Home | Reviews | 2004 Front Shocks | Fox Racing Shox

Fox Racing Shox F80 X 2004 Front Shocks

4.38/5

(24 Reviews)

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Weight : 3.5 lbs

Product Description

80mm Travel

FOX patented TerraLogic technology distinguishes between rider induced forces from above the bike and bump induced forces from the ground. The inertia-valve then chooses between ultra-fast lock-out mode and glued-to-the-ground traction mode.

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Reviews 1 - 15 (24 Reviews Total)

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User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Kenny a Racer from Kirchheim Teck, Germany

Date Reviewed: April 21, 2007

Strengths:    No fuss, just ride and ride

Weaknesses:    After one season the seals are now leaking from the top on both sides. This sucks and it is not so good for my disk brakes either. I have yet to repair them after a few weeks on the trails.

Bottom Line:

I like the shocks but I do not like this kind of hassle. For the cost this should not happen. I have never had cheap shocks that leaked!

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Favorite Trail:   It has no name

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Purchased At:   came with my bike

Bike Setup:   Stock Scott Scale 10

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Submitted by Paul Gerber a Cross Country Rider from London

Date Reviewed: October 12, 2006

Strengths:    Soak up every bump in the way and locks out when it needs to. No cheap plastic used anywhere

Weaknesses:    The paint is not fantastic and seems to rub off pretty easily, but thats it

Bottom Line:

Having moved from a pair of RST Gilla's on my specialized to my merida with the F80x the difference is insane. I have tried a lot of other expensive forks but these are just awesome. You never have to worry about lockout again and it is almost scary when you are sprinting and the fork is fully locked and then you hit a bump and it just soaks it up. Fully recommended for xc, would look to go to the F100x for heavier stuff though.

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Favorite Trail:   anything thats not the road to work

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Purchased At:   Cyclo Pro - South Africa

Similar Products Used:   NONE.

Bike Setup:   Merida Matts Pro Disc 2006. 11.9KG - awesome bike

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Submitted by Darryl a Cross Country Rider from Lethbridge, AB, Canada

Date Reviewed: November 15, 2005

Strengths:    No fuss, no muss, does what it's supposed to do.

Weaknesses:    None that I know of.

Bottom Line:

I bought the bike at the end of June, 2003, and had the dealer install the Fox F80 right out of the box. My previous bikes were all non-suspension, so this was quite a transition. The inertial valve front and rear suspension made this transition totally painless. I now have 4200 km. on the bike and ride everything except wet, and I've had zero problems. It rides like a rigid bike until the bumps show up, then the suspension kicks in and smooths the trails. The fork is practically invisible - it does its job and makes no fuss, and I don't have to putz around with lockouts. Being a suspension newbie I was a bit intimidated at the thought of trying to adjust the suspension to suit my style, but the adjustments are easy. It took about 1500 km. to break the fork in. The result is a fork that is butter smooth on the rough, and doesn't bob and waste my energy. I'd recommend this fork to any XC rider. It's pricey, but you get what you pay for with this fork. On a cost-per-grin basis, I'm well ahead!

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Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $600.00

Purchased At:   Alpenland

Similar Products Used:   None.

Bike Setup:   2003 Specialized Epic

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Submitted by Eric a Weekend Warrior from Gallup, NM, USA

Date Reviewed: November 4, 2005

Strengths:    1) Terrain-reading inertia valve / automatic lockout
2) Bump compliance/sensitivity near infinitely adjustable with 22 clicks (settings) + usual air spring adjustability
3) Unmatched quality (all metal, no plastic) & beautiful
4) Absolutely zero flex (stiff, 32 mm stanchions)

Weaknesses:    None (cost doesn't count--you get what you pay for)

Bottom Line:

The first time you ride a Fox Terralogic fork, you will just not freakin' believe it: it is absolutely, stunningly unbelievable. Fully locked out on climbs, but still responds to bumps instantly. Call it the first psychic / clairvoyant fork ever made. Smooth and supple, it takes the hits, and has 22 clicks to dial in the bump compliance (plus the air pressure is set to ~50% of rider weight to individualize; compression damping is factory set).

I've read the reviews about blown seals but I've had no problems whatsoever. Zero. Zip. Nada.

The only conceivable reason everyone to complain is the price (MSRP $775--ouch!), but as with a lot of things, you get what you pay for. I got a ridiculously good price for a used F80X on Ebay, but having ridden one, I would easily pay full price, the fork is that good.

I ride epic Southwest desert singetrack (loose & steep, lots of climbing and descending, but no real drops over 1-2 feet) and this fork is dead-on perfect. Why fool with a lockout when this fork does the thinking for you? I will never ride anything else, ever.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Any ride beats working...

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $330.00

Purchased At:   Ebay (used)

Similar Products Used:   Rock Shox (various); Manitou (various)

Bike Setup:   2003 Fisher Sugar 3+ with Avid SD-7s, King headset, Time ATAC pedals, Kenda Nevegal 2.1's

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Submitted by john p a Cross Country Rider from socal

Date Reviewed: August 20, 2005

Strengths:    tracking - stiff, very little flex. Lock out valve when working. customer service has been good - but I hope they have a new design for the parts they are replacing.

Weaknesses:    seals, sub assembly - I have two of the 80x and cannot get the seals to last more than 5 rides or 100 miles...Just killed another set of seals(5 sets in 7 months) right after the 24hr race at hurley creek. There were 3 other racers at the mavic booth with issues of their forks leaking there as well(mavic was offering free tech support for all bike racers). Worst part, I only rode it for two laps and switched bikes...

Bottom Line:

Now – I have already sent my two forks in for warranty 2x each, and the first one is almost ready to go in again. But are there any part updates? Should I send it in again only to get the same parts put back in and have it last 2-3 rides?

My diagnosis:
it seems like they used the same seals on this fork as they do for all the other forks. And when the terralogic is engages its putting more pressure on the seals and causing them to leak within a few good rides for me. And I only weight 165 and I always keep good air pressure in the shox. At this point, I'm considering just letting the oil run out on the next leak until the new 2006 forks come out. On paper, this fork is the best out there and the customer service has been great, but I’d really like to not know my repair man for a front fork.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   grafton motorway

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $750.00

Purchased At:   jensonusa.com

Similar Products Used:   rock shox sid
manitou black
marz marathon

Bike Setup:   bike 1 - single speed steel frame, xtr disks f80x
bike 2 - geared ti frame, xtr disks f80x
bike 3 - full suspension, xtr disks f100x - not much use...

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Thorbjørn Skamo a Cross Country Rider from Norway

Date Reviewed: May 12, 2005

Strengths:    The tralogic lockout. It is marvellous. Makes you really fast.

Weaknesses:    It's expencive and a bit heavy

Bottom Line:

By it, the ride is so sweet.

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $570.00

Purchased At:   HongKong

Bike Setup:   Merida Magnesium Elite

Overall Rating:

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Submitted by robin a Racer from NL

Date Reviewed: December 31, 2004

Strengths:    looks
Stiff
TerraLogic

Weaknesses:    Possibly the price, but you DO get what you pay for
its not black ( my bike is black )

Bottom Line:

its super Front shock

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Favorite Trail:   herpenduin

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $650.00

Purchased At:   internet

Similar Products Used:   Ronin 80 mm 2004 3 months
Rock Shox SID SL 2002 2 years

Bike Setup:   Principia MSL Pro 2004 / weels chris king+ Mavric X517 / Brakes HS33 2005 /Stem Thomson Elite 120 mm 5" /Seatpost Thomson Elite / crank XTR 2004 / Cassette XTR 11-32 / Chain CH 7701 9 Speed / Pedal Time ATAC XS Ti Carbon / Derailleur back X.O front XTR / Shifter X.O /

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Submitted by jed a Racer from Takoma Park, MD, USA

Date Reviewed: November 22, 2004

Strengths:    TerraLogic, precise steering, plush feel, very tunable, easy to work on

Weaknesses:    Seals leak and require frequent replacement at $20 a pop shipped from Fox

Bottom Line:

The fork performs great, no doubt about it. It has a great feel and the steering is very precise. The TerraLogic thing works as advertised: plush suspension when you want it and a rigid fork when you don't. It is a great fork for a single speed because it does not move when you are standing and hammering unless you are on something bumpy.

However, mine has leaked oil big-time. I do the seal maintenance like the manual says, but I'm now on my third set of seals. The originals leaked after about 20 hours, so Fox hooked me up with a second set. That set lasted maybe 60 hours, now a third set has started leaking already after 3 rides (6-8 hours). I understand it is a wear item, that I ride a lot more than most riders, and that forks need maintenance, but I think 3 set of seals in 9 months (since mid-Feb.) is excessive. The fork performs so well that I'm willing to put up with it in the hopes that maybe Fox will eventually come up with seals that are more durable. However, it is kind of a PITA, especially for such a pricey fork. Even though the seals leak oil, there hasn't been any dirt underneath them when I've pulled them up, and the oil has not appeared to be contaminated when I've pulled the lowers off to replace the seals, so I guess they are doing the job, leaky or not.

I give it a 3 for value because of the seals, and a 3 overall. Performace is excellent, but having to replace the seals all the time is a bummer. Fork seals should last longer than a chain.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   Marzocchi X-Fly 100, various Rock Shox

Bike Setup:   Phil Wood KISS-Off single speed, Phil Wood hubs and BB, Race Face Turbine LP cranks, Bontrager Mustang UST rims, 2:1 gear

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Submitted by Byron a Cross Country Rider from Los Angeles

Date Reviewed: November 4, 2004

Strengths:    Does what it says it will do. Subtle and smooth. Fast, good tracking.

Weaknesses:    Not very responsive. Weak on quick drops, big bumps, stuff larger than my big toe. I like my '04 FOX RLC more for epic rides.

Bottom Line:

Solid for the racer on the NORBA circuit, or a rider who does less technical singletrack. I think it will improve with time. I have heard mixed reviews about it. Mine is solid and I ride hard on a lot of technical terrain so that is promising. The new technology is exciting.

I had one really ugly wreck on it and I don't think the fork was part of the problem because it was new and I was still tweaking the setup. Since then it has been smooth. The money I saved on the fork went to the doctor bills.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $650.00

Purchased At:   online retailer

Similar Products Used:   All of them.

Bike Setup:   Hardtail

Overall Rating:

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Submitted by big country a Cross Country Rider from louisville, ky

Date Reviewed: October 13, 2004

Strengths:    32 mm stanctions! This thing is super stiff.

Weaknesses:    The right seal blew after five rides ;(

Bottom Line:

This fork is awesome until the seals blow. And the problem seems to be a common one. Fox was more than willing to send me new seals, but i opted to install Enduro seals. So far so good. This shock does ride quite a bit different from others, but it does what it is suppose to.

When i tore the fork apart to install the seals, i noticed a lot of wear on the internal parts. This was suprising since it had only been ridden five times. So i wonder how enduring these forks are? only time will tell.

I think i am going to check out the Fox RLT, same beefyness, but .25 lbs lighter.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Cherokee

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Purchased At:   came on bike

Similar Products Used:   Manitou Black Super SPV

Bike Setup:   KHS Team Softail

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Submitted by Lars Therp a Racer from Limhammn

Date Reviewed: September 19, 2004

Strengths:    Very stiff when needed, well working. Good with disc brakes. Nice design.

Weaknesses:    Its a bit heavy.

Bottom Line:

Its a great fork, and it works super, but if you want to trim your bike, then its a little heavy, but it works better than any of the ligther forks on the marked.

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Favorite Trail:   Rommel åsen

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $500.00

Purchased At:   ebay

Similar Products Used:   Sid 100, Sid Team w. remote.

Bike Setup:   Specialized epic, forx fox 80 X, xtr, sram x.0, avid titan. hugi 240 with 517.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Obaid a Weekend Warrior from Minneapolis, MN USA

Date Reviewed: August 24, 2004

Strengths:    Works as described, stiff, adjustable.

Weaknesses:    Price

Bottom Line:

I was really surprised when I rode this fork. You hear about the technology and it sounds sweet, but I was still a little hesitant. I can tell you that the fork works as promised. It's amazing how fast it responds, you can go off a curb and by the time you hit the ground it’s completely plush. Same thing happens when you hit a root.

The bump threshold adjustability is nice feature. This fork isn’t the lightest, but is still great if you’re a racer. I think you save a great amount of energy. I’m pretty fat and slow and can use all the help I can get. This fork definitely did the trick. Also, the fork holds air like anything. Throughout the summer I had to tweak the air pressure twice, once when I got it early spring, and about a month ago.

If you can afford it, I certainly recommend it. Overall, the fork is great; price, not so much. I don’t think I would have got this if I didn’t work at a shop. Fox Forx are the best out there, but they come at a price.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Lebanon Hills

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $729.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   Work at a shop, lots of forks.

Bike Setup:   S-Works Epic FSR, XTR, Fox Forx

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Submitted by Charles Stansbury a Racer from Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Date Reviewed: August 4, 2004

Strengths:    This fork is super plush and super stiff. The terralogic just plain works. It's almost unbelievable. Once you have it set up properly (which is really easy) it's like it reads your mind.

Weaknesses:    MSRP is quite expensive, but when you take into account that no other fork on the market can even come close to the performance of the F80X, you realize it's worth every penny.

Bottom Line:

Get one...NOW! This thing is just plain amazing. You pay about a .5 lb weight penalty over the lightest forks out there, but that doesn't even matter when you realize that your efficiency goes through the roof and you don't even have to think about your fork while you are riding or racing. I don't even notice the .4 lbs extra over my old mars. Many people talk about the price as being the downside. There are other less expensive top of the line forks out there, but it's only fair that this fork should cost more seeing that it truely THE best XC fork out there. I paid $600 for mine and I think that was an absolute steal. Now that I have ridden it I would gladly pay the $775 MSRP.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $600.00

Purchased At:   ebay

Similar Products Used:   Manitou Mars

Bike Setup:   2000 Trek 8500, Fox F80X, XTR/XT (Sram X.0 coming soon), Answer carbon risers, race face cranks, time peddals, Panaracer Trailblaster tires...

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Submitted by tom taylor a Cross Country Rider from sf, ca

Date Reviewed: June 6, 2004

Strengths:    easy to set up. inertia valve works like a dream,it engaged every time hit came from bottom of shock. no bobbing from the front end. increases performance by having stiff front very noticable when out of saddle. eats up all hits very smooth.

Weaknesses:    none so far.

Bottom Line:

the shock is great. i noticed a huge difference on the first ride. i works like it is suppose to engaging only from a hit from the ground.
i hoped i would save a half pound or so it weighs 3.5 but i dont notice with the increase performance.
also stickers peel off very easy.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $500.00

Purchased At:   mtb website

Similar Products Used:   marzocchi x fly 80

Bike Setup:   titus racer x 80 xtr avid disk chris king hubs

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Keith a Racer from Barrie, Ontario

Date Reviewed: May 27, 2004

Strengths:    stiff, plush when activated, good looking, infinatly adjustable

Weaknesses:    heavy, even on quickest to activate doesnt soak up small bumps

Bottom Line:

I have been a weight weenie for years so really had to wrestle with adding more than 1/2 lb to my bike with this fork. So far, I think it was worth it. My only comment that may be slightly negative is that the fork takes some getting used to insofar as the lockout not allowing for relatively small bumps to activate the fork-even on the most sensitive position. But thats whats to be expected- you cant have it too active if its going to lock out until its really needed. Its a "have your cake and eat it too" kinda thing. Overall, I really enjoyed the fact that it doesnt brake dive, and when you come to the bottom of a fast hill then need to turn sharp, the fork is stiff and locks out so you are not compensating for the movement of the fork. In other words, you can go way faster on this fork than a fully active fork.
I'd recommend the fork for racers-its likely the best fork on the market for racing-I'd probably go with the Fox regular non-terralogic Float if I didnt race just for the extra comfort on the small hits.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Hardwood Hills

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $1100.00

Purchased At:   Hardwood Hills

Similar Products Used:   Manitou, Amp, Rockshox

Bike Setup:   Moots YBB very tricked out

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