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Is Fox suspension over rated ?

19K views 81 replies 38 participants last post by  trailbildr 
#1 ·
Since I began into MTB, all I've heard from people around me was that Fox shocks and forks are the best and only choice for top performance.

I never own a Fox product myself, but a few RS products, a Marzocchi fork, a X-Fusion shock and a DNM shock. Except for the DNM, all the above have given me great performance and reliability. Now when I look at the prices of Fox products vs RS, Marz, X-Fusion and Manitou and then at the reviews of each, I don't feel like Fox really is the only option out there for performance forks and shocks. I know Fox forks are light and the FIT damper is really good, but what about all the other ones ? Is there really a big advantage into choosing Fox over other manufacturers for a normal rider or even for the racer ? I've heard a lot about the lightness of RS SID forks, fine tuning of Manitou ABS damper, durability of X-Fusion products and beef up Marzocchi forks, but what makes Fox so special ? I also know X-Fusion is manufacturing a lot for Fox.

Thanks :)
 
#2 ·
I like fox, but right now i'm running a 140m revelation that is so smooth, makes all the hype about kashima seem like nonsense.

Most of the forks function very similarly because the technology of high end suspension is very good right now(I think?) and the fox still eats up all the bumps but I just don't think kashima really competes with other brands.

I've got a 2012 kashima rp23 and my LBS has another bike with a 2012 rp23 without kashima and they both function the same IMO.

Kashima does look sexy though and gives people a good excuse to buy KMC chains and gold bling I guess?

Anyway that's just my rant though, I still really like fox products.
 
#8 ·
:thumbsup: +1

I've a Fox F100 and a RockShox Reba. Excellent forks, both of them. Hard pressed to choose a favorite. Both perform very well.

I will say that my Fox gets more love from the local snowmobiler and dirt-bike racing crowds. People who would not otherwise even notice my bike spot the Fox fork and comment on that.
 
#7 ·
Without including DNM, which I have no experience with, I would say they have all built great products and all have built some junk.

History and time has helped them become the companies they are. Fox has heritage to 1970's motocross, and was in it to win it then. RockShox founder Paul Turner had a similar start with motocross. Marzocchi, has been on motorcycles for a long time and still is.

Fox is still owned by its founder, RochShox is now a part of SRAM, and Marzocchi is a part of Tenneco.

Is Fox over rated? I agree with Dougal, but plead not guilty in regards to all products, that the others may be under rated.

There is a lot of technology offered by each. Ultimately though, it comes down to having good suspension, quality construction, acceptable weight, service intervals to meet your requirements, and cost. In here somewhere lies the compromises.

PK
 
#12 ·
I know SR Suntour was manufacturing for Marzocchi since a few years, but never heard of Marzocchi being own by them. Whatever.

So as far as it goes, I could simply stick some Fox F80 decals on my RS Dart 2 and get the hype when I show up at races ? :p
 
#14 ·
NOT overrated... The pricepoint is on par with most out there! I have the newer stuff and have had the older stuff and they have come a long way! I was always a coil guy but the new 36 Float is incredible! The SKF sals combined with the Kashima is butter smoothe and it doesnt stop there! The internal damping is spot on from small bump to chatter to big hit stuff! My Ti-coiled RC-4 is really tuneable and amazing. Im no fanboy, I have had RS and think its also good but liking what I have! Sometimes when products get super popular, they may appear overrated!
 
#16 ·
Since I began into MTB, all I've heard from people around me was that Fox shocks and forks are the best and only choice for top performance.
Funny, I've never heard that from anybody 'in the know'. From the outside, yes I think that's the presumption. Kinda like people on the fringe think Specialized is the shiz and the only choice. It's just ignorance.

Fox makes some quality stuff. They have had a history of issues with their high end stuff. So have a lot of other manufactures. I haven't bought Fox forks since '05 after getting my first RS Pike fork. I don't hate fox, I just love the newer RS stuff and they are sooooooo easy to service yourself. Just my preference.
 
#17 ·
Is the price point also make a big difference when choosing a fork ?

I mean if a 160 float 32 RLC is $800 and a Marzocchi 55 RLC is $600, are people leaning more toward the Fox because it's a Fox or will they take the 55 and save $200 ? Note that those prices are totally out of my head, but the price difference should be similar I think.

And why the firetruck is suspension so pricey ? Are we really getting ripped off or what ? I would guess the dampers are the most expensive part, but how come they can ask $300 for a rear air shock ? Not even the piggy back reservoir shocks, just a shaft and internal piston and some valving (RP23).
 
#18 ·
Since I began into MTB, all I've heard from people around me was that Fox shocks and forks are the best and only choice for top performance.
For me the 32mm chassis from RS always felt much stiffer vs the 32mm Fox (have not tried anything past 2008)

Maintenance is a little quicker on the 32mm RS for me, only because the clip on the 36mm Fox damper is a little biznugget if you're in a hurry. .snap ring pliers vs miniature pick

Fox warranty turn around has been great, fast, I can deal with them direct without having to bug a LBS. Huge plus in my book cause I ride a lot and build all my stuff. Until we can pull perfect results, computer to reality, EVERY new design like this will have some sort of bug to work out
 
#19 ·
the real question is what isn't over rated? fox stuff can be good and some of it is junk. one thing they have going for them is they are huge in the oem market which puts them front and cetre in the average buyers eye.

imho their forks are better than their shocks. the rp23 is not the best air shock on the market but its easily the most specced shock on higher end bikes. the monarch is a great rear shock but has way less oem penetration so people see fox shocks and think they are the cats azz.

all companies make dogs. but most of the higher end stuff from marz, rock shox and fox is comparable and comes down to user preference. x fusion is looking good and their price point is lower but that will most likely change as they get more popular.

now is a good time to be biking. the technology is decent and across the board there is some very nice stuff available. damn, back in the day elastomers and crappy dampening were the norm and that was on the top end stuff. there are a lot of good choices, fox included.
 
#22 ·
I've seen many Magura forks 50-60% off on Chainlove and I was wondering about how they do. Since Chainlove don't make any difference between a POS component and a good one, it's hard to tell if it's really worth it. It's was the Magura Durin fork that came back a few times, but I've never heard about Magura's fork before, so I didn't know what to expect from them.
 
#61 ·
I've seen many Magura forks 50-60% off on and I was wondering about how they do. Since don't make any difference between a POS component and a good one, it's hard to tell if it's really worth it. It's was the Magura Durin fork that came back a few times, but I've never heard about Magura's fork before, so I didn't know what to expect from them.
Magura makes excellent suspension overall, just like they make excellent braking systems.

Easy to use, easy to work on, and really cheap on chainlove for some odd reason. I love my Durin - very comparable to the new generation of SID yet much cheaper when it's on sale!
 
#23 ·
Oh btw, someone neg rep me with the comment "troll"... I guess he must be a die-hard Fox fan boy :D

Now back on track, I notice some says Fox don't make only good products (like any other company), but is this apply to their forks ? I mean, it's hard to "fail" when you have basically only 3 models (Van, Float and Talas) and simply change the travel and stanchion diameter... If all their Van FIT RLC were failing, they would have not keeping up making them ? Would it be more of manufacturing default rather then a complete design flaw ?

For rear shocks, it's a bit different I guess. What's your opinion ?
 
#25 ·
I think it is just that some other companies don't get enough publicity when you think about it i almost all of the stock bikes i see come with fox forks and shocks (specialized,cannondale,giant,ibis,santa cruz, and much more) so people tend to just keep those shocks cause they think that fox shocks are the best with from my experience there is nothing wrong with them but there is other companies that are good but just not known as well.
 
#26 ·
Fox makes very high quality, very reliable and well built suspension that doesnt work all that well. They're certainly not low quality.

For a loooong time fox was the only company who made a reliable lightweight rear shock. They just took such a massive huge market share with the floats. Bike manufacturers started building bikes around its downfalls, or we were just told to deal with harsh poor damping with propedal.

RS now makes a great rear shock, and x-fusion seems to be making a pretty solid impression. We've got better options than fox for rear shocks these days, they've just ingrained themselves so deeply into the market its hard to make a push away from them. An RP23 sells bikes whether its actually a better shock than the competitors or not.

I think if manitou finally releases a full (100-180mm) lineup of forks, people are going to flock to them. ABS+ is just such a better damper than nearly anything fox has.
 
#45 · (Edited)
I think if manitou finally releases a full (100-180mm) lineup of forks, people are going to flock to them. ABS+ is just such a better damper than nearly anything fox has.
Off the shelf, the biggest peice of s--t I've ever owned was a 08 140 minute. Thought the TPC was bad until I got the ABS +.
Felt like a 90's DH fork. Ok if you like your elbows punched through your rib cage every hit. had to use the rebound fully closed as it was tunes so incredibly slow.

Good for Clydes.
 
#28 ·
rear shocks are a funny topic because of the pivot design and bike setup...

I like my rp23 but I hear a monarchs are good and even a "PUSH" monarch is supposed to be excellent..... I've been skeptical of xfusion and marzocchi but I see more pros riding them and boasting every day (Not necessarily even pros sponsored by the suspension company).

Where I live though, if it's not fox or rockshox it's not getting serviced locally.
 
#29 · (Edited)
I like Fox forks but steer clear because of the prices. I see it this way. If you spend $1,000 on a fork, (Speedgoat Fox 34 Float 29er 140 15QR) that means you have to ride it EVERYDAY for a year at $3.74 a day to break even. Now we all can't mtn ride EVERYDAY (can we?) And if we can ride everyday where do you get a grand to buy a Fox 34? LOL:D

Anyways my cheapo Marz 44 TST fork to break even (for riding every day for a year) is $1.07 or
$5.56 a Saturday or Sunday ride, riding both days will be even less---for each weekend in a year.
Of course it will be more if you skip a weekend.

The Fox will cost you $19.23 a Sat or Sun ride each weekend for a year. Of course more or less
depending on weather, if you ride both days, etc.

So next time you get your Fox-equipped rig ready for a weekend ride, do the math. Its almost like buying a lift ticket in Big Bear Lake CA. LOL

Keep on riding:)
 
#30 ·
In jest, I must ask, are you a bean counter in real life? Everything you said is true, except the value of ownership.

My day job has me constantly hearing horror stories of big aerospace companies, with a bean counting department cutting every corner, a safety department instilling any rule they can dream up, a frustrated workforce, and in the end, a lesser quality, higher cost item to the end user. Unfortunately, many of the end users are giving in to limited budgets and buying products elsewhere, normally places with less regulation and lower cost, often with less quality. It is a violent spiral up or down, or merely a whirlwind to stay the storm.

PK
 
#37 ·
Yawn.
Yet another Fox bashing thread.
I've got a mixture of most of the Mfg forks or shocks.
What do you call best? Some work better as jump pump forks some are better in rough terrain some are better for climbing. The opinions are as various as the terrain and experience.

I do spend a lot of time tuning my gear and Fox are the plushest of the forks, shocks I own. Is that the best?
 
#42 ·
I do spend a lot of time tuning my gear and Fox are the plushest of the forks, shocks I own. Is that the best?
You "tune" floats? :p

Its really just a flat out bad damper inside those things. They're reliable, but thats about it. Its really difficult to tune them, and requires home made tools and secret instructions. Almost everyones rear shock is killing them these days. PUSH is hugely popular because the floats are just so bad from the factory.

Id like to see fox release a proper shimmed damper rear shock, they're a good company.. what they're handing us is completely sub par though.
 
#38 ·
If it works, ride it and quit eye-balling the stickers. On that note, I trust and love my fox suspension. If fox is good enough for trophy trucks, its good enough for my bike. By the same logic, I want a Cane Creek DBAir because ohlins is behind it. If only Penske Racing made bike shocks...
 
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