@singlespeedstu – interesting. I know my mate’s EXT is a happy shock from those squishing noises 🙂

@honourablegeorge – Yep. Accom + Guiding from Luca. Been to Finale once. Braking bumps mostly turned into puddles. Rained all week. Very much hoping for better weather in Molini!

Luca is a great guide – he rides those 1600m descents with his daughter on the shotgun seat – and if you’re staying with him, it’s a ovely B&B and Sylvia makes a great breakfast, you’ll have an ace time. I am massively jealous, was there earlier in the year for the second time, will definitely be back.

Very much hoping for better weather in Molini!

I wouldn’t hold your breath, given their proximity – if it’s raining at one, it’s likely be, or has been at the other.

Not that I wish it to be that way, as I am off out to Molini/Sospel/Nava & Finale tomorrow for a couple of weeks 😆

Have a great time @hobnob. Very much enjoyed riding in Sospel. Ash rented his fab house to us and Bryan drove the coolbus all week 🙂

It was May 2019 when we went to Finale. Apparently it never rains in May. Hah. Before or since maybe not that week! I’ve done a few trips to the Ardeche in Sept and it’s always been fantastic. So I’ve told myself it’s going to be more like that!

Great breakfasts, great trails, GREAT WEATHER and a bunch of great mates. I mean there is the 14 hour journey down there in my mate’s van but hey ho…

@singlespeedstu – spoke to Mojo (for the first time in ages) and they were very helpful as you said. Going to take the spring back along with the bike and they’re going to check/tune the setup. I’ll go ride it first obviously.

I’m sure they’ll look after you well.

Both the of problems you’ve encountered with your X2 shock are likely caused by frame/linkage alignment rather than the shock being solely at fault.
A scored inner air sleeve and the fracture in the casting are most commonly the result of the shock not running in a true linear path, ie, being forced sideways as it compresses. I would suggest getting your bike thoroughly checked out by a workshop that knows their shizzle when it comes to alignment and linkage path issues.

Both the of problems you’ve encountered with your X2 shock are likely caused by frame/linkage alignment rather than the shock being solely at fault.
A scored inner air sleeve and the fracture in the casting are most commonly the result of the shock not running in a true linear path, ie, being forced sideways as it compresses. I would suggest getting your bike thoroughly checked out by a workshop that knows their shizzle when it comes to alignment and linkage path issues.

Ive been speaking to Silverfish and TFTuned and they have been saying its the frame’s linkage design that is causing all the issues and they are seeing this on quite a few gen 2 Spesh Levo’s that have had an X2 on them

Sliverfish and TFtuned have been great, Silverfish replaced the casting with a good used one for free and in the end it cost £233 in total to get fixed rather than £400+

As this is only going to keep happening due to the Levo’s design TFTuned also suggested a Ohlins shock may fare better and have offered me one with a good discount, im just deciding what on im going to do

Last update from me. Mojo were great. They also think the problem was likely the X2 as there’s no yoke or anything on the Giga.  I guess we’ll see, They’ve fitted the shock with a lighter spring, tuned it a bit and it feels great.

No experience of Ohlins shocks @escrs but TFT have always been a trusted source of advice for me.

Storia in the wild. That was before it’d been tweaked and it felt very good on our local (quite damp and slippy trails)

Looks awesome! The Mojo lot are always brilliant to deal with.

Oh and with apologies to the OP/thread derail, I’m getting the loan of a smashpot coil conversion of the Zebs. Yeah it’s going to add (another) pound but it’ll be all-the-plushness. Never had coil both ends before, that’s the great things about MTBs, never stop learning stuff/trying things out.

I’m not in any doubt WHATSOEVER that the bike/kit is somehow the high water mark of my riding tho 😉

Ive been speaking to Silverfish and TFTuned and they have been saying its the frame’s linkage design that is causing all the issues and they are seeing this on quite a few gen 2 Spesh Levo’s that have had an X2 on them

Whilst I agree there are certain bikes that exacerbate an early failure in some shocks (mostly yoke driven stuff) I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many failures of a shock as the current X2. When it works, it’s great, but having personally had a load of warranty fixes (and now a brand new one where they have changed the design on the top piece) & pretty much everyone I ride with having to warranty them at least once, it’s not a shock I would be choosing.

On a separate Molini church bell related note, the locals have got so pissed off with the noise, they forced a change, so now it’s quiet from 9pm to 7am, when all hell breaks loose.

Last day here tomorrow, then off somewhere else. Going to be slightly controversial & say whilst the riding is good, I’m not sure it’s worthy of the hype it gets. I’ve definitely ridden better places.

You’re not doing much the sale-ability of my X2 there @hobnob 🙂 But I agree with ^^ all that based on mine and riding buddies experiences.

Good news on the bells, less so on the riding. I’ll be on hols with my mates tho, riding bikes hopefully in at least some sunshine then drinking beer afterwards. I’ll take that.

Be interested what you think of Sospel as I had similar thoughts….

When it works, it’s great

While watching the DH WCs I had to explain to Mrs a11y why a X2 shock was good enough for the DH racers but not good enough for me… A shame we don’t all have access to a Fox mechanic after each ride. I’ve mothballed my X2 in favour of a CC inline coil after a recent service which fixed the cavitation/squelch, as I know in time it’ll return. Freshly serviced yet sitting in a box, no point selling it as @Alex hints at the sale-ability of them ain’t great for those that know.

cavitation/squelch

Yep that seems to be their defining characteristic if/when they go wrong.

Kind of interesting that Mojo/EXT don’t recommend using the bearing in the aft end of the shock (trunnion) for their products. Just bolted into using standard hardware. Wonder if that bearing is a solution looking for a problem.

Out riding mine with the Smashpot coil installed in the Zeb. Expect it’ll be pretty good 🙂

’ll be on hols with my mates tho, riding bikes hopefully in at least some sunshine then drinking beer afterwards. I’ll take that.

Don’t get me wrong, the riding is good & it’s a cool little place. If you are with a bunch of friends & like riding, you will have a great time, personally I just feel there are better places 🙂

Sorry for the hijack but how are you enjoying the Giga? My LBS have 1 left in stock and it is my size, I am trying not to buy it.

@hobnob – we should start a ‘best place to ride thread’. 1000 posts no problem 🙂 I kind of felt let down a bit by Finale, but 99% of that was because I was expecting it to be a bit better than perfect. Whereas the Basque MTB trip was even better than all the hype. I think Im just probably spoiled 🙂

@hooli. Feel free to drop me a DM rather than we further derail this thread. Short answer is buy it 🙂 My mate has one as well and he loves it, rides it for everything. It’s a way better trail bike that it has any right to be and it’s an absolutely brilliant ‘big’ (I’m not saying Enduro)!) for the likes of just about competent riders like me.

I’ve had a couple of issues with bearings (sorted very quickly by disti), the paint is rubbish (I have three NP’s it’s the same on all of them) but otherwise in 1000km of riding it’s been fantastic fun and definitely saved me a couple of times!

Just don’t get the one with the X2!