With separate externally adjustable high and low speed compression damping circuilts as well as externally adjustable, click-by-click rebound damping and a position-sensitive progressive bottoming system, the RC2 cartrige jams an incredible amount of performance into a lightweight package.
Submitted by
KRob
a Cross Country Rider
from Ely, NV Date Reviewed: December 18, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Goat Camp, South Mountain, La Milagrosa, Burro Down
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Hammerhead Bikes, Au
Strengths:
Solid, fex-free, relatively plush, good mid-stroke support, trouble free, bomb-proof. Set and forget.
Weaknesses:
Could be a bit plusher on small bumps. The internal cartridge bladder came apart once.
Similar Products Used:
Fox 36 TALAS, Fox 36 Float, Marzocchi 55 RC3, Lyric
Bike Setup:
Intense 6.6 Roco TST-R coil
Bottom Line:
This is a great no-brainer product. It just worked. I've ridden forks that are a bit plusher, but for the weight, simplicity, and low upkeep it's pretty darn good.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
gravityfreaky
a Downhiller
from Sydney Date Reviewed: November 12, 2008
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Weight and looks
Weaknesses:
Have now blown two cartridges. High speed compression is useless. Spring rates too widely spaced (medium too soft - hard too hard). Pinch bolt too easy to over tighten. Clunks on hits (spring flex)
Similar Products Used:
36 Talas (much better), Marz 66 ATA (not great).
Bike Setup:
Intense Slope Style.
Bottom Line:
Have had to buy a new cartridge after blowing mine twice and loosing all compression. Can get the forks to feel good no matter what I do. As soon as I can afford to I will ditch them for something better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
worldwide
a Weekend Warrior
from durham Date Reviewed: November 4, 2008
Favorite Trail:
glentress
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
rutland cycles
Strengths:
weight, adjustability, performance, looks
Weaknesses:
spring rate, bed in time
Similar Products Used:
marz 66rcv, boxxer teams
Bike Setup:
commencal mini dh rocco tst rear with ti spring stiffy rims on nukeproof hubs hope v2 brakes raceface chain guide
Bottom Line:
i was in two minds whether to buy these as i did not think the improvement would justify the price over the stock marz 66s. i was wrong. the reviews are correct when they say the stock springs are too soft i spoke to TFtuned and they said that they (fox) cant take into account riding position and personal preferance or the geometery of the bike they are going on. once a stiffer spring was purchased they were, and still are awsome they can handle the drops at glentress freeride park, some can be bigish if you hit them hard enough, and then charge down the hill and ride back up. the adjustment takes some sorting tho or maybe thats just me. i thiught that they took a bit to bed in which was a pain. oh and they need storing upside down for best performance. but on the whole very confidence inspiring and a good buy.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric
a
from Asheville, NC Date Reviewed: April 26, 2008
Favorite Trail:
eric_oelschlaeger@yahoo.com
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
stiff, purdy, light weight, durability (so far), good dampening
Weaknesses:
linear travel, 2-piece thru-axle design can come apart
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi atom 80, marathon, z1
Bike Setup:
Canyon Torque 3 (don't sell in US. Found on ebay. sweet bike!)
Bottom Line:
I've always been annoyed with fork manufacturers making a big deal about the difference between all-mountain and free-ride. Now I see why.
This is a great "all-mountain" trail fork. And although I've seen the sponsored Fox riders go bigger on this fork than I'll ever think about going, it is (in my experience) NOT a freeride fork because the travel is too linear.
I have NEVER bottomed my Z1, but I bottom this thing all the time. Even with a green spring (I weigh 145 and the green spring is rated for someone up to 210) and the compression dampening cranked all the way I've still bottomed it on relatively small drops.
This is a pretty major limitation for a "freeride" fork. I like knowing that I could nose-dive into chop and know that my fork would suck up the rough stuff and not send me over the bars. My z1 bailed me out several times, but with the 36 I'd immediately hit bottom if I ever got in over my head.
Everything else about this fork is great--the thing feels nice and is light as a feather for a burley coil fork. No issues with durability. It's great for what it is, but it is not a freeride fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sean
a Weekend Warrior
from Maumee, Ohio Date Reviewed: December 15, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Woodlot
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Used
Strengths:
Stiff, Light, adjustable
Weaknesses:
CRACKS! POORLY DESIGNED PINCH BOLTS! SHOULD BE RECALLED! I USE HIGHLY ACCURATE TORQUE WRENCH FOR ALL BOLT ON MY BIKE AND IT STILL CRACKED!
Similar Products Used:
Marz 66
Bike Setup:
Bottlerocket with DHX 5.0 coil on back
Bottom Line:
Honestly, the lowers on this fork should've been recalled. I bought mine used so I'm fairly sure Fox won't help me out at all. I was so happy to own a Fox product, I am now very dissapointed... Hopefully Fox will step up and at least sell me the lowers at cost.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
G
a Downhiller
from Dunedin, NZ Date Reviewed: December 1, 2007
I always worry about over tightening the axle pinch bolts. Takes some time to properly set up.
Similar Products Used:
I have owned a Manitou Sherman Firefly (hated the SPV), and two Fox 32 Vanilla's. Marzocchi Super T Pro used to be on my downhill rig.
Bike Setup:
Transition Bottlerocket. VAN36 RC2 up front, DHX 5.0 rear. Mixture of Saint, Raceface, SRAM and Hope components.
Bottom Line:
Amazing well rounded fork. I use the fork mainly for downhill and trail riding, and it suits me perfectly. I have ridden Fox forks for a number of years and have never had a problem with them, and these are no exception. Out of the box, most riders will probably find them a little undersprung. I had to ride with the high speed compression dialled all the way in to stop them blowing through their travel. While they still felt great most of the time, it made the fork too stiff for the higher speed stutter bumps - which I understand is one of the main complaints with the fork. I ordered the stiffest spring (yellow spring) and it made all the difference. I was able to wind the compression back to just a tad stiffer than halfway, and it is now very smooth over the higher speed small bumps yet still only bottoms out occasionally (I have the internal bottom-out adjuster set to full also). Everything else about the fork was amazing right out of the box. The feel of the fork is smooth and precise, and is much stiffer than my old '04 Super T Pro. I would highly recommend this fork to anyone wanting something to go with their small travel freeride/slopestyle bike - especially the Bottlerocket.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
walter von holst
a Weekend Warrior
from germany Date Reviewed: October 22, 2007
Favorite Trail:
franzoos
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
bikeshop
Strengths:
good range of high speed compression adjustment, fairly light, little friction
Weaknesses:
price, slpw speed compression range absolutely sensless, to little progression, durability of damping cartridge and bushings
Similar Products Used:
66SL, 66RC2X, Z1 sport, sherman
Bike Setup:
two wheels, two brakes, one bar and a lousy rider!
Bottom Line:
whom was this product designed for? the fork is blowing to much fast through its travel (even with stiffer springs and 20% sag) for even the slightest freeride usage. is this fork met as micro downhill fork? or as high compfort touring fork? sorry fox but this fork is simply poorly designed: For freeride you need more spring progressiveness as more high speed compression will make a very harsh ride and exploding dampening cartridges (as happened). this fork is absolutely usless for jumping. even my Z1 sport (130mm) at half the price was better suited for small freeride than this fork. by the way: hard ridden it is eating about 3 to 6 times as much bushings as a Marz 66 (2006). WHO THE HELL DESIGNED ALL THESE LINEAR FREERIDE FORKS????? (36, Lyric, Totem)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Bothell, WA Date Reviewed: August 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Dirt Merchant
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$631.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
Weigh, travel and adjustments.
Weaknesses:
Front brake cable guide. Easy to cross thread.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi 888r and Z1.
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Nomad Deemax Saint
Bottom Line:
This fork was perfect for me right out of the box 5'10" 175lbs. Unlike the Marzocchi forks this one replaced did not take 2 months to dial in. I have never had a problem with bottoming or small bump sensitivity. I hit 3-5 foot drops every Saturday on the local trails and ride and hit everything at Whistler without complaint. The only time this fork bottoms is when I miss the transition.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Preston
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle, WA Date Reviewed: July 31, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
www.greenfishsports.com
Strengths:
Light. Stiff; you can plow through stuff like you're riding with a dual crown. With the right springrate it will take big drops. Looks good and is pretty plush.
Weaknesses:
I weigh 185 and the stiffest spring that ships with the fork was not enough (came with 3). Hi and Lo compression is on the underside of the fork. Bottoms out unless you crank up the compression, then its rough in the smaller stuff.
Ellsworth Dare at ~38lbs. Mag 30's with Holy Rollers, Magura Gustav brakes, MRP mini me, King Steelset, XT crank
Bottom Line:
So when I took this fork out for its first ride it was very plush on small roots and rocks but bottomed out at the first sight of a drop over 3 ft. So I put in the bigger spring that shipped with the fork which made it a little better, but not great. When you add full compression the fork becomes better at handling drops but looses it soft feel. If you want that soft feel back you have to sacrifice on the bigger stuff. What sucks about this is that the adjustment is actually underneath the fork. I finally ordered the heaviest spring from Fox and things greatly improved. I could set the compresion a little softer and still not bottom out. I never got the big grin I was expecting because this fork did not feel as good as the fork it was replacing ('04 888). Did my usual rounds at the UW campus and none of the drops or stairs felt as nice. I did notice a big difference in weight though; the bike was a definately quicker.
Simply put, now that the stiff spring is in the fork, I'm much happier with its performance. But don't expect to get the feel of a 888. Buy this fork if you are an aggressive trail rider but not if you are going to do big drops all the time. If you like to tweak your fork while you are riding, stay away
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Boss of Lynn Woods
a Downhiller
from Lynn, MA Date Reviewed: June 28, 2007
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
much money
Strengths:
Light, stiff, looks slick. Good customer service.
Weaknesses:
Creaky + undersprung
Similar Products Used:
Everything Marzocchi
Bike Setup:
Gemini frame - Pimptronic style: Avalanche, King, Hadley, et al
Bottom Line:
Rode ok out of the box. Undersprung. Crown started creaking after a dozen rides. Sent it back to Fox, got it totally rebuilt: new crown, heaviest coil installed. Works great now. Lots of abusive rides since. No probs. Pretty progressive. Prolly doesn't feel as nice as my dual HSCV super-t, but what does?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Guillermo Islas
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX Date Reviewed: May 9, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Angel Fire, CO
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$835.00
Purchased At:
universal cycles
Strengths:
stiff,light and plush
Weaknesses:
non so far
Similar Products Used:
rs-pike, manitou sherman firefly,nixon, marzocchi Z-1 and 66.
Bike Setup:
Azonic saber '05, several azonic components, romic-D, full XT, el camino brakes 8",mavic XL,nevegal 2.5 E
Bottom Line:
I have never had any negative issues with my fork, found the setings easy and adjustments works fine to tune it per the trail ride of the day. have run DH, jump and XC with it in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas,Mexico city and Monterrey as well as in Vacouver, BC.
this bike and fork have seen lots of action, and I am 210 lbs, my guess is that Fox may have lack ofquality control on their manufacturing, and I was lucky to get a good one, as I have found this fork to be all kudos up. I have also a Demo-9 with a 888 fork for the real deal and the azonic setup has been very reliable. by the way the rear answer swinger 6 on my Demo-9 sucks!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
alex
a Downhiller
from Hobart Date Reviewed: April 17, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
light weight
Weaknesses:
Not nearly as supple at Marz, You get a fair bit of vibration throught the handle bars compared to open bath. Bottom it out way too easy, and im under 70 kg. Bushings develop slop really quickly. Small looking fork even with the larger stantions.
Similar Products Used:
Marz Z1 FR, 66 VF, Manitou Minute, Totem coil,
Bike Setup:
SX trail, Review for the 07 rc2 model
Bottom Line:
Though advertised as a DH and FR fork THIS IS ABSOLUTY NOT. This really suits all mountain mess about rigs such as the heckler. If your after a fork that can both be supple on the small stuff and hit the 10 foot drop maybe get something else. Dont get me wrong it will do it but it just does not feel as good as marz. Im running the cheap 66vf and that feels so much better. My rating is low just because of how it is marketed, if i wasnt expecting it to rock as a serious FR fork i wouldn't be as disapointed. Also i bought this fork on the premis that they had fixed the dampening at the travels end. I know the older 06 versions came with it set in the medium dampening setting. When i went to change mine to the harder setting it was allready there. This is probally how they fixed it. Idiots
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
DNW
a Cross Country Rider
from Northern Arizona Date Reviewed: April 14, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Light weight for a 6" fork, smooth fork, very adjustable. Have seen lot of people complain about the bottom-out on this fork, hopefully they are reviewing the 07 model with the improved bottom-out. I am 200+ with gear and run the heavier spring. The first couple rides I could bottom it on 2-3 foot drops, but after adjusting compression damping, I have not bottomed it since.
Similar Products Used:
Fox TALAS 32, Fox Float 32
Bike Setup:
06 Turner RFX, 07 Van 36 RC2, Crossmax XL wheels, Hayes El Camino brakes
Bottom Line:
I have no complaints about this fork. I have had none of the bottom out issues after properly adjusting the fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Shawn Foley
a Weekend Warrior
from Snoquamie, WA Date Reviewed: March 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
local
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Nice ride cruising down berms, rocks beds and drops under 2 feet.
Weaknesses:
Im at about 200 lbs with all my gear on. I have the coil for 205–240+ lb riders (which appears to be the stiffest available). Why oh why do i bottom out on a freaking 4 foot drop. Mucking around with the preload, compression or bottom resistance settings do not seem to offer any help.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi 66, Fox 32 float
Bike Setup:
2007 Specialized SX III
Bottom Line:
I think if your over 140 lbs with your gear and you plan on getting more than 2 feet of air steer clear of this fork. I will more than likely be swapping this POS out for a Marzocchi 66.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ste Brown
a Downhiller
from Manchetser, England Date Reviewed: March 26, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
Leisure Lakes
Strengths:
The fork is easy to set up and tracks along the ground absorbing big bumps and little bumps with ease. It is equally at home on an XC ride or coming off a 6ft drop.
Weaknesses:
This is the most unreliable fork that I have used. It has failed three times in seven months. The first time it stuck down. The second time it started topping out and the third time the anodising wore off the stantion despite being lubed and stored upside down as recommended by Fox / Mojo.
Similar Products Used:
Various Rock Shox.
Bike Setup:
Orange Patriot66, DHX5 rear shock, Fox 36 Van forks, Hope M4 brakes.
Bottom Line:
Great fork when it works, but very unreliable.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ansel
a Weekend Warrior
from Humboldt county Date Reviewed: February 24, 2007
Favorite Trail:
crawfish off I-5 in oregon
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
local dealer
Strengths:
flex free
Weaknesses:
cracked lowers, not as smooth as true oil bath forks (marzocchi)
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi early Z-1, later Z-1 Z-150
Bike Setup:
nomad, dhx5 air rear, nice parts
Bottom Line:
My lowers cracked at the axle clamps I was careful not to overdue the torque on the tiny bolts, However fox warranted the fork, in a timly matter I might add . Overall I loved the lightweight and ease of use and I never had the dampening problems others have, I'm 210 lbs and have done some 3-4'drops as well as a few downhill events. All on the provided heaver springs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Phil Schlosser
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado Springs, CO Date Reviewed: December 27, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Moras trail, Costa Rica
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Mojo Wheels Denver, CO
Strengths:
Super stiff for a single crown fork. Easy to adjust.
Weaknesses:
None yet.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi 888, Fox Talas 36 RC2, Z.1, Z.2,Super T.
Bike Setup:
VPfree, Hadley Hubs, 317s, Saint Rear De. Shimano XT Crank, DHX 5.0.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line this fork is super stiff, super smooth and light. This thing has taken a beating. I have ridden it in Costa Rica recently and the fork was about the only part on the bike along with the Saint rear De. that didn't have any problems. I put this thing through some serious abuse. Not so much off drops but just plan simple extremely rocky, fast, steep single track.I bashed this thing off rocks numerous times after endoing with no issues. I wish i would have brought with the lighter spring with because at times found it to be a little to stiff. But oh well. I would recommend this fork to anyone who wants a reliable single crown fork that handles great. I wish my Vpfree was this reliable. Shouldn't buy it if you think 2ft is a drop.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cody
a Downhiller
from Boise Date Reviewed: November 3, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Stiff and light, two things not normally associated. fit and finish, adjustability
Weaknesses:
lowers scratch/mark easily. careful of torque specs with axle and pinch bolts
Similar Products Used:
Shermans, z150's, 66's
Bike Setup:
Canfield Balance built up 38 lbs as stout freeride rig. DHX5 rear shock, hugi hubs with singletrack rims. saint cranks, magura louise fr brakes and xo drivetrain.
Bottom Line:
I'm 185 lbs with biking gear and ride this everywhere from epic xc rides to drop and rock riddled DH runs. Fork took a few rides to loose its stiction but lost it it did. I've done numerous drops around and above the 10 foot mark and bottoming out is not an issue. I'm running the stock spring and have rebound turned in 4 clicks. Low speed compression is all the way off and high speed is turned on 6 clicks. Couple turns on the preload and I am very pleased. Fork is stiff laterally and amazingly light for what it is. Its up there in cost but no longer the priciest now that Rockshox is the new high mark. Quality seems top notch and I expect to get get life out of this very competent fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Parker
a
from Salt Lake City Date Reviewed: October 26, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$775.00
Purchased At:
Go-Ride
Strengths:
Beefy sactions, 6.3" of travel, adjustments, looks, 20mm thru-bolt,
Weaknesses:
Price is a bit hefty.
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi bombers, drop-offs
Bike Setup:
Specialized, Fox 36 Vans, DeeTrax, HFX-9, Shimono XT, Maxxis Minions.
Bottom Line:
Its a great product. It is a little pricy, but worth the dough. The 6.3" of travel is a great amount. I use for freeriding and light cross country. It did bottom out at first, but then I upgraded to a stiffer spring and now I can hit 8-10 foot drops and it doesn't bottom out. And the fact that not alot of people have them, they will be noticed. Bottom line...it is a great fork if you can afford it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a
from Woodhaven, NY Date Reviewed: October 21, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
Stiff, light, comes with 3 springs and high/low speed compression and rebound adjustments to enable you to really dial in the fork. Very linear feel.
Weaknesses:
Expensive. Still bottoms out even with internal bottom out setting at max and compression settings maxed out with proper spring rate.
Similar Products Used:
'06 36 Van RC2, '06 Marzocchi 66 RC2X
Bottom Line:
I've already sent my 2006 Vanilla RC2 for servicing and had an opportunity to try out the 2007 model on a friend's bike. Unfortunately it still bottoms out very easily with correct springrate for our weight and bottom out set to firm/max (verified by the bike shop, Fox released details to dealers on how to adjust the setting at Interbike). Even with both compression settings maxed, resulting in a stiff ride, the fork can still be bottomed on the trail and in parking lot testing. My fried, who's a much smoother rider than I am, was bottoming out on 2 foot natural drops and he has no issues hitting 10 footers on his downhill bike with a Marzocchi 66 that's slightly undersprung. It still is a relatively light and burly fork, and I like how well thought out certain design aspects are like the floating axle and shape of the dropouts easing wheel installation/removal. For less aggressive riding or for racing, I can see this fork being a great choice with it's linear feel enabling you to make full use of it's travel, but downhillers and freeriders should probably stick to Marzocchi unless you like feeling your fork go thunk with every drop.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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