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Rear shock dilemma...

815 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Johnny Bravo, Jul 12, 2006

Tracerboy

Discussion Starter · Jul 6, 2006 (Edited)

Ok so here's the deal. I have a '99 Trek VRX300 which has been my main & only bike for a number of years. Yeah, yeah I know it's out of date and wasn't the best design to begin with, but it's done the job just fine. Anyway, I've been lucky enough to not have had any major issues with it other than typical maintenence niggles (tires, pads, et cetera). I'm a 6'4" 200lb.+ clyde to boot so no complaints here.

Anyway, the rear shock has finally given up the ghost & I'm not sure what route to go to remedy the situation. It's a Fox Vanilla R and I've already contacted PUSH Ind. about having it rebuilt, but it's too old so they are unable to service it. I've searched high & low to find a rebuild kit for it or at least info about it to no avail. So, I suppose my final solution is to just straight-up replace the shock altogether. Buying another bike right now is financially out of the question otherwise I'd just go that route.

So, I guess I'm just wondering if anybody out there has any suggestions about which route to go? I'm not looking to spend a whole lot as the bike is rather out of date and I don't see much point in dumping a bunch of money into it anymore. However, I'm itching like crazy to ride and other than the rear shock issue the bike is good to go. So, is there a rebuild kit out there for the older Vanilla R's or another route I can take to get it fixed? Or would I be better off just getting a new/used shock to replace it? I've found a few "deals" online that seem like a possible solution, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. I've found some NOS Vanilla RC's which are several years old (unused) which have the proper dimensions and are a decent price. Would that be a viable option? I've also looked into the Cane Creed AD-5 and AD-10 both of which pop up on eBay every so often for reasonable prices. Oh, and I also found a decent deal on a Swinger 3-way air shock. I have no preference between spring or air shocks.

Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance....

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AndrewTO

· #2 · Jul 9, 2006

Either the Fox or Manitou should fit the bill nicely. If anything i'd say try the Manitou and see what your bike would feel like with the SPV damping - call it an "old dog, new tricks" deal. It really can change the rear of an SP bike for the better. :thumbsup: Just make sure there's proper clearance.

That would be my vote.

I can't say the CC's would be a good pick - might be too much leverage ratio for the shock. This is a speculative answer, not sure how successfully you'd be able to tune it. (waiting for one to arrive for my bike)

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massmang

· #3 · Jul 9, 2006

If the bike is old, pick up a used shock.. I see used vanilla r shocks (04 - 05) all the time for under $100

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Tracerboy

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 12, 2006

Thanks for the suggestions guys. It looks like the ol' Manitou was sold so that's off the list. The reason I considered the CC shocks was that the '00 VRX300's came with an AD-5 on it stock. However, I don't know if the suspension geometry changed or not. AFAIK it was nearly identical, but there isn't much info out there about it. Anyway, the search continues... Oh, btw the NOS Vanilla RC's I've found are apparently '00 models (maybe '99 I forget offhand) so they're about the same age technology-wise. They're in the right price range, but not sure if it's worth the try. Any opinions?

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