fox 34 fit4 really harsh?

Im struggling to find a nice supple set up to my fit4s.even with sag set on the generous side they still fell really harsh on the bumps.a fast bumpy downhill is boneshaking atm.pressures at 60psi atm.any imput would be helpful.

How much do you weigh?
Do you bottom them out?
How many spacers are in them?
Don’t mean to ask a stupid question, but is the compression damping wound out?

About 12 stone.not sure on the spacers i need to source the 26mm socket.compression set a few clips in from anticlockwise.feels harsh in trail and open.usually about an inch of travel left after a ride.

Is it possible that even the new Fox forks could suffer from leaking air piston seals or maybe there is some grease on the pressure equalization dimple? Either way, drop the lowers to check and change the oil in lower legs.

Have you fiddled with the rebound setting yet ?

That can make a difference in how it feels.

(Don’t forget your tyre pressures)

Hmm, doesn’t sound like you’ve got them pumped up to much. My 36’s felt quite harsh to begin with, I added a token, and dropped some pressure. Might help.

Pressures are 28psi with tubes.ive had a good play with the rebound.the other fox forks i had were really well damped.its like the initial travels to hard.my last foxs floated over the bumps.

I have 36 fit4s and they’re not the most sensitive, they’re quite known for it. Support and control is superb so I don’t mind that they’re not so good at chatter, better than my Pikes which were smoother but didn’t manage big hit stuff as well… I still wouldn’t call it harsh, but compared to my coil lyriks it’s noticable.

I think there’s options to improve it, is there a luftkappe for 34s? That’s supposed to help but might change the other characteristics. My 36s are 2015s, I think, and apparently the newer air spring smooths it out a little too.

I’ve got the “Performance” Fox 34 Fit4 (no low speed compression adjustment) and they feel superb on everything and very sensitive, even when pumped up with too much air. Sounds like somethings wrong somewhere though i don’t know what i’m afraid. I just leave my set at “open” and run the rebound quite fast.

i need to source the 26mm socket

Small piece of advice here – you need a 6 point (not 12 point) socket and it will almost certainly be chamfered – i.e. the first few mm on the inside will be tapered so it finds its way onto the nut more easily. Unfortunately, as the fork upper nut is so thin, this will immediately round off as there’s not enough material to bite into.

The trick here is to remove the chamfer on a grindstone until the socket is perfectly flat and then it will work without a problem and you’ll be good to go. Here’s my “upgraded” 26mm socket, with a standard one for comparison:

Good luck 🙂

If you are one of the strange minority who don’t have a grindstone in your workshop, you could also get one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Unior-Flat-Socket-For-Suspension-FOX-ROCKSHOX-MARZOCCHI-MANITOU-XFUSION-/401364035375
or these
Flat Top Cap Socket Spanner – Fox & RockShox Forks

I’ve got 2016 Factory 34’s. They have always felt harsh over chatter compared to the Revelations they replaced. Fiddled with spacers, pressure settings etc. Currently 56 psi, i spacer, min compression fastest rebound (i weigh 70 kg).

I know that Fox have changed to the E16 damper tune, which is meant to make them more subtle. Mojo do a damper upgrade as part of a fork service – have not spent on this yet as I normally service my own fork

Thanks for the socket info.will get one ordered.i managed to undo it fairly easily with a flat 26 spanner.there are two green spacers inside.im gonna remove both and reset sag and maybe up the rebound a bit more and see how that goes.then do a leg service.definitely nowhere near as plush as my rl100 were

If you are one of the strange minority who don’t have a grindstone in your workshop

There are people that don’t own a grindstone??! As a note, it’s one of my most useful, universal tools for all sorts of crazy things (tool sharpening, modifying stuff, cleaning stuff up etc.) and well worth getting if you have space – Aldi were flogging them for £25 which I reckon was pretty good value, although mine is about 50 years old and appears to be coal-fired 🙂 If I had to restock the garage tomorrow, a grindstone would be pretty high on the list after a replacement universal tool.

As a note, I would go the socket rather than spanner route as you can’t set torque on a spanner, but you can on a socket and these soft aluminium components are well worth torquing up correctly rather than risking stripping the threads.

I’ve got some 32’s with fit 4 and Ive messed about with the spacers, pressures etc and they have never been as plush as my Sid’s. I’m due a service which I usually do myself but am going to send to mojo so they can upgrade as above. Hopefully that will help. I like my forks quite linear so removed a spacer which helped small bump but i’m still not 100 percent happy with them. (2016 factory forks).

My experience with my own Fox 32 FIT4 is that they are not remotely linear, but now I’ve got used to the travel (which is very plush and smooth for the first inch or so and much less so for the remainder) I find them to be very versatile and more flexible that my previous generation forks. Stuff like cobbles get eaten up incredibly well if you set them up right, but don’t expect to batter through a rock garden without holding on – they reflect far more of the rougher terrain back to the rider.

It did take a bit of getting used to, but I rather like the travel profile of them now and probably wouldn’t change it even if I had the option.