[Kornphlake]

After blowing my 5th element for the 4th time in a year I'm getting a little frustrated. I don't even ride that hard, anybody that rides with me will attest I take the smallest lines of anybody in the group which makes my bad luck pretty frustrating. Now before you all spout out avalanche, I don't have any money at the moment and an avalanche would certainly be out of the question. If I'm going to get anything it's gotta be used and it's gotta be worth having. I wouldn't mind owning a pushed fox vanilla but they may end up being like the romics that were great for the first 6 months then nothing but problems. Anybody know of any problems with swingers, do they need service every 4 months like my Progressive? Has romic sorted out their problems yet? What about stratos or risse, are they still supporting rear shocks they may have made that are worth having? I'm just so dissapointed with the reliability of my 5th element I'd be willing to sacrifice a little performance just to be able to ride.

I'll consider any 7.88 x 2.25 avalanches if somebody has one to sell

 

[me89]

sounds like you just got dealt a ****y hand. save your money buy a new avalanch or if you got enough faith buy a fox. or you can buy another 5th element and hopefully it wont be a piece of **** like the last one. cause im pretty sure that most of the riders at the rampage road them and they seemed to last. also what did you have the air preasure set too. cause if you run too much preasure you will have probs or if you run too little. im just throwin out some ideas but good luck with what you get. and i think stratos and risse are out of the rear shock buis but dont quote me on that.peace and good luck.

ohh and my friend just send his swinger in for service and waited 2 weeks for it to get back to him and found that they forgot some parts so thats like another 2 weeks so stay away from swingers if you can. peace

 

[Jm_]

The shock that "doesn't blow" is not a 5th Element. It is not a Swinger. It is not a Romic. It is not a Vanilla.

 

[.:Jeenyus:.]

The shock that "doesn't blow" is not a 5th Element. It is not a Swinger. It is not a Romic. It is not a Vanilla.

Avalanche?

 

[BMXman]

hate to break it to yu you but there is no such thing as a shock that doesn't fail....you need to take a look at other possibilities...it may not be the shock...could be frame aligment or many other variables involved....D

 

[Transcend]

After blowing my 5th element for the 4th time in a year I'm getting a little frustrated. I don't even ride that hard, anybody that rides with me will attest I take the smallest lines of anybody in the group which makes my bad luck pretty frustrating. Now before you all spout out avalanche, I don't have any money at the moment and an avalanche would certainly be out of the question. If I'm going to get anything it's gotta be used and it's gotta be worth having. I wouldn't mind owning a pushed fox vanilla but they may end up being like the romics that were great for the first 6 months then nothing but problems. Anybody know of any problems with swingers, do they need service every 4 months like my Progressive? Has romic sorted out their problems yet? What about stratos or risse, are they still supporting rear shocks they may have made that are worth having? I'm just so dissapointed with the reliability of my 5th element I'd be willing to sacrifice a little performance just to be able to ride.

I'll consider any 7.88 x 2.25 avalanches if somebody has one to sell

What exactly were the issues you were having? Lots of things can cause a shock to fail. From bad setup, to faulty parts, to a misaligned frame, to improper mounting hardware. You would be surprised what a small misalignment in mounting can do to a shock..it will literally completely obliterate the inner workings of a shock.

When i was with fox, i saw pistons heads torn off shafts during a run and just about every part inside the shock get destroyed just by having a shock bolt get bent.

In conclusion, any shock will fail. Take precautions, and have it set up properly, and almost every shock on the market will give you a decent lifespan. (this of course precludes any manufacturing defect, which can happen with any manufacturer)

 

[cali4niabiker]

After blowing my 5th element for the 4th time in a year I'm getting a little frustrated. I don't even ride that hard, anybody that rides with me will attest I take the smallest lines of anybody in the group which makes my bad luck pretty frustrating. Now before you all spout out avalanche, I don't have any money at the moment and an avalanche would certainly be out of the question. If I'm going to get anything it's gotta be used and it's gotta be worth having. I wouldn't mind owning a pushed fox vanilla but they may end up being like the romics that were great for the first 6 months then nothing but problems. Anybody know of any problems with swingers, do they need service every 4 months like my Progressive? Has romic sorted out their problems yet? What about stratos or risse, are they still supporting rear shocks they may have made that are worth having? I'm just so dissapointed with the reliability of my 5th element I'd be willing to sacrifice a little performance just to be able to ride.

I'll consider any 7.88 x 2.25 avalanches if somebody has one to sell

Hmm... a couple of ?s and possible problems:
(1) Is the compression "off" or within 1 turn to the "off" position? If you have the compression dialed way up, that can be the root of blown shocks (i.e., dialed up comp = shock harder to compress = higher pressures in the reservior = seal failure due to extreme pressures). If you feel the need to dial up the compression, you might want to try a heavier rated spring.
(2) Is the frame alignment ok? Misaligned frames can spell trouble for any shock there is out there, no matter how good the shock manufacturer is.

Hope this will help you isolate the problem and prevent future blowouts...

-CAbiker

 

[DH Dad]

Any shock can blow but that being said your best bet is an Avalanche. Save up your $$$ now. I've got an Avy on my RFX and I drop with confidence these days unlike my previous Vanilla RC which the rebound almost bucked me over the bars numerous times and the compression was simply controlled by my 600# spring.

Got a Romic on my new DHR, came with it, and it's OK so far but I haven't pushed the limits of that bike and my never. I personally have many friends that have had to send their Romic back and recently as well on 2004 frames that came with it. One lost rebound control and one lost the compression know in his hand when he tried to turn it. I also know just as many who have not had a problem with the Romic yet including myself.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Avalanche is definatly your best bet.

 

[Matt D]

hardtail

 

[biggins]

hmmm all shocks blow. however i have never had one blow up on me. no matter how hard i ride or how hard i wreck. to top it off i ride a fox rear shock that is way old on my sgs, its the one with only one adjustment knob. oh yeah you can tighten down the spring also. i think the problem is that these things are just getting way to technical. more parts and adjustments equals more crap to blow out.

 

[RhinofromWA]

my 1998 or 99 Fox Vanilla is still going strong. That doesn't help you I know, but just letting you know that some shocks do last....evenFox Vanilla's.

I would be looking for other culprets outside the shock too. I hav eno idea how you check for the frame being a little off...

That has got to be frustrating...I feal for you.

Rhino

 

[Kornphlake]

Thanks for the responses, I don't think my frame is out of alignment, I have a Yeti as-x, because of the linkage I don't think the swingarm would move if something wasn't aligned. By blown shock I mean the damping just quits working. The other times this has happened it's been the compression, the second time the compression and rebound went at about the same time, this time it's just the rebound. I run the reccomended air pressure, little to no compression damping, no more than the reccomended preload.

Is it normal to have to service a shock every 2-3 dozen rides? I'm thinking my shock is really a manufacturer defect, most people say their shocks need service about once a year, even people who ride more than I do. I expect to have to replace a seal or change the oil occasionally as routine mantinance, since rear shocks are not user serviceable it's nice to keep that stuff to a minimum though, or at least replace anything that may be worn all at once so you don't have to keep sending a shock in to replace parts that don't wear as fast as others.

 

[Wingnut]

I had issues with oil leaking from my compression knobs on my 03 Swinger 6way. Manitou said I had adjusted the compression knob too far out, and the o ring had been cut. I have had no issues with is since they rebuilt it, exept for the compression adjuster needles not having any notches left to actually adjust them. :mumble: (Funny thing is, it came back from warranty that way, and even had Swinger 4way decals!?! Fishy?)

Now I adjust them with a hex key, but the shock itself has put up with a fair bit of abuse from me. I don't land anything very nicely, and it has not blown and runs quite smoothly. Overall: I am impressed with the shock, unimpressed with the service center.

 

[buildyourown]

Take a piece of aluminum rod an drill two holes in it. Install it in place of your shock. It will never blow.

Honestly, the best luck I've ever had was with the Vanilla RC on my S8. It blew once after a year which is expected considering the shock ratio on that bike. After a fox rebuild, it worked flawlessly ever since.

 

[BullittX]

So Dan, I gather you won't be hitting Anderson today. Too bad about your 5th, I've had no trouble with either of mine, the one on my Bullit is at least 2 years old with only 1 service to it. The one on my Heckler is a little over 1 year old with no service to it, yet. The only issue I have is worn bushings.

I'd send it back for repair but start looking for a used Fox and have it Pushed, then keep the 5th as a back up.

mark@sdmba.com

 

[Eigil]

Try another 5th Element. Maybe they'll just give you an entirely new one for having all this trouble.

 

[Kornphlake]

Nope no anderson today... or for the next couple weeks probablly. I'll be sending it back to progressive reguardless, when the shock works I like the way it feels, I just don't like having to send it in for service. I didn't think progressives had a reputation for the amount of trouble that I've had, most people say their's work well and don't need an abnormal amount of service. Why is it I always get the lemon?

 

[Damn True]

After blowing my 5th element for the 4th time in a year I'm getting a little frustrated. I don't even ride that hard, anybody that rides with me will attest I take the smallest lines of anybody in the group which makes my bad luck pretty frustrating. Now before you all spout out avalanche, I don't have any money at the moment and an avalanche would certainly be out of the question. If I'm going to get anything it's gotta be used and it's gotta be worth having. I wouldn't mind owning a pushed fox vanilla but they may end up being like the romics that were great for the first 6 months then nothing but problems. Anybody know of any problems with swingers, do they need service every 4 months like my Progressive? Has romic sorted out their problems yet? What about stratos or risse, are they still supporting rear shocks they may have made that are worth having? I'm just so dissapointed with the reliability of my 5th element I'd be willing to sacrifice a little performance just to be able to ride.

I'll consider any 7.88 x 2.25 avalanches if somebody has one to sell

Any shock will eventually blow.

But as to your problem....how much pressure are you running in your IFP?

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Any shock will eventually blow.

But as to your problem....how much pressure are you running in your IFP?

I know yours will never blow cause you never ride your bike.

 

[Damn True]

I know yours will never blow cause you never ride your bike.

It's all part of my plan to take over the world!!!!!


Actually, been riding a lot lately. Just very little DH. Soon though........muahahahahahahahahaha!

 

[mandown]

it is similar to the avy (some say ripoff). mine worked great when i used it on my iron horse frame. now i am using an avy on my bb7 and it works great too.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

It's all part of my plan to take over the world!!!!!


Actually, been riding a lot lately. Just very little DH. Soon though........muahahahahahahahahaha!

Why don't you ride N* this weekend?

 

[Kornphlake]

it is similar to the avy (some say ripoff). mine worked great when i used it on my iron horse frame. now i am using an avy on my bb7 and it works great too.

If I hadn't already read your PM that would have made no sense.

how much pressure are you running in your IFP?

I've been running 75-100 psi

I just talked to Johnny at progressive, they said sometimes an o-ring will get nicked during assembly and cause the damping to fail prematurely. Johnny assured me that every shock that gets sent in for any reason gets a complete rebuild. A shock that gets sent in for an oil change will be torn down and if a bushing needs replaced it gets replaced. I guess I'll see how things go this time around, hopefully no o-rings will get nicked this time.

 

[Acadian]

Avalanche is definatly your best bet.

ya that is what I hear...they don't "blow" but they "suck" :devil:

sorry, had to throw that one out there...you may resume with normal programming.

 

[Damn True]

Why don't you ride N* this weekend?

I have a hard time refering to it as such, but I will be "working".

I may be able to make it out there on the 14th, but will be out of the country on the weekend of the 21st and hopefully in Durango the following weekend.

 

[Damn True]

ya that is what I hear...they don't "blow" but they "suck" :devil:

sorry, had to throw that one out there...you may resume with normal programming.

tushy, douche, oh yeah......it's touche

 

[Repack]

... many other variables involved....

I agree with that. My 5e hasn't been touched since I got my M1 the first year they came out. I does need servicing, but it is far from blown- it only needs routine service.

 

[The Rose]

I run a manitou swinger and I've had good luck with it so far. I have done some research into Stratos shocks and I have come away pretty impressed with the products they offer. Their full DH rear shock is called the El Jeffe. And from what I can tell is pretty beefy, and the price ( under 400 bucks ) isn't bad either.

 

[Acadian]

I have a hard time refering to it as such, but I will be "working".

I may be able to make it out there on the 14th, but will be out of the country on the weekend of the 21st and hopefully in Durango the following weekend.

have you sold that white thang yet and replaced it with a big "S"?

 

[-BB-]

I know yours will never blow cause you never ride your bike.

Nor will yours since you only ride around your Cul-de-sac :nuts:

 

[Damn True]

have you sold that white thang yet and replaced it with a big "S"?

LOL, the replacement isn't quite available yet.
More info to come my friend.

For now the white one is in the garage (my roomie rode the heck out of it at Whistler for a couple weeks, see leelikesbikes for photos). I may sell it to him when the time comes. Almost hate to see it go.....that thing is soooo dialed.

 

[Acadian]

LOL, the replacement isn't quite available yet.
More info to come my friend.

For now the white one is in the garage (my roomie rode the heck out of it at Whistler for a couple weeks, see leelikesbikes for photos). I may sell it to him when the time comes. Almost hate to see it go.....that thing is soooo dialed.

oh I've seen the pics...

let me guess...you're getting the shorter travel one?

 

[Joe Pozer]

LOL, the replacement isn't quite available yet.
More info to come my friend.

For now the white one is in the garage (my roomie rode the heck out of it at Whistler for a couple weeks, see leelikesbikes for photos). I may sell it to him when the time comes. Almost hate to see it go.....that thing is soooo dialed.

If the Giant is in your garage, could you send the saddle to its rightful owner? ...It has been six months :nuts:

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Nor will yours since you only ride around your Cul-de-sac :nuts:

Dats true

 

[azonicbruce]

You've got to be kidding me. It's in for service again? Man you've got THE WORST luck with shocks. Worse then anybody I've every known, that's for sure.

Whatever you do, don't try and fix it yourself and almost kill your wife as the Rebound Damping rod goes shooting across the room, richoceting off the cinder-block wall and spewing oil everywhere (dang that nitrogen!).