New Fox 36 Rhythm Only Using Half Travel & Quite Harsh

As per title, my new Fox 36 Rhythms are feeling pretty harsh and only using around 50% of their travel. First couple of rides I thought the seals were maybe just bedding in but I was out yesterday on some pretty rough trails and they still feel the same so I suspect they’ve either been packed with too much grease or the bushings are too tight.

(The air pressure and sag are set for my weight according to the Fox set up guide)

Since they’re only 3 rides old should I just take the bike back to the shop, or would I be better off contacting Silverfish directly to initiate a warranty claim?

The other options are I could spend £50 on a lower service or £50 on tools and supplies to do it myself, but I’m reluctant to do that for a fork that’s only seen around 6hrs use.

Cheers!

Sounds like this was supplied (and fitted?) by a real bike shop? If that’s the case you’re in a good position, definitely have a chat with them before anything else. They had a duty to supply you with something fit for purpose. They’d probably rather look for themselves than hear that someone else has had it apart, because they then don’t know what’s been done to it.
get moving quick, in case they put up a fight there are time limits on consumer rights.

(The air pressure and sag are set for my weight according to the Fox set up guide)

Ride it, adjust air pressure while out and once you find the right pressure, remember it.

Or is the compression dial on ‘firm’?

But I did ride a hire bike with 36 Rhythm’s at the weekend, very harsh compared to my 38 Elite’s – but I did only adjust the pressure to set the sag.

Wind the compression knob all the way anti clockwise.

Check some rebound has been wound on at the bottom.

Ignore the chart on the sticker, go softer, start with 30% sag.

————

None of that works… try the pulling up on the fork trick to unblock the port used to balance negative spring.

————

Still not working? Zip tie into the seals to release any air in the lowers.

————

Still not working? Get the shop to strip ‘em and check they’re not over greased and have right amount of oil in each leg. They can also check the volume spacers in there are correct for you and your riding.

————

Still wrong? Get shop to send to Silverfish for bushing check (unlikely to be this, so do it last).

(The air pressure and sag are set for my weight according to the Fox set up guide)

It’s just a guide, I’d start wih playing about with those settings before anything else. My Pike Ultimates (for instance) recommend something like060-70psi, I’m routinely 10 psi under that if I actually want the fork to perform like suspension. Then there’s compression damping and rebound…

If you think it maybe not those settings, let all the air out, see if the fork compresses to full travel with no inference.

Thanks for the replies folks.

It was initially set up in the shop (a decent store, and authorised Trek dealer – they’re fitted to a Roscoe 9).

Compression dial does what it’s supposed to do on each setting. I don’t think there are any issues there.

I’m used to 26″ full suss bikes so not the most graceful on a 29″ HT at the moment, as such the forks have certainly been given the chance to use much more than 50% of their travel!

I’ll try letting the air out to see if it fully compresses, and will also adjusting it again with 30% sag.

If there’s no joy with that I’ll then try port unblocking trick, along with a zip tie in the seals.

Failing that I’ll give the shop a call to see if they can take a look at it.

If my old ’09 Lyriks were 29″ and not 26″ I’d be tempted to chuck those on the bike 😀

The Fox suggested settings are usually pretty good.

It almost certainly is too much grease in the lowers and damper.

If it doesn’t feel ok at the suggested settings, don’t be persuaded to fiddle with them, insist that the fork gets inspected.

I had the same problem with a Fox 36 performance elite. Struggled terribly with it until I got it serviced and from then on it’s been wonderful. They are great forks.

Take it into the shop and explain to them. If it’s a 10 minute setup fix then they can sort it there and then, if not then they’ll be able to start the warranty/service ball rolling.

They are OEM forks supplied as part of a Trek.  Not sure if Silverfish would entertain warranty, that would be Treks problem.

You just need to remove and clean the air shaft. Worth buying a few tools/oil and doing it yourself, and then you can service them as often as you like. All you need is a couple of standard sockets for the foot nuts and a flat faced socket to remove the air shaft from the stanchion, plus a pick or two and a syringe for the oil.

KramerFree Member
The Fox suggested settings are usually pretty good.

It almost certainly is too much grease in the lowers and damper.

If it doesn’t feel ok at the suggested settings, don’t be persuaded to fiddle with them, insist that the fork gets inspected.

I had the same problem with a Fox 36 performance elite. Struggled terribly with it until I got it serviced and from then on it’s been wonderful. They are great forks.

Yeah that’s what I’m thinking will be the culprit but I’m happy to try removing the air then resetting the sag/pressure before giving the shop a call. Just on the off-chance it’s a quick fix.

zerocoolFull Member
Take it into the shop and explain to them. If it’s a 10 minute setup fix then they can sort it there and then, if not then they’ll be able to start the warranty/service ball rolling.

I’ll try the above after work and if they still don’t feel nice I’ll call the shop tomorrow.

I’ll report back how I get on 😉

Clean and degrease the air shaft, then small amount of grease where it’s needed, and making sure not to block the transfer port.

Then reassemble.

How many volume spacers are you running though? I know lots of people who’ve complained about their forks feeling harsh when they’ve jammed them full of volume spacers… The clue here is that less is more… Take them all out and set the fork up with the recommended amount of sag… Only add a volume spacer as necessary to stop the bottoming out with the recommended level of sag.

If you’re running 30% sag and can’t get anywhere near full travel once you have made sure the negative chamber isn’t over pressurising by degreasing the air shaft, then you have WAY too much ramp up. Remove those volume spacers!

Clean and degrease the air shaft, then small amount of grease where it’s needed, and making sure not to block the transfer port.

Then reassemble.

How many volume spacers are you running though? I know lots of people who’ve complained about their forks feeling harsh when they’ve jammed them full of volume spacers… The clue here is that less is more… Take them all out and set the fork up with the recommended amount of sag… Only add a volume spacer as necessary to stop the bottoming out with the recommended level of sag.

If you’re running 30% sag and can’t get anywhere near full travel once you have made sure the negative chamber isn’t over pressurising by degreasing the air shaft, then you have WAY too much ramp up. Remove those volume spacers!

Thanks for the reply 😉

I used to strip and rebuild Marz DJs all the time many years ago so have a vague idea on how to service lowers and I’m happy to buy the service kit + tools to do home servicing on the 36s when it comes to the 50hr service and beyond, I just think they should work better out of the shop. I’ve used Fox shocks before but these are my first Fox forks so perhaps some delusion there on my part? I’ve always had Marz or RS in the past, which TBH were all pretty good straight away (especially the old Italian made Marz 66 Bombers – my favourite fork ever, followed by Motion Control Lyriks).

Not sure on how many volume spacers come fitted to OEM Rhythms to be honest, and I don’t have the right size socket to check at the moment. I’ll mention it when I take it to the shop if I can’t get it working well later.

Mine were harsh, as others have said they generally have too much grease on the airshaft that stops the negative chamber working correctly.

After cleaning it and replacing with a tiny smear they are loads better

I just think they should work better out of the shop. I’ve used Fox shocks before but these are my first Fox forks so perhaps some delusion there on my part?

They should definitely work better out of the shop. I would suggest taking them back & getting the shop to sort it under warranty without attempting anything such as pulling them apart yourself.

Firstly, why should you the customer get your hands dirty trying to repair an item that sounds like it’s faulty from new? Secondly, the shop may get awkward if your tinkering hasn’t solved it – they may even suggest you’ve damaged them yourself & now trying to pull a fast one. Just take it back as you bought it & demonstrate to the shop the problem you’re having.

@mildred that’s exactly my thinking.

However, I removed all the air yesterday and they do fully compress. I then pumped them back up, compressing them a few times every 10 or so PSI and now they feel much better and giving them a hard push down with the damper fully open can achieve almost full travel. So before I call the shop I’ll take them for a test ride this week (along with my shock pump) and see how they feel on the trail. It may have been the shop just set them too firm, or perhaps I’ve unblocked the excess grease when I was repressurising/equalising them.

Thanks again to everyone for the replies!