The 2005 Vanilla line from Fox Racing Shox is ready, and the change you've requested most is finally here: disc-brake only lowers! Fox has dropped the V-brake bosses from the entire Vanilla line for '05. Also new for '05 is an extra 5mm of travel - these now come from the factory set to 130mm. They are internally convertible to 100mm, if the geometry of your bike calls for less travel.
The same great quality and attention to detail you've come to expect from Fox are still here - you get 12-click externally adjustable rebound damping, proprietary Fox oil seals with scraper lip technology to keep debris out and oil in, and proven magnesium lowers for unparalleled stiffness and rigidity for a difference you can feel when cornering. 2005 Vanilla's feature a new, slim damper cartridge that helps eliminate cavitation and allows a wider adjustment range. The new cartridge saves 30 grams over '04 forks.
Submitted by
DEAGO SANCHEZ
a Cross Country Rider
from N.Y. N.Y. Date Reviewed: December 12, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$299.00
Purchased At:
RIDEMONKEY
Strengths:
Extra light weight,super capability!
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox ,Marzocchhi
Bike Setup:
Jamis Dakar XC Expert
Bottom Line:
I am over 200 pounds & this shock soaks up roots,rocks,dips & anything that comes in it's path.It seen it's share of mud,dirt & grime,works like the day I bought it(& that was used).The Cadillac of shocks.Worth the price you pay for it new or used.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Rainier, OR Date Reviewed: May 31, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Stella
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Came on bike
Strengths:
Light, stiff, fairly plush, nice CNC dials
Weaknesses:
no compression adjustment on a $400 fork?, typical Fox bushing play
Similar Products Used:
2002 Fox Vanilla RLC, 2003 Manitou Black Elite, 2005 Manitou Sherman Flick Plus
Bike Setup:
2005 Jamis XLT
Bottom Line:
Not a bad fork, certainly does the job. Swapped out the stock spring to a heavier one. Has been more reliable than my 2002 Vanilla that had to be sent back twice in a year. But, it still lacks the smoothness of other forks (Manitou's with TPC+ to be exact)in its class. Also, can Fox please offer a Vanilla RC! Would it kill them to offer compression adjustments w/o a unneeded lock-out? For $400, they need to offer at least this one extra adjustment.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Adam
a Cross Country Rider
from Clarksville, TN Date Reviewed: September 24, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$325.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
Very Plush.
Weaknesses:
Only comes with light weight springs.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou axel and six. both are junk
Bike Setup:
cannondale jekyll. fox vanilla 130r, hayes 9 carbon, xt crank, x9 twist shift, x9 rear d, deore front d, panaracer fire xc pro tires.
Bottom Line:
at first i was bottoming out a lot on big hits. i ordered the yellow spring and now i'm very satisfied with the forks performance. rides great and takes a beating. I highly recommend you use the correct spring for your weight or you WILL be bottoming out. and if you change the travel to 100mm you will need a heavier spring. I love this fork but i'm gonna take away a chillie for not providing us fatties (180lbs riders) a spring.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ed
a Cross Country Rider
from Topeka Date Reviewed: August 23, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$215.00
Purchased At:
Jensonusa
Strengths:
Plush
Weaknesses:
Lack of compression adj. (buy the RLC)
Similar Products Used:
RS Judy's, Indy's, Pilot SL, Headshock's, Suntour's
I am an aggressive "All-Mountain" rider. I ride XC trails with rocks, roots, urban ledges, 2-4' drops. This fork is very plush and laterally stiff. The loose bushing feel that comes with the fork brand new is normal. That's why it's so plush. I only notice it when I hold the brake and rock the bike back and forth.
When I ride, I don't even give it another thought.
This fork absorbs big hits on the trail like they're not even there. Small stuff is erased with ease. I use the factory settings for XC, but when I want to jump off some ledges or ride more agressively I put a stiffer spring in it. It seems to help keep it from bottoming out on drop off impacts.
Even with the stiff spring (I weight 185) this fork is very nice on an XC trail thanks in full to the coil negative spring assembly. It helps soften that first inch and a half to erase the small stuff.
Overall, this fork is a perfect match to my Dakar XLT's plush rear suspension. I find myself getting lazy and just rolling over 6" logs that I normally bunnyhop. I tend to aim my bike toward the bumps instead of picking a line around...just to see how well the suspension works.
Great value! I would prefer to have the Vanilla RLC instead of the R because I would like to have some compression adjustment, but this fork was a closeout from Jenson for $215. I couldn't pass it up.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from south west Sydney Australia Date Reviewed: April 15, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Plush as plush can be, great dampening
Weaknesses:
lack of low speed compression, some say a pedaling platform. squelling noise when pulling faster than rebound
Similar Products Used:
Minute 1:00
Bike Setup:
Dakar XLT 1.0 stock with new tyre, grips, the fork was post as i broke my minutes
Bottom Line:
Plushest and light as fork. A bit too soft but can be easily fixed with larger spring. Dampening works, you feel every click make a difference. The price is a bit over the top for a fork with only 2 adjustments. I had a slight problem with mine in that when it rebounded faster than the set rate, it makes a squelling noise, it doesn't affect performance but it annoying. Knobs are simple and plain, just set and forget. Did i mention they are plush as?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
brian
a Downhiller
from san rafael, ca, usa Date Reviewed: April 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:
solstice
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
it is very good, and very ajustable, and comes with a soft spring and a stiff one
Weaknesses:
bottoms out too easily
Similar Products Used:
too many to name
Bike Setup:
specialized bighit spec, marzocchi drop off triple fork, fox vanilla r rear shock, truvativ bash guard, azonic a-frame pedals, everything else is stock
Bottom Line:
this is a very good reliable fork. i used to have it and when the spring got loosened up a little, i took it to the bike shop and they switched the springs that i got with the fork and then it worked fine! the rebound ajustments are awesome and it is perfect for dirt jumping, cross country, and free ride- i did a 12 ft drop and it didnt even bottom out!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Petr Gromov
a Weekend Warrior
from Moskow (Russia) Date Reviewed: March 23, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
veloimperia.ru
Strengths:
easy
Weaknesses:
In we wash cases quality of assembly
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Black Sport (2 year), Marzocchi AM II (1 year)
Bike Setup:
Author a-gang. Rear fork Marzocchi AM II, brakes Hope MonoMini, rims Alexrims DX, the plugs Ritchey.
Bottom Line:
After 1 month of use of a leg in trousers have strongly become loose. Condensation have deteriorated and a lot of oil has flowed out. I do not know about other such cases in Russia, imho it is my failure. The shop has returned money. Unfortunately after that I cannot trust a case to quality Fox.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
frank conrad
a Weekend Warrior
from montara, CA Date Reviewed: February 23, 2006
Favorite Trail:
boyscout
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
bike works
Strengths:
this fork is by far the most adjustable fork for me. It is good for dirt jumping but the lip has to be big.
Weaknesses:
it comes a little soft even for me: I've bottomed it out countless times.Its bad for exterra jumps cause the shock just absords the lip.
Similar Products Used:
my bros RLC
Bike Setup:
03 stuff w/ ups
Bottom Line:
this is a good shock and I suggest bying it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave o
a Cross Country Rider
from annandale,nj,us of a Date Reviewed: November 7, 2005
Favorite Trail:
It's all good
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Stock on Rocky Mtn Slayer
Strengths:
Nice adjustability, lockout is nice
Weaknesses:
Stock spring is soft, even though it is the one spec'd for my body weight.
Bike Setup:
'05 Rocky Mtn Slayer (FS "all mountain")
Bottom Line:
This Vanilla RL130 fork came stock on my new Slayer. Within 50 miles of riding, the fork started making a horrendous clanking noise. It happens any time I pull up the front of the bike quickly, like when crossing a log or bunny hopping. The fork basically tops out with a loud clank! Going through technical rocky sections it sounds like a bucket of bolts. Apparently the fork is not returning all the way to it's top-most position, so now the lockout no longer works either. I have owned several Rock Shox products that lasted many years with no maintenance whatsoever. For what this fork costs, any problem this early on is inexcusable. We'll see what Fox does for me on warranty coverage.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Travis
a
from Pennsylvania Date Reviewed: November 2, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Strengths:
beefy construction, quality components, and impressive ride.
Weaknesses:
It never goes on sale.
Bottom Line:
Very plush fork. You need to follow the set up instructions to get the optimum ride. Setup to the freeride mode with 1-1/16 sag for 160pund rider. Impressive, It soaks up hard edge rocky terrain better than some dual crown forks I've tried. Im testing oil viscosity since the stock fork oil is 7.5 wt. Am interested in raising to 10wt to get a better dampening on rough rides. Overall this is one of the finest riding forks out there. There are many forks that are quite possible stronger. There are absolutely many more that are lighter, but the fork ride surpasses alot of them. Absolutely one of the top 3 single crown forks in production.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dan stephens
a Cross Country Rider
from dallas tx,usa Date Reviewed: October 23, 2005
The fork was the best feeling ever. I was really impressed at first.Im a 165 pound bike courier who rides 5 days a week , 30 miles a day.I never crashed on this fork and I like to bunny hop gaps downtown, but I'm not an agressive rider.After 3 monthes the fork started to creak when I would turn. Then the rebond started to lock up and make loud scraping noises.I tryed to see if the oil was ok and the caps bent up easy. Then the rebound knob snapped off and I bearly twisted it.Fox is fixing it ,but they charged me 90 dollars for the caps and knob.They shound have just gave those parts to me free for my troubles.For 410 bucks the fork should have not broke down in 2.5 months.They are also hard to get on the phone and are asses. This fork is a pole smoker for the price.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose, CA Date Reviewed: October 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Skeggs
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Plush ride, stiff, easy to adjust travel
Weaknesses:
Quality control, bad seals, no service
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Black Elite
Bike Setup:
'04 Jamis Dakar Comp
Bottom Line:
Purchased this fork to upgrade my Black Elite. Reduced the travel to 100mm to match the geometry of my Jamis Dakar frame. First ride I noticed this thing absorbs bumps great and I could take corners faster and with more confidence thanks to the stiffness of this fork. Unfortunately the damper locked up so rebound was constantly in the slowest mode, and the left seal started to spew oil, all after only ONE ride. All my calls to Fox for warranty service were directed to their voice mail box, to which the voice mail informed me that their box was full, and I was promptly disconnected after that. This happened every time I called. After reading the mtbr forums a bit more, it seems to me Fox has issues with quality control and service, and because of that I have lost out about 4 weeks of riding this season. In the end, I've returned the fork to Pricepoint and have a Marzocchi Marathon XC on order, with high hopes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Doug D
a Downhiller
from yorba linda Date Reviewed: September 26, 2005
Favorite Trail:
7 bridges
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
THe Path
Strengths:
good all around fork
Weaknesses:
springs come too soft for big drops and jumping.
Similar Products Used:
mar. z1 (150) mar. 888
Bike Setup:
santa cruz hecler 5th coil 8 in roders
Bottom Line:
good fork for beginers and x-country riders handles 4 ft without bodoming out. lots of pre-load and good for small bumps
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Martin Matthews
a Weekend Warrior
from pacific grove, california, USA Date Reviewed: September 16, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$410.00
Purchased At:
blueskycycling.com
Strengths:
eats up everything ive gone over
Weaknesses:
none yet
Bike Setup:
bighit spec
Bottom Line:
i would recomend this to the lighter type of people becuz the things ive heard about bigger people having this fork it has a alot of flex and it snapped on me and stuff like that but otherwise its such a great fork if ur not a down hiller or a drop kinda guy then id get this if i were u its awesome
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
colin may
a Weekend Warrior
from dalkeith Date Reviewed: September 12, 2005
Favorite Trail:
natural singletrack
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
leisure lakes
Strengths:
super smooth from box,no xtra features that u never use.track well.fit and forget.
5 spot,xt,xtr,romic shock,easton,conti gravitys,set up for all round use with one eye on weight.
Bottom Line:
the vanilla is the fork i,ve been searching for,no travel adjustment or seperate compression adjusters to fanny about with,mates perfectly with frame,MINT.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mark woodroffe
a
from surrey, england Date Reviewed: September 2, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
nirvana cycles
Strengths:
initially very plush no stiction
Weaknesses:
damping internals, seals, flexy, noisy
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi z1
Bike Setup:
04 kona coiler, freeride set up, twin ring with bash guard, short stem, wider/higher bars, tough cranks
Bottom Line:
at first i was very pleased but after 4 weeks damping internals broke which were repaired by uk importers mojo under warranty. got forks back and noticed one of seals was leaking badly so my local shop fixed under warranty. rode them for another 4/5 weeks and the damping internals broke yet again! by this time i was really hacked off and now have taken them back and swapping for new set of 06 marzocchi z1 sport. i really dont have anything good to say about these forks or importers mojo who have a really bad attitude toward people who aren't satisfied with their products. if you ride hard dont buy these stick with marzocchi, i have a 4 year old pair of z1 wedges which are still going strong and i've hammered them, and they were nearly half the price!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bryan M
a Weekend Warrior
from Deptford Date Reviewed: August 27, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Wissahiccon, Round Valley, Ceres park, GCC & CCC
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Action wheels in Deptford NJ
Strengths:
Stiff and PLUSH!!
Weaknesses:
Didnt include the correct spring for my weight (220) Which caused the fork to make some noises. Once I got the x-stiff spring....perfect.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Dirt Jumper II, MX comp, Rock shox judy XL
Bike Setup:
2002 intense Uzzi SL. Fox V130r fork. Vanilla RC rear shock. Full XT, Hayes mags, sun single track rims, Kenda 2.35 tires, tompson post and stem and Azonic bars.
Bottom Line:
Not long after getting the fork it started making a horrible noise when compressed. Realized too light a spring may be the prob,(temp fix was sliding a piece of road bike tube over the spring) ordered it. Since installing the spring, no probs since. Wissihiccon has lots of baby head sized rocks, this fork just eats them up!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Inon Shaham
a Weekend Warrior
from Kibbutz Tzuba, Israel Date Reviewed: August 25, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Mt. Eitan
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$360.00
Purchased At:
red barn bicycles
Strengths:
Super plush, never ending upper tube, light, very adjustable, impart confidence.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi MX comp, Spinner Grind (came with the bike-garbage)
Bike Setup:
Marin bobcat trail, wtb fr wheel set, deore drivetrain, fox vanilla R forx
Bottom Line:
best, did many tecnichal single trails uphill and downhill and the fork worked like a dream. i do some dirt jamping at the local bike park and the fork gives a lot of positive feedback and confidence. i think i did the buy of the year... i would recommend everyone who engage all mountain riding to grab a hold to one of those superb forks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Hugh Marsden
a Weekend Warrior
from Dorset UK Date Reviewed: August 23, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Wall Afan Wales UK
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Update on previous post - hassled local shop who did admit there was a lot of play and back they went to MOjo. New bushes fitted without argument "under warranty" but with no comment as to why they were feeling worn out straight out of the box!
Weaknesses:
I'll be keeping a close eye on the bushes!
Similar Products Used:
see previous post
Bike Setup:
see previous post
Bottom Line:
They feel brilliant now & hope they'll give me hassle free enjoyment. I am concerned at the FOX initial response but lets hope its all ok now!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tristan
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, Colorado Date Reviewed: August 5, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Bergen Peak Evergreen
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Performance Bicycles
Strengths:
Long Travel and Lightweight
Weaknesses:
Not built well inside, kinda felt loose when I lock my front brakes and rock it back and forth. Second time riding my bike and it frozed yes locked up.
Similar Products Used:
Upgraded to Fox Vanilla RLC, Hopefully this is better
Bottom Line:
I had just bought my GT IDRIVE5 2.0 last week and it came with these forks. I heard alot of good things about them. But the second time that I rode my bike the front forks locked up. I was in the middle of my ride with a fork stuck down and did not rebound back up. So I had to turn around and ride back to trail head with basically a rigid fork. It sucked, even my old Manitou XVERT never broke down and I had that on my Trek Y-22 for 6 years. I went back to Performance Bike and I had to fight with the manager to upgrade to the Fox Vanilla RLC and I would pay the difference in price. But finally we did reach an agreement and was settled able to swap for the upgrade with an undisclose amount paid difference.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Hugh Marsden
a Weekend Warrior
from Dorset Date Reviewed: August 3, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
loads of travel compared to old MXC airs
Weaknesses:
So Noisy - took them to Afan a week or so ago & was convinced there was a problem. Mojo say thats normal with coils but it all feels very loose - seems a lot of front to back movement when locking front brake and holding hand over slider/lower leg junction. Will monitor over next few weeks before hassling Mojo.
Similar Products Used:
Various manitous, Rock shox, marzochis
Bike Setup:
Enduro expert 03 - hope brakes 7 hubs
Bottom Line:
I'm underwhelmed and a bit cheesed off with my new forks - everyone else with Foxes have the air variety & of course no noise.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Lancashire, England Date Reviewed: July 31, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Cheap, easy to service, quite stiff. Comes with different weight springs.
Weaknesses:
Horrible Knocking noise on small bumps due to bushes, sounds like youre headset is loose. Feel lifeless and overdamped. Fairly bad brake dive.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou, Marzocchi
Bike Setup:
Cove G-Spot with DHX 5, Marzocchi Z1 FR2, Hope Mono M4's Race Face Diabolous finishing kit
Bottom Line:
If you wan't a good Xc fork they are probably great, for anything a bit more aggresive think again. The knocking noise can be sorted by fitting properly sized bushes. In my opinion this should be done from day one not an upgrade. the brake dive can also be sorted by the guys at TFTUNED by fitting push damping upgrade. The oil weight could do with being lighter, would give a more lively feel. These forks are really hyped up as being the best there is, I believed it and was reaaly dissapointed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
stevo partida
a Downhiller
from sjc, CA, USA Date Reviewed: July 16, 2005
Favorite Trail:
San Juan Trail
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$410.00
Purchased At:
san clemente cyclery
Strengths:
plush a f@#k so nice preload off of everything, lightest spring fork on the market under 4 pounds
Weaknesses:
have been riding the fork for only a total of 30 hours and has developed a LOUD creaking in the crown where it meets the santion, its great for 4x,dj, but has been used for a dh trail(talonics, LB) so the creaking might be a manufactures defect
Similar Products Used:
shermans firefly, marzocchi Z1-drop off.
Bike Setup:
kona roast, fox,saintcranks,MRP SYSTEM 3,SUV wheels, holzfeller bars stem, xtr drivetrain, king headset, maxxis tires, hayes carbon 9's
Bottom Line:
love the fork fact that its light good for racing or going to the local bmx track to school some bmxicans !!! but the nee to beef up the crown caue im sick of such a high quality forkbreakin on me!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jesse
a Racer
from Edmonton,Alberta,CANADA Date Reviewed: June 6, 2005
Favorite Trail:
pokemon world
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$385.00
Purchased At:
RVC
Strengths:
everything plushest fork on the market, under 4 pounds reound adjustments stiffness
Weaknesses:
none except its not for 360s
Similar Products Used:
nothing...my 36 whne it comes in
Bike Setup:
cowan, vanilla 24 mag front back saint (single speed set up)
Bottom Line:
its a realllyt tight fork easy to change travel and change springs bought it cuz i work at a bike shop i broke the arch doing an expo type jump trying to 360 couple bails it held up for a bit after then a few jumps later it snapped at the arch i guess fox had never seen one snap at the arch but i think its all my fault
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Peterson
a Racer
from Glastonbury, Connecticut, USA Date Reviewed: June 4, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Meshomasic
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$410.00
Purchased At:
Price Point.
Strengths:
Wicked PLUSH, nice rebound convertibility, perfect amount of travel for mx racing.
Weaknesses:
After about a month of hard use it may start to sound like the spring is corroding away at the side cartriges, but just spray some teflon on the stancion tubes.
Similar Products Used:
04 Psylo SL, 04 Vanilla RLC
Bike Setup:
04 Enduro Pro, XTR components, 05 fox vanilla
Bottom Line:
This kicks some serious as-. DONT buy it if it's just gonna go into the basment, it would be a sin! Once you get this everything will be a win, and if not you had a kick as- time with the fork...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
paddy
a
from bristol, england Date Reviewed: March 27, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$410.00
Purchased At:
jensonusa
Strengths:
strong, looks good, rebound control is a beast
Weaknesses:
its to god dam sexy
Similar Products Used:
phsylos sl's
Bike Setup:
shred, vannillas
Bottom Line:
the forks are amazing, they can do everything. you set the rebound up to pretty hard and its a dirt jump fork, bit more spring and u got a street forks, and they r light as. and to top it off, they look like the dogs
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Oriol Ayats
a Cross Country Rider
from Blanes, Spain Date Reviewed: March 24, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$360.00
Purchased At:
www.universalcycles.com
Strengths:
High lateral stiffness, very very very plush, fatherweight..
Weaknesses:
It has caused me an addiction for riding harder than before
Bike Setup:
Conor WRC 3 Disc w/ Fox Vanilla R '05
Bottom Line:
This fork is a must have. Very light, incredibly strong and its 130mm seems neverending. Really a nice value for that amount of bucks. Now I'm riding very harder than before and I won a race last week -I passed the 4 riders in front of me in a downhill section of a XC race- and that's because of this incredible fork. You can even make incredible drop offs and it will absorb the shock (my bike's a hardtail and I'm doing some trails if it was a full suspension because of its plushness).
Bravo for Fox. When you hear Fox is the best fork sign, you must believe him, because it's true.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Shawn
a Downhiller
from Bellingham Date Reviewed: March 1, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Galbraith Mt
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
Beefy, very plush, highly adjustable. Light for a coil shock.
Weaknesses:
None so far.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Bomber, Rockshox Judy
Bike Setup:
03 Specialized Enduro, Race Face Bash Guard, Time clipless pedals and of course the front fork.
Bottom Line:
Awsome upgrade to my bike. The '03 Enduros came with a Marzocchi Bomber up front, which was a good preforming shock, but only had 4" of travel up front, and I wanted something to match 5" in the rear.
I decided to go with a coil shock because it sounded like it would preform better for the type of stuff I was riding (usually riding up gravel roads the bombing down single track with roots, stunts and jumps). The diffrence was amazing to me, more than I expected. The Vanilla just seemed so much more plush and responsive even to multiple terrain types.
I did change my bike geometry slightly but I'm actually happier with it now then I was with the Bomber. If you are looking for a beefy shock to take abuse but want to stick with a single crown I would deffinelty recommend this. $400 may seem spendy, but anything comparable is between $600-$800 so you are actually getting a pretty good value in my eyes (pricepoint threw in a free Chris King headset too).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Wales Date Reviewed: January 23, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$410.00
Purchased At:
Speedgoat
Strengths:
Plush straight out of the box. Comes with 3 springs to suit your weight. Rebound adjustment actually makes a difference.
Weaknesses:
None so far.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou, Marzocchi
Bottom Line:
These forks are great, I got full travel out of them on the 1st ride, and they are well made too. They feel very plush. Best fork I've used.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
k3n!f
a Cross Country Rider
from Hobart, Tas, Aus Date Reviewed: December 24, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Mt Wellington
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Strengths:
Stiffness, Pimpyness, Weight, Pimpyness, Plushness, Pimpyness, Travel, Pimpyness, Adjustment did I mention Pimpyness?
Weaknesses:
None so far. Not really a problem but the don't climb as well as my last fork cos they bounce heaps more. Still I tend to make up lost time on the downs =)
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Axel Elite
Bike Setup:
Merida. Deore. Margura. Fox. Pretty carbon bits here and there.
Bottom Line:
Super nice fork. Ultra plush, good value for money, pretty light. Errrrm did I mention anywhere that it looks pimp?
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Submitted by
stephen jennings
a Downhiller
from renfrew Date Reviewed: December 24, 2004
Favorite Trail:
street
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$630.00
Purchased At:
PHAT MOOSE CYCLES
Strengths:
strong, light, great settings, preload and rebound.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
fox vanilla 125 RCL
Bike Setup:
planetX bommer, front and back 24" wheels, planet x bars, funn stem, Fox vanilla 130R, truvativ cranks and bb, hayes hrx 9
Bottom Line:
the fork is awesome, no doubt about it, strong, full warrentry for the whole thing, great settings... if u have the cash GET IT!!
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Submitted by
justin
a Cross Country Rider
from singapore Date Reviewed: December 17, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
cheap compared to other forks of this quality... PLUSH!!! STiff looks good
Weaknesses:
price maybe ?? 130mm of travel without lockout ...
Similar Products Used:
rst GILA sl .
Bike Setup:
merida matts sport 100 xt rear dee fox vanilla etc,,
Bottom Line:
a freakingly great fork.. u dun noe wad is plush until u have ridden one of these... absolutely heaven...eats bumps like as if they were not there...big beefy 32mm stanchions look and slide very well into the lowers..comes with springs of different lbs/inch to cater to a wide weight range of different riders...rebound damping is sweet and u can acutally feel the difference... super value for money ... fox quality ... if u have some cash to spend on a fork ... look no further.. its hard to describe how it performs to someone who has not tried it ... no regrets at all ...
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Submitted by
Joe Magliocca
a Cross Country Rider
from Oneida, New York Date Reviewed: November 14, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Killington
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$410.00
Purchased At:
Price Point, w/free King headset
Strengths:
reasonable cost, amazing stiffness, impressive looks, modest weight for coil fork, very simple maintenance
Weaknesses:
none yet
Similar Products Used:
old Judy Xc's,DH's, White Bros junk, most 80&100mm SID's
Bike Setup:
99 Specialized Stumpy FSR XC,full XT,King headset, Titec pieces, MRP x -link and bearing kit, 03 Fox Float R, Avid mechanicals, awesome S-works disc wheelset with Hugi hubs. very sweet and dependable 26lb xc ride
Bottom Line:
This is the initial report, first ride today. I originally was going to shorten the forks stroke to 4" because of the effects on my bike's geometry. I even ordered the yellow extra heavy spring to accomplish that.
I took many baseline measurements with the old SID 80mm still on the bike, standover, top of seat, top of headset, headtube angle(I forgot to measure the bottom bracket height), to be able to accurately compare the before and after. I decided to leave the travel at 130mm, and tuned the sag appropriately.
The final changes were surprising,1 1/2" rise at the headset, about 5/8" at the seat, and an inch on the top tube. The most surprising thing was, I could measure no increase in the headtube angle. Now I know it has increased, but with the simple inclinonmeter(bubble protractor)it appears to be less than 1 degree.
Anyway, riding impressions on a very slick autumn frost still on the ground ride, in a word, IMPRESSIVE! I debated a new bike recently. A few months ago I took one of the most violent over the handlebar spills that I have had on the mountain bike in a very long time. I have very deep muscle bruising still(lower back and right butt cheek), after 2 months. My doctor tells me that the numbness in that localized area I feel, may take another 4-6 months to go away, if it does at all.
Anyway, the signature crash for me has always been the over the handlebar throw, typical of the Stumpy geometry and short travel fork. I got disgusted with the bike, thought new, but I just put $$$ in the bike this year with the disc brakes/wheelset. So, new longer travel fork now, and maybe a new $5k ride next year.
Back to initial fork impressions... It was very slick still, below 40 degrees, and surface frost on ground, thin ice on water crossings, all of the leaves down , not ideal conditions. However, a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. I made a deliberate effort to ride over many of the obstacles I used to wheelie over with the sid, like the log jumps, and punchons, and the heavy off camber rooty sections that make up our fine local single track loop. The tracking, stiffness, steering precision, and dampining of this fork is VERY impressive. Climbing was difficult today, trail conditions aside, I have come to depend completely on my Stans no tubes to turn me up any/every hill no matter. I found myself having the front end very light on a few occasions, and had to hunt fore and aft for the perfect spot. So climbing, this year my strong point, will have to be perfected again.
Overall, so far, an astonishing improvement to a bike I thought I had done all I could to. Well worth the investment, and considering the value that used Fox forks maintain, I should be able to get a good dollar for it if I do decide on a new bike next year.
Hopefully, I will get a few more rides in before the snow stays in ernest around here. Most MTBers have heard about how good the Fox forks are, I have always has nothing but Rockshox on every bike I have owned. If you are on the fence about a new fork, get off it and get a Fox. $400 for a fork is very reasonable, and at under 4 lbs, the Vanilla is weight competitive. Initial impressions have really excited me about my almost 6 year old bike. Great fork, and a good value.
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Submitted by
Davide
a Weekend Warrior
from SanFrancisco Date Reviewed: November 5, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Strengths:
This is really a review for the STRATOS ID cartridge that I installed on a Vanilla 2004 (125mm). A fantastic upgrade for a Vanilla
Weaknesses:
None really, in its original form it bobs and it could work a bit better at high speed.
Climbing. The combination of the Horst Link traction, ROMIC platform and the ID makes for a bike that climbs incredibly well: it climbs like a racing bike with a pumped up SID but it can go over very technical terrain. You can stand and attack a hard technical section, stay seated and pedal very aggressively without any front bob, or get out of the saddle and sprint ( on a 5" front 5" rear suspension bike!!), you are basically free to move on the bike as you wish and the power is always transferred to the ground with minimal bob in front (or rear thanks to the ROMIC). Climbing is in particular improved 1000% when (i) attacking steps (you can basically keep the front wheel floating over the steps and pedal up effortlessly, I never went up stairs with such ease) and (ii) climbing off-trail on very rough but soft terrain (e.g. an underbrush, or high-dry-grass, where a standard fork will stop you, the ID goes over without esitation).
Downhill, The ID solves the main problem of the Horst/5-spot: pro-dive under braking. This is a characteristics that bothers me a lot with the 5-spot (simlar problem with my GT STS) and that a plush Marzocchi of Fox Vanilla exacerbates. The bike is instead almost completely stabilized by the ID: there is now almost no brake dive no matter how hard I grab the brakes. Moreover, the bike rides higher, which gives a a strong sense of confidence when dropping or in general going into a steep incline.
In very fast passage work the bike is much more stable, you can go faster because the bike keeps a very leveled asset. This is particular apparent when railing turns: I have never been this fast on a bike the sensation os stability and control is quite amazing.
Bump Compliance: Just perfect, the cartridge eliminates the high-speed esitation of the Fox fork and it increases the effective travel available. Before installation of the ID i was bottoming the fork occasionally, witht he same spring and 7 oil I have not bottomed the fork once in a month (I will install a softer spring).
Sand: The performance in sand is also vastly improved, there is no chance for the front to suck up forward motion.
THE GOOD
Weight If you care you save about 50-80 grams (30cc less oil and lighter spring)
Small bump compliance Small square obstacles are taken care with no problem at any speed. At very slow speed (< 4 miles) on smooth obstacles the fork is less active than the orginal.
No adjustments Set up and forget: no lever, no air, no nothing. Stratos costum valves the ID to your weight and I am spending time fidgeting with oil and springs. The bottom line is that I now I don't ever touch anything: the VANILLA/ID is set, the ROMIC is set, and I go forever without ever bothering with a dial.
THE NOT SO GOOD
No adjustments Set up and forget: no lever, no air, no nothing. If you like to fidget you can only fidget with spring and oil. I personally don't care but some people might.
Installation For the Vanilla installation is a bit complicated (Fox uses an idiotic assembly method for the spring/top cup), for a Talas or Marzocchi the installation is trivial.
CONCLUSION: BUY THE ID. The increase in performance in respect to a standard Fox Vanilla is nothing short of revolutionary.
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Submitted by
Rocco
a Weekend Warrior
from Raleigh, NC Date Reviewed: August 26, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$410.00
Purchased At:
jenson
Strengths:
Plush!!! Light for a coil fork!
Weaknesses:
absolutely none
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi,Manitou
Bike Setup:
enduro 93
Bottom Line:
I just had to write a review because this fork is so good and products like this deserve praise. When it was new on my first ride I was smiling ear to ear because it is so plush and the valving was perfect. Now that its broken in its even better. Small and large bump performance is excellent.
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Submitted by
Ryan
a
from Gainesville, FL Date Reviewed: July 27, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Santos
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
The Shop Where I Work
Strengths:
Soaks up everything, takes 203mm rotors for 05, It's a fox!
Weaknesses:
Something started to creak during the first ride with this fork, I hope it's not the fork case that would suck! I got it for REALLY cheap which is always a bonus.
Similar Products Used:
Nothing close to as sweet as this!
Bike Setup:
2004 Kona Kikapu stock except for 2005 Vanilla R and King headset.
Bottom Line:
Thing friggin rocks the house like no other. Smooth as butter when breaks in. i just hope that creak isn't comming from my fork or the phone at fox is gonna be ringing.
$ 410.00
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