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Fox Racing Shox TALAS RLC 2003 Front Shocks

4.46/5 (57 Reviews)

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MSRP : $699.00


Product Description

The TALAS R, RL, and RLC are the ultimate lightweight freeride suspension forks. The premium PSC chassis SDC damper system and the NEW TALAS air spring system make this the most adjustable fork for the ultimate lightweight freeride bike.
  • Single Schrader air valve allows easy one-time tuning setup
  • Easy spinning TALAS allows on the fly travel adjustment at 3mm per click from 85 to 125mm. Pressure and spring rates change automatically to correct setting as travel is decreased.
  • IFP with Secondary air chamber provides linear air spring through entire travel for the best bump absorption.
  • SLT - 4 custom SLT seals are used in the NEW TALAS system to provide the lowest friction and maintenance.
  • Fox Quality Billet CNC parts used throughout the TALAS system


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Reviews 1 - 15 (57 Reviews Total) | Next 15

User Reviews

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by dtwolfen a Downhiller from enumclaw wa

Date Reviewed: August 22, 2011

Strengths:    love the travel adjust for the uphill and the long travel for the down. spend time to know how to take care of it and it will last.

Weaknesses:    no longer making parts for it so when the dampener went out I sent it back to fox who offered a decreased price on the models

Bottom Line:   
loved this one and never thought to write a review but since it went bad after thousands of miles of use I had to upgrade. Fox did a great job of helping me out and i will write a review of their latest product after the first rebuild.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   northway

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $600.00

Similar Products Used:   marzocchi dj1 rock shocks revelation

Bike Setup:   norco fluid vps with fox 32 float rlc deore xt eight speed and hayes disc brakes
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by David a Weekend Warrior from Reno, NV

Date Reviewed: January 16, 2008

Strengths:    Plush, fully adjustable, The best fork I have ever rided.

Weaknesses:    Leaks a little more than I would like, But any fork is going to seep a little oil past the seals.

Bottom Line:   
This fork is such an insane upgrade over my last fork it is hard to know were to begin. Bottom-Line: I love this fork and would recommend it to anyone who can get their hands on one

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Downieville

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $300.00

Purchased At:   Craigslist

Similar Products Used:   Z1

Bike Setup:   Jamis Dakar, XT/XTR drivetrain, Hayes HFX-9
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Dave a Weekend Warrior from Maui

Date Reviewed: March 26, 2006

Strengths:    Light weight, stiff, adjustable everything

Weaknesses:    Huh?

Bottom Line:   
Not perfect for everyone, but perfect for me. Get a professional to set your suspension for you and most of your complaints will disappear. "PUSH" will custom your ride like a dream. Tell 'em what you want and they WILL deliver. To all the haters out there, stoke somebody out by selling yours to 'em and get something else. There's no one fork for everybody. Keep looking 'til ya find yours!

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   SID,Black,Dropoff,Superfly,Boxxer, 888

Bike Setup:   Switchblade, PUSH TALAS front and rear sus.
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Frank Daugherty a Cross Country Rider from Huntington Beach

Date Reviewed: September 27, 2004

Bottom Line:   
A FOLLOW UP:
I had PUSH Industries to a rebuild on my TALAS R. It's a high speed rebound upgrade along with a "ProPedal" feature w/blowoff that replaces the lock lever. Still sorting out the ProPedal thing, BUT, the new rebound circuitry is amazing. The fork used to sort of compress down into its travel when going down steep stuff. It seemed like it wouldn't rebound back up in time to take the next hit. The PUSH guys put a new thingy (technical term) that stops that from happening and really lets the fork work on high speed stutter bumps. Used to the thing would run wide on me when rounding a corner with braking bumps in it, not anymore. As a bonus, I don't have to run the air pressure as high now, so it's even more supple than it was. I'm off to have the RLC rebuilt.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   San Juan

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $585.00

Purchased At:   ebay

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Jeff Cooper a Cross Country Rider from Olympia, WA USA

Date Reviewed: September 10, 2004

Strengths:    VERY VERY smooth fork..I've tried em all and this fork is by FAR the best! Rebound and compression adjustments are spot on and easy to use. I havn't had any problems with the seals going out, so I'm not sure what thats all about. I like the feel of air very linear, springs have there stong point. Fox did an excellent job with this fork. If you want the best look no further!

Weaknesses:    NONE...wish it would except an 8 inch rotor..but thats about it.

Bottom Line:   
If you want the best this is it...I've tried em all...I will never go back to Rockshock or Manitou..EVER! Marzhochi is about the only product that can compare.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   rock candy loop

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Purchased At:   Came on jamis bike

Similar Products Used:   Manitou EFC, Judy downhill, Judy SL, Marzochi Z1(still using that on my hardtail!)

Bike Setup:   Jamis dekar XLT 2.0, full xt, hayes disc brakes, Monkey light carbon bar, Easton magnesium stem, Thomson seat post, IRC trail bear tires...WTB seat.
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by tom a Racer from philly

Date Reviewed: July 12, 2004

Strengths:    everything

Weaknesses:    that i only own one

Bottom Line:   
Im so impressed with the performance of this fork, that I had to post another review. Its just smooooth everywhere(well I wouldnt take it downhilling). I did a stage race this weekend that included a time trial, short track, hill climb, and to top it off a 21 mile xc race through some awesome east coast singletrack. The fork was one thing i never had to worry about. With all the adjustibility this thing has, it excelled in every event. I used the lockout with blowoff set in the middle for the short track. I dropped the travel for the hill climb. And for the xc and time trial( the time trial was at night, awesome) I ran it around four inches. great fork.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $500.00

Purchased At:   ebay

Similar Products Used:   judy, psylo, z1, sherman breakout, and another manitou, junior t

Bike Setup:   fsr set up as a sweet trail/race bike
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Stu Abuba a Cross Country Rider from Watford, UK

Date Reviewed: June 7, 2004

Strengths:    VERY plush ride. Ultimate settings adjustablity if you spend the time to do it. Excellent quality.

Weaknesses:    Weight of a can of coke heavier than super light forks, but travel has it's price..

Bottom Line:   
£550 Uk price was good. I've given them 300miles of real off road battering and they've come through very well.
Excellent absortion and ride quality when I got the rebound and compression right.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Afan Argoed

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $1000.00

Purchased At:   Cyclopedia, Watford

Similar Products Used:   Judy SL, Pilot, SID race

Bike Setup:   Specialized M5 S-Works With Panaracer Fire XC's, Easton Carbon bars and Thomson stem
Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:2
Submitted by eric from littleton, co. US

Date Reviewed: April 12, 2004

Strengths:    Plush ride, lots of adjustment

Weaknesses:    Seals leak oil, Not user servicable (a real pain if, when you have problems)

Bottom Line:   
As can be seen in numerous reviews, the seal between the right upper tube and the lower body cylinder bleeds oil each time the fork is compressed and drips down the cylinder body and onto my wheel rims during a ride. I would really like to repair this myself to avoid being off of my bike for a week or more and then I could maintain my own fork in the future (changing oil and seals). Unfortunately the manual has some information for maintenance on other Fox Forks shocks, but doesn't give much on the Talus.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Bike Setup:   Klein Palimino Team
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by tom a Cross Country Rider from philly

Date Reviewed: March 17, 2004

Strengths:    i love it

Weaknesses:    none yet. i love it

Bottom Line:   
i love it. it took me three rides of playin with knobs to find the settings i liked. worth the effort! this thing is one of the best riding forks ive ridden so far. i love the talas for long steep climbs, just crank down the travel and my bike instantly becomes a climbing machine. lock it out with the threshhold on low, and its like a stable platform fork. I LOVE IT!

it is exspensive though. look for a user on ebay named DOWNTUBE1. he always seems to have these forks. if you get lucky you might score one cheap, since he posts them with no reserve.

BUY IT! I LOVE IT!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   got dirt

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $500.00

Purchased At:   ebay

Similar Products Used:   various rock shox, sherman breakout( i love that one also for differeent reasons) junior t

Bike Setup:   this fork is on my xc bike
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Frank Daugherty a Cross Country Rider from Huntington Beach CA

Date Reviewed: February 22, 2004

Strengths:    Stiffness, precision steering, plushness and rising rate big bump absorption

Weaknesses:    High $$, but you get what you pay for. Adding to one reviewer, they do seem to fall into the works great from the start and don't work at all from the start. Wierd.

Bottom Line:   
Had to think about this for awhile. My '98 Z-1 was an amazing fork. Completely tunable, oil wt. and volume changes, factory progressive springs etc. Took about 3 months and a damaged shoulder from a factory underfill to get it right. With the factory tools, seals are easy to change, oil changes take 5 minutes, etc. The TALAS is WAY better. Climbing is a breeze, as you'd expect. Big hit bumps are better with the rising rate you get from air. (Yes, I know if you have 8-9 inches of downhill fork, springs are really nice.) This is much stiffer and more precise than the Z-1. Now that it's broken in, it's really plush. As plush as the Z-1, no. That thing would suck up stutter bumps like nothing else. Compared to the Z-1 ECC I bought to lock down for climbing, this is a jewel. That was crap. It didn't do anything right except climb fire roads. Yes, this is expensive, no it isn't as plush as the best springers, no it isn't even as plush as the non-travel-change Floats, but for a do it all, do it all really well, (cross your fingers you get a good one) this this is just the best. I've sold two of them letting friends ride my bike. I bought an R model to put on my no-name ti hardtail to replace a Psylo Race (do you think I really like travel adjustments??) Wrote a separate review on that. For the money, probably buy an RL, I don't use the compression adjustment that much. Bottom line, save up the beer money and buy one.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   San Juan

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $585.00

Purchased At:   ebay

Similar Products Used:   Psylo '02

Bike Setup:   '02 Tracer w/Fox Float RL
Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:2
Submitted by Big Worm a Cross Country Rider from Seattle

Date Reviewed: January 19, 2004

Strengths:    Good ride.

Weaknesses:    Broken out of the box. Talas system doesn't extend after it has been compressed. At least not without getting off your bike and pushing down as hard as you can on the brake arch. Only about 115 of actual travel. I only have 122mm of stantion tube showing.

Bottom Line:   
This seems to be a problem with these forks. Too bad they don't test these things a little before they sell.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $550.00

Purchased At:   Supergo

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Mike Allen a Cross Country Rider from France

Date Reviewed: January 15, 2004

Strengths:    It's all been said!

Weaknesses:    None so far

Bottom Line:   
One of the main reasons for buying this bike, along with the great value for money group set.
Has not disappointed at all. Great adjustability, rock solid, smooth as you like.
I've had no problems with oil leakage this far. Holds the air pressure well (1 top-up in 6 months).

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Esterel Nat. Park, France

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Similar Products Used:   Manitou

Bike Setup:   2003 Enduro Pro
Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:3
Submitted by Jay a Cross Country Rider from Milwaukee, WI

Date Reviewed: January 2, 2004

Strengths:    Plush Ride. Adjustability.

Weaknesses:    Pumps more oil than Jed Clampett's back yard

Bottom Line:   
I would give this fork the best review if grading only performance and would look no further. However, this little issue of pumping oil all over everything takes some of the fun out of owning $700 forks. On my last ride, (temp. approx. 25 degrees) my riding buddies actually watched as a little bubble formed around the right fork seal while oil oozed out creating a pipeline to the ground. Fox states this is "normal" and to just wipe them off and ride.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Similar Products Used:   Marzocchi Z-1 Bam

Bike Setup:   Stock Liquid 30
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Dan a Cross Country Rider from Wethersfield, Ct, USA

Date Reviewed: December 29, 2003

Strengths:    Very Nice Fork! Pretty light for what I expected compared to my old fork. Has adjustable travel of 80-125 mm so they say. Nice recoil, lockout, and compression damping. The recoil and compression damping offer a number of different configurations. Nice lock-out with a threshold adjuster. This thing is built like a tank with very nice elements (magnesium, aluminum, etc...). So far is a great fork.

Weaknesses:    Air pump valve is a little tricky to take off. Lock out swith interferes with the compression damping. I had some slight oil residue around the bottom of the lockout when I first bought the fork. It was probably not properly cleaned when the fork was put together. For such an expensive fork you would think that the stickers would be a little bit more eye catching. Also, for such and expensive fork you would like to try to protect your investment with some boots of stanchion guards. It's hard to find a guard for such an irregular traveling fork.

Bottom Line:   
This is a very nice fork. The best trail riding fork on the market. If you want toughness, durability, and being able to have a large combination of adjustability this is the fork for you.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Seven Wonders

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $629.00

Purchased At:   Santa Clause

Similar Products Used:   Fox float r rear shox.

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Marcus75 a Weekend Warrior from LA, CALI

Date Reviewed: December 12, 2003

Strengths:    Adjustable, durable and fairly light.

Weaknesses:    None as far as performance but can be expensive if you buy this by itself.

Bottom Line:   
I got this stock with my Enduro Pro. It was one of the major reason I got the Enduro Pro. All the reviews are correct on this fork THIS IS ONE AWESOME FORK! This fork can withstand any punishment. The construction is very solid and is very light for a freeride type fork. The ride is very plush, I don't feel that this ride like a coil like some other riders. Maybe they should adjust the rebound? I love to adjust the travel, for the long climb, I adjust it to 100mm and for downhill I adjust it to 130mm so I can blast down!

This is a must for anyone who goes "all mountain" or very rough terrains. As far as value, this is pretty expensive but you get one of the best quality forks out there. 5 Chills all around!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Local Mountain

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   This is my first REAL fork on a REAL bike.

Bike Setup:   Specialized Enduro Pro w/ Time Z Pedals, Answer Protaper Carbon Handlebar and continential survivial pro tire for the rear.
Reviews 1 - 15 (57 Reviews Total) | Next 15

Review Options:  Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating

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