Just got a new Fox 36 VAN R, not fitting it to a bike yet but cycled it a few times on the floor and theres loads of stiction and rebound damping doesn’t feel very smooth. Waiting for the fork oil to turn up and im going to drop the lowers, anyone else have this problem, did they bed in eventually?

not fitting it to a bike yet

this will certainly be part of the problem 😉

go ride it a few times then report back

What legend said.

No frame with tapered HT atm so will report back in new year 😳

Cycling a fork not fitted to a bike almost will always feel terrible!

if you are waiting on the new frame?

no harm in researching the “lowers service” for your Fox fork

and then spending some time doing a high-quality lowers service with appropriate suspension fluid and suitable grease (Rockshox Judy Butter / Manitou M-Prep / Stendec fork grease / Slick Honey)

also make sure your new fork has the SKF seals as these make a big difference to the fork performance (especially break-away friction i.e. stiction), if you don’t have these then get them from Mojo direct or your LBS and install them when you do the lowers service

Got float fluid, 10wt green fox oil, stendec grease, silicon spray all on they way, do you think the SKF seals are really worth it? Im assuming they arent standard on the 2011 forks?

This is one of the worst things folk do to forks when they arent fitted to a bike. If theres a rebound adjuster low down.. you risk damaging it on the ground. If theres dials bolted to delicate rods up top,you risk messing those up too.

If you cycle them by putting your palms on the top of the dials either side you can mess it up. Ive seen a pike weep up top after this was done.It had been dry all its life. Not to mention the top cap sitting squint on the (bent?) rod after its “push” :O/

The fork will take around a dozen cycles to start to feel like its working but you really need to get out on it and forget the palm push of death to judge how good a fork is functioning on the shag pile rug. ;O)

Will strip it down check oil levels and rebuild, then wait for new frame in that case.

Well at least you will know its spot on for lubricant. Peace of mind! :O)

Every fork I have bought when cycled without frame felt awful until fitted IMHO 🙂

Have they been stored upside down? Not the top bushes are probably not lubed, hence feel rubbish also they need a few rides to ‘bed in’ also if the forks have been laying down the damper cart may need bleeding of air (the same for all open bath carts.) so put on full slow and cycle 10/20 times.Agian it will take a few rides for the cart, glide rings, shims to bed in a settle.
So pop them on the bike ride them and then assess them after 6 rides or so.

should have got 55s 🙂

Dave

Strange question but if the forks are brand new, why would you invalidate any warranty by taking them apart and messing with them, if they are no good out of the box and after fitting to a bike and riding then get them sorted through warranty

A lowers service doesn’t invalidate the warranty, in fact I think your warrentys void if you don’t do one every now and then, as above..when you get your frame, fit em and ride…

^^^^ Wot Loco said much more eloquently than me 😉

Why would you pull the lowers to ‘investigate’?

Don’t faff. If they don;t work when you’ve ridden them a few times SPEAK TO MOJO.

If you start using non-Fox lubricants on a brand new fork you will almost certainly invalidate the Warranty. You only need 10wt oil and Float fluid for the rings – nothing else. Why service before they’ve been ridden? As Hora says – Don’t faff and if there’s a problem speak to Mojo first.

But he hasn’t even mounted them yet and gone for a quick spin?

Ive got fox green 10wt and float fluid on the way, along with some stendec easy glide and silicon spray, so will all still be warrantied. Servicing them as I know people who have dismantled thier new forks (not jusy fox ones) to find dry foam rings and too little lubrication oil, so its worth checking. Especially as fox stantion seem to wear faster than RS.

Are you Hora in disguise?

hora – Member

Why would you pull the lowers to ‘investigate’?

Don’t faff. If they don;t work when you’ve ridden them a few times SPEAK TO MOJO.

Every pair of forks I’ve bought over the last ten years has come with the wrong amount of oil in. Last but one pair of RockShox had no semibath oil in at all. My most recent pair of Revelations had far too little oil in the damper.