So I'm not really the most finicky of riders when it comes to my suspension setup. I'm riding a 2018 Hightower with an almost stock suspension that came on the bike (Fox 36 Performance Elite fork extended to 150mm travel / DPS shock), and honestly I've been very happy with it. Honestly, this Fox 36 is the best fork that I have ever owned.

That said, I'm starting to notice some limitations in my setup that make me think I should consider trying some upgrades. Things I'm noticing:
1) I'm not getting full travel out of my fork. If I soften the fork enough to get full travel, I get a lot of dive at the top, particularly in slower speed rock gardens.
2) When I have the fork setup so that it feels really good on high speed technical downhills, I feel like I am sagging into my travel quite a bit.
3) My hands are frequently getting sore on 2-3 rides. I don't ride with a death grip by any means, and I recently just swapped from the stock Santa Cruz grips to Deity Lockjaws, which I generally like. My hands also got sore with the Santa Cruz grips. I'll probably be trying more grips in the future.

1 and 2 seem like you are unhappy because of some perceived need to use all of your travel or hit a particular sag point.

I think you should put your upgrade fork fund into a jar and spend it on something else. There's always something you can spend on, better protective gear, more comfortable clothes, a slick bike tool kit. Or just save up for your next new bike. Maybe rent a Shockwiz and make sure you have your bike set up just right for you.

I don't have a lot of experience, but I rode a Fox 36 Rhythm with the Grip damper and really liked the way it felt.

 

1 and 2 seem like you are unhappy because of some perceived need to use all of your travel or hit a particular sag point.

I think you should put your upgrade fork fund into a jar and spend it on something else. There's always something you can spend on, better protective gear, more comfortable clothes, a slick bike tool kit. Or just save up for your next new bike. Maybe rent a Shockwiz and make sure you have your bike set up just right for you.

Honestly - I am open to this as a possible outcome. I'm not sure with a grip damper that Shockwiz will give me much useful information.

I do feel like there is some room for improvement, which is why I started this post. But I am also aware that this can go down a very expensive rabbit hole quickly.

 

1. Strip and service. Lube in the right places.
2. Burnish bushings so it'll slide nicely.
3. Air spring upgrade (Luftkappe minimum, Secus better).
4. Damper revalve.

 

Thanks Dougal - I meant to add burnishing the bushings as one of my options.

If I did the first three, should I notice an improvement in suppleness and mid-stroke support.

Doing all four is probably outside of what I can justify in the upcoming months.

 

Sounds like you need less volume spacers

 

Funny that you say that. I've been reducing my spacers over time. Started at five, and as of last week I no longer have any.

 

What is the service history of the fork?

 

I have serviced the lowers and replaced seals every 3-4 months for the past year. No service has been done on the GRIP damper yet. I am planning to send it in for service this winter, unless I end up swapping it out for something else.

 

Yeah I will Echo what Dougal has said.

Get a full Rebuild, Have bushings checked/burnished, and do an air spring upgrade like the Runt or Secus. I would give a slight performance edge to the Secus but it is also quite a bit more expensive and more involved to install.

 

You sure your hands aren't getting sore from body position? (too much weight on your hands)

 

I don't think I do, but I don't know how to definitively diagnose this. I will say that I focus on staying loose and relaxed, and if anything my tendency is to come off the front wheel a little bit when I get nervous.

Honestly though, I'd be pretty surprised if riding heavy on my hands were the problem.

Now, the 8-12 hours per week of tennis that I've been playing with my kids this summer/fall is a different story - for my right hand at least...

 

Is yours the fit/grip? Personally I think that's a great damper and servicing it is not difficult. I had the setup issues you had to some extent, I'm about 235 at my fighting weight. I got it to feel great on all except big hits, really big hits in which it blew through it's travel which was unnerving. I put in the push AC3 and it was a HUGE improvement all around. I'd say the damper seemed to work even better regarding knob inputs with the exception of high speed rebound. I switched to a grip 2 which solved the the HS rebound but honestly still feel like the grip fit handles compression duties better for aggressive riding.

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Is yours the fit/grip? Personally I think that's a great damper and servicing it is not difficult. I had the setup issues you had to some extent, I'm about 235 at my fighting weight. I got it to feel great on all except big hits, really big hits in which it blew through it's travel which was unnerving. I put in the push AC3 and it was a HUGE improvement all around. I'd say the damper seemed to work even better regarding knob inputs with the exception of high speed rebound. I switched to a grip 2 which solved the the HS rebound but honestly still feel like the grip fit handles compression duties better for aggressive riding.

I'm pretty sure we are talking about the same damper - FIT/GRIP. It came stock on my 2018 Fox 36 Performance fork. I'd say when I am riding fast (75% of my full downhill speed) it feels great - really the bike as a whole feels great at speed. When things are slower is when I think that it starts feeling rough. And we have a lot of slower chunky trails.

I have watched the video for servicing the GRIP dampener and it makes me a little bit nervous. I actually do have two of the dampeners, so maybe I should take the plunge and try doing the service on one of them myself.

From the replies so far, I'm getting the sense that I should focus on the air piston side and just keep the dampener as-is for now. From what I've read, I'd probably lean towards the Smashpot rather than the ACS3 conversion if I went towards the coil, but the Secus doesn't seem like a bad option either. I've read that conversion to the ACS3 is a one-way deal since the spring will scratch the inside of the fork. Is the same true if you use the Smashpot?

One other question: If I can service the dampener myself, then I probably wouldn't send my fork into Fox for servicing, which means I'd likely burnish the bushings myself. Once you have the proper tool, is this a fairly straightforward task, or is it something that is easy to screw up?

Thanks to all for the feedback so far!

 

Grip damper or Fit 4?

If it’s a Grip damper, have you tried adding more HSC on the higher speed tech stuff, ie turn it clockwise.

I’ve had a few Grip forks, that damper is the real deal, infinite HSC, just need to find the sweet spot and frequency tune with your shock.

I have a rail damper Bomber Z2 on my backyard bike, it’s basically an open bath Grip damper, works great, add a 1/4 turn to firm up the ride.

If you really want to make that fork better, add a Vorsprung Smashpot coil kit with hydraulic bottom out, leave the damper alone, and you’re done.

 

new fox 36 performance 2020, i'd like to upgrade the damper

Hey !

I have a new Fox36 Performance '20 on my bike. I guess there is no point on selling it and buying a new one, if i can only upgrade the damper.
i'm riding hard, sometimes bikeparks, a lot of natural trails, sometimes with a lot of rocks.

What options do i have?
GRIP2
and now there is a new GRIP2 VVC ?
any other options?

worth it ?

 

Hey !

I have a new Fox36 Performance '20 on my bike. I guess there is no point on selling it and buying a new one, if i can only upgrade the damper.
i'm riding hard, sometimes bikeparks, a lot of natural trails, sometimes with a lot of rocks.

What options do i have?
GRIP2
and now there is a new GRIP2 VVC ?
any other options?

worth it ?

Grip2 is a great upgrade, its not cheap but worth it.

 

does weight matter to you? I recently installed a push ACS3, and it's worth every gram to me.

That said, fork dive may be a damper adjustment only. I had it on my first decent with the coil, but was quickly resolved with some compression adjustment.

 

sore hands can be a sign that your rebound is too slow, fork packs down and your hands take all the impact which also causes you to grip harder