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Fox Racing Shox DHX Air 4.0

MSRP $
Weight 425 grams
# of Reviews 10
Average Rating 3/5
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Submitted by Knotzykiller a Downhiller from surrey
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2009
Favorite Trail:Frieght Train- A-line
Duration Product Used:1 Year
Purchased At:South Shore Cycle
Strengths:Solid, has`nt Let me Down...
Weaknesses:?
Similar Products Used:None
Bike Setup:Gary Fisher King Fisher1 2006
Bottom Line:This fork came with my bike and I have used it many times for aggresive cross country and had it up to Whistler 4 times beating on it with jumps and just started on the drops. This shock has not let me down but I oil the piston stem before every ride and also check the air pressure before every ride as per my bike mec... I came on line to find out how to properly set up the air chamber and spring, maybe 1st set the spring then the air chamber??? I have a 450 LB spring and might beef up to a 550 LB spring, I`m 170 LBS. Again I have no idea how to properly set up the air chamber but I always rode with 170LBS in the chamber maybe that`s to much?
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by fred6ft a Downhiller from wales
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2008
Favorite Trail:mountain ash
Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
Price Paid: $250.00
Purchased At:ebay
Strengths:good strength and very versatile. good adjustability
Weaknesses:none yet
Similar Products Used:marzocchi
Bike Setup:mongoose teocali, marzocchi z1, fsa moto exo, halo combat on spindoctors and sram
Bottom Line:shock has had a lot of bad rap and all in all, this is not a bad shock. its adjustability is its strength and can be set to any type of ride you are into. the propedal is amazing. i actually forgot to switch it off on the way down, but it still gave me all the travel. shock is so light and even though this is the first full day of using the shock, i did not find any trouble setting the shock up. it is so plush and i dont have much bad points on it.

i way 180 pounds and got it set up at 210 psi in the main chamber and 170 in the top chamber.

the only reason why im not giving it 5 chilis is cause ive not done much riding with it yet.
Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

Submitted by b_maiden a Weekend Warrior from Brisbane AUSTRALIA
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2008
Favorite Trail:Turning Japanese (Daisy Hill)
Duration Product Used:6 months
Price Paid: $1.00
Purchased At:Ebay
Strengths:Cool design and very robust casing. Looks very solid and feels solid in addition to adjustment options (Pro pedal)
Weaknesses:It took a while to get the setting right. It does require more psi than I was expecting (approx. 175 psi) for my body weight I have never set my rear shock as much as that.
Similar Products Used:Specialized rear shock on Stumpjumper Comps 2008's. Sorry I dont know the actual model/series.
Bike Setup:2006 Specialized Enduro Elite original spec.
Bottom Line:I have been reading the above comments/reviews and I will be honest, I got a bit worried that I bought an equally nasty shock in my bike. So I did the only thing I can to test it... ride the bloody thing. Of course firstly I set it up the best I can (sag meter, pro pedal etc.)realtive to my weight. I then took it to some good xc/downhill trails which involved creek crossings, rocky downhills, smooth rolling dh jumps and over trees and so on .... BULLET PROOF. NO leaks, no locking, no problem. Got lucky? Maybe....
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

Submitted by SRS a Weekend Warrior from Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2008
Duration Product Used:1 Year
Strengths:Great pro pedal feature. Simple dials. Nice volume and good rebound.
Weaknesses:None really. Mybe the boost valve is hard to get to.
Bike Setup:Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC70
Bottom Line:Some people may not be setting this shock up properly as I hear stories about being "stuck down". It is my opinion only that one should never set a DHX Shock based on a persons body weight. I set mine up using the 25% sag rule and it results in more air (psi) in the shock. When it is filled right, the shock is amazing. It really enhances my Rocky Moutain Slayer. This is a large high volume chamber, so the body weight rule may not work.

Bottom Line..............good shock for over a year.
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Ben a Weekend Warrior from Sydney, Oz
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2007
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $2.00
Strengths:Good shock, nicely adjustable, takes everything i can throw at it, platform works well
Weaknesses:My shock pump is a bit hard to maneuver into the boost valve, but that's the pump, not the shock. Takes a while to get dialed in correctly.
Similar Products Used:Vanilla R
Bike Setup:Norco Six 1 '07, stock except for Syncros BHT tyres and Wellgo pedals (just didn't like the DMR V8's)
Bottom Line:Well, it seems that MTBR has a bad case of the "only review it 'cos it broke" going on. My shock has been fine, i stuffed it up by putting the shock pump on too hard to the main reservoir, but it was a $5 fix for some new valve cores and a core tool, now perfect. It takes a bit of riding to get the sag, rebound and bottom out (boost valve) set, but once you have, it takes everything you can throw at it and more. The lack of "bottom out" control doesn't matter since the boost valve does the same thing - just run the shock with 175psi in the boost valve and it will eat everything without bottoming out. Propedal seems to work quite well too - with 175psi in the boost valve, even standing and mashing the pedals hardly bobs at all.
Value Rating:4Overall Rating:3

Submitted by Frank a Weekend Warrior from Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2007
Favorite Trail:Rabbit Hill
Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
Purchased At:United Cycle
Strengths:Propedal works well you can limit the peddle bob with this ajustment.
Weaknesses:I am disapointed with this product. First time ever I buy an expensive bike. Assumed that all components would work flawless. Mistake the shock id leaking oil from the rebound adjust button, the dealer supposedly sent it back to get rebuilt but the didn't fix the problem. Can you guess the shock is still leaking and from the same location. You would think that if you bought a high end bike the store or manufacturer would go out of their way to make sure all components work probably before selling them. Save your money and buy a Walmart throw away, you'll be happier you did!!
Bottom Line:Crappy rear end on an expensive bike. And After being rebuilt to repair the leak the bike shock still leaks. I wonder, did it really get rebuilt??
Value Rating:1Overall Rating:1

Submitted by Terry a Cross Country Rider from Creston, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2007
Duration Product Used:1 Year
Purchased At:came on the bike.
Strengths:ummmm........ nice colour????? Sorry, that's all I could come up with.
Weaknesses:I just got the bike back from a warranty job on the shock because it stuck down. I guess I have about 4 or 5 rides in now since I got it back and it happened again. I was 25 km's out and had to gingerly ride it back so I didn't rip my tire to shreds or pull off the front derailer. (Enduro riders will relate) I was pissed. I'm sending it back but this will be another 2-3 weeks off of riding because of this useless piece of junk.
Thats twice in less then 5 months of riding.
Similar Products Used:My walmart bike with the rear suspension lasted years longer then this thing has.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line? Garbage. I hope someone from Fox reads the reviews on this model and notices the theme. If you're buying an enduro ask them to switch it out to something else. Spring perhaps?

I don't grunt up a mountain on this pogo stick of a shock, with its negligible propedal action, to waste one of my two measly days off per week, to do 20 metres of the best cross country trail in Nelson BC (Paper bag for those interested), only to have my recently rebuilt shock break down AGAIN.
Sorry folks, I just got home from this and I'm fired up.
Value Rating:1Overall Rating:1

Submitted by gt a Cross Country Rider from ketchum, idaho
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2007
Favorite Trail:fisher creek
Duration Product Used:3 months
Purchased At:came on specialized enduro
Strengths:fox product,
Weaknesses:heavy, useless piggy back reservoir. leaks oil out out adjustment knob.
Similar Products Used:fox float rl (it was flawless for 5 years)
Bike Setup:enduro elite
Bottom Line:ive had the bike two months and its never been on dirt. (its middle of winter) i ride it to work and back daily. (about a mile on pavement). apparently from my bodyweight alone, the shock compressed and stuck. it would not return. i thought it was just low on air, but that wasnt it. the bike shop said it blew an internal seal. how, i dont know. if this is fox's finest free ride, dh shock, they need to go back to the drawing board. i am already looking at other options (rock shox pearl). the plus is, fox is good about repairing the shock, but im guessing it will be broke again after my first ride. maybe just a lemon. i will write another review in a couple months
Value Rating:1Overall Rating:1

Submitted by mike dunphy a Cross Country Rider from Buena Vista Co USA
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:Monarch Crest, Colorado Trail
Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
Strengths:Looks Nice
Weaknesses:Leaking oil on the first ride. Nothing major as far as hits. Leaking out of the rebound adjustment. New bike from Rocky Mountain. 2 week wait from Fox so they can rebuild the piece of crap.
Similar Products Used:Came on the bike.
Bike Setup:Talus 36 on the front xt, jucy 5, race face, mavic
Bottom Line:Nice piece of crap. Its good to know that I will probably need service on this shock again in the near future. Fox will not be a consideration in the future if they send out product like this. The shock was setup before the first ride. Sag, pro pedal etc.
Value Rating:1Overall Rating:1

Submitted by tony a Cross Country Rider from saginaw
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2006
Favorite Trail:anywhere there is dirt
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $2600.00
Purchased At:LBS
Strengths:It is smooth when they work.
Weaknesses:It stuck on the fourth ride.
Similar Products Used:RockShox Sid. Never a problem
Bike Setup:This shock came on my 06 Enduro.
Bottom Line:After only four rides on the bike the shock stuck. I had to have it rebuilt. I am not sure how it will do on the long haul but one would think it would have held up better than four rides. The rides were XC trails nothing extreme. I am thinking for this type of bike a coil shock may be they way to go. If the shock goes again I will be replacing it with something else, not a Fox.
Value Rating:1Overall Rating:5






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