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2015 Fox 36

202K views 1K replies 179 participants last post by  Pontyrider 
#1 ·
Has anyone got any info on the new 2015 Fox 36?

From what I have seen it looks like they have moved away from using a spring on the air side to using air.

I think I will have to get one for my new bike when they come out.
 
#262 ·
Not sure how easy it is tbh and paying nearly £900 for forks I'd rather get the ones I'd ordered. I'm sure it'll be worth the wait! I just felt like a kid who'd been expecting the latest toy at Xmas to open it and it's something else, I even left work early today after the Mrs text me to say they'd been delivered, so imagine my disappointment.

It's a good job I've not sold on the Sweeps yet so I can still ride the bike in the meantime, so it's not all bad.
 
#272 ·
Hi,

Considering the Fox 36 and the Pike for my Bronson. Leaning towards the Fox at the moment because it seems like a better fork for descending and the AtC height is a bit shorter than an equivalent Pike; installing a 160 Fox will keep me closer to stock geometry than the 160 Pike will.

Anyway, just a couple questions:

1. How annoying is the lack of quick axle release? I transport my bike in the trunk of my car so the front wheel comes off frequently. I don't mind keeping an allen key in my riding pack but do the pinch bolts need to be evenly or accurately torqued or anything like that?

2. Climbing? I have the Fox 34 CTD now and I do use the climbing switch on long, sustained climbs. I don't use it on quick, mid-trail climbs. Looking at the fork, it appears that the LSC adjustment is on top of the fork leg and easily accessible. Is it equally effective to just dial in say 10 more clicks of LSC for a long, sustained climb?

Thanks
 
#274 ·
Lack of QR is not a huge deal to me. Takes an extra 60 seconds to pull the front wheel, but just keep a 5 mm in your trunk and you should be good. The lack of a climb switch does bother me a little, but only because I can't use it when trying to out sprint my buddies up paved roads. Other than that it has been a non issue for me.
 
#273 ·
I have a XO1 34 ring on my bike and use it to pedal up some pretty long steep roads, 6-8 km for periodization training purposes until my Canaondale quick carbon comes in . I use the climb switch on my shock, but the front end is firm when doing so, HSC 11 - LSC 18 - Rebound 5. I switch from seated 1min 3/10 energy to hard out of the saddle push 8/10 90 sec sets. I am not a suspension guru by any means but I have been on Talas set ups and I feel I am not missing out. I haven't fiddled with the dials while climbing to answer your question, but this week I will. I spoke with Avalanche many times before I made my purchase, and they urged me to stay away from Talas forks, They said the volume that the Talas needs takes away performance of your fork, a proper set up fork you should not need a Talas set up. Avalanche will wait for Fox to come up with an update if one is needed before they invest in one for the new 36. The Pike has been out on the market for awhile now and is a great fork, but it does have it's flaws, Phone Ava and they will go through it in much better detail then I'm describing, I am new to the sport and consulted with them before my build. their advice was to go with a 36. Currently they do not offer a cartridge kit for the fork, there is one for the Pike, which they say drastically improves the performance.
 

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#275 ·
Ran the Pike for a few months then switched to the Fox 36 TALAS 29er 160mm. Happy with the switch. I think the TALAS is even more helpful than the climb switch on steep climbs as its not just about pedal bob but also the geometry change you get dropping the front. Fork has a great feel in either setting. Adding LSC is easy for long approaches if you want. The floating axel doesn't take long but you need to be meticulous about having it settled and not over tightening the pinch bolts. Adjustability of the RC2 was easier for me to dial than the Pike.
Overall both great forks, the features and feel of the Fox win for me but it's close. I use a hitch rack.
 
#276 ·
QR is a non-issue for myself. Took the wheel off the 34 about a dozen times in the 2 years I had it. Swap tires/swap brakes/swap wheels/new 36. I hitch rack the bike, but can lay it in the back if need be.

34 TALAS RLC I used the lockout thing less than six times during my ownership.

According to the suspension wizards the TALAS 5 cart is FLOAT smooth now. No sticky ness.
I'll be picking up and installing my 36 tomorrow. Hopefully get a night ride in on it too!
 
#279 ·
I have a Giant Trance Adv SX which has the Fox 27.5 34mm Talas 140/160.

What are the chances a 36mm 27.5 Talas Rc2 130/160 would fit as an upgrade? If 'yes' ...forgive my ignorance but is it simply an easy swap over or will I Giant/steerer issues I need to address? (I gather the 15mm axle I have is no problem with the conversion kit)
 
#280 ·
I have a Giant Trance Adv SX which has the Fox 27.5 34mm Talas 140/160.

What are the chances a 36mm 27.5 Talas Rc2 130/160 would fit as an upgrade? If 'yes' ...forgive my ignorance but is it simply an easy swap over or will I Giant/steerer issues I need to address? (I gather the 15mm axle I have is no problem with the conversion kit)
There will be no issue at all.
It is an easy swap...remove your old one, cut the new one at the same steerer length if you feel ok with old length and that's all.
The 15mm axle wont be a problem , new Talas comes with conversion 15/20mm kit. (15mm is mounted by default)
 
#290 ·
I'm running 2 blue spacers and prefer it over 1 orange spacer. Just a bit more progressiveness of the air spring curve. Can run a bit more sag and not bottom out. Small bump compliance is improved and bike is super controlled through chunky rock gardens. Really digging it this way. Should have tried this sooner!
 
#295 ·
I am getting wicked brake dive with this fork. I'm running 1 x ORANGE spacer and anywhere from 66 - 83 PSI (trying to figure out if sag is playing a role). I've tried with LSC and HSC fully closed (clockwise) and open. I'm running a simple test on the street where I hit front brake really hard and it compresses way more than my basic Evolution fork.

On a side note, I had a big wipe out last week where I can't remember 10 mins before crash and about 50 mins after (after riding another mile or so down more singletrack to my car, loading bike, and driving myself to emergency room...don't remember any of that). I have the vague recollection of feeling a real good landing and then the crash...and I think it was the fork diving on me and launching me or something.

Am I missing something on my setup? More spacers? Too little oil? Fork is/was brand new.
 
#296 ·
Body Weight?

Picture of bike?

Could be rear shock settings, my 36 doesn't dive at all, has lots of midstroke support. One of the key features of the fork IMO. I'm 180 run 68 psi, 9 click from open compression, barely any hsc
 
#299 ·
Make sure your rebound on your shock isn't set ridiculously fast or something incorrect (spring rate way too high) and making the rear unload too quickly. Im not a fan of slow rebound settings but you definitely don't want the shock wide open on rebound

You might need another air spring token, but only if you're using all the travel way too often. Also heavier riders need more air volume for more mid support. Adding a bunch of spacers you would end up dropping the psi which will make it more compliant but not bottom out as easy. You need more volume it sounds like, for more mid stroke support. Then dial in some HSC to help with bottoming.
 
#300 ·
having similar problem - maybe after a hard bottoming out, or maybe after letting fork get cold (28 °F)?

"Stretch the fork fully extended and cycle within 1-5mm of full extension to remove air from the negative chamber."

can you clarify these directions please? I should let all air out, then stretch to full extension, then push back down all the way and back up again to within 1-5 mm of full extension - should I be holding valve open when cycling back down and close it off when stretching it back up? How many cycles do I do? I tried it once and did not get the air out of negative chamber - should I remove top cap? thanks!!
 
#301 ·
so I tried the squeezing all the air out, cycling it fully and squeezing even more air out - but it still seems to be having too much negative "pull" - it used to be, for 4 months (got mine on July 2nd) with only 40 psi (I'm a lightweight) the stanchions would fully extend - couldn't even pull 'em out more than maybe 1 mm --- now even up to 60+ psi, I can pull them back out 5 mm after compressing fork while standing aside. I did the proper method of recompressing after refilling air chamber up to 60 psi, very slowly compressing a few mm several times to get the air back into the negative chamber, like the video shows.
Do I take the top cap off and there's a needle valve or something to release all the negative air pressure? No idea. thanks!
 
#302 ·
Have you used a ziptie to remove the pressure in the lowers? That did it for me and is the first place to start.

The other issue may be a clogged port to the negative air chamber. Try pumping the fork up pretty high to get it fully extended. Then ride it around the street for a few minutes and bounce up and down HARD. Just pick up the front wheel and slam it down a 10-15 times. Then take the pressure back down to normal and bounce around again. This should help clear the port.
 
#303 ·
ziptie?? no idea where or what this means.

how high a pressure to unclog - and how would the port become clogged? I recently changed the oil - all this happened about 10 days after the oil change. I'm wondering if I bottomed out too hard or else maybe the temperature where my bike was stored dropped to 28 °F? thanks.
 
#307 ·
ziptie?? no idea where or what this means.
Stick a ziptie down the forks wiper seal. The lowers can build up air pressure and in effect they stop the fork from being able to fully compress. Sticking a ziptie through the wiper seal (between the seal and the stanchion) will let any excess air escape.
 
#304 ·
so I took the top cap off and pulled the needle valve all the way out and did hear a little more air come out, and it now seems a bit better, but still not as it was a few daze ago before this happened - stanchion still not extending out all the way back with even 50 psi
 
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