Submitted by
pmoney
a Downhiller
from victoria,b.c.,canada
Date Reviewed: January 30, 2012
Strengths: 2012 Fox RP23 with Kashima and adaptive logic.Compression tune m,rebound tune m,velocity tune 175.Feels a lot better than my old xcish RP23
Weaknesses: none so far.
Bottom Line:
Huge difference in the feel pointing down.The shock instantly felt more linear than my old RP23.My old one was biased towards going up this one is biased towards going down.The Adaptive logic has the firm propedal setting then three settings for open,light and medium propedal.Open feels great it feels very linear and small bump is excellent.This is the RP23 that DHers have been wanting for there trail bikes.That being said it does suffer some in the climbing department,it seems to bob more than my old RP but it is not a huge difference.I am still playing with air pressures.Overall I am very pleased with this shock and would recommend it.
Submitted by
jhammer
a Cross Country Rider
from Joplin Missouri
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2012
Strengths: Looks good works good when it works
Weaknesses: Failed less than 3 months
Bottom Line:
This at first seamed like a good shock did not take me long to tune to what I needed, but has broken in less than 3 months the blue lever is stuck and will not move to pro pedal and the shock all of the sudden is allot more active and is no longer adjustable.
I sucks I had there first gen fox float rear for years no issues on rebuild kit in 5 years of ridding then I had a Titus with the RP3 no issues ever so I was sold on Fox I purchased this Spearfish a few months ago a great bike by the way, I upgraded the rear shock to the Fox RP23 but what a disappointment they are not up to the same standards as the old shock bummer.
I'm about to see how there warranty process goes. If you by one good luck it seems that new is not always better.
Strengths: Works great when you get the right tune & air pressure
Weaknesses: Way to many tunes make it difficult to make it work well with different bikes without trial & error.
Very little consistancy from year to year in terms of feel. BoostValve harshed my ride (could work well for different weights or geometry)
Bottom Line:
Good shock. Good adjustability.
Has 3 Compression and 3 Rebound tunes. If you buy the shock with a compression tune too low or high the shock sucks. If you get it right then it's great!
Now with the Boost Valve there is even more room for error. If you get the tune wrong the shock will either be too stiff or too plush.
I've got a 2009 RP23 that felt amazing but had a tendancy to botom out too easy. Aside from that the propedal worked awesome & it worked great for 95% of my riding.
Decided to upgrade to the new 2010 RP23 with boost valve, sadly it isnt as good as I thought it would be. The shocks have the same tune and the BV (2010) shock has a 175psi bv setting. Problem is the shock now feels too harsh through the entire travel & the propedal is not nearly as effective because the shock is so much stiffer when the pp is off. Overall not thrilled.
Way to much guesswork & luck involved.
I think I'm going to go back to my 09 shock & play with the volume spacers Fox sells to make the tail end of the travel more progressive.
Came with my new bike. I have only 90 miles on it, but the shock dials do nothing. I went to my LBS, played with another bike that had the same shock, appeared to do nothing as well.
Strengths: Responsive, light, same air sleeve kit forever. Simple air sleeve rebuild. Excellent performance for XC. Can't live without a 3-way everyday but like she said, its complicated.
Weaknesses: Rebuild every 50 hours?!? That's once every 5 weeks for me. Wife can't imagine why I'd like something so high maintenance. Rebuilt 4 times in 6 months due to awkward noises. Then the rebound crapped out and spewed fluid everywhere dramatically long way out. After pogo home I sent to Fox for repair. AKA bike out of commission for 3 weeks. Reliability is deplorable. I took a class on this in college, I'm an Engineer, It's called design life engineering. I'm looking for the Dodge Dart of shocks. You know the Ford Falcon of bounce. I live in rural Alaska, you know, no roads, no bike shops, only 5 passenger planes to take my broken bike parts back. Problem is planes are already full of broken bike parts from the other 10 people who ride here.
Bottom Line:
When are bike part suppliers going to look at our equipment from a safety perspective like climbing equipment. Reliability or trash. Working good for awhile and then catastrophically failing leaving you stranded in the wilderness...
Similar Products Used: Geez. All the way back to first Cannondale rear suspension in 1991. Lots of fox air and a few coil over. Seems like rebound is the part that always fails.
Bike Setup: 2011 SJ Comp 29.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
MCHEEN
a Weekend Warrior
from Jakarta, Indonesia
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2011
Strengths: Great anti-squat (propedal) for going up, BUT that's ALL it got.
Weaknesses: Really really not reliable, especially about the rebound and the propedal+rebound setting mechanizm. Crappy,,
Bottom Line:
It, works great for going up. Just ok when you are doing some light downhill. Poor reliability, i broke mine (rebound seal) after just 3 month (i'm a week end warrior), and 4 months after i sent it to fox for some repairment it broke again. My frien's got some leak at the propedal-rebound switch after a year,,
Bike Setup: Banhee Spitfire, X0+X9, Elixir CR, SR Charger Pro, Revelation Dual Air 150mm.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Pat
a Cross Country Rider
from Meadow Vista,CA
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2011
Strengths: works kinda at moderate speed.
Weaknesses: WTF is up with this shock? I have ridden fox shocks for years and they really !@#$ this one up. The 3 way adjustable setting sucks i can never figure it out and get the ride i want. The bike always tries to buck me off. I know you say the rebound is too high...yea i know but when i set it so it doesn't rebound fast i get this ride that feels like a slug. It doesn't peddle efficiently at all even in pro peddle. Not satisfied at all.
Bottom Line:
Not a fan Dump it. I have not had a leaky seal yet but from the research i have done its coming soon. I just cant find the sweet spot on this shock. BOOOOOO Fox wtf were u thinking.
Submitted by
RandyBoy
a Cross Country Rider
from Mammoth
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2011
Strengths: This is for a Fox RP23 BoostValved Niner WFO and a Niner RIP.
There are no strengths, BoostValve has no platform or Propedal feature that works from 2010 on. Flipping the ProPedal lever makes no difference, it causes both my Niner WFO and RIP to bob.
Weaknesses: Fox won't fix the problem unless you send them $160 for a "custom tune". They finally figured out that PUSH was making bank on fixing their crappy shocks, so now they are trying to horn in and get a slice of the pie by selling what is basically a Fox Float RP as an RP23. It's a scam.
Bottom Line:
Don't waste your money buying any bike with an RP23 Shock with the Boost Valve feature. It's a complete failure and a rip off. You aren't getting what you are paying for. The 2007 through 2009 pre boost valve models work fine.
Similar Products Used: X Fusion, Manitou ISX-6, CaneCreek Double Barrel.
Bike Setup: Niner WFO, Manitou Dorado, Cane Creek Double Barrel, Hadleys, Formula The One, etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jack1965
a Weekend Warrior
from Italy
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2011
Strengths: unknown only used for 45 km......
Weaknesses: reliability
Bottom Line:
It came with my brand new CUBE sting, I didn't have the time to test it that was already leaking from the propedal lever.
The bike stop forecast to have it repaired in Italy is at least one month.....
I happy that I still have by old bike with X fusion shock....
Submitted by
Vitaly
a Cross Country Rider
from MA, US
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2011
Strengths: Plush, good amount of settings, "Propedal" helps to climb without too much loss.
Weaknesses: I have new shock with Boost Valve produced in 2010. Unfortunately, it leaks from the very beginning. Oil comes out under the rebound knob. My new bike has warranty, but I'm still sad having problems with so expensive and well known brand as Fox, while far less expensive vendors produce more reliable stuff. This is second RP23 I ride, and both has leaks. Google founds a lot of similar reports. It says, new RP23 with Boost Valve has design defect.
Bottom Line:
As a most of Fox shocks RP23 is plush and has good settings, but the reliability is close to zero. Consider to buy shock from another vendor.
Bike Setup: Diamondback Mission 2, Merida One-Five-O 3000
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
lowaired
a Weekend Warrior
from conejo valley , CA USA
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2011
Strengths: Light , popular , great concept
Weaknesses: Came with RIp 9 in the Light Duty mode.
Not much difference at all when switched to propedal.even 3 and slow rebound.
Buy the monarch rt3!!!
Bottom Line:
The monarch actually seemed lighter to me when i installed it. And it performed 10 times better . The rock shox product is made so much better quality and very happy with the performance!!!
Submitted by
irashai
a Weekend Warrior
from KL. Malaysia
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2011
Strengths: Responsive.
Weaknesses: Kinda show sign of leakage.
Bottom Line:
I got mine with my YETI ASCR and I like how it works till now. When I want my bike to feel like a hardtail, it works by a flick of a switch. If want to use it during bumpy terrains, it works too. Not much experience in the quality of 4 inch compare to a 5 inch travel but I enjoy the feel of my 4 inch travel up to date. Initially I thought I felt a leak from the propedle knob area but it still works fine so i guess I am wrong. Hopefully YETI or FOX will fix it before my bike warranty period is up.
Strengths: Good responsiveness to small stuff while still being able to take the big hits.
Weaknesses: The dampening while in the Propedal position is totally worthless. There is no difference between the open and ProPedal positions. There is certainly more pedal bob on long climbs that I would like.
Bottom Line:
When I flip my RP2 into the Propedal position, it makes my Top Fuel 8.0 feel like a hard tail. This is the feel that I would like on the RP23. I cannot tell which lever position engages Propedal, that's how subtle the difference is. Hopefully the new remote lockout on the 2011 Top Fuel's will provide the climbing prowess the bike deserves.
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