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Swapping out the FutureShock S140

7K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  boomhauer 
#1 ·
I'm busy swapping out the 2011 Future shock S140TA on my 2011 Stumpjumper FSR Pro Carbon, with a (2009 model) Fox Float 32 open bath damper I picked up on clearance sale.

I'm half thinking I must be mad as the Futureshock is super light and supposed to be the cream of suspension forks. But I was tired of it dying on jumps and behaving unexpectedly. The Fox Float 140 gets good reviews but is more basic. Am I mad?

Has anybody else done this kind of swap?

First off, I realised that I needed a special crown race from Specialized. This is because the Futureshock crown race is integral and bonded on.

I have tried fitting this new crown race on the Fox fork (1.5" tapered steerer) and it sits about a quarter inch above the crown of the fork and won't go on any further. I tried tapping it but this didn't help.

Any suggestions?

Is there a market for used FutureShock 140's do you think???
 
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#3 ·
Thanks WR304. I couldn't find the correct size pipe and am impatient so used a piece of wood and a hammer with gentle taps. It is on now. I was unsure whether it should have been that tight.

(Tried to rep you but it said I need to spread my reps around first! - guess you must have helped me before! :thumbsup:)

But am I mad swapping out the Futureshock or does it make sense to those people who have used it?
 
#4 ·
No, you're not mad for wanting a different fork. Specialized forks can leave a lot to be desired.

On my 2009 Epic I replaced the Futureshock E100 fork with a Fox F100 Terralogic fork. (The Futureshock E100 fork kept losing its platform). The Fox fork was a big improvement in terms of both performance and reliability.

On my 2012 Epic 29er I replaced the Specialized brain damper in the Rock Shox Sid 29 brain fork with a Rock Shox RCT3 damper. The Rock Shox RCT3 damper is nothing special but at least it doesn't rattle like the Specialized brain damper used to. I've even had a few comments from walkers and horse riders about how quiet the bike is now as i ride past.:eekster:
 
#5 ·
If you don't really like the fork you have to swap. I would try, if you haven't already, getting the negative gulp setting set to your weight. You can also have a volume compensator (VC)added or the one that comes as standard removed so it matches your weight better.
I found that my S140TA(brained) worked well in all departments after having this done apart from the fact that the brain was far too harsh. The bump required to open it up was just too big. Now they are Spike valve and not brained I believe that you should be able to get it working very well.
The Fox will be a good fork I'm sure but my experience tells me that they struggle to achieve anything near full travel, and it will be much heavier.
I would keep both if possible but tell Specialized that it didn't come back from service feeling good. Get them to set the negative as per your weight and maybe add or remove the VC. The VC affects the end stroke of the fork, ramping up more as you go through the travel if you add one or ramping up less if you remove.
My current SID brained 29er fork is amazing but I put this down to the fact you have external positive and negative air chambers so can tweak the settings yourself until you hit perfection.
Good luck.
 
#7 ·
to add more info: I've played with my air pressure in the fork, and if i set it low enough that it soaks up bumps and gives me a bit of sag, then it is low enough that I can simply push down on the front (with a bit of braking) and saturate it almost fully. over 90%. If i add air, it just doesnt respond well at all, bouncing the front off roots etc.
 
#8 ·
It sounds to me as though you need a volume compensator added, it makes the fork ramp up more as it goes through the travel and doesn't affect the initial part of the travel. While having it done I would ensure that the internal negative air setting/gulp is set to you weight. The fork doesn't need a complete strip down to complete both tasks so shouldn't cost too much for a dealer to complete but they will need a volume compensator which should have come with the fork. It's a small black plastic part that almost looks like smooth round Lego. If they haven't got one I'm sure I can find one in my parts box and send it to you.
 
#9 ·
I will look for it, thanks for the offer Pete.

I think my local shop may not be able to handle this but I'll check again... I think they might have procured more tools since I last checked. they did send the fork off to spec at one point due to a knocking sound that had developed.
 
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