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Home | Product Reviews | Rear Shock | Fox Racing Shox DHX Air 5.0 | ||||
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Submitted by
Tyson *
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgay
Date Reviewed: 5/6/2008 11:51:44 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Purchased At: | Bow Cycle |
| Strengths: | Tunable, Light |
| Weaknesses: | Not as easy to use or robust as a coil |
| Similar Products Tried: | various other coil and air shocks |
| Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Normad 1.5 headset with SRAM am9 build, min modifications. Lyric 2-step fork. |
| Bottom Line: | I find it odd that this shock gets thrashed in the ratings so much. People keep talking about the air pressures they use... does anyone read the manual? I love the shock and if you use is right it will last (6 m for me and counting). Main chamber 50-300 PSI (start with 200) Boost chamber 125-200 PSI (start with 125) Basic Tune: 1)Set sag (25% of travel). Add/subtract 10-15 pds increments to the main chamber. 2)Set bottom out adjustment. This effectively changes the size of the boost chamber. Larger chamber= less spring rate increase and more likely to bottom out. Smaller chamber= rapid spring rate increase and more bottom out resistance. 3)Set Boost chamber pressure. Here is where tuning comes in... More pressure here= more mid stroke pre-load. Set rebound to taste. Tips: Too much sag: increase main chamber pressure Blows through mid travel too quickly: Increase the boost chamber pressure. However this will also increase the terminal spring rate meaning that you will have to release the bottom out adjustment (i.e. make the boost chamber larger) to maintain the same bottom out resistance. I recommend adjusting the boost chamber size before adjusting the pressure because changing volume also changes pressure (remember high school physics? PV=nRT). Fox also suggests reducing the chamber pressure to 125psi when adjusting the size. Bottom out? Increase boost chamber pressure if you want more resistance throughout the shocks travel or decrease the chamber size if you just want increased resistance at the terminal shock travel. Want more propedal input: I feel I get more input when the boost chamber is more pressurized. Bottom line: Setting sag on this is easy. Optimizing spring rate through its travel... not so much. It requires adjusting the a)pressure in the boost chamber and b)size of the boost chamber. If you can grasp how this 2 factors interact you can have almost any spring rate you want. I'm 200pds and the Santa Cruz I ride loves to blow through the mid shock travel because of the suspension design characteristics. I run the main chamber with 240 PSI and the Boost chamber with 160 PSI but the bottom out adjustment rather loose. This gives me 25% sag, good mid spring travel and I'm NOT bottoming out. Shock sticks?: Easy... use a teflon lube after every ride. My 2 cents... I figure that many who have converted from coil shocks are not prepared for the added maintenance and tuning requirements of an air shock. Tune and maintain= smoking shock. I gave 4/5 because it is not easy to tune. Shock performance once tuned 5/5. |
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Submitted by
Derek
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: 4/22/2008 10:38:28 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Buffalo Creek |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $450 |
| Purchased At: | Redstone Cyclery, Lyons, CO |
| Strengths: | Good adjustability, pretty light |
| Weaknesses: | Not strong enough for a 240 lb dude. |
| Similar Products Tried: | None |
| Bike Setup: | Turner 5-spot w/ Chris King hubs and Fox Float up front |
| Bottom Line: | I used this shock for about 2 years (maybe 100 rides or something). I usually ride White Ranch, Apex, or Mt Falcon (so pretty technical in spots, very rocky). It's a decent shock, but gradually degraded over time. At last, with 200 psi in the main can, and 150 psi in the boost, the sag was about 50-60%. The sag was always an issue, but this was too much. I decided to add more air into the main can (as rumor had it that it would hold more than 200 psi) to see if I could reduce the sag. At 240 psi, the shock stuck down (I was not even sitting on the bike). Now its in the shop, and I think I'll get a coil instead. Like I said, the sag was too much all along keeping psi at 200 or below....and when I increased that it blew up. Sweet. A lighter person would have fared OK with this shock. |
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Submitted by
Dylan Couper
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: 4/20/2008 6:21:44 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | all of them |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Purchased At: | came with bike |
| Strengths: | once sorted great shock |
| Weaknesses: | leaked air from around rebound adjust, no pro pedal adjustment |
| Similar Products Tried: | rp3, float r |
| Bike Setup: | 05 specialised enduro |
| Bottom Line: | sent mine to the nz fox agents got them to service it and put the shrader valve in the top unit cost 60 nz just means you have to drop the shock out of the frame mount to put air in but it has made the difference i'm a petit 220lb and they are factory set for 160-170 lb |
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Submitted by
Bearry b
a Downhiller
from Israel
Date Reviewed: 4/20/2008 1:30:50 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | ALL |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Strengths: | light,plush, responsive. reliable can b tuned according to any riding style. from XC to hard hackin jumpin' FR . |
| Weaknesses: | none. |
| Bottom Line: | get it! you'lle enjoy. |
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Submitted by
Srulik Bar zait
from Haifa, ISRAEL
Date Reviewed: 4/17/2008 10:12:45 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | All Carmel: Yaarun, Shokef, Meirav |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Strengths: | Reliable,NO air loss,quality feel & strong feel to all the knobs and dials. Lightweight, smooth operation, feels bottomless.Rides so nice.. Very plush shock. Endless tunning options. |
| Weaknesses: | Because of the o so many tunning options,You have to put some TIME to tune it correctly.Really. and it takes time! |
| Similar Products Tried: | fox rp23, triad, manitou swinger,manitou metal & some rokshox |
| Bike Setup: | heckler, front: fox36 rc2 talas ,rear dhx5 air,xt, saint+sun rhynolite |
| Bottom Line: | Great shock, as always fox know their job. I think they had defective production series , according to some guys here. for me, no problem for me. I ride every thing from XC to going down with rocks& jumps drops @ 1 meter height. no problems. Invest some time to tune it correctly. But when you tune it.. its amazing. |
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Submitted by
Scott Taylor
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, Ab, Canada
Date Reviewed: 3/28/2008 10:10:56 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | valley of five lakes |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Purchased At: | Came with my Nomad |
| Strengths: | When it works the shock rides well. I put it through both XC and DH and it handles them both well. Good on both big and little bumps. |
| Weaknesses: | I've had it for 3 months and I'm sending it back in for repair for the 2nd time. It leaked when I first got it and now it is leaking again. I've asked to have a new 08 model since I'm hoping they have worked out the bugs. I don't care how well this shock works when it has such poor reliablility it is a bad product. |
| Similar Products Tried: | First air rear shock. |
| Bike Setup: | na |
| Bottom Line: | Wait to see if people start giving the 08 a better review before buying. You are taking a crap shot with this one because from the reviews I've read on here people either get a good one and love it or get one like mine that is bunk out of the factory. Fox needs to get it's QC act together fast. This shock has great potential, but my bike is out of action for the 2nd time in 3 months because of it and that is absolutely unacceptable. |
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Submitted by
John Young
a Downhiller
from UK
Date Reviewed: 3/11/2008 6:36:35 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Anything narly and down. |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Strengths: | Light, responsive, lively, easy to setup, adjustibility. |
| Weaknesses: | None |
| Similar Products Tried: | Dhx5 coil, Maintou, Avalanche woodie |
| Bike Setup: | 224, 40's, XTR, Dura-ace, Straitline, LG1, CK, Hadley/823. Vp Free..... Switch..... Nomad..... |
| Bottom Line: | I have had 4 of these shocks on different bikes and they are amazing, get them custom tuned by Mojo and they are even better. I raced all last season on one on my VP and it was great. Now have one on my 224, felt so much better than the 5 coil that came on the bike. The adjustability is the best thing, 220/100psi for a local smoother track or Innerleithen etc then 200/80psi for Fort William/Dunkeld etc. Looking at getting a second one for the 224. 1: 9.5x3.0 (8.5" travel) for Dh then 40's off and 36Vans on and 2: 8.5x2.5 (7" travel) for AM/XC riding. Great shock, gets better when custom tuned. |
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Submitted by
Cam Ron
a Weekend Warrior
from Pasadena
Date Reviewed: 3/7/2008 8:53:07 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | El Prieto |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | Incycle |
| Weaknesses: | Can't feel the adjustments on the propedal or any other adjustments. Whether you set it to the min or max. |
| Bike Setup: | 07 Specialized Enduro S-works. |
| Bottom Line: | I purchased a 07 Enduro S-works and the shocks came with the bike. I was hesitant on buying the bike because of the previous reviews of the shock, but the price was too good. I rode el prieto about 3 times and the rear shock was gone. I was rubbing the wheel. I took it to Incycle and they told me I would have to pay for the shipping cost to send it to Fox and once Fox repairs it they will install it back on my bike. It's going to take 2-3 weeks. Piece of crap shock. The propedel never seemed to work, and had constant bobbing when pedaling hard. Should I say it again shock sucks. |
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Submitted by
chris
a Weekend Warrior
from irvine,ca
Date Reviewed: 2/11/2008 10:17:52 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | aliso woods canyon |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | came with bike |
| Strengths: | lots of adjustments (that don't seems to work) |
| Weaknesses: | lots-o-bob, boost valve disabled by fox, uses full range of travel all the time |
| Bike Setup: | specialized enduro expert 2007 |
| Bottom Line: | !!! AVOID THIS SHOCK !!! just got my 2007 specialized enduro 2 weeks ago complete with fox dhx 5 air shock. right away it didn't feel right. i weigh 230lbs, put 275psi in the main chamber and it still sags to 50%. when i rode it on the trail it felt as if i had a flat rear tire the back end was so low. have the pro-pedal maxed out...unable to add air to the boost valve since fox disabled the boost valve adjust due to the way the shock is set on the bike. the ride feels the same as when i blew the seals on my float (but that was after a year and a half of riding). heard that some folks have replaced the can on the dhx 5 with a float can and it helped. will try that. really hate the fact that i might have to buy a new shock for a brand new bike. |
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Submitted by
Roger
a Cross Country Rider
from Spokane, WA
Date Reviewed: 9/27/2007 8:37:06 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | McKenzie River Trail |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $359 |
| Purchased At: | Go-Ride.com |
| Strengths: | It’s light and that must be very important. |
| Weaknesses: | Dependability. Function. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Progressive 5th Element, Marzocchi RC World Cup Coil, Fox DHX 5.0 Coil, various Fox Airs and RockShox coils. |
| Bike Setup: | 06 Intense 6.6 with 07 160mm Marzocchi All Mountain 1 with standard dropouts, Marzocchi RC World Cup Coil, XTR pod shifters, Formula K24 disc brakes, RaceFace compact drive Isis crankset with 20-tooth granny, Hugi 240 hubs, DT Swiss RWS skewers, and Mavic XC717-Disc rims, real XTR pedals. |
| Bottom Line: | To be fair I never got to experience this shock when it was working properly. It was defective on my Intense 6.6 (new) and defective when I received it from Fox repair the first time. I sold it after it came back from repair the second time. I upgraded to the Fox DHX 5.0 coil and later upgraded to the Marzocchi RC World Cup Coil (read my review). This shock made a clunking sound during compression, blew through parts of its compression stroke and I was always hitting my pedals on rocks. It is amazing what we mountain bikers tolerate to save some weight. This shock is popular because it is more important for it to weigh a pound less than it is for it to perform well. By the way, my DHX coil didn’t last long either and when it was working did not perform as well as my Marzocchi RC World Cup. |
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Submitted by
Ben Slabaugh
a Downhiller
from Hayden, ID
Date Reviewed: 5/12/2007 10:46:55 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Purchased At: | private sale with frame |
| Strengths: | Nearly infinite adjustments available. Very smooth compression and rebound. A nice compliment to my Marzocchi Z1 Light front end. Lighter than a coil, more adjustable than an RP23 to tune out spiking with a more linear feel. Easy to get full travel without blowing through it too quickly. User servicable air sleeve. Doesn't leak air. |
| Weaknesses: | The nearly infinite adjustments are initially confusing. Needed a low-volume/high-pressure Float RP23 air sleeve instead of the stock high-volume. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Fox Float RP23, tested Manitou Swinger |
| Bike Setup: | urner Six Pack. Marzocchi Z1 Light, DHX Air, Saint crankset, brakes and hubs, Crank Bros Mallet, Answer Pro Taper, 07 SRAM X.9, Panaracer Fire FR 2.4, Sun Rhyno Lite, WTB Laser V Pro Gel. |
| Bottom Line: | If this shock doesn't feel right at first, don't give up on it!! The adjustability is the best feature, but it takes some patience and dialing in to get the right feel. It hasn't leaked air and has been ultra-reliable. Initially, I felt like the shock blew through travel too fast on uphill climbs. I weigh 175 and have the shock installed on a high-leverage ratio, rocker style bike. For $35, I bought a Float RP23 air sleeve from Fox with new seals (just in case). With the new air sleeve, the shock is perfect for my riding style. I have the main air chamber (with the new air can) set at 175psi (my weight), the boost valve has 135psi (enough to feel some mid-stroke support, but not overly harsh), the rebound is set to where return is barely slowed visibly, and the bottom out is dialed in to the first line (i.e. turned in 1/3), Pro Pedal is full on at max. Some bikes (such as Chumba) are coming stock this year with the Float air sleeve on the DHX Air shock. It looks like Fox figured out that it improves the performance. Because I had to buy the Float sleeve myself, I'm only giving four chilis. I do recommend this shock to anyone who likes air over coil and lots of adjustments. Here's what Fox says about setting the shock: Recommended Sag: 25-30 percent of shock stroke ProPedal Tuning: When the bike maintains a decent small-bump ride and pedals with minimal motion, ProPedal is set up correctly. To set up, start 8 clicks out from closed. Turn it in for a firmer ride, out for a softer ride. Boost Valve Tuning: If you want a more efficient-feeling ride and a more-progressive stroke, increase Boost Valve pressure. If you want a smoother ride and a less-progressive stroke, decrease Boost Valve pressure. Bottom-Out Tuning: For most trail riders, this works best in the fully open position. For hucking and racing, go off a 3- to 4-foot drop with the knob in the fully open position. Repeat, adjusting the knob a quarter-turn each time until you are still using all the travel but not feeling the shock bottom. Note: This test works only if the sag is set up properly. Rebound Tuning: Open the rebound to full fast. Pedal and ride off a curb and count the oscillations of the rear suspension. Repeat the test, turning in the adjuster one click at a time to slow the rebound until the rear suspension oscillates once. As the back wheel goes off the curb, the suspension should compress and return to its static ride height. This puts you in the ballpark. DHX Air Maintenance: FOX recommends the air sleeve be removed and cleaned every 30-40 hours and an oil change once a year to keep the damper working well. |
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Submitted by
Perry Therrien
a Weekend Warrior
from British Columbia
Date Reviewed: 4/29/2007 9:29:48 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Strengths: | If it works, it works well... |
| Weaknesses: | It stuck down on about the 4th Ride last fall and the Seal popped out last ride.. From what I can tell these are common problems. |
| Bike Setup: | Specialized Enduro Expert 06 |
| Bottom Line: | I am not a "hard" rider, approx. 20 days a summer. If you spend a fair dollar on a product you would expect a better result. I was without a shock for 4 weeks... they were not concerned at the shop I purchased it from and said it was common for FOX to have this issue. If there is another option that fits, go with that. |
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Submitted by
Ty
a Weekend Warrior
from Ocala, FL
Date Reviewed: 1/31/2007 2:05:28 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Windrock, TN |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Purchased At: | Came on my Dirtbag |
| Strengths: | Lightweight and adjustability - period! |
| Weaknesses: | Honestly, none at this time. I have not experienced any negative problems with this shock. I understand that many had problems w/ stuck down and the like, BUT NOT ME... |
| Similar Products Tried: | Fox Float, Swinger 3way AIR, swinger 4way AIR, Swinger 4way COIL. |
| Bike Setup: | 06 Transition Dirtbag, White Azonic Outlaw wheels, DHXA, XT Hydro, Maxxis Minions 2.5 etc.... |
| Bottom Line: | If you get one that is not a LEMON, you should have great performance from this lil beauty. After riding it for a lil over a year - I have learned to tweak the shock to my liking! Believe me it takes TIME to do this. Many Many adjustment possibilities. Take your time and find your sweet spot for your riding style. Some may say that it is not as plush for DH, I beg to differ. When set up correctly this shock handles small repetitive bumps at speed and the square edge bumps asl well. The adjustments make a difference! This is NOT a SET it and FORGET it shock. Take your time with it and you will be rewared with wonderful Performance. |
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Submitted by
Dulyebr
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Monica, CA
Date Reviewed: 11/29/2006 9:36:47 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Porc |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $420 |
| Purchased At: | secret |
| Strengths: | Small bump compliance is awesome. Better control through rough terrain. Linear compression curve makes spikes a thing of the past! More comfort on all day epics. |
| Weaknesses: | 225 grams heavier than the Rp3 it replaces |
| Similar Products Tried: | 2005 Fox Rp3, 2001 Push'd Fox Float |
| Bike Setup: | 2005 Med. Titus MotoLite (w/FR lowers & DHX-air 5.0), Chris King hubs (w/fun bolts) & headset, Mavic XM819s, Pike 454 Air U-Turn, Enduro Martas 180/160mm w/Goodridge braided lines, FSA carbon xc-riser, XT cranks, front der. & 11-32 cassette, Sram X.9 triggers & X.0 med rear der., Thomson 90mm 0 deg. stem & seatpost, WTB Rocket V Stealth, Oury Lock-On grips |
| Bottom Line: | It makes everything good about having rear suspension better. |
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Submitted by
Andy Dodsworth
a Cross Country Rider
from LEEDS, WEST YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND
Date Reviewed: 11/24/2006 11:04:21 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | CBC SEYMOUR NORTH VAN |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $550 |
| Purchased At: | Stiff |
| Strengths: | NOT ONE UN RELIABLE, CAN NOT BE TRUSTED, MORE TROUBLE THAN ITS WORTH |
| Weaknesses: | ITS GETS STUCK DOWN WHEN EVER IT FEELS LIKE IT, NO MATER HOW MUCH MAINTENANCE YOU GIVE IT. |
| Similar Products Tried: | DT SWISS |
| Bike Setup: | HECKLER |
| Bottom Line: | DONT BUY THIS SHOCK UNLESS YOU LIKE YOUR BIKE IN THE SHOP. CUSTOMER SERVICES IS GOOD BUT ONLY BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM. GOING TO GET IT FIXED AND SELL IT THEN BUY ANOTHER DT SWISS. |
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Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Oregon
Date Reviewed: 11/1/2006 1:34:11 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Strengths: | I like this shock as it can be dialed in to the setting that I like best. |
| Weaknesses: | My only problem so far, and it's not all that bad is that I have to put lots of air PSI in the shock. |
| Similar Products Tried: | RP3 |
| Bike Setup: | Turner 5-Spot |
| Bottom Line: | I have read plenty of people who have experienced stuck down with this shock. I have had it for a year now and have had no issues with it. I have rode everything from XC to light DH type stuff with it and it has taken the hits with no issues. It compliments my Marzocchi AL/SL up front. I was suprised to see it take so much PSI to stop from pushing through the full travel but I do weigh 230lbs. Overall I am impressed with this shock and can recomend it. When I bought the frame new in late 05' I was told that Fox was adding a little extra shock oil to the shock to counter the stuck down issues. I guess I got one of the good ones. |
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Submitted by
Preston Stempler
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Valley, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: 10/18/2006 1:33:37 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | Came with bike |
| Strengths: | I don't know, I only had two rides with it before it broke |
| Weaknesses: | Durability |
| Similar Products Tried: | Fox Vanilla RC |
| Bike Setup: | 2006 intense 6.6, Marzocci All Mountain 1 |
| Bottom Line: | I just got the bike last Thursday and set up the sag at 30% as intense suggested. Only thing was it was taking 225psi to get it there. Intense didn't send me a owners manual for it, so until today, I didn't know you are not supposed to put more than 200psi in the shock. I called fox and they said the seal that separates the positive pressure from the negative is bad and to send it back. Two freaking rides and it is on its way back to the factory?!? That is total crap. I won't buy one of these again, and its too bad I am stuck with this one as I am out of bike money. |
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Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Salem, OR, USA
Date Reviewed: 10/9/2006 9:01:20 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Bonzai Downhill, Gonzo |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Strengths: | Weight, adjustability, tunability |
| Weaknesses: | Reliability, harshness in some situations |
| Similar Products Tried: | Other fox air shocks |
| Bike Setup: | Turner RFX |
| Bottom Line: | Review #4 (I think). My last review was a bit more glowing than this will be. I've been on the 'revamped' 2006 version of this shock since February-ish. It has performed very well (read-no 'stuck downs') since that time until recently. I have kept float fluid in the air can REGLIGIOSLY, as per many of the gurus out there in MTBR land suggest--and as Fox does from the factory. I don't know whats up w/ this shock. I am convinced there is inherent design flaws in this model. It has stuck down last 3 rides in the last 3 weeks. 1 was on trail hitting all my usual 2-3' stuff, and the other 2 were doing some urban. Maybe 1/4" stuck down when off the bike-but when I'm sitting on the bike, its like at 70%sag. I have 'unstuck' it the last 3 times, but I don't know what is going on! Turner was UNBELIEVABLY cool back in January when my freshly repaired from FOX shock stuck down time #3 on its first ride back on the bike--they sent me a new shock! I have once again pled my cas to Turner-this time if they are as generous (fingers crossed), I am cutting my losses & going w/ a coil shock. I'll just deal w/ the weight penalty (and eat the upgrade charge)& do some extra leg presses during the week. If I was a big huckin' dude, I can see wearing my equip out...but in reality, this bike gets used maybe once a week on the trails for a few hours. The rest is rides after work around town, usually never (or barely) even leaving the ground. I don't know what true 'freeriders' and downhillers are doing with this shock to keep it running...or they all know better & stick with coil! )))whew((( |
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Submitted by
Ed
a Cross Country Rider
from Oxford
Date Reviewed: 9/22/2006 6:35:23 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | 7 Stanes Scotland |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Strengths: | Adjustability, almost too much to experiment with - never get bored with! Bottomless feeling to full compression. |
| Weaknesses: | Stuck down problem from early issue models |
| Similar Products Tried: | Float RL |
| Bike Setup: | Ventana Saltamontes 5 - 6" adjustable travel |
| Bottom Line: | After my initial dissapointment with stuck down problems, this shock has performed reliably well. I have not noticed an appreciable effect from using pro pedal settings and need to experiment with this more. Big thanks to Mojo UK for sorting the stuck down problems. This shock is a viable alternative for big hitters (All mountian/free ride/down hill) without the weight penalty. It is also the closest to coil over shock in terms of performance. I think that Fox made a mistake in the early manufacture of these units and like anything in first run, there are often teething problems. That is no consolation for any of you suffering from stuck down right now, but I have not had any further problems with this unit. |
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Submitted by
Jamie Alackness
a Cross Country Rider
from Edwards, Colarado
Date Reviewed: 9/15/2006 8:21:35 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Gooseberry Mesa |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $350 |
| Purchased At: | Moontime Cyclery |
| Strengths: | Very smooth, bottom out adjust works great |
| Weaknesses: | Set up is a little tricky because everything is interconnected. Very finicky requires lots of maintance, leaked oil into air chamber, leaked oil out of rebound knob, propedal works then doesn't and now compression is totally gone. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Manitou Swinger 3 and 4 way, Fox AVA, Foe's Curnutt which is without a dout the very best shock money can buy nothing else even comes remotely close. I wish I could fit one on my Titus. |
| Bike Setup: | Titus Moto Lite with Shimano XTR and Sram XO drive trian Fox Talas XTT fork, Easton bars, Thompson stem, King head-set, Mavic XL wheels, Salsa skewers, Crank Brothers pedals, Specialized saddle, a Gravity dropper seat post this is the best new part that I have ever added to a bike. |
| Bottom Line: | This shock worked great for about a dozen rides and slowly self destructed from there. Greasing the air sleeve did help for a while, but when the propedal/compression dampening started going it was all down hill from there. The boost valve is the only thing that still works properly. I currently am running a three year old Fox AVA shock which beleive it or not seems to work better although I wish it had the bottom out adjust. |
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Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Salem, OR, USA
Date Reviewed: 9/13/2006 10:01:22 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Strengths: | Adjustability, lightweight. |
| Weaknesses: | Initial reliability |
| Similar Products Tried: | Fox Triad, Septune, Float, Demo'd DHX coil |
| Bike Setup: | 06' Turner RFX |
| Bottom Line: | This is a 3rd follow up review. My last review was March-that was just after Turner sent me a new shock. I have been riding all summer on the new shock with no problems. I do keep the air chamber lubed up w/ float fluid-I'd say I open it every 6-8 weeks just to be sure. I do have to say the shock has taken big hits, fast sections, etc and feels fine to me. But I don't have coil experience to compare it to. My Turner feels like it will last for years to come-but I'm always looking down at the shock to see if it is getting stuck down... |
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Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Pleasanton
Date Reviewed: 8/3/2006 11:16:48 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Toads |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $2000 |
| Purchased At: | came on Nomad |
| Strengths: | None - thats right none ! I hope you read this MBA , you guys keep recommending this turd to the public . |
| Weaknesses: | Quality control ceases to exist . This is the second time in 7 months of XC type riding that shock needs to go back for fixing . Pro pedal stopped working and main air spring is not holding me up despite adding 250 lbs. - used to take 190 lbs. to set my sag properly indicting seal problems - again . Fox does not care one bit that I will not be riding my Nomad for another week or two as I contacted them for a trade for coil version or to send me a new shock instead of overhauling this pos . They said they cannot trade or give me another shock - what customer service ! |
| Similar Products Tried: | Rock Shox Sid air , 5th Element ,and many many Fox air shox but none as poorly made as this one . |
| Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Nomad , Marzocci all mountain sl fork - 150 mm , King hubs and headset , Magura Marta SL brakes , XTR drivetrain , monkey bars and seatpost - 28 lbs. Cost about 5 grand . |
| Bottom Line: | This product is a complete turd - I guess Fox is so big now that they just do not care , well thanks to sites like this the word will get out to other hardcore MTBers . This shock is expensive too - almost $500.00 retail . Here is the good news - Marzocci is now making the Roco in an air version - hurray ! Bottom line Fox , improve your products or go belly up ! |
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Submitted by
Ty
a Weekend Warrior
from Orlando
Date Reviewed: 6/27/2006 7:34:55 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Windrock |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Purchased At: | Adrenaline bikes w/ Frame |
| Strengths: | Thus far: Reliability has been great (No Air Loss), Very plush shock, Tunability, Lighter than Big Brother - Mr. Coil, and Looks Damn Good! |
| Weaknesses: | If I have to look for one: I'd say that it lacks Great mid travel progression. Not that much of a Big Deal! |
| Similar Products Tried: | Manitou Swinger 3Way Air & 4Way Coil, Fox Float RL, Fox Float R |
| Bike Setup: | 06 Transition Dirtbag, Sram drive, Easton goodies, Juciy, Zoke 66RC, DHX A, Sun Singletrack Camos |
| Bottom Line: | When I was ordering my frame I decided to go w/ the DHX A over DHX C, Swinger 4 or 6 way Coil, and the ROCO C. I wanted a lighter weight package given the weight of the frame. But was very |