Quantcast

Boxxer: Air / Coil

karpi

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
I saw a great deal on ebay and an air cart for the boxxer. Im currently running a race, and was wondering if it would be a good oportunity to ride the air cart instead of the spring. Most will tend to say yes, but please give reseanable answers, thanks!
 
saruti

saruti

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,169
73
Israel
I ride a boxxer WC for the last year
rode my friends same bike with boxxer race (also 2010)
and it feels great!!!
if you dont care about the weight, stay with the spring.
 
AdrenalinPimp

AdrenalinPimp

Chimp
Aug 31, 2005
33
0
Air spring + Avy cart here, and i don't like the feeling (HSC is way too hard)

will put a coil spring in it this week to see the difference...
 
N

nowlan

Monkey
Jul 30, 2008
496
2
Alot of people prefer Coil over air sprung. I used to ride a Boxxer WC and switched to coil after a year, I will never go back to Air. Howerver thats my personal preference.
 
descente

descente

Monkey
Jul 30, 2010
430
0
Sandy Eggo
i have heard from several sources that converting a coil fork to air does not always work with intended results. the coil has a tendency to bang against the inners of the stanchion and create microscopic scratches that will make it difficult to seal. if you do try it, i'd like to know how it works out for ya
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,088
6,024
borcester rhymes
air gives you more flexibility with regards to spring rate. If you're a fiddler, that might be a better option. Coils are generally more reliable. I've owned an 08 WC and a 10 and 11 boxxer team/R2C2, and I can't tell you which one I liked more. I'm pretty happy with my latest R2C2, but the 10 team was garbage and got warrantied for sucking.
 
karpi

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
here's my take. I weigh 170lbs ish, run the normal med spring in there and about 4 or 5 clicks on motion control from fully open. I find the fork to be really linear (all race forks are) which doesnt bother me untill I hit breaking bumps or tight curves where the fork dives. Unless I go with an avy cart or Elka with high/low speed compressions, I would think the progression on an air cart would help solve this. Weight wise, Im really not concerned... And, the only fidiling I do with my fork, as of now that is, play between 4 and 5 clicks on the motion control and setting the rebound for the track, which has worked great. In all honesty, I don't really need to change the spring, I was just wondering if it would make a real big difference, for the better that is.
 
Udi

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
The air spring will dive more in the middle of the stroke (compared to a coil spring) so it will accentuate dive issues rather than reduce them. It will also be a little harsher at the start of the travel compared to a coil.

I think air suspension works fine but if you don't really need the weight reduction or ability to fine tune the spring rate, then I'd stick with coil.
 
C

Commencal-guy

Monkey
Nov 25, 2007
341
0
Massachusetts, US of A
Save your $$$ for the 2011 Solo Air spring assembly. Its improved over the 2010 version, and well worth it. I think the 2010's were trash. It lacked a lot of midstroke, and the wavy spring washer top out design is plain stupid in a $1,700 fork. The new 2011 is all nice metal quality parts instead of plastic.
 
FCLinder

FCLinder

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2002
4,402
0
Greenville, South Carolina
karpi said:
I think it would be interesting to hear if someone has ridden the elka and avalanche cart, and how they compare...
Click to expand...
Most of my Team is running the Elka Cart. It feels much better than the stock RC2 Cart. Much easier to tune too. The Elka Cart helps a lot with the spiking the Boxxer has in the long rock gardens and big hit after big hit sections. It is because its Nitrogen filled so it doesn't heat up. The feel is constant and predictable. The stock RC2 Cart heats up and the fork loses the butter feeling and smoothness. As for the Avy I can't say much.

Hope this helps,
Cecil
 
RD3

RD3

Monkey
Nov 30, 2003
661
14
PA
Besides the Boxxer 35mm Solo Air assembly what other parts are needed to convert the R2C2 to a WC?
 
kidwoo

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Aug 25, 2003
42,146
13,340
Squirtin ketchup n' mustard on charred flesh
Udi said:
The air spring will dive more in the middle of the stroke (compared to a coil spring) so it will accentuate dive issues rather than reduce them. It will also be a little harsher at the start of the travel compared to a coil.
Click to expand...
That pretty much describes what I'm experiencing going from a coil to a WC.

Don't forget the volume reducer on the air spring though. It does work.


I rode a buddy's fork with the oil seals and foam ring removed and it felt much better off the top end than mine. Those changes will be happening to my fork tonight.
 
kidwoo

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Aug 25, 2003
42,146
13,340
Squirtin ketchup n' mustard on charred flesh
Last edited:
rocketmatt17

rocketmatt17

Monkey
Sep 10, 2007
270
0
they use nitrogen for the same reasons they use them in shocks, bigger molecule size and more stable heat expansion
 
C

Commencal-guy

Monkey
Nov 25, 2007
341
0
Massachusetts, US of A
RD3 said:
Besides the Boxxer 35mm Solo Air assembly what other parts are needed to convert the R2C2 to a WC?
Click to expand...
You Need the Team/WC Rebound and Compression Assembly. In order to use the rebound assembly from the Team/WC you have to punch out a black plastic piece on the lowers from the Race. The Team/WC model uses a larger diameter.
 
ridiculous

ridiculous

Turbo Monkey
Jan 18, 2005
2,907
1
MD / NoVA
Make sure you get the top cap too. Also be sure to follow the torque spec for the spring side lower crown. The 2010 air assembly does pass through that area and will stick/slow if its overtightened.

FWIW, I have the air spring on my race too, I like it just as much as my coil but im too lazy to covert it back and sell it. I feel like the air spring also helped break the fork in faster. Who knows though, I just ride.
 
M

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
rocketmatt17 said:
they use nitrogen for the same reasons they use them in shocks, bigger molecule size and more stable heat expansion
Click to expand...
"molecule size" really has nothing to do with heat expansion. nitrogen effuses slower through rubber than oxygen.

so if you pump a tube up with air 2-3 times to a set pressure, by the third or so pump you will be exceed 95%+ nitrogen anyhow. in a closed metallic cylinder, or in a rubber bladder or rubber seal wetted out with fork oil, N2 and o2 diffuse at the same rate since the polymer chains are closed off with the oil.

the specific heat capacity ratio of dry air (1.401), o2 (1.399) and n2 (1.403) at equivalent temps are very very close to each other, so if you can feel 2 thousands difference, then by all means, go for it.
 
Verskis

Verskis

Monkey
May 14, 2010
458
8
Tampere, Finland
Commencal-guy said:
You Need the Team/WC Rebound and Compression Assembly. In order to use the rebound assembly from the Team/WC you have to punch out a black plastic piece on the lowers from the Race. The Team/WC model uses a larger diameter.
Click to expand...
He was speaking about R2C2 (new name for Team), not Race (of which new name is RC).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom