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Fox Racing Shox
Vanilla 125 RLC
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Average Rating
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4.75/5
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# of Reviews
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24
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MSRP
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$
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Weight
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More Products from Fox Racing Shox
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Description:125mm Travel (can be set at 80 or 100)
FOX exclusive PSC chassis provides unparalleled steering precision and industry leading torsional rigidity.
Patented, High-flow, open-bath damper with SDC (Shimmed Damping Control) and exclusive 3-Way top-cap adjusters for on-the-fly convenience.
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Submitted by
Adam Pask
a
from Ajax Ont Canada
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Comfortably Numb ..Whistler..nearly killed me ..he he | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Everthing ...minus the rebound knob hitting me in the chest ...lol lil dig there ... | | Weaknesses: | Not a one !!! | | Similar Products Used: | Name it ... Rock Shox ...old and new ... Marzocchi old and new...Manitu...Stratos ..nice seals ..butt holes | | Bike Setup: | Which one ? | | Bottom Line: | Just wanted to say thanks to Dustin Spencer , Fox rep ...he actually reads these things !!! He is the dude !!!!!!!!! Ride on brother !!! Never got the sweat but I got the jersey ...thanks for your amazing atention to detail my friend !!!
Adam ...Cheers .. look me up if your up here and we'll shred some sweet single track !
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam
a Cross Country Rider
from Ajax , Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Seaton Hiking Trail -- Durham Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | E Bay | | Strengths: | Amazingly plush ... seems endless . When used with the lockout enguaged as per MBA this fork is near flawless ..I have never bottomed it and I ride loaded at 215lbs ,plus I haven't changed the spring to a heavy one so this says something about the compression and rebound dampening in these baby's !!! So far the best 5" travel fork I've had | | Weaknesses: | After a season and a half (I have several bikes so I don't do alot of miles on any one bike)the compression rod blew out of the shock while I was going through a fast choopy section ...hit me in the chest so hard I though I was hit by a paint ball !! Then it continued to spit up oil all over me untill I stopped and let it sit upside down until nothing was running out .It ruined my Race Face jacket and cost me almost half as much as I paid for the fork to get it fixed !!! | | Similar Products Used: | Psylo , Bomber the original orange one's , 2000 Bomber CR1 , GOING WAY BACK ...MAG 21's , MAG 20's ...rigid ..haha | | Bike Setup: | Titus Switchblade Vanilla 125RLC ,XTR/Race Face .. American Classic's with Velocity rims , Juciy Sevens ..ONE SWEET TRAILBIKE at just about 28lbs | | Bottom Line: | Killer fork !!!! Keep an eye on your rebound adjuster rod ... it may bite !!! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Frederick, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Watershed | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Came with bike. | | Strengths: | I'v only ridden the shock for 4 months (about 500 miles)and have only had 1 problem. Overall it is exactly what I expected, a durable spring fork able to handle rocky terrain. | | Weaknesses: | Warranty. The problem I did have, (after about 50 hours of use)was the bolt on the bottom of the fork for the plunger fell off during a 24 hour endurance race. The factory said that it was my fault since I didn't retorque the bolt to factor specs often enough. So I paid the $9 for the bolt and washer. I was just glad I didn't have a real problem.
The fork is noisy and bangs when it recoils fast. They may want to put some type of rubber bumper at the top of the shock on future models to prevent this. | | Similar Products Used: | Rock Shox sid (air) - No problems with 4 years of use. Still holds air with no rebuilds. | | Bike Setup: | GT I-drive Ruckus 2.0 - Fox Vanilla rear shock, Avid Juicy 7 disk brakes. | | Bottom Line: | The forks works well, but don't rely on the warranty. Most riders who get this shock with a bike will have to order a stiffer spring. The one that comes with the OEM is way to soft. I go 165 lbs and the 5" travel of the fork would bottom out doing 6" high bunney hops standing still (boo!!). I purchased the stiffest spring available and have only bottomed out twice on about a 2' drop. I would not reccomend this shock to anyone over 185 LBS.
I'm hoping it doesnt break again, if it does I will just take it to a local bike shop if it is something serious, because I'm sure it will be my fault if I call the factory.
(p.s. remember 3 Chili's is "good") | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jay li
a Weekend Warrior
from san jose, ca usa
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | fremont older | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$479.00 | | Purchased At: | i forgot | | Strengths: | Very smooth dampening. Rigid design with 32 mm sanchions. A lot of adjustments. Oil dampening. | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi Comp Air ETA and Judy TT. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 GT Aggressor 1. Custom built with Shimano, SRAM, Cane Creek, Truvativ... | | Bottom Line: | A great fork that give performs very well and gives a rider confidence on the rough trails. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ronen bahir
a Weekend Warrior
from israel
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$380.00 | | Strengths: | light,plush,stiff | | Weaknesses: | underbuilt,mag lowers | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | gt avalanche 1.0 | | Bottom Line: | I bought it second hand and I rode it for almost a year and it was superb. I'm about 200 lbs .I did everything with it from urban to agressive trails.It handled it all well,until today.I went to a little ride ,on the second road climb on the way to the trail my chain broke and i crashed ,when i got i noticed that the fork's left dropout broke ,i was lucky because in the end of the climb there is a very fast with a lot of turns road downhill section if i crashed there i wouldve been dead or very badly injured. in 2005 fox thickend the dropouts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Taylor
a Weekend Warrior
from Richwood, WV
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | South Mtn. Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Mountaineer Cycles | | Strengths: | Very Plush, Lots of travel, very adjustable, strong and stiff | | Weaknesses: | sometimes makes clicking noise when climbing. After researching the problem found out it's the spring. Doesn't affect performance and won't harm the fork. | | Similar Products Used: | Rockshox Indy XC, Rockshox Duke XC | | Bike Setup: | 2004 Santa Cruz Heckler, 5th Element Coil, Fox V125RLC, Hayes HFX-9XC | | Bottom Line: | Great fork. It works great on the trails around here. I can just set this fork to my liking and forget about it. I really like the lock-out for long climbs and the rebound adjust really works. I really can't tell too much a difference when adjusting the small bump sensitivity,but it doesn't bother me at all. This for give you allot of adjustability for the money and can really take a beating.
I would highly recommend this fork to riders who worry more about performace than weight. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stu
a Weekend Warrior
from London
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Karimor | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$440.00 | | Purchased At: | Bikesmart | | Strengths: | Very plush, open bath works great in all weather! | | Weaknesses: | Heavy, but I knew that when I bought it. Compression damping is weak. Paint. | | Similar Products Used: | Mars Elite, MX Com, Various RS | | Bike Setup: | Spec FSR XC with BETC Link and Vanilla RLC @ 100mm. Hope Mini, XT/XTR, Mavic 717 Disc, Thompson stem & Post | | Bottom Line: | This is a great fork in my opinion. My FSR came with a Mars Elite which was ok on this bike, but performance suffered in wet conditions. The Vanilla is plusher and stays plush due to the open bath lubrication and quality seals. After riding it for a few weeks I realized that I forgotten completely about the fork; it was so smooth I never gave it a second thought.
If there is a weekness it's the compression damping; it doesn't do much. On the other hand, it handles so well for me this isn't too big a deal. Also the paint chips easily around the dropouts and brake mounts.
I bought mine on a business trip to the states online for around 275 pounds which is way cheaper than the UK. It came with three springs and all the after market packaging and extras. It's a great trail fork and it, along with the BETD link have made an alread solid bike into a great trail machine!
I would recommend this fork to anyone who is looking for all around trail fork with that little extra comfort and reliability factor. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marcus
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: September 28, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Red Hill | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | Airbomb | | Strengths: | Excellent weight for a 5" coil sprung fork. Well made and easy to set up. Lockout easy to use and works well. | | Weaknesses: | Very pricey in Australia | | Similar Products Used: | Pilot C forks, Black Elite RWTD | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Cake 3.5 with Bontrager Race Lite Disc wheels, complete xt drive train, race lite OS bars and stem and gobi saddle, fox vanilla RL | | Bottom Line: | Great Fork, it has definitely saved me a few times. Mid judged a few drops along a single track and instead of throwing me the fork handled it very well. Has taken quite a beating and still working well. I would definitely recommend this fork to someone who is after a no mess about strong fork. Weighing about 200 pounds i find alot of air shocks a little dicey so i really liked the vanilla's RL's | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stuart
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | National | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$380.00 | | Purchased At: | OEM resell from ebayer | | Strengths: | stiffness, smooth action, simple controls, ease of spring swapping | | Weaknesses: | somewhat heavier than an air fork, but the difference is negligable | | Bottom Line: | I can ride the same trails faster and with more confidence on this fork. I love the action and feel of coil versus air. One note of caution: use the recommended spring for your weight/riding style. I got mine with the standard blue spring and couldn't wait for the new spring to arrive (a yellow spring - I'm 225 lbs). I almost killed myself coming down a rocky stair-step section of National trail here in Phoenix. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rick Hutchison
a Weekend Warrior
from North Van
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Adjustability, stiffness, overall plushness | | Weaknesses: | No thruaxle therefore can't use 8" disks | | Similar Products Used: | Plethora of Marzocchi most of which were crap. | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Tazmon with Raceface, XT/XTR, Shimano disk brakes etc. | | Bottom Line: | Great fork for the application I use it for. Not a real freeride fork like my Manitou Sherman Firefly plus, more heavy duty cross country or enduro suited. Still a great fork and well made. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon
a Cross Country Rider
from Seoul, Korea
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | All over | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$475.00 | | Purchased At: | Han's MTB | | Strengths: | Super smooth and looks good | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | Marz and Manitou black(oil leaked from day one) | | Bike Setup: | Giant VT1 | | Bottom Line: | This review is for FOX Vanilla R. The fork is really nice fork. I've used it for three weeks but I've put this fork through some rigorous test from extreme climbing through downhilling through soft dirt and some rockgarden. It handled all of them with ease. Little chattery on small pebbles but it absolutely rules on larger stuff. Way to go Fox! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
J. Brouwers
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Barbara, CA, US
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$429.00 | | Strengths: | - adjustments
- looks
- stiff
- spring choice
- damping | | Weaknesses: | - not suitable for 8" rotor (a black and a psylo can take it) | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi MX, Z5 | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Enduro Pro 2004 | | Bottom Line: | It's neither heavy or light. It's the perfect trail fork
IF YOU WANT TO BUY A VANILLA ONLINE, ASK FOR SERIAL NUMBERS!!! I DIDN'T AND I GOT A OEM VANILLA THAT DIDN'T COME WITH WARANTY OR EXTRA SPRINGS!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bobby Reaves
a Cross Country Rider
from Manchester, England
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Anywhere with Dirt | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Amazing steering response, Ive thrown this off numerous "hills" and its never bottomed out. | | Weaknesses: | Only the price in Sterling, I paid £439 which at the current exchange rate is $815.53 US. | | Bike Setup: | Norco Team XC frame with fox float ava rc propedal, 04 XTR, This fork. | | Bottom Line: | Brilliant, its perfect for UK XC, not too heavy to compromise uphill endurance and strong enough to take the best that UK XC can throw at it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marut Ketudat
a Weekend Warrior
from Bangkok, Thailand
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Everywhere | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$275.00 | | Purchased At: | Nakornthai, Ladpraow, Bangkok | | Strengths: | Great rebound when comes to those rough stuff, totally unique and functional. Unbelievable for both dual, freeride and cross country. It's like back to basic, oil&spring. | | Weaknesses: | Not superlight....though I don't really give a sh#@ 'bout its weight. | | Similar Products Used: | Psyro Race....2004 Maybe. | | Bike Setup: | Rotwild rcc08, Xtr 2002, crossmax xl, Magura Louis, and Absolute Vodka. | | Bottom Line: | It's not like forcing you to buy an Anti-Aircraft weapon, It might not taking you to the other-side of the world, and definately, it will not get you a cute girlfriend, but it's sure fun riding this Fox Fork. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
skeet wyman
a
from apple valley
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | dry desert dirt and sand | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$305.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | vanilla 125R Super stiff steering, great on narly hits and big woops, sets up easily can adjust while riding | | Weaknesses: | With lightest copression setting still lacks (slightly) on small chatter bumbs. I am going to try a lighter spring with more compression dampning. I weigh 170lb (disc only would be nice) | | Similar Products Used: | Black elites. (I did like em) | | Bike Setup: | Stock 04 stump jumper fsr | | Bottom Line: | Its a quaility componant. I dont want lock out so it was very affordable. I am possitive I will have the right fork after I play with it awhile. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Danville, CA
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Weaknesses: | It weighs a bit more than I wanted, but I didn't notice the weight while I was riding it (it may weigh less than my old peice). Besides, I couldn't afford to pay $100 more for something lighter (and with less travel). | | Bike Setup: | RM ETS-X50 | | Bottom Line: | I just got back from a week in Lake Tahoe. It was the first chance I had to try my new fork (RL). I didn't want/need the lockout, but I didn't want to wait for the 2005 either (although disk only would have been nice).
The Vanilla really worked great. Like another posted said, I didn't think about it at all while I was on the trail. I hated my old fork which was a Marzocchi MXR 100mm Air fork. I thought hard about buying a Comp or Pro with ETA, but changed my mind at the last minute and desided to pay a bit more. I was influenced to do this by reading some of the forum postings.
One of the cool things is that when my LBS changed the forks they were able to move some spacers so that with the new longer travel Vanilla I'm not any higher than before.
I don't get full travel, but I'm not really worried about it since it's way better than before. I'm using the stock spring, I weigh 180lbs, and I've set the rebound 1 click slower from center. I don't think I'll need to mess with it for a while, which makes me happy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
b d
a Cross Country Rider
from LA, CA
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$425.00 | | Strengths: | steers well, very plush. the lockout is good for smooth climbs and good for out of the saddle pedaling in urban environment. | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | marzocchi marathon sl | | Bike Setup: | turner 5 spot | | Bottom Line: | this is a great fork-- best i have used so far. it eats up ruts, no problem and is nice and stiff. basically the best compliment i can give this fork is that when i am on the trail i don't think about it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ricky
a Racer
from pleasanton ca usa
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | morgan territory | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | real bikes | | Strengths: | good all around fork, does the trick in races and on jumps. | | Weaknesses: | the paint does chip but who gives a crap when you ride hard | | Similar Products Used: | rock shox, white brothers | | Bike Setup: | ventana pantera, fox float rl rear, hope minis, sun rims, chris king, easton lx/xt | | Bottom Line: | it is a great fork for the money. it sucks up all the rocks and crap you will hit along the way on technical stuff. if you want a fork that will last a while and will take abuse like the best of them then this is the fork for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Downhiller
from Sydney Australia
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | bike addiction | | Strengths: | lightweight, quality, simple internals, great design, aesthetically pleasing | | Weaknesses: | maybe too lightweight/underbuilt, poor paint | | Similar Products Used: | 01, 02 and 03 Psylo XC & SL, 02 Bomber Z1, DJ3. | | Bike Setup: | Urban/DJ/Thrash: 24 Bicycles Le Toy 3, King headset, 04 Fox Vanilla R, Azonic Bar, stem and pedals, RF prodigy DH isis cranks, 321 rims, Hayes mags, Singlespeed. | | Bottom Line: | Great value!!!
The fox vanilla forx ride really well- they are stiff yet light and plush. The downside is that they may be a tad underbuilt for jumping, especially with me as a pilot. Intenally they are simple, which means they are easy to work on. They look really good in black, and definately match my frame!
The real downside is that scratches show up pretty easily, and the paint isn't that thick. As much as i love the forks i guess they wil be relegated to my trailbike in the long term when i get some sherman jumpers which are more suited to my riding, but in the meantime they are great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chance
a Racer
from Bainbridge Island, WA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Porcupine Rim | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Set it and forget it, plush, outstanding quality | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Fox F100X, Sid World Cup, different Marzocchis | | Bike Setup: | SC Heckler with 5th Element Coil | | Bottom Line: | The fork is a set it and forget it beauty that soaks up anything I have the cojones to attempt. It bailed me out on numerous occasions in Moab when I would try things I shouldn't have or would make a mistake. There is no bad line with this fork. I'm sure it is heavy but why in the heck would anyone be concerned about weight for the applications this fork would be used for. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris Kasey
a Downhiller
from Orange
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Cactus | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$359.00 | | Purchased At: | Adrenaline bikes | | Strengths: | Its a great fork as plenty of travel and soaks up almost anything. They rebound adjustment is great. Its good at almost any kind of rideing, downhill, Urban, dirt jumping ect. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Bike Setup: | GT- Idrive, fox Vanilla, and xt componets | | Bottom Line: | If you like to do everting this is the fork for you, This fork is the best fork I have ever had. Its rebound is great Ive never bottomed and downhilling is the best. If you like Urbaning downhilling and dirt jumping... THEN GET THIS FORK. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a
from Alameda, Ca
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Super adjustable, stiff w/ good tracking, | | Weaknesses: | A bit heavy | | Similar Products Used: | Judy SL, Manitou Marc CL, AMP fork | | Bottom Line: | Okay, this is my 2nd Vanilla fork in a month, the 1st one (100 RL) died within 2 hours of me riding it when the dropouts ripped off. Fox replaced it within 2 days with a RLC adjusted to 80mm travel.. I like the Vanilla fork alot, super adjustable, tracks really well... my old Mars CL was flexarific.
My only minor gripe is it's hard to turn the Lockout without turning the dial below it... but I can live with this. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nic
a
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Dirt, Concrete... | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Coil Sprung, P-lush, Actual damping. | | Weaknesses: | Inadequate stock springs, Finish flakes off, Weight (not unreasonable, given the intended use, but still the same as Cro-mo jump forks) | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi MX comp, psylo. | | Bike Setup: | Rigid One. | | Bottom Line: | The legendary Fox coil fork at the legendary weight.
Great seals/wipers and effective damping (adjusted by ALL METAL hardware) combine to give forks that are easily as plush most air forks.
Tuning is easy, with grippy aluminium knobs and precise clicks. The difference in damping between a few clicks is very evident, changing the fork from an ultra responsive trail fork to as serious a single crown hucking fork as you can get. At the trailhead, skatepark, wherever.
The only caveat is - Read the manual, find the spring most suitable for your weight, then choose one heavier. Comes with three springs, all inadequate unless you are lightly built 12 year old. Better still, go to the orange or red spring, crank up the rebound damping and enjoy a serious drop off/urban fork.
The only credible alternative to Marzocchis.
Ok, it could do with 20mm axle (converting my hubs to bolt on), better stock springs and be cheaper.
But i repeat - This is a very very plush fork with very very responsive tuning. If you don't want one, you haven't ridden one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Madison WI
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Erik's Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Everything about this fork is great it gives a wide tuning range and is the best fork I have ever had! It's no flex manors make it well worth the money and a great freeride fork.If you are a cross country rider keep your money and leave these forks for the people who want to jump. | | Weaknesses: | The only thing I have found is that the paint around the dropouts starts to peel after about a month but that doesnt bring down the life of the fork its still great. | | Similar Products Used: | nothing | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Specialized Hard Rock Comp | | Bottom Line: | A great overall buy and is worth every cent to the person that wants the most out of their big drop bike trail bike. Fox Forx are the best when it comes to freeride! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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