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RockShox Boxxer Race

MSRP $ 585.00
Weight 3356 grams
# of Reviews 23
Average Rating 4.13/5
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Submitted by #1downhill a Downhiller from Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2009
Favorite Trail:/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ DOWNHILL
Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
Purchased At:came on bike
Strengths:Nice and smooth for about 1 day!!! This thing effing sucks!!!
Weaknesses:Everythig else, I did a 9 footer to flat a few times and the next day I blew a seal and now I can compress it for a good 1/2 inch!!!
Similar Products Used:Nothing that sucks this bad!
Bike Setup:2004 Giant AC Team, boXXer race, manitou swinger 4 way adjustble, XT hubs and duraliurs, Hayes nine 8"in rotor hydrolic brakes, Deore shifter pods, sun rhyno lites
Bottom Line:If you actuly ride avoid this, I'm 13 and 110 ibs and I blew the seal, now I can't go race at CrankWorx Colorado!!!
Value Rating:3Overall Rating:2

Submitted by Melchor Cabarles a Downhiller from Ilo-ilo Philippines
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2008
Favorite Trail:Leon DH track
Duration Product Used:1 Year
Price Paid: $450.00
Purchased At:bikers edge bike sho
Strengths:Stable upper and lower crown less doesnt flex when bottomd out..stunction doesnt scrach easily..
Weaknesses:oil seal blew out.. threads on screws loose thread easily..
Similar Products Used:2003 boxxer team
Bike Setup:05 trixer With fox vanilla rear shox
Bottom Line:great shox for novice riders...light,cheap,easy to adjust..
(((note)))
I upgrade mine to solo air and still retain its HC2 on the right leg..after the upgrade the performance matches the 07 boxxer team but only have the rebound control...the pre load and compression can be adjust manualy thru the air velve..
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

Submitted by kyle jackson a Downhiller from new zealand/hamilton
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2007
Favorite Trail:nat d in rotorua
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $400.00
Purchased At:offda net second hand
Strengths:very good forks nice and plush soaks up all of the bumps exspecaily the small 1s nice 203travel looks good nice and very light cheap fork best fork i have ever ridn easy to adujust handle big 6m drops onto flat wen bottom out cant feel it bottom most of the time
Weaknesses:too soft bottom out way to easy on 6m drops to flat they wernt even on my bike i pushed them down and seal blew but i pushed it in and it hasnt given me anytruble since and that was bwt 3 months ago
Similar Products Used:noe these r the best forks i haveever ridn 888s r a night mare
Bike Setup:bighit with 2005 or 2006 or 2007 boxxers dnt rreali no hayes 9 fox dhx5.0 ausm bike
Bottom Line:these forks r great wld ride nothing else very light wld recomnd look good feel nice cheap and a great fork for dh/fr
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Matt Spencer a Downhiller from Toronto, Ontario, Canadia
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2007
Favorite Trail:freight train
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $400.00
Purchased At:used from friend
Strengths:Wicked dampening, 8 full inches of travel which is handy in scary situations, there is a real feel of confidence there.
Not to tall for a 8 inch dual crown.
Weaknesses:a little noisy but thats it.
Similar Products Used:66, sherman slider, drop off
Bike Setup:giant faith
Bottom Line:wicked fork, i def reconment it for the regular dh ripper

braaaap
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Nate a Racer from New York, New York, USA
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:East Coast Style
Duration Product Used:1 Year
Price Paid: $450.00
Purchased At:Shop
Strengths:Everything. Stiff, light, plush, strong,
Weaknesses:none standard disk mount
Similar Products Used:jr t. super t. pro 66rc 888vf
Bike Setup:Vp-Free
Bottom Line:Sick fork. Kicks the 888vf's ass. No comparison. Super smooth but I dont even bottom on 12fters to flat
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by cameron ventura a Downhiller from melbourne
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2006
Favorite Trail:warrandyte
Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
Purchased At:came on bike
Strengths:totally awesome, huge 203mm of travel means never bottoms out. looks really cool to
Weaknesses:none
Similar Products Used:none
Bike Setup:raceline extreme pro with 2005 rock shox boxxer racers
Bottom Line:a fully sick front fork definetly woth buying for the price. 5 flaming chillis for this fork
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by John a Downhiller from Whistler
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2006
Favorite Trail:Lower Joyride
Duration Product Used:1 Year
Price Paid: $500.00
Purchased At:New-From a freind
Strengths:The travel is really supple, but also progressive.
Looks
Rigid
Its got 8inched
Easy to maintain (rebuild)
Direct mount stem compatible
Lower axle to crown height than Marzocchi-Makes for better race fork
Weaknesses:The stickers are kinda coming off on mine. Probalby just take em off and have a stealth silver look
Similar Products Used:Shiver, Sherman, 66vf
Bike Setup:RMX-DEEMAX-SAINT-DHX 5.0-BOXXER RACE-E-13 CHAIN GUIDE
Bottom Line:The fork is super responsive. I broke my pedal axle on Dirt-Merchant and on the way down the acess-road I noticed that this fork was compressed even by the small rocks and gravel on the ground. With this fork on, your front wheel stays glued to the ground. With all this softness you would expect the fork to bottom on any and all big-hits. I have hucked this thing off 20+ footers and have barely felt bottom. Great fork, and would make a great addition to any freeride or race bike.
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by confidential a Weekend Warrior from witness protection program
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2006
Duration Product Used:1 Year
Price Paid: $600.00
Purchased At:green fish cycles
Strengths:stiff, light, strong,
Weaknesses:huh?
Similar Products Used:shiver, dorado, 66vf
Bike Setup:Specialized Demo 8
Bottom Line:Great fork. Handles everything effortlessly. If you like to race DH, but also like going out with the boyz and getting some freeride action in, this is the fork for you. Can handle anything you can dish out. If you have the cash go for a Fox 40rc2 (1300), but if not go for this fork. It is the best bang fer ur buck. Not worth the extra cash to get a Boxxer Team. In a year or so, if you want something a little more compliant, just buy a World-Cup upgrade kit for like 150$, and you have yourself a 1200 fork.
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Lil John a Downhiller from B'ham Washington
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2006
Favorite Trail:Evolution, or anything Super Techy with big hucks.
Duration Product Used:6 months
Price Paid: $400.00
Purchased At:ridemonkey.com
Strengths:Light weight. Looks great. Strong. Stiff. Absorbs the small bumps really well. Can suck up big hits with ease. Really easy to maintain, I can do it myself no problem.
Weaknesses:RockShox has their own brake mounts. I had to buy a new adaptor for my 8inch brake coming from Marzocchi.
Similar Products Used:888vf, 888rc, 66rc2x, sherman slider plus (spv sucks), dorado, Z-1 Freeride, Drop Off Triple, Super T. Pro, Shiver SC, Boxxer Team
Bike Setup:Kona Stinky, Bombshell Fatdaddy wheels w/ switchit hubs, Holzfeller cranks, Vanilla RC, all the good stuff that wont break.
Bottom Line:This fork rocks. I have heard of people complaining about seals, but I haven't had a problem. If seals do leak, just spend 20$ on some new seals, dont b!tch about it. The fork broke in very well. Took about 6rides, and then nothin' but butter. I have launched some large drops to flat. The first day I got it I felt so pumped that I climbed onto my freinds roof and hucked off it. It was only like 10ft, but I missed the landing, and landed at a uphill grade. The fork soaked it up, and I barely touched bottom. It feels so soft over the small stuff, that whenever I go to huck I think I will bottom it. WRONG! Since that first day, I have bottomed it only once. I have ridden Whistler, the Shore and Galbraith, and this fork rocks in all aplications. Rock-Gardens are no problem, even at extreme high speeds. It is also light, so if you dont have shuttles on the way up, but wanna kick some serious ass on the way down, get this fork. For a DH racer that doesn't have enough of the green-backs to get a Fox 40, or Boxxer World Cup, get this fork. Even though it is cheaper than the Team, it is way better. The Team is near impossble to adjust. This thing is perfect straight out of the box, just get the rebound dialed and your set. Way better than a 888 for racing. Even though the Stantions are 2mm smaller than the 888, it is still as strong as stiff. The only time you would want a 888 is if you cant hit a tranny to save you life, and constantly hit 35+ foot drops. For DH race and 99% of freeride, the Boxxer Race rules!
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by curt MacNeill a Downhiller from Jackson Hole, Wy
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2006
Favorite Trail:A-line
Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
Purchased At:Came on bike
Strengths:Inexpensive downhill fork for light weight kids just getting into the sport of downhilling. Warranty issues
Weaknesses:Everything
Similar Products Used:Fox 40, 888RC
Bike Setup:Demo 8
Bottom Line:DO NOT BUY THIS FORK. The only reason I rode this fork was because it came stock on a new Demo 8 that I bought. The fork is complete junk, let Rock Shox stick to the XC scene. To start off, the legs of the fork in general are to tiny and canno't take big hits in any way. I blew out my rebound on a small gap jump within 2 weeks of owning the fork. Secondly, all boxers feel like pogo sticks. Even if you get black box valving and add a heavier weight oil, they still feel like garbage. If anyone talks up these forks they either work for Rock Shox, are sponsored by Rock Shox, or just haven't ridden anything else. Spend the extra money, buy a 888RC and be done with it. You'll know what I'm talking about......
Value Rating:3Overall Rating:1

Submitted by alex sumac a Downhiller from canada ontario
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:calabogie
Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
Price Paid: $500.00
Purchased At:pinkbike
Strengths:evryhting, i love the boxxer line
Weaknesses:none.i don't know why people bash these forks
Similar Products Used:04 race,88r, dirt jumper, hanebrink jr.t
Bike Setup:05 a-line mag 30's boxxers
Bottom Line:best fork for anyhting, i race free ride and dj with them very adjustable
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Thomas a Downhiller from Lichtaart , antwerpen , Belgium
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2006
Favorite Trail:Winterberg
Duration Product Used:6 months
Price Paid: $600.00
Purchased At:Mtb rudi
Strengths:Cheap !
Good starter fork !
Nice looks !
Rides smooth !
You can do evrything with it : from dh to freeriding ! ( light freeride )
Weaknesses:Well i saw a lot of pictures of boxxer race that wer broken in the middle ...
Rock shox are forks that need more service like marzocchi ...
It sounds weird if i push it :p
Similar Products Used:Marozcchi dirt-jam Pro
Bike Setup:Frame : Specialized Demo 8 ( 2005 model)
Brakes : Hayes 9 disc brakes (I love them )
Fork : Rock Shox boxxer race
read demper : Manitou Swinger
Weels : Mavic rims with standart specialized tiers on.
Bottom Line:Well a boxxer is a nice fork for startes that dont realy know what they wanna do.

Its isn'tmade for jumping of huge cliffs , but this guy can handle drops from 5m ( what i did with t )

So if you're looking for a cheaper fork on the market and dont wanna pay like 2000$ for a Fox 40 i would go for this guy :)

Have fun with it and keep riding !
Value Rating:4Overall Rating:3

Submitted by Conor Willers a Downhiller from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2006
Favorite Trail:Long Gully
Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
Price Paid: $240.00
Purchased At:A guy off the internet
Strengths:Nice and plush for whatever your doing.
Weaknesses:The drop crowns
Similar Products Used:Marzocchi 888vf
Bike Setup:Kona Coiler 06, E-thirteen, Boxxers
Bottom Line:This is a great fork dosent bottom out easily and is really good for the price.If your into FR or DH and want a good but cheap fork then this is perfect.
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Lucas Jaeger a Downhiller from Langley
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2006
Favorite Trail:Hi Knoll/Bone Cracka
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $800.00
Purchased At:Bicycle Sports Pacific
Strengths:smooth, plush, good travel, good looking, all around great fork!
Weaknesses:tops out really easily - even tops out on 4 foot drops...but thats to flat
Similar Products Used:Marzocchi Drop off tripple, Marzocchi exr comp, Marzocchi 888 r
Bike Setup:Giant Faith frame with manitou 6 way swinger rear shock, 2005 Boxxer Race forks, FSA shortened downhill bars (SWEET BAR ENDS!) Supra bh pro rims, hayes 9 disc
Bottom Line:Awsome fork!! really smotth and plush! they top out easily and i've heard that the selas suck, i havent had any problems..i hop o didnt jinks myself! lol

if you like smooth, plush, sweet lookin dowhill fork, this is the one for you!
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

Submitted by flabo fluu a Downhiller from flaba-flock
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2006
Favorite Trail:flaver-son
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $20000000.00
Purchased At:super expensive store!
Strengths:everything
Weaknesses:seals are crappy everything else is awsome
Similar Products Used:Marzocchi Drop off triple Marzocchi supter t and 888
Bike Setup:Faith frame
BoXXer forks
mavic rim
6 way swinger - everything ese is stock
Bottom Line:Great fork, great performanc, seals arent very good, they blw pretty easily-nothing to worry about tho, unles your a super hardcore rider like me :)if your a fan of mountain biking this is the perfect fork for you! its got all 203mm of travel - full!
peace out BEETCHES!! and go have fun riding!!!!!!!!!!


FLABA!!!
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Luc a Downhiller from Vancouver BC
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2006
Favorite Trail:stokes pitt
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $720.00
Purchased At:BSP
Strengths:Looks great, Peforms great, Awsome travel, Smooth travel, Good adjustibility
Weaknesses:seals suck - supposedly...
Similar Products Used:Marzocchi Drop Off Triple, Marzocchi Super T, 888
Bike Setup:Frame: Giant Faith
Fork: Boxxer Race
Shock: Manitou 6 way swinger
Crancks: Truvativ Holzfeller
Rims: Alexrims BH 36H
Hubs: Chris King
Bottom Line:Great Fork, Smooth, Easy ride, looks good and performs great!!!
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by ian a Downhiller from milford nh usa
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2005
Favorite Trail:mile slip
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $600.00
Purchased At:beyond bikes
Strengths:looks awsome, soaks up every little bump, and can any drop you want to go off
Weaknesses:none yet
Similar Products Used:jrT manitou stance kingpin
Bike Setup:iron horse yakuza kumicho progresive 5th element truvative components boxer race
Bottom Line:if your a rock shox guy like me than this fork is for you if not you need to ride it cause it is amazing.
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Sean a Downhiller from Tucson, AZ USA
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2005
Favorite Trail:Chutes & Ladders
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $400.00
Purchased At:Shop I used to work at
Strengths:Light weight, stiff, handles big hits very well, easy to service, very tuneable(spring are easy to change & you can get specific oil heights for your weight and riding style by talking to the tech guys at SRAM), two year warranty.
Weaknesses:The rebound damper never worked correctly and it had topping out issues right out of the box. It failed after only the second real ride. I sent it back to SRAM for a warranty rebuild and when I got it back the only thing that was better was the rebound.
Similar Products Used:Sherman Slider Plus, Marzocchi 888RR, Marzocchi 66RC
Bike Setup:Giant Faith 2, Boxxer Team, E13 SRS, otherwise still stock.
Bottom Line:If the fork had worked correctly it would have been great. At least SRAM took good care of me and have since upgraded me to a 05 Team to replace my bad Race. I still have yet to ride it since I have just moved to Hawaii, and my bike is still in transit somewhere. I'll give a review once I have gotten to slam it around a bit. Buy this fork if you are a rider on a budget who needs a fork that can handle large drops and technical downhill.
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:2

Submitted by Cody Powers a Downhiller from Chico
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:boondocks, northstar
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $500.00
Purchased At:with bike
Strengths:light, doesn't bottom out even on 7-8' drop, green color matches my bike.
Weaknesses:piece of crap blew both seals first time i rode it pretty hard, not even on a drop, just nosing down some rocks.
Similar Products Used:jr. t, dropoff triple
Bike Setup:'04 ironhorse sgs pro, 5th element, boxxer, etc
Bottom Line:good for the price, like it a lot now that it's broken in. light, handles great, smooth travel. stock seals are crap. we'll see if my replacements blow anytime soon.
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

Submitted by Jordan a Racer from california
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2005
Favorite Trail:lower velocity at mammoth
Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
Strengths:nothin really
Weaknesses:it blow out really easy
Similar Products Used:a rockshox juddy
Bike Setup:specialized demo 8
Bottom Line:that the fork is a peace of crap and blows out super easy so don't ride them!!!!!!!!
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:1

Submitted by Edward Castellanos a Weekend Warrior from Los Angeles CA
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2005
Favorite Trail:mt wilson, Big bear
Duration Product Used:6 months
Price Paid: $549.00
Purchased At:jenson
Strengths:weight,performance,no squeking,color
Weaknesses:none jet
Similar Products Used:super t manitou boxxer team
Bike Setup:santa cruz
Bottom Line:awsome fork for the price performance better than some marzocchi and manitou.
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Pat a Downhiller from Glasgow, UK
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2005
Favorite Trail:Glentress (black route)
Duration Product Used:3 months
Price Paid: $479.00
Purchased At:Winstanleys
Strengths:Damping reasonable straight out the box, new drop crown design, value for money, performance, weight (or lack of!)
Weaknesses:Mine squeak a bit on stutter bumps or repeated fast compression - not really a weakness but I can't think of anything else!
Similar Products Used:Stratos MX6, Marz. Super T's, Marz. Shivers
Bike Setup:Specialized Big Hit DH, Boxxers, DMR Chieftan cranks, BETD 26" wheel conversion, Hope M4 front and Shimano 4 pot XT rear disks etc etc etc...
Bottom Line:No other fork on the market can match the 05 Boxxer race for value for money. They work as well as my shivers did but without the weight and they steer a load better. Took a little time run in, but since then thay have been superb. My first ever RockShox fork - I don't regret it. Considered 888rc's but concerns over quality control and the stupid high crown height put me off - If I want my bike to steer like a barge I'll just keep the Shivers. The new XXX seals do their job well. All in all a great fork that is as much at home on a freeride rig as a world class DH machine. The forks are happy to take abuse all day every day - I'm only about three months in with my forks, but they are superb. Out the box they feel unpleasant/unresponsive until run in (about 5 hours riding) after that they are great.
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

Submitted by Louis-Simon Carle a Weekend Warrior from Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2004
Favorite Trail:Assmack
Duration Product Used:Tested or demo'ed only
Purchased At:Tested only
Strengths:The seals have been reinforced, the damping has been fixed and no more skeaking... or breaking
Weaknesses:The stanchions require constant maintenance and the spring might require a change for a stiffer one
Similar Products Used:04' BoXXer Race
Bike Setup:24 The Dude frame
Bottom Line:Great fork for the price this year way better than last year... get it instead of Marzocchi Jr. T or Manitou Stance Kingpin!!

Great Fork
Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4






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