Submitted by
fitchhollister
a Cross Country Rider
from PA
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2008
Strengths: Fast, smooth, thought free.
Weaknesses: It costs money.
Bottom Line:
This shock is amazing. I had a rockshox with lockout before. Now I don't have to think about it. Combined with the brain in the rear I can mash on the pedals and let the bike do the work.
I see a lot of people saying it's heavy. It's 3.5 pounds!
If you do XC you'll love it. If you drive to the top of a trail to hit 5 foot drops on the way down, obv you don't need this shock.
I put that I payed $600.00 for it but really it came on the bike...
Similar Products Used: Manitou Axel Platinum 80 mm teravel
Bike Setup: XC hardtail
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
neil
a Cross Country Rider
from singapore
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2007
Strengths: Stiffness, auto lock out,
Weaknesses: reliability
Bottom Line:
I decided to write in after two years of using this fork for racing. Recently while training for a race, the F80X started to leak oil. With the front brake depesssed & the fork pushed down there was a loud 'Glock!" sound. So I sent it in for servicing. So I borrowed an SID fork to train with. To my shock & dismay, the SID tracks much better than the F80X. The F80X wanders left & right during steep climbs, the SID does not. Also coz I train in a very tight twisty single track, I find with the F80X I am out of position on a series of corners but with the SID I can get my lines perfectly.
I think the F80X geometry is simply too aggresive. Any one care to comment? I may be wrong but This is my feeling from back to back XC training 3 times a week using both forks.
On another note, the F80X needed repairs probably due to poor manufacturing one week after being bought. Then it was fine.
The Terralogic works wonderfully. It stays locked out until even a small one inch rock will activate it. FAntastic, fantastic, fantastic.
I am basically a Fox fan, but after testing the SID for ten hours over STEEP climbs, STEEP descents, TIGHT single track, the SID was the better fork.
Also the F80X tended to endo really fast as compared to the SID,The SID would also endo but seems to do it slower and give you more reaction time but that may be due to compression setting. Like I said I tested both forks in really TIGHT and STEEP climbs and descents.
I would have given 5 flaimin chillies if the F80X was almost as light as the SID.
If youb ride road as well as rough then the Terralogic is fantastic. Unless you ride so slowly that you actually have time to activate / de activate a lock out button then go buy other forks.
Weaknesses: none so far, maybe the price, but you get what you pay for
Bottom Line:
I love this fork. For XC racing, you cannot get a better fork. The power transfer from having it locked out through 'pumping' in and out of the corners is amazing. I origionally had a F80RL, then sent it to Fox for a rebuild and decided to get the terralogic upgrade. Best money i have ever spent. The diffrence between the two was noticeable as soon ad i got to ride home. This upgrade is really noticable through tight twisty singletrack. The cornering is amaxing, the front end does not dive into the corners.
Like other people i know, when i origionally got this fork (in the RL version) i had a tendancy to run it far above the recommendations, once i sent it away it came back fully adjusted for my weight. Having the pro's re-build it also helped a lot, you can definently tell a difrence between the factory adjustments and the adjustments after a full service.
The bottom line: If you race XC, this for is for you!!! For more of the every day recreational rider i would not recommend this because of the terralogic, it does too much for you if your just doing a recreational ride.
Strengths: Stiffness, quality build, no leaking seals;-)
Weaknesses: Terralogic valve
Bottom Line:
Had the fork for nearly a year and I'm now into the second Terralogic cartridge. Terralogic valve never worked at all with the first cartridge, sent it in and received it still malfunctioning. Gave up on that one and purchased a second cartridge (2006 model) which worked fine for a couple of months. Great fork for CC when the Terralogic actually works. Now however it works only intermittently: I can sometimes overcome the Terralogic lock-out by pressing down hard on the handlebar, e.g. when standing to pedal. Sometimes I can make it work again by fiddling with the Bump Threshold and smacking the front wheel/fork on the ground a couple of times (BrassMass valve jammed?). Sent this cartridge in 6 weeks ago and no result yet. What a useless product, very unreliable.
Consider yourself lucky should you happen to get your hands on a properly and reliably working Terralogic fork. If not, get ready for an unpleasant and expensive experience. Judging by other reviews here and other forums it seems the Terralogic valve is a recurring problem with this fork.
Submitted by
micho
a Weekend Warrior
from Slovenia
Date Reviewed: April 10, 2006
Strengths: Stiffness, material and build quality, terralogic system (when it functions OK)
Weaknesses: Terralogic system (when it does not work at all)
Bottom Line:
I got a new bike and on my first ride I did not test the fork at all, because I rode it on paved road due to winter conditions. On my firs off road ride the fork was way too plush + the terralogic (TL) didn't work at all. I sent the fork in for service, where they had to replace the TL valve. I installed the fork and reset the pressure using sag (90 psi @ my 160 pounds to get 10-12 mm of sag). The fork is now set at 1/2 of rebound speed and 1/2 of bump treshold and it seems to be working ok. It's stiff and the TL system opens up nicely - it makes your ride tinker-free. This, however, does not erase my doubts in a ?serious? manufacturer, shipping out his high-end guns without post-production testing them at all?! The reduction in my overall rating is due that consideration only.
Okay, I've narrowed down my selection, but I'm having a hard time deciding on which one of these forks to purchase.
This is the way I see it: R80 RLT, lighter/less expensive than Read More »
I just picked up a new '04 F80 RLT. Just finished installing it. Incredibly noisy(sounds like there's alot of friction going on between the sliders and the something). Very sticky. Read More »
I am looking at a new 05 Fox F80 X and was wondering if anyone has any advice or feedback on these. From what I have heard, they have a really good reputation and many riders love Read More »
