I’m just back from my first ride on an Orange Blood I picked up second hand a while back and have finally got built up. I’m a bit disappointed with the ride. It’s built up 1×10 with Fox Talas 36R forks but it’s the rear I’m having problems with.
The rear shock is a fox rp23 high volume with medium rebound, medium velocity and boost valve tune of 225. I’m 65kg but had to put 190psi into the shock to stop me blowing through the travel so with this I’m getting very little sag. With this, flat and downhill trails seem ok but then climbing is dreadfull even with propedal at it’s firmest setting. I’m winching my way up fireroads and trails with a low gear of 36-36 and pogo-ing my way up, using perhaps 1/2 the shock travel with each pedal stroke. Also the rebound dial seems to have very little effect from one extreme to the other.
So is my shock goosed, is it the gear I’m using for climbing, or is the blood just not built for climbing with this shock?

If you put 190 in it and it’s still sloppy with PP on then it needs a service, nowt to do with frame. At that weight it should be about 150 psi and at almost lock out on PP.

With 190 in the shock flat trails and downhill is fine with little pedal feedback but winching up climbs I’m bouncing all over the place. That’s why I asked about the gearing as the force I’m putting in to climb anything with a 36-36 gear and the slow cadence that produces I thought could be too great for the propedal no matter how good it is? I know I lot of Blood owners have swapped to a coil shock but I wanted to stay away from that as I want the Blood as an all round bike and also avoid the expense of buying a new shock.
Do mojo standard services do a full rebuild including the propedal part or just fit new seals?

I had a fairly long test ride on a Blood and thought it was good, but I expected that the bike was compromised for climbing of any kind. having said that, the pro-pedal did help the climbing considerably, but I had my doubts about how often the air shock would need adjusting and servicing to sustain the right balance.

having said that, I’ve never cornered as well on any other bike as on that bike – I felt like I came out of the corners going twice as fast, which must have been helped by the shock.

If you look at the fact the Blood is a single pivot, with the main pivot roughly inline with where a “normal” 32T chainring is placed, the fact you’ve got a 36T up front might not be helping with the pedal bob. Also, as you say, you’re putting quite a lot of torque through the pedals to climb with a 36/36 bottom gear, rather than sitting and winching.

Not ridden a Blood, though I’d love to, but it was never designed to be an efficient climber, more a massively fun short/mid travel bike on the descents.

But also, at your weight, putting that much pressure into the shock does make it sound like it needs a service. Might also be worth investigating getting the High Volume can swapped for a lower volume can too, as this would help make it more progressive, and I noticed a lot of Blood’s shipped with a lower volume can anyway.

I’ve got a 32T ring on the way for another bike so I’ll try that for one ride, 36 was a bit much for the climbs nearly inducing cramp at one stage though I was surprised at how much I could get up. I think fox are also making volume reducers now that are easy to fit and quite cheap but it looks like I’ll be heading toward a service for my shock and probably fork as well.

Sounds like the shock needs a service. It has all the symptoms that my DHX Air had but the only thing that could be done for that was to bin it.

Yep, yep, yep, nisby but your shock is at fault, you can either have mojo service it but if you want the full effect get a CC spring shock. Not cheap but if you want the bike to do its thing then that’s the answer.

Try a lower volume air can. Or pack the air can with grease, bands, plastic strips to reduce the air volume.

No, the Blood isn’t bad – I had major problems with a test one I had from Orange. It will be the shock. I can’t be arsed re-writing so have a look at my comments on the last page of this thread:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-frame-ideas-5ish-travel-slack-fun/page/3#post-3681688

But also read my (not very) mini review from a year or so back (link within that other thread).

The Blood has a low leverage ratio which puts less stress on the shock & should result in lower spring weights/air pressure. I’ve had nothing but bad luck with every RP23 I’ve ever owned (not Fox shocks in general, mind; just the RP23). It will almost certainly need fettling. My own blood & shock are impecable, which is a massive contrast to my experience of the Test bike.

In fact, I’d put money that your shock is foooked; I’m 90(ish)kg & I only have about that pressure at 30% sag. I never need to use position 3 on the shock (makes it feel a bit trap door like when the pro-pedal let’s go).

I can’t remember an awful lot about the Blood, other than it didn’t inspire me much, but it definately wasn’t as bad as you describe. i’d suspect the shock too.

stuartanicholson – Member
Try a lower volume air can. Or pack the air can with grease, bands, plastic strips to reduce the air volume.

That was my first thought but the description of the pro-pedal says that it needs a proper service. The reducing of the air can will help with the pressure levels he needs but I suspect the problem is deeper than that. If mildred is right and the leverage ratio is low then it will be better off with the HV air can.