Submitted by
chris mitchell
a Weekend Warrior
from henderson, nv
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2004
Strengths: works very well when it works. takes the small bumps well and handles the big bumps like butter.
Weaknesses: it flat blew up on me once. bottom of a short steep hill, shock rockets it's innards upward and shoots oil all over me.
Bottom Line:
fox fixed it under warranty. unfortunately all three of the fox shocks products i have purchased have crapped out in under a year though. the engineering is quite simple so if you are mechanically inclined you can learn to perform your own service. it seems bike shop employees love fox shocks but they also get their stuff serviced free. one honest bike shop employee layed it out for me honestly, "the forks are great but you have to have a spare to put on while your other one is being serviced".
Submitted by
Jason Tan
a Weekend Warrior
from Auckland, NZ/KL, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2004
Strengths: Not heavy for the amount of travel it's got, very good quality finish (anodized metal knobs, etc), super plush
Weaknesses: Paint chips off real easily. No big deal
Bottom Line:
Bloody plush fork, especially for someone like me who weighs 130lbs, it's hard to get a long-travel fork suited to my weight. Could only ever get 90mm travel from my DJs but that might have been solved with a lighter spring. Anyway, these forks are super-adjustable; use the correct weight spring and you'll be happy with it. They're not cheap, but worth every cent.
Weaknesses: To much Flex. Compresses to much when pedaling. Terrible big hit capabilities.
Bottom Line:
If you are an aggressive rider do not buy this fork. As much as I tinkered with this fork I could never get to the point where I felt comfortable. I tried different springs and when that didn’t do it I tried different oil weights but I just couldn’t get the feel I wanted. Another thing that annoyed me was that it moved too much under pedaling, you have to lock up the fork, if not you’ll feel your poggoing all over the place. When going through big hits such as jumps or G outs and the fork bottoms out it has a tendency to rebound in a very weird way that it just doesn’t inspire confidence. IF YOU WANT THE BEST TRAIL FORK OUT THERE BUY A MAVERICK FORK. I have been riding this fork for about a month and it’s the stiffest fork I have ever ridden. Imagine a fork that’s as light as a SID but as stiff as a Boxxer. I can climb better on this fork than I ever did on the Fox and descend like never before. If you don’t want to shell out big $$$ then go with the Minute or the Z1 or even the Talas but do not buy a Vanilla.
Similar Products Used: Marzochi Z1, Minute, Talas 125 RLC, Maverick Fork (the Best)
Bike Setup: Foes FXR with the works (Curnutt Shox, tubless tires, all XTR etc)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Neville
a Cross Country Rider
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2003
Strengths: Plenty available on the secondhand market.
Weaknesses: Noise : These forks have made a knocking sound since new. Sounds like a loose headset, and drives you nuts.
Fox Service Support: Rebound adjustment broke under warranty. Shipped back to Fox in USA, but they refused to fix them unless I paid for it, even after purchase receipts were faxed over. Eventually I pursuaded them to courier back to me at their expense under warranty, but they still have not been fixed.
Bottom Line:
Seemed good at first until the knocking became apparent, and the rebound adjustment broke. I was disappointed at the lack of response from Fox while the fork was under warranty. This lack of service is simply not acceptable.
Submitted by
theodore jump
a Weekend Warrior
from austin, tx
Date Reviewed: December 26, 2003
Strengths: Plush, reliable, stiff, tunable, easy maintenance, designed for 7" disc-brake rotors - yay!
Weaknesses: slow-speed compression doesn't make MUCH change ( but does make a difference ), lockout adjuster usage usually changes slow-speed compression ( not that this really makes a huge difference ). Possibly develops crown-creak from constant hard use of a Clydesdale like me, original fork developed bad creak after two weeks. Fox replaced uppers w/o qualm very promptly and have over 1000 uninterrupted miles of service since.
Bottom Line:
I've been very happy with the fork, changed oil / seals at 6 months usage and found it a lot easier than I expected. I would heartily recommend this fork to pretty much anyone, if they're weight-weenies than maybe send them to the Float.
The "infamous knock" I don't hear any of, but then may that is because I use a fair amount of preload and that keeps the spring pressured? Hard to say.
I got a pretty good price, but the MSRP is pretty dang steep.
Similar Products Used: Fox Terralogic, Fox Float, Rock Shox, Marzocchi Marathion, FR SL, MX Comp
Bike Setup: Titus QuasiMoto 5.9" travel, Vanilla RC rear shock, Vanilla 125 RLC front, carbon stuff, aluminum stuff, CK stuff, big tires
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Todd
a Weekend Warrior
from Pleasanton, CA
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2003
Strengths: Adjustability you can actually feel, alot of tuning options. Very tight steering feel.
Weaknesses: The knobs are a bit too tight, sometimes moving one will move another one. Not a huge deal...
Bottom Line:
I love this fork! Works well on my current frame, bought it with the intention of going to a 03-04 Heckler in the future, which it should truly shine on. It does make the popping noise that some people complain about, but its not a nuisance for me at all...
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Tazmon - Risse Astro5 Rear, Fox V125 Front
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Jose Rodriguez
a Cross Country Rider
from Littleton, Colorado
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2003
Strengths: No flex. Maintenance free. No need to adjust stupid levers and knobs
Weaknesses: It only comes in black
Bottom Line:
I bolted this thing to my two bikes and I have never regretted doing so. The best fork ever. Plush, stiff, trouble free, and it works. I like to ride and I hate adjusting crap each ride. These forks were bolted to the bike as they came out of the box and since then I have put the long miles in them and they work as good as the fist day; all I do is keep them clean. I would not consider buying any other fork. I'm giving these forks five flaming turds because I'm as happy as a pig in mud.
Similar Products Used: Roch shox and Manitous for many years
Bike Setup: Sugar and Paragon, good, usable stuff like XT and RaceFace
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Greg
a Weekend Warrior
from austin, tx, usa
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2003
Strengths: very plush with a good solid feel in hard turns.
Weaknesses: audible "spring slap" inside stanchion when fork is unweighted. not a big deal though.
Bottom Line:
this fork is amazing! one of the best i've ever ridden. been working in bike shops for about 8 years and get to ride a lot of different suspension setups. it's very solid in the turns, no noticable flex or stiction. extremely plush on landings. great damping features. the blow-off threshold adjustment makes for great urban sessions. i know everyone wants to complain about that noise. it's not a big deal. just a little spring slap in the stanchion. an old shop trick to solve this is to find the thinnest diamter innertube you can get and stretch it over the spring. 700c tubes usually work great. this has solved "spring slap" problems in the past. a lot of other of other forks do this too. hope this tip will help others. if you can't handle a noisy coil spring, get an air fork so you can hear the constant sucking noises.
Strengths: Its the best product on the market today. I came off a 6" travel jr.T and was skeptical about it, but after the first ride i knew i made the right decision. I went down in travel and i still got faster!
Weaknesses: none.
Bottom Line:
simply the best, no question about it. FOX did there homework and I give them an A+. THERE JUST THE BEST! DO NOT BUY ANYTHING ELSE.
Submitted by
Tony Rat
a Weekend Warrior
from England
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2003
Strengths: Precise steering and very plush from the box, adjustable, different springs included, pretty light, look the business.
Weaknesses: Lower leg paint finish flakes easily. Damping could be a bit faster, occasional slight noise over stutter bumps as if there is a air pocket in the damper. None are major.
Bottom Line:
I have a 2003 fork and don't seem to to have the problems others have had. The Enduro front & rear suspension now feel balanced allowing me to go faster than ever before with much more control. I am far more confident thanks to these forks (and a decent bike behind them).
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi Z1 and Z3's. RS Judy's.
Bike Setup: Specialized Enduro with Hope E4's & Hubs on 219's, Raceface & XT running gear, Thompson, Easton & WTB components.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Tim
a Weekend Warrior
from Dallas,Tx.
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2003
Strengths: My fork came out of the first batch of 2003 forks. I had to wait 3 weeks for it, and it was worth the wait! I read all the reviews below, and have not experianced any of those problems. My fork is still as solid as the first day it was put on my bike.I have ridden it hard 2 to 3 times a week for 9 mos. now, and I am a Clyde at 242lbs. If anyone should screw one up, it should be me!
Weaknesses: None,but I could have a complaint if I used the lock out.
Bottom Line:
Love this fork, and would buy another in a heartbeat!
Similar Products Used: 2002 Psylo SL, One flexy fork!
Bike Setup: 2003 Ellsworth Id with all the chi-chi's!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
phil rowlands
a Weekend Warrior
from blackwood
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2003
Strengths: extremely plush / laterally very stiff
Weaknesses: slightly annoying that using the lockout upsets compression and rebound adjustment - I intend to invest in a remote lockout when available - I here there's one on the way
Bottom Line:
Haven't had any of the issues seen by other reviewers - no knocking - even after 6 months riding / no problems apart from the one gripe about the adjusters this is one top piece of kit. This fork complements my O3 Santa Cruz Hecker perfectly.
