like these are the forks to own next season.
------
Some time in mid-October a new 2005 Boxxer Team showed up at my house just in time for the final 2 races of the season. Hardly enough time to get it super fine tuned by plenty long enough to get a feel for the extra inch of travel and the possible changes to my bikes handling.
Visually the most obvious changes to the 05 fork are the redesigned lower casting which, besides being more mud friendly, is also much stiffer and less prone to breaking (my teammates and I have broken several over the years). The upper crown, too, gets a much needed diet and is redesigned for more turning radius. The old drop crown, when mated with the unusually wide headtube/downtube juncture of the Orange 223 resulted in the crown slamming into the frame long before the fork bumpers. Obviously this is no way to treat such a lovely frame and flat Boxxer crowns had to be substituted subsequently limiting a riders ability to raise and lower the ride height of the forks. No problems on the 05 model as there are no contact issues to speak of and I was able to lose the Boxxer bumpers for frame mounted Dorado bumpers without worrying about wrecking my frame in a crash. On another note, upper crown bolts face out to the side so adjustments can be made without removing the number plate and the stanchion tubes actually slide easily in and out of the crowns for a change.
The fork mounted with no problemslike I was expecting anyand when lowered to the absolute minimum with the dust wipers contacting the upper crown at bottom-out the 8 travel fork measure in with an axle-to-crown length only ½ taller than my previous settings. Not bad, and do doubt a result of the new recessed seal design and the slimmer lower crown all which are designed to make the fork as short as possible without being dangerous.
Internally the forks are identical to the 04 Boxxer (read, aluminum rebound base valve and no compression spike) except for obvious modifications accounting for the extra 1 in travel. The Bushing overlap is less on the longer travel fork but the bushings are longer than the pair of ½ items in the previous 7 incarnations of the fork. The springs actually feel lighter than the 7 model and appear to be made of less material (I didnt actually weight them but they felt lighter for what its worth). I swapped the stock medium springs for 2 soft springs as I am only 160 pounds and prefer my suspension soft with a raised oil height to make everything feel more progressive. Of course, having another 1 of travel didnt hurt.
Thanks to the adjustable shock mount on the Orange 223 I easily compensated for the extra fork height and change in headtube angle. The result was a raise in bottom bracket height by ¼, to aprox. 14 ½. Still fall lower than most bikes so no worries there. No spacers under the stem to make up for the taller ride height and I was set.
First run on the new fork was at Bolton Valley in Vermont and about 50 feet into the ride I was hating it. The fork was awesome, so much more plush than the old Boxxer with the first inch and a half of travel feeling almost undamped. It tracked the ground so damn well my custom valved 5th Element rear shock felt harsh. Anyone who knows whats up will tell you that suspension balance is key. A 7 fork with a 9 rear suspension meant a slightly stiffer setting to feel right. The same rear setting with an 8 fork was awful. Quick trip to the parking lot and a drop in rear shock reservoir pressure and it was all smiles for the rest of the day. Didnt hurt that I later won the Mountain Cross race on my DH bike either.
The most extensive testing I gave the fork was a few weeks later at the Collegiate National Championships at Seven Springs, Pennsylvania. It was a real DH course, not the lame flatness form 1997-99. And it was muddy. Fork was awesome, and unlike my teammates 04 fork I had no issues with the arch packing up. On another note, he refused to ride my bike because he didnt want to feel the difference of the new fork until after the season was over. Something about not wanting to know what he was missing. So stole his bike and rode it down trail to the bike wash. He had to ride mine, and he wasnt happy in the best possible way.
Final thoughts: 2005 Boxxer is the best fork Ive ridden so far and I was a big skeptic of 8 forks all season. With Manitou really dropping the ball on SPV and the 888s being skyscraper tall it looks like these are the forks to own next season.
theyre just like an 04 boxxer but with more travel and with a stock spring rate that accomodates more riders, i really wouldnt expect any new findings.
Extremely busy, but I am sure you know the feeling. Just trying to keep the place together with all teh new Elmo's and My Little Ponies. How are things for you. Hope all is well...Brian HCM#1 said:
This is the first year my 5 year old son really got the concept of receiving, his list to santa was a mile long, my daughter didn't do to bad herself. :love:thatoneguy said:
vitox said:
Yeah, the "stock" spring rates on 04s (and presumably previous years'?) are pretty stupid. I'm 210lbs and run the stock springs, and would consider going 1 stock 1 soft too... I don't even want to think about what x-firm springs are like.
thaflyinfatman said:
the x firm springs are very handy actually
your average 15 to 16 year old can get away with running just one (red) spring in the fork, thats a nice touch by sram.
Can somebody tell me the distance from the center of the axle till the top of the lower clamp of the 8" version.
What's the increasement compared to the 04 boxxer in length?
What's the increasement compared to the 04 boxxer in length?
Read the Pinkbike article... It tells all.Bernard said:
sorry... got it!!
the answer to all my questions
the answer to all my questions
I got 1 run on a 05 boxxer world cup at the end of last season. I had just come off a bike with an 03 black boxed boxxer team, that I'd been riding all day. IMHO, The difference in the foks was as huge as transcends buddy's experience. The fork felt a bit plusher because of the longer travel, and maybe steered a little stiffer. That part might just be psycological though. I'm not a boxxer basher, I think they're a solid fork, and alot of people love'em, but I wouldn't expect a huge difference with the new 05's. Basically, 1" more travel, and better mud clearance. It's the same damper technology, and i think the majority of the flex comes from the stanchions, not the legs. I'd heard rumors that they were going to go to a 35mm stanchion for 05, maybe that's an 06/07 product?