Boxxer® forks are as at home on hardtails flying through an extreme weekend as they are on pro series full suspension rigs hammering through a World Cup downhill course.
Submitted by
jdigiovanni
a Downhiller
from California Los Angeles Date Reviewed: November 26, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
friend
Strengths:
The Fork came on my Santa Cruz bullit .the fork is light and set perfectly for my weight since it got sent in to rockshox for custom tuning. i like it alot so far. perfect amount of travel if you are into freeride/downhill and can still pedal it a bit
Weaknesses:
i dont like how it has v-brake bosses
Bike Setup:
2002 or 03 Bullit, Boxxer WC, 5th element, race face cranks, super nice downhill hubs, azonic stem, monkeylight handlebars
Bottom Line:
i really like the fork so far. it may be older but it still is a nice plush DH fork
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Travis Allen
a Downhiller
from Lewison Date Reviewed: November 14, 2005
Favorite Trail:
all
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
the review below CK
Strengths:
Light, effective and extremely resposive. Tracks well and takes big drops really good.
rm7-avy dhs,chris king hubs, headset and deemax rims, pro taper, thomson x.4 thomson post, e-13 drs. Bullit "04" similiar set up.
Bottom Line:
This fork new cost's alot and does need to be set up for a riders liking and riding style. I don't know anyone who loved it out of the box, it does need to be adjusted to your style and one done so it performs "spot on!". Great fork if you are looking to go to the next level. I bought this one from the guy below this post and fixed the problem, I've worked on these things quite extensivly in the past for myself and others. They are easy to do if you take the time to read the users guide and either take the time to learn to work on the fork (I recomend this) or find a mechanic that knows them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
cK
a Downhiller
from Central Pa. / North Jersey Date Reviewed: July 19, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Ripper at Diablo Freeride Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Strengths:
........few and far between.
Weaknesses:
Had an 04' Boxxer Race that I upgraded through the local shop to WC spec (incld. compression rod assembly)using 7.5wt oil in compression side and 2.5wt. oil in rebound side. Here's what happened:
1. Got the Slippery Silver stanchions from RS Parts Dept, through Local Bike Shop. On the outside they were flawless. On the inside, there were sharp, metallic deposits that had bonded to the inside of the tubes starting halfway up from the bottom. Tried to remove them gently with soap and water with a cloth on a small wooden rod. No go. If you accidentally let the damper rods slip too far toward the top during assembly, the blue-ish plastic head on the compression damper would get scored, ruining its effectiveness. Trashed 2 this way, at around $150 a pop.
2. Rebound adjuster was ineffective. When small allen key was inserted up inside fork leg to adjust, no change in rebound dampening was felt. Bought new rebound damper, had it installed by LBS. Still no change in performance. More wasted cash.
3. New compression rod assembly began to leak from inside fork where low-speed adj. allen screw is.
4. Out of the box, the inside of the top crown was damaged with large gouges in the center ring that slid over the steerer tube. Threw it away and got a Romic Boxxer replacment crown. Apparently this was the only item that actually worked on the fork.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi DJ1, RS Boxxer(2002)
Bike Setup:
02' Spesh Big Hit, then transferered fork to 05' Demo 8...King headset for both, w/ faced and reamed headtubes...
Bottom Line:
Aside from wanting to climb a bell tower and fire this f@#%#* fork from a cannon, it was a complete waste of money. My LBS double checked any work I did on it, so everything was being done by the manual.
Whenever you see or hear of someone riding a Boxxer who is happy with it they are either:
1. Sponsored, and get the forks that have been hand-picked for Quality Control by the race team from RS stock. These forks then get ALL the top of the line, expert tuning. OR 2. Lucky - Got a good one randomly.
I've seen the internals of these things and after getting my Marz 888RC and comparing ITS internals to the Boxxer internals, its like comparing a brand new Dell Pentium 4 to a 1987 Commodore 64...
I suspect that either Hasbro or Mattel have been secretly sub-contracted by RS to design their internals...
As for QC(Quality Control) - The credibility of Rock Shox quality control department is so low, it's manager couldn't even look a f@#$^& cyclops in the eye...
Out of the box my Marzocchi 888RC was flawless. Adjustment is instantaneous, and no leaks, faulty construction, or poor quality.
Word around the campfire is, RS is coming out with an Air-Assist Boxxer WC for 06' using something called the "Solo Air" system... That's kind of like Briggs and Stratton announcing that they are building an engine for Formula One. Should be interesting...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ErAndy
a Downhiller
from Melbourne Date Reviewed: February 7, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Smooth, looks and strong.
Weaknesses:
Slippery silver somes off
Similar Products Used:
03 Boxxer World Cup
Bike Setup:
2004 Giant DH Team
Bottom Line:
Must clean forks after muddy ride. I took my 03 World Cup out after a muddy ride came home Sunday and went to work the following day. Forgot to clean my bike for a few days. Walk in to the shad and found that the forks slippery silver is peeling off. So got it fix under warrenty. the other day I took it out on a uddy ride again. Hose it off afterwards is starting to happened. Must keep forks dry and clean
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Forrest Arakawa
a Downhiller
from Pleasant Hill Date Reviewed: August 6, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Palos
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Stiff, light, low profile, durable, easy to maintain, great customer service... Did I say light?
Weaknesses:
None really... The finish on the lower legs seems to come off easy, but nothing that would comprimise performance.
Similar Products Used:
Dorado, Super T, White Bros
Bike Setup:
New V10, Boxxer WC, Fox DHX rear shock, SRAM drive train, Tru Vativ Hoelzfeller cranks, Tru Vativ Team DH BB, Shimano 646 pedals, King Headset, WTB Laserdisc Wheelset, WTB Weirwolf 2.5 Team DH tires, WTB Rocket V Stealth Saddle,MRP Slalom 4b 104 guide, Easton Monkeylite Carbon DH bar, Thomson Stem and Post.
Bottom Line:
As far as race forks are concerned, there is nothing better out there in the same weight category. There are some really good performing forks but nothing that comes within a pound of the WC. If all DH courses didn't require fitness and pedaling ability a heavy fork would be just fine. But since most national course have long flat sections, weight becomes a huge factor. The ability to easily adjust the compression on the Boxxer makes it a great race fork. If you are on a course that has brake bumps then you will want to speed up the compression. The WC has a high speed compression adjuster that is not only easy to adjust but it's easy to get to. The travel is smooth throughout and ramps up just enough in the bottom 1/3 to give you that confidence that you won't bottom out. If you are a DH racer and can only have one set up the Boxxer is the fork for you.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Marco
a Racer
from France Date Reviewed: July 18, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Factory contract
Strengths:
Damping System,Premium perfomance in racing,rigidity,very lightweight,lot of setup and looks great !
Weaknesses:
Upper Crown is not good for all Bikes
Similar Products Used:
Boxxer 01-02-03
Bike Setup:
Scott USA High Octane with 5th Element or Fox Vanilla RC PP With Ti Springs
Bottom Line:
I ve tryed lot of DH forks, but now i think that's the best fork i ever ride in DH racing, very light and the damping system is very perfect, ive just changed the springs (silver) for my weight ( im 65 kgs ) and put some STENDEC oil and its perfect! Fork Sensibility is over the top and with the mulitple setup its very possible to adjust Boxxer World cup's sooooo good ! , i have the best grip due the suspension quality for my front wheel ! lovely ! im just waiting for 2005 Boxxer !
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave
a Downhiller
from Sydney, Australia Date Reviewed: May 4, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
bike addiction
Strengths:
Light, stiff, reasonably easy to maintain. Slippery silver finish makes the fork feel as if it has been just rebuilt after every ride. Offers some adjustments
Weaknesses:
paint, stupid metal logos, crown design
Similar Products Used:
01, 02 Boxxers, 03 Race and Worldcups. 00 and 03 Monster Ts. FoX Vanilla R's, Psylos, Dukes, DNM USD-180s.
Bike Setup:
03 bullit, 04 Boxxer WC, King headset, Hope M4s, Azonic bars and stem, Hope hubs and M4s, Atomlab rims, Northshores, Evil SRS, PDM-636 spds, Maxxis Tyres, Sram shifter and Ultegra mech
Bottom Line:
At the price i paid ($1500 AUD) i was stoked. I mean the fork retails at $2500 AUD and for the money was the best value out there. The new Black box mod is noticable, in that the rebound is much more consistant than the boxxers of late, and the fork feels a lot slower and seems to reack the ground better.
The fork performs as if it has just been rebuilt! It is sooo buttery yet is resistant to bottoming out. Before guys say i'm not thrashing it enough, I weigh 110 kilos and do DH and freeride, so i guess you can eat you words.
The crown design is still poor. They haven't changed since the 1998 models, and that is their main point of flex. i am looking to upgrade to a romic top crown in the near future, so hopefully that will make the fork feel a lot stiffer. Compared to my monster T, the fork deflects a lot more and seems more vague in fast sitautions. The best thing has to be the light weight, it's really easy to ride the bike from the centre because the front sits up a lot more.
The other negative aspect is the finish. The paint is pretty thin- i have lost a fair bit from cable rub and crashing, and i know that one of my mates has had the same problems. The other one is how the logos are stamped onto a metal plate which is then glued on to the fork itself. This (apart from looking cheap) seems to get dented reasonably easily. Notice how all the pros are running stickers? Maybe they wouldn't go astray here...
In all a good fork, but the age is becomming apparent. The 05 range looks to have a fair bit of change in appearance, suffice to say that i think those will be my next forks. Cheaper than Doradoes, lighter than 888Rs, the boxxer does have place!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Will
a
from San Diego, CA, USA Date Reviewed: February 25, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
This fork is stiff and will track through anything, also very light and adjustable. It feels very good and is the best BOXXER yet. The new aluminum base valve in the rebound side feels great, with a wide range of adjustment.
Weaknesses:
None as of yet
Similar Products Used:
WB, Dorado, Monster T, and Stratos
Bike Setup:
Orange
Bottom Line:
This is a very good fork. The upgrades that have been made took it to a new level. Especially the new valve setup in both the compression and rebound. Simply the best feeling and performing DH fork you can get. Even after all these years.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a
from Durango, CO, USA Date Reviewed: February 25, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Smelter
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Strong, stiff, adjustable, light, and works very well. With a very wide range of adjustment, and the slippery silvers are oooh so smooth
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
shivers, dorados, 888's, monster T,
Bike Setup:
03' Intense M1, Mavic D3.1, Hayes brakes, Race Face cranks, hadley Hubs, Easton bars, stem, and SP.
Bottom Line:
A very good fork, with a little know how the adjustment range is unlimited. Very stiff and tracks well. It is also one of the lightest and strongest DH race forks you can get.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jules
a Downhiller
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: February 4, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
Bike Shack
Strengths:
The speed of the fork, light weight
Weaknesses:
Crown design is so old, it gives worse steering lock every year as frame designs progress. Very poor quality this year. The fork is cheeper than last year and this was meant to be the 'world cup version'. Plastic compression parts and a 2.5mm allen head, plastic, for the rebound adjustment. I rounded out after a couple of days (replaced under warrentee) and I expect it to do the same.
Similar Products Used:
Boxxers '98, '99 and '01. Marzocchi Jun T
Bike Setup:
04 Giant DH Comp
Bottom Line:
The fork has been the same design for to long now, and every year they reduce the quality. I regret buying this fork especially after Marzocchi and Manitou have stepped up with great forks this year
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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