[digital2k8]

Hey guys,
So for years I ran a Fox Vanilla coil sprung 5" fork. When I bought my Giant Trance X1 it came with the 2008 Fox F120RL fork on it. An air sprung fork.

So I follow the Fox setup instructions and set the sag to about 25% of the 4.7" of travel (funny as this bike is sold as a 5"x5" bike). After a couple break in rides I noticed I was barely using any travel still. So I upped the sag to about 30% of the 4.7". Still, I could only use about 3.3" of travel on the fork in bottom out impact type situations.

So I upped it again to ~33+% sag. At this point the fork is sitting pretty darn low in the travel and the first 1/3rd of the stroke is supper soft-marshmellowy. HOWEVER(!) even now, when I ram into a curb head on (as a test) to bottom it out, I still can't get it to use more than about 3.8" of travel. This is crazy. I have to let out so much air that it's about 50% sag before I can slam into something and get it to lightly bottom.

I called fox and they said that I need to get used to that style of fork as it's progressive and it ramps up at the end much more than my old linear coil fork. I understand that concept, but this seems pretty ridiculous considering it's a 4.7" fork and at 33%+ sag in the most extreme riding conditions I can throw at it it never goes beyond about 3.7" of travel. They said I could send it in but that it was probably working fine and I'd have to pay the $120 or whatever it was to service it--which they said would probably turn up nothing.

Does anyone have experience with this fork or other Fox air forks?? Is this common?? I thought I was buying a 5"x5" bike and it's more like 3.7"x5".

BTW, my local bike stores are no help. I live in the midwest and no one knows how to rebuild/work on/check suspension forks.

Thanks!
D

 

[slowitdown]

how do you figure that you know better than Fox what the fork should be doing? it sounds like the fork is working fine, but you assume it's supposed to be doing something else. I don't see the problem.

 

[masnumata]

I have exactly the same problem!!! (My GF loaned me the fork for a few months and even I, a 200 pound rider couldn't get more than 70% of the stated 140mm travel while doing all sorts of pounding... I can only barely get it to bottom when sag is around 50% which is crazy.)

I too feel cheated to not get full travel if I pay good money for a fork expecting the amount of travel but just get 60-70% of the travel. IMO it's just rubbish aka B.S if the spokesperson tells u that it's because of the progressiveness etc etc of the fork that the fork will only use near it's full travel when u do a 5 foot drop and land badly blablabla....

I did exactly what you did, there's nothing wrong with the fork, it's the bad design of the air spring (too simple, yes it sucks big time I don't know what happened on the Forx Float 08 models, I've seen the same problem on the TALAS and the Float, only getting 60-70% of full travel; I've had a look inside the air apring side of the Float 140 too, quite disappointed at how simple the air spring is to the point of being cheap )

That's the year I realised that the Fox brand of Forx had become overhyped.
Fortunately the 2009 TALAS doesn't suffer from the travel problem anymore.... But one year's bad products is already enough to steer me clear of the brand in the future (Not to say that their products are very affordable either...)

So it would be best IMO if you sell off the fork and get something else like a Rockshox Reba if you wanna stick to an air fiork (so much cheaper and so many times better, getting a coil Tora or Recon would be even better, no air spring stiction to think about) to replace the 08 fox fork.... (Don't go for the Manitou minute Mars air models too as they also have the same travel issue as the air spring design is extremely similar, I'm not sure about the Noble air series though...)

There is also a modification you could do to your push rod to increase the air chamber in the air spring, but it would void the warranty/get your hands dirty/might screw up if you do it wrongly issue and it would also just get u slightly more useable travel....

U can have a look here to have more insight into the problem:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=5080193#poststop

Best would be to sell off the fork IMO~
Hope this helps~
Mas

P.S: Perhaps the even better solution would be for you to re-use the Fox Vanilla, I own one and it's the only saving grace for Fox for me haha~

 

[ellbiddy]

Before bashing the fork check out: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=292295

 

[slowitdown]

Before bashing the fork check out: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=292295

Davide doesn't know jack schitt. He's an e-professor. A huge poseur.

I'm not sure why non-riding, non-mechanic people think that they know better than Fox Racing Shox how to design a fork. Some gorilla comes along and thinks he knows what a fork is supposed to work like... doesn't read Fox's instructions, doesn't set it up properly, and then comes onto the Internet to complain that the fork isn't doing what HE thinks it should do -- even if it is doing precisely what Fox says it should do.

It's one of the great things about the internet being public -- fools have just as much right to post as wise people; liars can post crap as if it were true.

 

[masnumata]

Is it just me or does the guy above sound a little over the top being too protective of the fork that doesn't work properly?

Look, the dude originally owned a Vanilla coil fork and he had no complaints, that's because that fork worked and got full travel without any need of tinkering with the fork- it worked right out of the box, period.

Comes along the Float that he sets up correctly with the right sag, but doesn't get the full travel. Isn't it obvious that the guy was comparing the Float to his previous fork the vanilla, which gave him full travel at the right sag..... I too own a a '06 Vanilla R 130mm and I get full travel out of it with the right sag, as compared to the float which i could not get more than 60-70% of the full claimed travel even with the right sag.

So if you're one of the people who don't feel that this is an issue, then don't bother to reply to the thread where the other people who actually use the product and find something wrong with it even after reading the manufacturer's instructions and following every detail.

Mas

P.S: After reading the link that Elbiddy showed, I'm even more convinced that the Float fork suffers from the travel issue not just for 1 year, but for 2 years in a row.... And the solution requires the owner to get his hands dirty after paying sooooo much for the fork (it's not cheap by the way)..... And the simple solution of draining the oil out from the air side, and a little from the damping side, doesn't work much coz I tried it already.

 

[ellbiddy]

It's an issue only for some, like it said it's designed to be very progressive at the top 15-20mm , I have a float 140 and get full travel, it is what it is and if it's not what you want than the fork isn't for you unless you really like the feel you can follow some ideas in that thread....I would not however start hacksawing stuff heh. If it's REALLY an issue that chamber you attach to the valve seems to work really well (it's $100).

 

[zebrahum]

Sorry to break up the useless bashing with an attempt to help this guy, but

Check the air piston side, there's a chance there is too much float fluid on the piston. This can limit the travel. You can check the exact amount that should be in there on Fox's technical site. Off the top of my head it's like 3 - 5ml, or just enough to cover the piston completely.