A patent pending internal bladder separates oil from air to ensure superiative damping consistency and fade-free performance. Externally adjustable, click-by-click rebound damping and a position-sensitive progressive bottoming system with factory set compression. The R cartridge jams an incredible amount of performance into a lightweight package.
Submitted by
fsrxc
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, Ab Date Reviewed: September 10, 2008
Favorite Trail:
anything technical
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
OEM
Strengths:
Stiff and smooth (once it's set up right).
Weaknesses:
Sticky out of the box - one lower was pretty dry.
Similar Products Used:
nothing this big
Bike Setup:
'07 Reign X1
Bottom Line:
After a few rides that should have been enough to break it in, the fork still seemed harsh over small or big bumps, and the front tire washed out a bit easily on rough corners. An LBS recommended draining and refilling the lowers right away, since many of the Van36s have been underfilled from the factory, so after the first 10 hours or so of use it's worth changing the lower oil.
I'm 150lbs (without gear) and the fork was a bit harsh even after changing the oil, enough that I was very close to buying a new fork. After changing from the stock blue to the purple spring (rated for 120-155lb riders) it's like a new fork - smooth over the chatter, but without any noticeable brake dive on steep stuff, and the front tire seems really stuck to the ground on rough corners now.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dh-freeride@hotmail.com
a Downhiller
from Manchester, NH, USA Date Reviewed: September 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Threshold
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Naults Cyclery
Strengths:
Plush, super good for all mountain
Weaknesses:
Bottoms out off of the big stuff and flat drops over 3 ft.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi 66 vf
Bike Setup:
2008 Giant Reign x1
DHX 4.0 Air
Bottom Line:
Great fork for the lighter rider ( i weigh 145 lbs), handled pretty much anything I threw at it. I could go to Highland and do 10 ft drops in the morning, then go and rock single track in the afternoon. Really wouldn't recommend it for heavier riders, though, as it does tend bottom pretty easily. I'm buying a Marzocchi 66. Much better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Stick
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, Canada Date Reviewed: April 21, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Simple Life
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Light
Weaknesses:
Overpriced, bottoms out, dives
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Z1, 66VF2
Bike Setup:
Giant Reign X1
Bottom Line:
I had high hopes for this fork but even after changing to heavier springs it still blew through it's travel and bottomed out constantly. I'm a small guy (150lb) and this thing would bottom on any drop over 3 feet and dive in corners. Used it in a DH race and had zero confidence coming into berms and going through rock gardens. I've ridden many forks and this one was way too linear and "pogo" for my liking. I've since replaced it with a 66 and I'm very happy. This fork is ok if you're just going to trail ride avoiding drops and chunder.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
someone
a Downhiller
from wherever Date Reviewed: February 11, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
stiff strong springy good rebound doesn't leak pretty much all you want in a fork
Weaknesses:
the cable guide really needs to be redone
Bike Setup:
this is the 07 that i am reviewing
Bottom Line:
After a year and a bit, its still holding strong. Its never needed to be serviced (knock on wood), its leaked a tiny bit when i change springs, but stopped quickly. I have only bottomed it out twice, both on a six foot drop with the light coil on a hardtail. I dont know what the bottom out problem is, maybe everyone is really heavy. I am 160. The rebound adjust is fine, the coil feels good, preload doesn't do too much, but works. Overall, it is a really nice fork. I like it more than the talas or the float. And more than marzocchi, but its not nearly as plush. Zokes sag a lot more and have a different feel. I like this fork a lot though. 5/5 stars after a year.
FOX: PLEASE MAKE A 180 mm VERSION OF THIS! PLEASE!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Morris Elliott
a Weekend Warrior
from Shelby, NC Date Reviewed: January 28, 2008
Favorite Trail:
PeeWee's
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Clark Bikes
Strengths:
Beafy Construction. Simple use
Weaknesses:
WEAK springs, no adjustments. Customer service.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi 66 RC3
Bike Setup:
Stock Fork on Giant Reign x1
Bottom Line:
Well, I don't like to talk bad about things, but I was really disapointed with this fork. I went through three springs and could not get this fork to keep from bottoming out, even on the preload before the jumps. It would even dive just riding around. I know that I am a heavy rider (over 215 geared out), but I did expect it to handle me after adding the over 240 lb spring. The sad thing was the Fox rep's solution was to charge me 140$ to make it a RC2. Not sure how you would handle that, but I guess I expected a little more cooperation to fix the problem. All in all, I was not pleased with the preformance or the customer service from Fox.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
charlie
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: September 30, 2007
Favorite Trail:
anything at woodhill
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
long forgiving travel, very stiff lowers, adjustable preload and reound that actually works
Weaknesses:
havent found any yet. perhaps factory spring is a bit soft but i'm only 65kg so it works for me
Bike Setup:
giant reign X1 - fox DHX3.0 rear shock
Bottom Line:
awesome fork, my first time with a 'real' fork and i'm hitting jumps and drops i would never have dreamed of previously. This fork gives confidence in that it wont bottom and chuck you off, the front will stay on the ground during hard cornering and if you cock up a landing it usually bails you out with all the soak. First 50mm or so of travel is very soft and responsive on rough trails/roots, then the rest is progressivley harder, beautiful. Cant actually think of anything wrong with it. Looks bloody awesome too, dwarfs even some double crown forks!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tom
a Downhiller
from london Date Reviewed: September 18, 2007
Favorite Trail:
chicksands
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
cycle surgury
Strengths:
These forks are very good to start with, the preload and rebound are very simple to use and not as heavy as you would think being coil and oil.
Weaknesses:
I have only been riding to and from work mostly with these and in the near by forest, but i have broken the rebound twice from a small set of stairs.
Bike Setup:
Orange patriot 07, hope moto's, race face diablos
Bottom Line:
These forks are very nice for the first couple of months but seeming i have broken them twice and a friend of mine has aswell i feel that they are not very good for the extreme rider, i would not recommend these to anyone.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from BC, Canada Date Reviewed: August 16, 2007
Favorite Trail:
pipeDream
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
-The aesthetics are good for Freeride - big stantions, crown than clears most downtubes. -Simple shock; preload is actually useful. It controls how high the bike rides in the travel which I play with quite a bit on the trail. Rebound is a personal preference - I like it as fast it can go without topping out the fork to hard. This makes the fork not pack up and Fox forks are really responsive so don't mute it by cranking on rebound
Weaknesses:
Under no weight the spring clanks around in the left leg. Also, it comes with a medium spring which is really lite. I weight 165lbs and it was diving hard on braking and landings - good though at speed cause i am riding half way through the travel making +/- 3"
Similar Products Used:
RS revelation, manitou nixon, totem coil, DJII
Bike Setup:
stock giant x1.
Bottom Line:
great all mountain fork, for those that weight close or more than me and have aggressive riding, recommend firm or extra firm coil - and/or at least turn up the preload.
Simple fork, easy to adjust, good value overall.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
someone
a Downhiller
from somewhere Date Reviewed: July 20, 2007
Favorite Trail:
santacruz trails
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
on the bike
Strengths:
really smooth through its travel super plush in bottom half ramps up nicely hard to bottom stiff light easy to adjust breaks in pretty quickly
Weaknesses:
about every 2/3 months it starts to clunk. I found that the little rubber slider on the spring slides up after 2/3 months, so you just open the little cap over the preload and slide it back down... then it is perfect again
Similar Products Used:
other stuff
Bike Setup:
transition vagrant
Bottom Line:
has worked flawlessly except for the super easy to fix thing since day 1. doesnt show any signs of breaking soon. better than the floats and talas's and a lot cheaper way better than any single crown marzochi that i have felt
fox needs to make a 180 version of it
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth, Western Australia Date Reviewed: March 24, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Coil spring, Single crown, Beefy stanchions, No flex, Reliable, Easy to use, Looks the goods!
Weaknesses:
Little heavy if only doing XC riding
Bike Setup:
2007 Giant Reign X1
Bottom Line:
These are a great fork! I do all kinds of riding, from XC to freeride on this fork. The compression of this fork is predictable and progressive so you can always estimate how the fork is going to react to the bump. Single crown gives a better turning circle. The reliability and simplicity of this fork is its greatest asset. There aren't 2000 different dials to adjust, just a rebound knob and a preload (sag-setting) knob.
I rode a pair of RockShox Recons the other day (air spring). Now, while air shocks do have slight weight and setup advantages, they are just not as plush as a coil shock in my opinion. I always feel confident that if I blow seals on this fork when out in the wilderness it will still be able to be ridden back to the car. If blown seals occur with air, you're walking. Air shocks have their place among the XC/all-mountain crowd, but I wouldn't be confident doing aggressive trail riding/big hit stuff with them.
Bottom line, if you're looking for a reliable single crown fork which can take everything you can throw at it, this is the fork for you. If you are sticking to XC/all-mountain riding, I would go for an air fork or a lighter weight fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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