I have seen this frame on several sites on the cheap. Does anyone have any experience with this rig. I would really like to know how it pedals on the flats, and the short steep climbs that I ride in south florida. The angles seem kind of slack for a true trail bike.

Thanks

FFF

I have seen this frame on several sites on the cheap. Does anyone have any experience with this rig. I would really like to know how it pedals on the flats, and the short steep climbs that I ride in south florida. The angles seem kind of slack for a true trail bike.

Thanks

FFFMy friend rides one. It's an excellent trail bike that is incredibly well built. I would steer clear of the Carnutt and get the DHX for rear shock duties. The angles are not all that slack really. Make sure it is a 04 model because the 03 had very limited rear tire clearance. IMO..the one fault is that the rear shock mount and swing-link sits right in the path of all the junk coming off the tire. My friend addressed this by making the fender in the 2nd picture. Bike pictured is the 04 ano version with a Ti sprung Carnutt and 6" Firefly mounted.

Here's mine, it's a great bike. Ditto on passing the CURNUTT for the DHX. I gotta go to work, so I can't give any details, but it's a uber-stiff bike, has great geometry, and can stand up to real all-mountain/trail riding no problem.

I thought the Curnutt was the ultimate in rear shock performance. I have never tried a Foes, but everyone including all mags say the Curnutt is the shite. Not that the Fox is a bad shock or anything. Btw, does the DHX still get 5.75" of travel or less.

I've been riding my fxr for a year and a half and while I really like it I wouldn't suggest it, not with as many new trail bikes that are coming out now. I'm sure the new specialized enduro with the fox 36 blows it out of the water and I wouldn't be surprised if the new Cannondale phrophet does too. The linkage on the fxr wears out quickly and foes sucks to deal with. The curnutt is not the shitte but it is an ok shock. Also the bike rides alot better in the 5 inch setting IMO. In the 5.75 it bottoms out hard??? This bike is also heavy, mines up to 35 lb with pike and sunryno lites. Check out the new ellesworth moment, Kona coiler, specialized enduro, or the cannondale phrophet IMO.
Mark

Here's mine, it's a great bike. Ditto on passing the CURNUTT for the DHX. I gotta go to work, so I can't give any details, but it's a uber-stiff bike, has great geometry, and can stand up to real all-mountain/trail riding no problem.

Thanks for the feed back. Could you give me an idea of how tall
you are and the frame size you ride. The medium and large
measurements seem to be much smaller than those of their
competitors. ie Titus, Santa Cruz, Turner, etc...
I am 5'11" with a 31" inseam. what size do you think
I should go with?

Thanks again

FFF

Thanks for the feed back. Could you give me an idea of how tall
you are and the frame size you ride. The medium and large
measurements seem to be much smaller than those of their
competitors. ie Titus, Santa Cruz, Turner, etc...
I am 5'11" with a 31" inseam. what size do you think
I should go with?

Thanks again

FFF
The grey one is a large ridden by a guy who is 6' 34" inseam. I think he is using a 90 or 100mm stem. Medium would be too small for you.

I've got a few months on my '04 FXR with the TI spring currnut and can say it is a great bike. I've got mine set up as a trail bike with a Fox Talas Fork. Weight is around 31lbs. I actually like the Currnutt. The frame is built very stiff and solid. The bike climbs and descends well. Foes really has an emphasis on stiffness. Its one of the stiffest trail bikes you will find. Don't worry about the head angle. I ride a lot of tight single track and I don't have any problems with slower steering due to the angle. Plus its a blast going downhill.

Size - I'm 5'8" with around a 29-30" inseam. I ride a medium with 70mm stem. Your are in between the medium and the large. If your ride more XC, I would probably go with a medium with a 100mm stem and a riser handlebar or the large with a shorter stem for more downhill and technical riding. Foes lists the medium for 5'6" to 6'0". I prefer the shorter stem.

It looks like a few places are blowing the frame out with a fox float shock. Its a good deal, but personally, I would not put the float onto the FXR. Its really designed for a shock more like the Curnutt or the Fox DHX.

Here a few pics:

Thanks for the feed back. Could you give me an idea of how tall
you are and the frame size you ride. The medium and large
measurements seem to be much smaller than those of their
competitors. ie Titus, Santa Cruz, Turner, etc...
I am 5'11" with a 31" inseam. what size do you think
I should go with?

Thanks again

FFF
I'm 5'11" with a 30.5" inseam. The medium would probably work great for you.

As far as the geometry, it's almost exactly the same as the 5-spot, except for two things; The FXR is a little slacker than 69.0, and the top tube feels longer on the FXR compared to the equivalent 5 spot. I have a good riding buddy that rides a medium 5-spot, so I get the chance to compare quite often.

I've been riding my fxr for a year and a half and while I really like it I wouldn't suggest it, not with as many new trail bikes that are coming out now. I'm sure the new specialized enduro with the fox 36 blows it out of the water and I wouldn't be surprised if the new Cannondale phrophet does too. The linkage on the fxr wears out quickly and foes sucks to deal with. The curnutt is not the shitte but it is an ok shock. Also the bike rides alot better in the 5 inch setting IMO. In the 5.75 it bottoms out hard??? This bike is also heavy, mines up to 35 lb with pike and sunryno lites. Check out the new ellesworth moment, Kona coiler, specialized enduro, or the cannondale phrophet IMO.
Mark
You probably do not have a stiff enough spring, especially if you are bottoming it, because the curnutt has a progression adjustment, and the only way that thing doesn't work is when the spring is to light for the rider weight.

The bike is not heavy, it is in line with other similer bikes like the moment, 6-pack, etc. It's meant to be an ultra-stiff bike, so it does weigh slightly more than something like a yeti 575.

Mine weighs slightly under 30lbs with mavic 519 rims, american classic disc hub F, XT disc rear, revolution spokes up front, competition spokes in the rear, alloy nipples, 05 XT cranks, eggbeater pedals, azonic carbon fiber bar, selle italia flite TT saddle, thomson seatpost, marzocchi all mtn 1 fork, hayes mags, and 2.3F/2.1R weirwolf tires.

The curnutt is an anchor of a shock though, it adds about a pound compared to other coil shocks. The moment is 8.2lbs or so, not super light, 6pack is 8.6lbs or so, again heavier than an FXR, the cdale prophet might be lighter, but it doesn't have anywhere near the lateral reinforcement that the foes does.

Max tire size on a 03 FXR?

I have heard that the 2003 FXR has poor clearance for larger tires or cant fit anything larger than a 2.3. Do the newer ones have any upgrades over the 03?

Max tire size on a 03 FXR?

I have heard that the 2003 FXR has poor clearance for larger tires or cant fit anything larger than a 2.3. Do the newer ones have any upgrades over the 03?
04s have ample clearance for ~2.7 tires, the 03 and before could only fit a 2.3" tire max. I have the 2003 FXR, but if I need to fit a larger tire in there, I should probably be using my DH bike anyway.

The '03's had tight tire clearance. The 04 was redisigned to take the clearance up to a 2.7 although I probably would not run anything bigger than a 2.5.

I'm running the Nevgal 2.35's (a large 2.35) with no clearance issues on my 'O4.

Thanks for the feed back. Could you give me an idea of how tall
you are and the frame size you ride. The medium and large
measurements seem to be much smaller than those of their
competitors. ie Titus, Santa Cruz, Turner, etc...
I am 5'11" with a 31" inseam. what size do you think
I should go with?

Thanks again

FFF

The large is compact and has great standover clearance so it should work with your inseam, you could run a shorter stem also and still have a CC position. Sounds like you have a long torso for your height so the longer TT would probably work well.

[QUOTE=Jm.]You probably do not have a stiff enough spring, especially if you are bottoming it, because the curnutt has a progression adjustment, and the only way that thing doesn't work is when the spring is to light for the rider weight.

I wish it was the spring. I ran a 500lb and still bent the bolt/ packed out the bushings. But on a 450 lb spring on the 5 inch setting no problems. In fact I ran the red knob up to 3 1/2 turns and the air to 80 psi. Still bent the bolt. Believe me when I say I ride a ton and have tried every configuration with the help of the boys at foes. I like the bike but my main complaint is how quickly the linkage wears out and once it gets sloppy you start wondering why you spent so much????? I run it at 5 inches now and about 2 1/2 turns 70 lbs and every things just fine except the shock clunk but I just had the shock rebuilt so buying the dhx will have to wait.

I've been riding my fxr for a year and a half and while I really like it I wouldn't suggest it, not with as many new trail bikes that are coming out now. I'm sure the new specialized enduro with the fox 36 blows it out of the water and I wouldn't be surprised if the new Cannondale phrophet does too. The linkage on the fxr wears out quickly and foes sucks to deal with. The curnutt is not the shitte but it is an ok shock. Also the bike rides alot better in the 5 inch setting IMO. In the 5.75 it bottoms out hard??? This bike is also heavy, mines up to 35 lb with pike and sunryno lites. Check out the new ellesworth moment, Kona coiler, specialized enduro, or the cannondale phrophet IMO.
Mark

So, you feel the linkage on the FXR is not up to par? I ask this because I see the FXR occasionally on the used market and have thought about getting one. I weigh around 210lbs and my trail bike has to be able to handle the occasional 6ft drop with lots of smaller drops on technical trails. I just sold my Heckler and liked the bike but did not like the low bb and the rear shock. In short, my Heckler could easily handle harsh riding, so my next bike has to be just as tough. I am not into waiting months for replacement parts if something breaks, so dealing with Foes sounds like a problem also.

JM, feel free to pipe in on this linkage and dealing with Foes subject. Some people say the FXR is tough and some say it is not. If I got one, I would not be dropping any higher than 6ft. Too many injuries these days.

I'm not sure what the deal is with the linkage but I have heard a lot of folks say that they have developed play in the linkage beneath the shock. It's pretty simple to fix by yourself but will run you around 30 or so dollars for the part/parts. I do alot of smallish drops 3-4 footers the occasional 6 footer and usually to a good tranny. I weigh around 170. Foes considers this a xc bike. I think you should probably go for the inferno. I have replaced the bushings under the shock three times since I bought the bike so around once every six months. I ride year around lots of jumps and rock drops but nothing really big.

It's tough, and I've had no problems with the linkage.

I'd imagine the reason why any one would be messed up is because someone rode it with too much preload, causing the shock bolts to bend and bending the linkages somewhat, leading to an irreversable situation that's only remmedied by getting an entire new linkage assembly, but this would happen with any bike of course.

The FXR is solid, exceptionally stiff side to side, one ride on the FXR and it makes bikes like the hecklers and others just seem horrible in terms of stiffness. It's hard to ride anything else after riding any foes. My FXR is definitely stiffer than my Iron Horse DH bike. This is one of it's best traits, and the geometry is just perfect for the kind of riding that I like. It was between the 5spot and the FXR for me, but the FXR just suits my needs better with a slightly slacker headtube, and .75" more travel, although both are not huge differences, they make the difference for me.

Foes is good to deal with and they sound like they truly want all of their customers to be happy. That is one overriding theme that I have picked up from them when I've contacted them to ask questions or order something(spring, hardware to convert back to fox, etc)...

The FXR is as tough if not a little tougher, than any other 8lb frame all-mtn bike. I can't think of one bike in that catagory that I'd say is better than the FXR in that respect. You could probably shave a pound off of the frame easily by getting rid of the scissor link (that only stiffens the rear end) and some of the gussets/reinforcements, but these are what make the difference with the FXR. There are no compramises in frame-construction with the FXR.

One odd thing that I notice with the FXR is that my rear brake is "set and forget". While that may seem obvious to some people, I've noticed that on 4-bar link bikes that I've owned (FSRs), the brakes tend to rub more after intial set-up. This is a fairly "small thing" of course, but I notice a clear difference here. The FSRs are just nowwhere near as stiff, and it seems that the rear end is just not solid enough for the brake caliper to stay "in one place" essentially.

We shall see.

I really liked my Heckler besides the 5th element coilover and lower than normal bb height. I have heard the DHX on a Heckler is an improvement .6" more travel and not as stiff. As far as toughness, the Heckler is right up there. In fact, I dont know of many trail bikes that can be hucked like a Heckler. The bb height was just something I never came to terms with. Sounds minor, but it bothers me.

I have come across a couple of used 03 FXRs that look like they are in good condition. The one FXR is a medium battleship grey with a curnutt and 300lb spring. The spring is too light for my 210lbs, I would imagine. The fork is a firefly grey camo 5". I got used to running 2.5 High rollers on my Heckler and liked them. Less flats. I guess I could run a larger tire up front If need be and a 2.3 on the back of a 03 FXR. I have never heard of bb height issues on the FXR, so I gather it is not a problem.

Thanks for the input.

My medium Foes with a Talas, 819/Kings, 2.3/2.1 Kenda Blue grooves, Avid Juicys etc weighs in at 30 lbs. I have worn out a rear shock bushing but the swing link is fine after 2 years of riding. This bike is very stiff and very strong. People have different opinions on the Curnutt but I like mine just fine. I would like to try a DHX but that's just from curiosity not any dislike of my shock.

I saw an Ebay auction a few weeks ago for a new medium 04 by a bike shop and they were asking $1100. That's a great price and it didn't sell. There are deals out there if you look/call around. As someone else mentioned there are a lot of other choices out there (I would love a Ventana X-5) but the idea that they will just blow away the Foes in performance is silly. Like a lot of things it boils down to personal preference but it is widely recognized that Foes and Ventana build some of the stiffest bikes out there. If you are looking for a good shop call Go-Ride. I'm sure they could hook you up with the DHX on the FXR if you wanted.

I'm not sure what the deal is with the linkage but I have heard a lot of folks say that they have developed play in the linkage beneath the shock. It's pretty simple to fix by yourself but will run you around 30 or so dollars for the part/parts.

I spent $15 on 2 sets of bushings/reducers, I've replaced them once in the 8 months I've had the bike. I also repacked one of the bearings in the link because it was rough, but these things are minor and the only issue I see with the suspension is the bottoming that some have experienced in the 6" mode(undersprung shocks?) and the curnutt not being plush enough for some folks.

Hey Jm, have you tried an RP3 yet?, I know it will reduce the travel slightly but I was wondering how it would perform for the 5" mode, and then I could run the curnutt with a stiffer spring for the 6" mode.

Hey Jm, have you tried an RP3 yet?, I know it will reduce the travel slightly but I was wondering how it would perform for the 5" mode, and then I could run the curnutt with a stiffer spring for the 6" mode.
No, I may or may not be able to get one for free/cheap, but with some inside connections, I can get virtually any length made, and I can most certainly get one to fit my fxr with the correct amount of travel. I've been pretty happy with the DHX though, not really seeing a need or want to do otherwise at this point. The DHX probably saves a pound off the curnutt anyway (and the RP3 saves at least a pound off of that though)...

The parts that I wore out on the bike were the bushing and reducers at the base of the shock where it connects to the rear triangle, three times, and the round bearing at the top of the shock under the seat, once. They packed out mostly because the shock was being bottomed out on small 2-3 foot hits, sometimes to flat. I fiddled with the settings and a 500lb spring at the 5.75 setting and could never get it to keep from bottoming. Switched back to a 450 at the 5-inch setting and things seemed to be going ok we’ll see. Look I’d like nothing better than for me to not have to swap out the bushings. I dig the bike/geo and how well it rails. My skill level has definitely shot up thanks to the bike. I have zero experience (parking lots) on other similar bikes so my comments on others blowing it out of the water may be a little harsh (blew my shock out at one year, dammit). But there are so many more bikes in the same category this year then ever before so my advice would be to check out the new stuff. Seems to me on the linkage thing that I have seen at least three other posts where folks had the same problem as me. We should do a poll to see. As for the guys at Foes, they have good turn around time on repairs and all and they will sell you all the replacement parts you want. But most of the time the problems were my fault in there eyes. Do I like the bike? Hell yea, it fits my riding style nicely. Would I suggest it to a buddy?? No, to many hassles with the linkage and the the dmx would be a mandatory upgrade..

Thanks for all the info guys, I have been doing some research lately and you are correct in stating that a few FXR owners develop play and shock linkage problems. Does not sound too major in most cases though.

There is a ton of bikes in the 5"+ trail category these days and not nearly as many lemons as there used to be.

Here's my FXR complete with Rockshox Pike Team. These two were meant for each other.

I too would highly recommend the FXR...my '03 is going into its 3rd season this year and it has been nothing less than stellar. I feel almost as solid on it coming down as my DH bike and with the lock-down on my Z1 it climbs great. LOVE the Curnutt. Only thing I've ridden to compare it with (SPV-based) is a 5th element on a Yeti AS-X, and to be honest they felt about the same. From what I hear the Curnutt XTD is more reliable tho. I DO wish I had the 04 rear triangle w/ better tire clearance, but not really that big of a deal.

So question for other FXR owners here--how do you know when a bushing is worn out? I don't even know what a bushing is. What about the bearings? How does one know if it's 'rough'?

I'm not really much of a mechanic, altho I can bleed the brakes, adjust the shifters/derailleurs, and all the basic stuff. I did snap the screw in half mid last season at the bottom of my shock that connects the shock to the rear triangle. That was kinda lame but I found it before doing any damage fortunately and easily/cheaply replaced.

I was ready to buy an fxr but they were delayed for a long time and I cracked my 10.5 # Fly frame in the seat tower which soured me on interupted seat tube bikes so I bought a 5 Spot. I have had nothing but good experiences with Foes service however. I aquired my fly as a replacement for a 5+ year old Foes weasle (way out of warranty) that cracked and they had no replacement parts. They offered me a Fly at half price which they didn't have to do. Also when the Fly cracked I had a replacement frame in 2 days so don't let one sour opinion on Foes service scare you away. I would still like to try an fxr though.

So question for other FXR owners here--how do you know when a bushing is worn out? I don't even know what a bushing is. What about the bearings? How does one know if it's 'rough'?


You should feel some play in the rear suspension, I had to press in a new lower bushing where it bolts to the rear triangle. The bushing is just a brass tube pressed into the shock eyelet and 2 aluminum caps(reducers) pivot in the bushing. You can unbolt the shock/linkage from the bike and check the bearings by hand, unbolt the 2 linkage pieces to get to all the bearings. A couple of the bearings felt kinda rough after just a few months and Foes said thats fine and it won't affect performance, I couldn't tell with the shock on the bike but I went ahead and cleaned/lubed the bearings and they were spinning smooth again.