[bURKeNSTiEN]

Hi everyone, im new here.

I've got a Fox Float 100RLC which has just gone back to the distributors because there's a bad sounding creak coming from the crown area.

Has anyone else had/heard of anything like this?

I saw one post on mtbr about it, but that's it.

Just trying to see if it's potentially a known issue as it's kind of a pain to drop $1250 (australia) on a fork and have it creak after only 2 months of XC trail riding....

I've had to go back to my '99 Z1 drop off which has survived god knows what without a hiccup.

Hope to hear from Fox soon as to what the remedy is (new fork/uppers I hope)

Cheers

 

[D_D]

I had the same problem with some 00 Z2 atom 80 forks. The whole fork was replaced with the 01 model under warrenty.

It seams to be a bit of a problem with a lot of bonded crowns.

Just hope the replacement is better, riding a bike that is making that much noise from the fork is un-nerving to say the least.

 

[Ridemonkey]

I've heard of a lot of these creaking problems. Hopefully Fox has worked this issue out for 2003. Maybe they will give you the 2003 crown.....

 

[bURKeNSTiEN]

Thanks for the replies!

Other than the creaking sounds I've got to say this fork friggn rocks. So much lighter than my Z1, steepens the head angle nicely, lockout is bliss on climbs.... But the creak!!

oh well hope she gets fixed

 

[crashing_sux]

I'll be sending my fork back to fox soon to get fixed. I love the fork when it works, but after only a few months of riding the damping has gotten weaker and weaker. I notice it most when using the lockout, which is a compression damping lockout, if I don't have my compression damping turned up all the way the lockout is worthless, even with the compression damping set to max the compression lockout is much weaker today than it was a couple of months ago.

I've tried adjusting the lockout blowoff settings to maximum and minimum and while there is a difference it just isn't the same as it was a couple of months ago where lockout meant it only moved about half an inch while standing and pedaling hard, now locked out it moves about an inch and a half

This is on the Vanilla RLC.

- Shane

 

[bURKeNSTiEN]

I got my fork back last week thankfully.
They replaced the steer tube/crown/stancions assembly.

They claim this is the last time they will provide me with any warranty. If it happens again I'm on my own they say... Not the best service for a cross country fork that retails in Australia for $1600... Not like its an RST or some budget fork like that.

Additionally, they claim that the creaking is because
"the fork caps were found to be barely 'nipped up' and the rebound dail retaining bolt showed that it had been removed, showing the caps had been worked on. The fork caps must be tightened to the correct torque settings which are given on page 8 of the owners manual. the fork caps are an integral part of the crown/fork tube interface and if not correctly tightened this junction can loosen leading to creaking and potential failure of the fork"

So they basically are trying to blame me for the problem, saying that I have taken apart the fork & not assembled it again properly. This is simply not the case, I haven't even touched the fork except to cut the steer tube to install on my bike. It was only 3 rides old when I began to experience the noise.

I am pleased it is fixed but I am not satisfied with their cleaning of their hands with the warranty issue. I'd be happy to accept it if I had actually taken the fork apart, but I have not.

Also, as far as I can tell, the whole crown/fork tube assembly is cyrofitted together and not held together with any bolts at all, therefore even if the fork cap was loose I can't see how that would effect anything as it seems it just holds the fork internals inside the fork tube...


Anyway, I hope I dont have any more problems!

 

[Echo]

Hmm their explanation sounds pretty fishy

 

[bURKeNSTiEN]

My thoughts exactly echo!
Well I'm just pleased it's working again. Hopefully it's a once off thing.
Other than this problem, the fork itself absolutely rocks, I love the adjustability, the lock out is sensational & it is super plush.

 

[teamed]

easy fix for fox issues. leave the marzocchi on your bike since it never gave you any trouble and sell the fox off to cut your losses.

 

[bURKeNSTiEN]

teamed - I think blatant product bashing like that helps no-one.


Update - I've have had the fork back on the bike for a few weeks now, numerous XC rides under it again, and no noise!
No more squeak, it's a nice thing.

Ultra nice fork the Float100.... Totally Lovin' it

 

[teamed]

Well bURKeNSTiEN
Having worked on bombers for ten years or so and experiencing next to no issues that could not be addressed in house I have had more trouble with the fox fork in the short time its been on the market than in all thoose years working on bombers.
The day I posted the response to your posting I had just received a brand new fork back from fox that they had serviced after being ridden for only one month due to the lock out failing.
It took almost three weeks for fox to get this fork back to me.
When the fork left it was set in 125mm travel. When it was returned it was in 100mm travel. We opened the fork to return it to 125mm to find they had left one of the travel spacers out so we could not return the fork to the desired travel. The new spacer arrived we took the fork apart again only to find that they sent the wrong spacer. So we had to overhaul this fork four times so far wasting four hour of shop time. When I contacted fox about sending it to them to convert it back to 125 they told us they do not provide travel adjust service. They are correcting the travel issue at fox now. (We loaned the customer an old Z1 off one of my bikes while this wis all going on and he wants to buy it.)
Anyway you are correct. No need for product bashing. I should have just expressed my love for the bomber and not vented my bad day with fox.
Enjoy you fork and your holidays.

 

[bURKeNSTiEN]

I'd just like to post a follow up here in the many months after I had the crowns replaced.

Since the crown was replaced, the fork has worked absolutely perfectly. I couldn't be happier with it.
I have since reduced it to 80mm travel & simply love it

 

[oldfart]

My buddy just got his Float RLC back from Fox for the same creaking issues. The notes he got from Cycleworks in Edmonton who do the Fox work in Canada said the stanchions were slightly off spec and too small. He got a new crown -steerer-stanchion new wipers and oil, no charge except I think he said $20 shipping.

My TALAS wasn't getting full travel. It was around 20mm short so I sent it in through my shop about May 10th, a Saturday. It was shippedby my shop on May 12th to Edmonton. They can't service TALAS shocks because they haven't received the tools yet. I got the fork back June 9th. In the meantime I missed a couple races but I had my roadbike and a spare but oversprung for me psylo on the Mountainbike. I rode it last night and it is better but its still not full travel. About 10mm short now. I'll fiddle with air pressures and see if it can be made to work better, but I'm not pleased.

The bike industry in general can learn a lot from the auto industry with respect to customer service. Offer good service. Fast warrantee or other repairs and customers will return. Treat people poorly, chrge them shipping for valid warrantee work on a $1000+ part and not fix it completely and guess what, customers will bad mouth you and not buy your stuff anymore. I had to pay $25 shipping to have my fork serviced for a warrantee issue that it would appear was not fixed. How bogus is that. And there was no explanation of what they did or found with the fork.

I'm not too pleased at the moment.

 

[biggins]

my friend had that noise and went to the dirt jumps ended up snapping both stanchions out of the crown. he returned it and had to pay a crash replacement fee. even though he did not crash. his new fork was supposed to not have the same problem. went to the dirt jumps and snapped the one that he had for about 1.5 months. he called them and they said crash replacement fee again. he asked them if they would just replace it with a marzochi and they did not find the humor in the. both for ks broke without casing the jumps. he is not the smoothest dirt jumpeer but he certainly has some skills and flow. i think that fox forks are not bad forks they just are not tough forks.

 

[LFB]

Oldfart,
While I will agree that the bicycle industry is far short on customer service, I have not had any luck with the automobile industry, specifically from Honda, Toyota and Dodge. The companies and their dealers have been scammers. Service has been poor with generally incompetent mechanics (I usually end up performing the repairs after they are unable/unwilling to). I hope the bicycle industry doesn't take after the auto industry (which learns from the airline industry).

Nonetheless, I'm sorry to hear about the bad luck with your Talas.

 

[Kornphlake]

I hate to bring up all the issues I had with my vanilla RL again, but it seems that every issue I had with that fork has been covered. My biggest compliant wasn't that the fork needed to be serviced, every product needs some service sooner or later, even good products make it off the line with defects but what I found frustrating was the fact that Fox insisted you return the fork to nowheresville cali for service. Last time I checked Marzocchi and Manitou forks are user serviceable and can be repaired by just about any shop with a competent mechanic. That shure beats waiting a couple of weeks for the UPS guy to return the fork without even knowing what was wrong in the first place or what was done to fix it.

 

[oldfart]

That's really what I hate, the down time. In this day and age you can overnight ship stuff just about anywhere on this continent. There's no excuse for a 4 week wait. None. If I'm paying for work I expect to pay shipping. But warrantee? Its covered or its not. If its covered, why should the customer pay? The tools and manuals should be made available to shops or service providers too.

I fixed the travel last night. We let all the air out and my big friend, about 230#s bumped it enough to burp the wiper up and a little oil came out too. Went home and removed about 5cc out of the damper side and now all is good in the world again.