Submitted by
herewasjake
a Cross Country Rider
from portland, oregon, usa
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2009
Strengths: Light, smooth, effective...
Weaknesses: Few adjustments, lame owner's manual requiring a computer.
Bottom Line:
My last shock finally died, so I researched a replacement. Everybody tried to sell me the Rp23, until an honest guy at Bike n' Hike told me only the RP2 will work with the NRS design. I had to buy a different air sleeve at a small fee to deal with the NRS no sag design (when the bike shop put in the order Fox made sure this happened . Make sure you do the same). Once put in place, it works amazing. There is less pedal feedback through the suspension (so much so that I thought the shock was set up too stiff), but that is why I bought and still love my NRS. Bumps are smoothed out like a hot knife through butter. You only get rebound control on the RP2, but with the NRS that's all I need as I like the hard tail feel. You'll need a computer to run the set up manual, and I never did find a description of proper air pressure set-up. Trial and error got me there. For an NRS the RP2 makes it a way better bike. Just make sure you get the proper shock and air sleeve.
Submitted by
prairydogXC
a Weekend Warrior
from netherlands
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2009
Strengths: set it and forget it. recommend it to replace the crappy Fox Triad on Specialized Stumpjumper FSR '06 if you're a set-it-and-forget kinda rider and don't want to break the bank
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
I never liked the Fox Triad which came with the Stumpy fsr '06. Worthless pro-pedal, worthless lock-out and always riding low on bracket height hence hitting roots and stuff too often. So i thought it would be easy to find a new shock with REAL pro-pedal that wouldn't break the bank. The Triad internals differ from the Float line so it can't be Pushed :(. I considered an RP23, but it would cost me too much to have the shock stroke shortened thanks to Specialized custom shock 7.5x1.75. Since i'm a set-it-and-forget-it kinda rider(always driven in pp mode with occassional change of rebound/pressure and not needing the adjustability of RP23), the Float R used on C'dale Rush jumped to mind as a perfect replacement. Found one on Ebay (firm pro-pedal for my 220lbs with gear) with the correct lenght and stroke. Fitted the shock, set sag and rebound (10mins work) and drove out to the trails. The Float R made the Stumpy feel like the bike i always wanted. Now I hit roots and rocks occassionally, it feels very active over rough terrain and when climbing it delivers much more traction. Riding long straights it almost feels like an hard-tail, but still has a good small bump sensitivity. The Triad is now a backup and will stay that way.
Submitted by
Shane Scrimager
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Barbara CA USA
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2009
Strengths: Unbelievably light! Easy to adjust, new valve position on the 2008 model.
Weaknesses: Leaks air out of the valve, bought it used and received the shock with no air pressure.
Bottom Line:
I've read the negative reviews and still bought the shock. I have a shock pump for my forks and it comes in handy owning the Fox Float R. It's lost about 5psi over the last three weeks and numerous rides. If that's the extent of the leak I'm overall very happy with this shock. The weight alone is worth every penny, the performance is awesome! Took a few 4-5 ft drops at speed and it didn't bottom out, sucks up the small, medium and large bumps and tracks overly well. If your in the market for a relatively cheap air shock get this one - ride it till it dies and have it Pushed instead of serviced. My way of buying the Pro Pedal version with two payments over time! I'm 165lbs and have been riding at 130psi, it rocks!
Submitted by
nickburton60
a Weekend Warrior
from shreveport, louisiana, us
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2008
Strengths: feels strong, easy to adjust, comfortable, light, propedal works great.
Weaknesses: need to check the pressure before every ride.
Bottom Line:
like this shock alot, reacts nicely to bumps. I like to go fast and i hit bumps hard, and this shock has held up and feels great. The propedal feels great on climbs. I wont be changing this shock anytime soon. If it goes out, i'll send it to PUSH.
Strengths: I thought it was great. Minimal bob, great feel during it's stroke and enough adjustment to set it up nicely and forget about it. Easy to rebuild.
Weaknesses: Got stuck down, I took it apart and rebuilt it. It got stuck down again soon after. Better to send it to Fox or Push when you get the stuck down problem, I heard they have permanent fixes. During the first stuck down occurance I decided to get a RP23, blows the Float out of the water in every way. That I would say is the biggest weakness of the Float, once you ride something like the RP23, what's the point of using a Float.
Bottom Line:
Great shock for a entry level FS rig. Except for the stuck down issues, which took a year of dirty hard use to come up, it has performed very well. But...once you get into a shock like a RP23 the Float is worthless to you.
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder,CO,USA
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2007
Strengths: Reliable, holds air for monthes
Weaknesses: Pre-propedal, bobs on active 4bar. Bushings need replacing every year.
Bottom Line:
I been through a RockShock Pyslo and recently broke my beloved Sherman FireFly, but my original Float R is still going strong. It holds air for monthes. I rebuilt the shock (tuff to replace main seal, but only $15) and it held air over the winter. Very solid and easy to take apart and clean and regrease.
So, I'll open with the facts. I'm 230 lbs, riding a stumpy xcr comp with the float r rear shock, Problem is I can pump the pressure up to 320 lbs and I still end up with way too mu Read More »
My 2012 Giant Reign X1 shipped in on Nov. 11. After hitting the trails about 4 times, the rebound adjust cap broke. I was running it 10 clicks in, wanted it slower, and reached dow Read More »
Hello i have a fox float r 7.875 x2,25 on specialized enduro 2004 ! i heard somewhere if i put lighter oil in the shock ,it makes softer and more sensitive! is this true? if it's Read More »
I offered to do an air sleeve seal replacement on my buddy's Fox Float R (see attached picture) circa 2009 I think. I've done em' in the past without any trouble, but this was the Read More »
help. my 2009 fox 36 float r is not so smooth. had it serviced and put 2012 fox/skf seals but still not running smooth. there is no problem with oil/air leaks and it performs ok. b Read More »
