[Transcend]

It's pretty obvious that this snow guys fork was out of warranty and he just wanted something for nothing. That or it's just a BS story anyways seeing as he can't keep it straight.

Let it die, if you ignore him, he'll go away.

 

[snowskilz]

Where's the BS huh?
The fork was 3 months old didnt know warranty was so short?
I am currently looking for the doods named the offered me the money for the fork after i trashed it.

 

[JRB]

Not reading this whole thing, but that doesn't appear to be the same arch as my 04 Talas.

 

[dandurston]

Just to share my 2 cents:

I've heard via a couple forums of quite a few Fox 40z breaking and the only people that have really been taken care of are the people who either know fox, know someone who works at fox or they are just prominent in the industry. For the grom who saves up for this fork and then rides it with his buddies back in the woods some where with no camera watching and no ladies swooning from what I've heard Fox has been a total jerk to them. Basically everyone is being told it's 300$ for new lowers regardless of what happened and if it's under warrentee or not.

It seems like half of the people who own a 40 and find out about this issue find a crack in theirs when they look closely enough. There is obviously a design flaw in the arch and this doesn't make Fox a bad company because most new products have some concerns but Fox should step up and be cool about it. Here's what they should do:

If they want to be a Jerk: Keep doing what they're doing and charge 90% of the people 300$ for new lowers.

If they want to be normal/decent: Replace them if it sounds like the rider wasn't doing anything crazy and at least give the rest of the people a bro deal or something and charge them 125$ or something.

If they want to be an awesome company: Do a recall. There is a problem and they should step up and fix it. Most people who aggresively ride a 40 will have the issue arise eventually. Would you be pissed if you 40 broke after 18mths and Fox did nothing even though the design flaw existed from day one? If Fox steps up on this one they'll get a great Rep. as a company who rights their wrongs and treats its customers right. Yeah it'll hurt the books in the short run but in the long run I bet it's a gamble that would pay off. I'd have a ton more respect for Fox and would be more likely to consider them for my next fork. I've always run Fox shox on my bike but I have yet to steer away from Marz. up front. If Fox tightens their act a bit on this one I may start considering them when I buy my next fork.

 

[snowskilz]

Dandurstons above comments are 100% spot on. i wish i could of said it that clear and concise

 

[RhinofromWA]

Just to share my 2 cents:

I've heard via a couple forums of quite a few Fox 40z breaking and the only people that have really been taken care of are the people who either know fox, know someone who works at fox or they are just prominent in the industry. For the grom who saves up for this fork and then rides it with his buddies back in the woods some where with no camera watching and no ladies swooning from what I've heard Fox has been a total jerk to them. Basically everyone is being told it's 300$ for new lowers regardless of what happened and if it's under warrentee or not.

It seems like half of the people who own a 40 and find out about this issue find a crack in theirs when they look closely enough. There is obviously a design flaw in the arch and this doesn't make Fox a bad company because most new products have some concerns but Fox should step up and be cool about it. Here's what they should do:

If they want to be a Jerk: Keep doing what they're doing and charge 90% of the people 300$ for new lowers.

If they want to be normal/decent: Replace them if it sounds like the rider wasn't doing anything crazy and at least give the rest of the people a bro deal or something and charge them 125$ or something.

If they want to be an awesome company: Do a recall. There is a problem and they should step up and fix it. Most people who aggresively ride a 40 will have the issue arise eventually. Would you be pissed if you 40 broke after 18mths and Fox did nothing even though the design flaw existed from day one? If Fox steps up on this one they'll get a great Rep. as a company who rights their wrongs and treats its customers right. Yeah it'll hurt the books in the short run but in the long run I bet it's a gamble that would pay off. I'd have a ton more respect for Fox and would be more likely to consider them for my next fork. I've always run Fox shox on my bike but I have yet to steer away from Marz. up front. If Fox tightens their act a bit on this one I may start considering them when I buy my next fork.

My biggest gripe is the accusation of a design flaw that FOX is now obligated to recall all the forks. That is insane.

If you are racing/riding a fork for 18 months and then the arch breaks. I see no reason you shouldn't replace it yourself and if FOX was cool enought to offer a crash warranty discount of some sort (though they aren't really obligated too) then all the better.

If I ride a MX bike....like I do....in the desert and woods. And after 18 months the axle clamp on the fork cracks....I need to buy a new fork. Odds are you can't get a new lower.

True story: I tore my chain guide on my MXr in the desert. I mean come on it hangs down near the rocks....they have to have known it was prone to damage. I guess I deserve a new Swingarm...because the tabs broke off the swing arm instead of the guide.

Nope: I had the tab welded back on at a local welding shop and finished riding the weekend. There is no warranty issue.....I broke it. It is inherantly prone to damage.....but that is not a material defect.

 

[OGRipper]

A recall is a bit much, especially since some people will probably never break their forks and the cracks that are showing up are not going to result in catastrophic failures. If in fact there is a problem then they should let people know so everyone can take a close look. They should also replace the lowers for free, cracked or not, even after the one year warranty period.

I am pretty sure this is how Zoke handled the porosity problem with the 888. They didn't recall every one, because that's not needed. (Mine is still fine - fingers crossed.) But they took care of those with the problem.

Snobro, you used IronHorse as an example. Well look at what they are doing with their 5th coil shocks - they haven't recalled every one, but are getting the word out that most of the shocks are valved incorrectly and (with Progressive) are offering the fix.

EDIT: Rhino, this is not about smacking the fork off a rock and you know it. If it turns out to be a real design flaw and cracks appear under the normal use for which the fork is intended, they should replace them. If they want to stick to the strict letter of their warranty they will lose consumer confidence pretty damn quickly.

 

[RhinofromWA]

EDIT: Rhino, this is not about smacking the fork off a rock and you know it. If it turns out to be a real design flaw and cracks appear under the normal use for which the fork is intended, they should replace them. If they want to stick to the strict letter of their warranty they will lose consumer confidence pretty damn quickly.

Yeah.....

They were JRA, yeah thats it, JRA.

I still do not see the issue that warrents a free replacement.

Normal use is where you get into trouble......DHing isn't that closely definable to place "normal use" onto it. You have to realize that. Bunch of free loaders.

I bet this is a product of the bicycling industry itself....out warrantying each other untill it became a huge problem.

 

[dandurston]

The big question seems to be: Are these forks wrongly breaking under normal DH use such as drops, gaps, small crashes etc. or are they breaking because people are running them into rock walls and the arch goes simply because, while not being defective, is simply the weakest link.

This whole issue is a grey area because the amount of abuse I'd expect a reasonable fork to stand up to may be different that you. Some people would feel that if you do anything less than perfect it's your fault (extreme 'Rhino-ism') while others think they should be able to abuse a product as much as possible (like a lot of the whiners on here). Regardless Warrantees are definitely not a bet from the manufacturer that you can't break it within the warrantee period. They do however, cover design defects so if the fork can't hold up to 'normal' (insert your def'n here) DH/FR use then it should be covered. IMO, small crashes, hitting a tree or two at low speeds etc are all 'normal' parts of DH/FR so the fork should be able to withstand that. This whole issue has arised because the Fox design is not brutally bad. Its just a little poor. The forks don't snap off smooth 6 footers to tranny, they are snapping on small/medium crashes which arguably are part of the extreme riding that Fox markets these forks for.

Edit: Rhino, what is JRA?

 

[snowskilz]

A recall is a bit much, especially since some people will probably never break their forks and the cracks that are showing up are not going to result in catastrophic failures. If in fact there is a problem then they should let people know so everyone can take a close look. They should also replace the lowers for free, cracked or not, even after the one year warranty period.

I am pretty sure this is how Zoke handled the porosity problem with the 888. They didn't recall every one, because that's not needed. (Mine is still fine - fingers crossed.) But they took care of those with the problem.

Snobro, you used IronHorse as an example. Well look at what they are doing with their 5th coil shocks - they haven't recalled every one, but are getting the word out that most of the shocks are valved incorrectly and (with Progressive) are offering the fix.

Im not asking for a recall just take care of the customers who have these forks. They know something is wrong.

For IH it has been communicated to me that if you have a progressive that is an 04 you need to send it to progressive and the turn around on those is 24hrs. from when they recieve. My buddy sent his in last week and recieved it today i will be sending mine in on monday. Maybe a good thing for IH to do is to post a lil note on their site saying "hey if your progressive says 04 on it call progressive for an RA number and they will hook it up" now that would be super cool!

 

[snowskilz]

Edit: Rhino, what is JRA?

JRA = Just riding along

 

[CBJ]

For IH it has been communicated to me that if you have a progressive that is an 04 you need to send it to progressive and the turn around on those is 24hrs. from when they recieve. My buddy sent his in last week and recieved it today i will be sending mine in on monday. Maybe a good thing for IH to do is to post a lil note on their site saying "hey if your progressive says 04 on it call progressive for an RA number and they will hook it up" now that would be super cool!

They have: http://www.ironhorsebikes.com/homepage_links/news_events10.shtml

 

[dandurston]

Impressive. That really increases my respect for them and Progressive.

 

[Zach Dank]

No my goal is for everyone to see how sh!tty of a company fox is. They dont stand behind there product. You and many other ppl support fox bc they hook u up. We'll guess what fox has given me and my friends nothing. It is there corporate responsibilty to stand behing their product. But you prolly wouldnt understand that bc your too busy with your e-cult of 16 yr olds

I don't think it was to long ago that i heard you thanking FOX on MTBR for hooking your bro up with new lowers for $120. This was after you started a thread to bash the $hit out of FOX before you even bothered to contact them. As far as being too busy w/ an E-cult, I take the time to post some pics for my homeboys every once in a while when i'm not building sick trails for everyone to ride. Is it my fault that the kiddies and the old men :heart: me?
Stop hatin, and start participatin.

 

[AR_]

Cmon, twinkle twinkle baby! Twinkle twinkle!

 

[zedro]

Are these forks wrongly breaking under normal DH use such as drops, gaps, small crashes etc. .....

uhh, you dont find that statement peculiar at all? do you realise the vast potential differences in impacts to a component for a given stunt? To me, drops gaps or crashes are not 'normal' use because you cant define whats normal about them. This sounds like that guy that wanted fork makers to publish a fatigue rating based on the size of drop the fork could take (spoken like a true clueless consumer)

I bet alot of engineers would have nightmares when the marketing people come to them and say "design us a lightweight and durable racefork for normal gaps drops and crashes...."

 

[odiwik]

Marketing = drinking contest.

 

[Cave Dweller]

It just seems alot of them are cracking around that area, whether it be by crashing or just riding along. Its hard to know the exact loading conditions that the forks failed under. But as an engineer that really does appear to be a design fault of some description.

I was thinking last night that it is probably a function of how stiff the fork is due to the over sized stanchions, maybe a brittle magnesium casting and the fact it is 8inchs (more leverage). Maybe dropping the fork to 7 or 7.5 inchs and getting more bushing overlap would help the fork to resist twisting, i suspect it is the lowers twisting that is causing the arch to crack there. They made need to change the material properties of the lowers as well.

Comparing it to a monster T, a monster has a bolt on arch so there is a certain amount of inbuilt flex purley becasue it is a bolted joint, so it can twist a bit and not crack anything. Under an extrme impact the brace will twist and can be replaced.

My feeling is that fox have made the lowers too stiff.

An example of how it should be handled would be the 03 turner DHR that was a little under built around the main pivot and could crack. If it cracked turner gave you a new 04 frame for nothing, copped it on the chin, said "yes, it was a little under built for DH, our fault, sorry" and in doing so effectively said we stand behind our product 100%.

No need for a recall, but fox should come clean about the issue, especially if they redesigned the castings for 06 in that area,. that implies they know something is up. You don't go to the expense of retooling castings if everything is perfect, taht would be stupid.

If you crack an old casting they should acknowledge it and fix you up, unless there is actual signs of the fork being abused.

Normal DH use to me is anything that would appear on a standard DH race track, maybe 6 foot drops, small doubles, rock gardens etc.

 

[zedro]

It just seems alot of them are cracking around that area, whether it be by crashing or just riding along. Its hard to know the exact loading conditions that the forks failed under. But as an engineer that really does appear to be a design fault of some description.

well just as a general statement, if a part typically fails in the same spot when over-loaded, it doesnt mean its a design flaw (which btw, technically doesnt fall under warranty). There will always a weakest link and the nature of the design may make that link consistant. But if the fork is handling the stresses it was designed for, then theres no flaw regardless of how it breaks, pattern or no pattern.

Unfortunatly for a fork theres no linch pin you could design in, but say for something else you can make it so a bolt will fail, saving other parts. Of course we'd cry that the bolt is too weak and demand full compensation and a hummer from tech support....

 

[Racerx7734]

Did everyone forget already how many people were having problems last year with cracking lowers, or mysterious mid leg oil leaks on the 888? Or how about all the Super T arches that have snapped? I know a couple rides who had superT's go early.. mine even had cracks in my arch, but the guy who bought it didnt care....

As much development you can do to a new product in test labs and with "on hill" testing, you cant really duplicate what the end user will do to it. Maybe the casting design, or process has weaknesses, or maybe they forgot to put the value in the FEA program for "wheel between the knees side load parking lot test".

Freaking Weaksauce 40! thats the only good thing to come from that MTBR thread.....

Oly is my homeskillz so he will understand.........................but not only did jim carrey steal my ass crack speaking.......but now weaksauce.............................I'm pissed...............I was the first dude to say that something was weaksauce..................I'm an OG dammit!!!!!!!!!!!

Im rick james bitches!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dandurston]

uhh, you dont find that statement peculiar at all? do you realise the vast potential differences in impacts to a component for a given stunt? To me, drops gaps or crashes are not 'normal' use because you cant define whats normal about them.

I believe I covered the difficulties in defining what normal DH use is in my post in the middle of page 9 (the same post that contains your quote of me). It seems to me to be pretty obvious that doing some sort of drops, gaps and crashes is a regular part of DH/FR use and thus normal but how much is acceptable is the grey area. A 1 foot drop on a DH course would be considered an acceptable use that a fork would be expected to hold up to but a 15 ft drop on the other hand could arguably be an unacceptably use given its magnitude. The same illustration holds for gaps and crashes. All I was trying to say is that if these forks are failing under circumstances that a reasonable DH/FR rider would consider normal/acceptable then there may be an issue.

All I'm really saying is that it appears these forks are failing while the riders are sticking to the intended purpose of the forks and are not subjecting the forks to abnormal stresses. While poor designs are technically not covered under warrantee, Fox should step up and be a good corporate citizen.

 

[shock]

well just as a general statement, if a part typically fails in the same spot when over-loaded, it doesnt mean its a design flaw (which btw, technically doesnt fall under warranty). There will always a weakest link and the nature of the design may make that link consistant. But if the fork is handling the stresses it was designed for, then theres no flaw regardless of how it breaks, pattern or no pattern.

Unfortunatly for a fork theres no linch pin you could design in, but say for something else you can make it so a bolt will fail, saving other parts. Of course we'd cry that the bolt is too weak and demand full compensation and a hummer from tech support....

There I was, Happily drinkin a margarita and whatching the movie " Ray", and I decided to check out this thread...

If a part continually breaks in the same spot, I call that a design flaw. Unless they made the conscious decision to say "ok, we'll design the arch to fail way before any other part".

If you do it right, the stress is very close to equal in all parts of the assembly. This can generally results in a different type of failure for each "overload".

Overload being a term applied to those loads/forces that the engineer didn't calculate for. That doesn't mean he/she shouldn't have given the intended application, it just means, in many cases, those forces are an estimate, or SWAG

If you're really clever, you design a weak link, that when it fails, causes the least amount of damage, but that is a very tricky feat. I generally can't figure that out, so I try to design with "equal stress" and enough safety factor to hope that I've compensated for loads I didn't anticipate.

If they intended the arch to be a weak link, they wouldn't have redesigned it.

This is in no way intended to be a comment on Fox or their CS, just on design and the inherent flaws in engineering in general...

 

[bpatterson6]

I understand both what Zedro and Shock are getting at.
Thinking from that frame of mind, I understand why they all seem to be breaking at that place now. Maybe what Transcend said about they have changed the casting means they have made it stronger so it takes more force to break at that spot again. I see a new light, that I didnt think about it from that angle before. Makes complete sense.

Thinking from a drag racing persepective, having been around Nitro Dragsters and Funny Cars all my life for 30+ years. You spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on parts made specifically for these type of cars. One motor may last 1 pass down the track if that. You sure as hell can't expect any warranty from any company that makes these parts. You buy them with the understanding that now they are functional parts that will make you go fast and in 4.50 seconds and 320mph later it might be garbage.

I think like this: Even though the fork costs $1600.00 you know it could eventually fail. Having knew this from the beginning you spent the money anyhow. If you didn't think from this perspective, it isn't Fox Fault.
Even if it blows up and thats what it was intended for doesnt mean anything. All it means is you spent the money and didn't think it thru all the way weighing the chances of what if's...

 

[oly]

At least people stopped complaining about the color and styling of the fork.....

 

[Jimmy_Pop]

i rode my bike/dh40 to work this morning, huck'd a curb and no problems at all. amazing.

 

[OGRipper]

Bunch of free loaders.

Hahaha, whoa Nelly, now hold on a second. I know that the fact that anything is warrantied at all is a huge bonus and that everyone is pretty much on their own as soon as a purchase is made.

But the reality is that Fox markets these forks as superior products for racing and freeride. Superior to other forks like the 888. They WANT people to buy their forks for this kind of riding. They are happy when they see lots of 40s at places like Whistler and Plattekill. They are convincing people to choose their product.

If the product is not fit for the intended uses - the uses they advertise - then they should make good on it. I agree there is a huge range of DH and freeride use. Sorry, but before you tell me this fork is better than a 888 or a Boxxer, you better make sure it can handle the same kind of riding. That's the reality here, and I don't really care what their warranty card and disclaimers say about it. This is their entry into this market - if they have a problem they better fix it.

 

[CBJ]

I hate the color and style of the damn 40.

 

[AR_]

If the product is not fit for the intended uses - the uses they advertise - then they should make good on it. I agree there is a huge range of DH and freeride use. Sorry, but before you tell me this fork is better than a 888 or a Boxxer, you better make sure it can handle the same kind of riding. That's the reality here, and I don't really care what their warranty card and disclaimers say about it. This is their entry into this market - if they have a problem they better fix it.

Spot bang on.

 

[dante]

I hate the color and style of the damn 40.

I love the color and style of the damn 40. matches my Sunday Team bike perfectly.

 

[CBJ]

Hey I was just trying to make Oly happy and yes it does make your bike look very pretty

 

[dante]

Hey I was just trying to make Oly happy and yes it does make your bike look very pretty

I'll tell it you said so. Should I give it your number? :love:

 

[oly]

Hey I was just trying to make Oly happy and yes it does make your bike looks very pretty

Some people just dont get sarcasm do they? I understood exactly your meaning there....

My fork could be painted to look like dog poop, or better yet, be painted with dog poop and i wouldnt care. Performance means more.

 

[RhinofromWA]

Hahaha, whoa Nelly, now hold on a second. I know that the fact that anything is warrantied at all is a huge bonus and that everyone is pretty much on their own as soon as a purchase is made.

But the reality is that Fox markets these forks as superior products for racing and freeride. Superior to other forks like the 888. They WANT people to buy their forks for this kind of riding. They are happy when they see lots of 40s at places like Whistler and Plattekill. They are convincing people to choose their product.

None of that implies the fork can't break...even with resort riding. DH in inherantly abusive. The buyer has some responsibility in the purchase too.....buy a fork that is to light wieght for the use "you" intend to put it through....when it fails it fails. Where is the personal responsibility?

If the product is not fit for the intended uses - the uses they advertise - then they should make good on it. I agree there is a huge range of DH and freeride use. Sorry, but before you tell me this fork is better than a 888 or a Boxxer, you better make sure it can handle the same kind of riding. That's the reality here, and I don't really care what their warranty card and disclaimers say about it. This is their entry into this market - if they have a problem they better fix it.

888s and Boxxers have their own issues. If you want a fork that is "less prone to failing" Than I suggest you invest in a $1600 15lbs fork...instead of a $1600 7lbs fork. If you were concerned with a reliable fork, Marz would still be selling the MonsterT (old school version of course) or somthing even bigger (meaning beefier) As it is we cry about heavy forks and then complain with the companies give us what we want (a light/weaker racing fork, DH40, or a heavy freeriding fork, Monster T)

Why can't people accept that?

 

[sbabuser]

None of that implies the fork can't break...even with resort riding. DH in inherantly abusive. The buyer has some responsibility in the purchase too.....buy a fork that is to light wieght for the use "you" intend to put it through....when it fails it fails. Where is the personal responsibility?)

Oh, but to a certain degree it does. Why do you think Fox sponsors Kyle Strait? That in itself shows that Fox wants to world to believe their forks are on a par with Marzocchi in the big hit market, able to take an incredible amount of abuse most consumers wouldn't consider putting their bikes (much less themselves) through.
And if they don't think a rash of failures that aren't being handled 100% by them isn't giving them some backlash and making people question whether or not their forks are worth the $$, they really are out of touch. Do you really think they intentionally design a fork that only works for buyers with $1600 who weigh less than 165lbs AND consider themselves finesse riders? I'd bet a couple dollars they didn't...

 

[OGRipper]

None of that implies the fork can't break...even with resort riding. DH in inherantly abusive. The buyer has some responsibility in the purchase too.....buy a fork that is to light wieght for the use "you" intend to put it through....when it fails it fails. Where is the personal responsibility?

Did you drink the Koolaid or something? If they have an issue (and I am STILL not saying they do, I don't know) and don't address it, I will ask "Where is the company responsibility?"

Have you looked at any of the Fox marketing? The website says it is "the strongest downhill fork made." The intended usage: DH. In other places they talk up and down about how racers and freeriders are winning races. They have Kyle Strait at the Rampage doing the biggest, nastiest hucks ever. Nowhere do they say, "It's a little lighter than the others and as a result we can't say for sure if it's as strong." Now, we all have a responsibility to sift through marketing, but if they convince someone to choose their product with that kind of hype, and that person experiences a breakage from typical downhill riding, then they deserve a new lower. Sure there will be cases of abuse, but you know that's not what we're talking about.

They know what people are going to do with these forks. They want people to throw down.

Seriously, this is a good debate, nothing personal. I am talking more about public relations and strategic decisions to keep customers in a competitive market, not what they are technically required to do under their sales literature.

EDIT: Intended use: DH AND Freeride

 

[RhinofromWA]

Oh, but to a certain degree it does. Why do you think Fox sponsors Kyle Strait? That in itself shows that Fox wants to world to believe their forks are on a par with Marzocchi in the big hit market, able to take an incredible amount of abuse most consumers wouldn't consider putting their bikes (much less themselves) through.
And if they don't think a rash of failures that aren't being handled 100% by them isn't giving them some backlash and making people question whether or not their forks are worth the $$, they really are out of touch. Do you really think they intentionally design a fork that only works for buyers with $1600 who weigh less than 165lbs AND consider themselves finesse riders? I'd bet a couple dollars they didn't...

Part of the problem is that some consumer do. Boxxer are all over the circut They twist they fail.....all of them warranty-able? Not really. You want a 7lbs race fork to do drops than guess what....."stuff" happens"

Are you really that steared by marketing that you will buy whatever they say you should regardless of your riding needs/reality?

Define "rash of failures" A little overdramatic are we? The backlash is from the same whiny bicycling public I have been talking about. Waaaaa my too light fork for racing broke when I was using it in the way I define it should be ridden.....waaa

Recipy for disaster....riders demand lightwieght products....then go jumping through the air. No crap somethign has got to give.....how do you get a 7lbs stiff racing fork? It must be magic.

I say offer them lowers for a 100-200 dollars. Cost of riding a light fork. That is the right thing to do. heck you could jsut go out and buy new fork like a MXr would need to have do.

 

[RhinofromWA]

Did you drink the Koolaid or something? If they have an issue (and I am STILL not saying they do, I don't know) and don't address it, I will ask "Where is the company responsibility?"

I don't think iot wsa coolade

Have you looked at any of the Fox marketing? The website says it is "the strongest downhill fork made." The intended usage: DH.

Strongest? Marketing BS. WOuld you readily agree that say an oldschool Monster T is "stronger"?

In other places they talk up and down about how racers and freeriders are winning races. They have Kyle Strait at the Rampage doing the biggest, nastiest hucks ever. Nowhere do they say, "It's a little lighter than the others and as a result we can't say for sure if it's as strong."

so what? The raceres get the forks and win on them...they also get replacement forks if needed....they are SPONSERED

Now, we all have a responsibility to sift through marketing, but if they convince someone to choose their product with that kind of hype, and that person experiences a breakage from typical downhill riding, then they deserve a new lower. Sure there will be cases of abuse, but you know that's not what we're talking about.

There is the "typical" designation again....

They know what people are going to do with these forks. They want people to throw down.

Seriously, this is a good debate, nothing personal. I am talking more about public relations and strategic decisions to keep customers in a competitive market, not what they are technically required to do under their sales literature.

From a public relations standpoint is where the public is out of control. They broke the fork...yet they demand (who the hell are they anyway?) free replacements though the fork has preformed the way a light DH racing fork should. Why is the MTB crowd so freaking freebie crazy? An erra of to light components (early 1990's) warranty claims to win back consumer faith (after 1990's) Public forgets the whole "too light" problem and now expects parts to be replaced if they ever fail....regardless of what they do to them.

If you want a fork you don't have to worry about it isn't going to come in a 7lbs package. That is where the public is ****ing nuts!

 

[OGRipper]

Recipy for disaster....riders demand lightwieght products....then go jumping through the air. No crap somethign has got to give.....how do you get a 7lbs stiff racing fork? It must be magic.

I say offer them lowers for a 100-200 dollars. Cost of riding a light fork. That is the right thing to do. heck you could jsut go out and buy new fork like a MXr would need to have do.

Man we are just not gonna agree on this one. It would be disengenous of them to advertise their products as being capable of hard use AND light weight, then turn around and hide behind some argument about consumer demand in the way you suggest.

You're right that depending on Fox's response, the customers might not have any other option. Except to buy a different fork next time. And that's what will happen.

 

[OGRipper]

From a public relations standpoint is where the public is out of control.

You are saying the public is out of control for believing Fox's own statements about the product. What does that say about those statements?

 

[RhinofromWA]

You are saying the public is out of control for believing Fox's own statements about the product. What does that say about those statements?

1) the maketing is going to say there stuff is the best (actually the cracking of lowers doesn't mean that their stuff isn't the best) Best at what should be the buyers thought.
2) That the bicycle buying public in general so unable to factor in their own real fork needs that they blindly beleive what ever anyone want so tell them.

Fox is just like every other manufacture in the bicycling industry. Playing to the lemmings that are the marketing driven bicuycle public.

BTW....Doesn't everyone say their stuff is superior? Who is right? Not everyone. We need to pull are collective heads out of are arses.