rock shox reba vs. fox float

[BaGearA]

hi guys need some advice.

 

i hve a 2011 rock shox reba XX world cup dual air with a hydralic lock(excuse the spelling).

 

It has 90mm of travel,now i have heard from many people that it is a fantastic fork but it is not making me very happy(I am not fussy at all!)

 

I want a little more travel and posibly faster rebound and compresion.

 

Do any of youu know if i wil achive this with a fox float 32 for example?

 

Also give me an idea of what you think i should ask if i were to sell the fork

 

Thank you

[Helpmytrap]

First things first.

Have you played around with the different settings on the rebound yet? It is the red (I assume red) barrel adjuster at the bottom of the right hand lower. This adjusts the rebound either faster or slower.

 

By dual air, I assume that you can pump the positive and negative air chambers separately. The (+) side determines how much of the available travel you can use (too hard and you wont be able to use all of it, too little and you'll bottom it out.) The (-) side determines how plush the fork is, the higher the neg pressure, the easier it overcomes sticktion. Test the fork out with the (-) about 10-15psi higher than the (+). This makes for a really plush ride.

Order of inflation: deflate (-) > inflate (+) > inflate (-). If you don't deflate the (-) first, you will lose travel.

Play around with the above and see where you get.

 

Also, that is most likely a 100mm fork that has been internally spaced down to a 90mm. So at the next fork service, ask them to return it to 100mm if this is the case.

 

So go through all this before looking at a new fork because they are not cheap. And the Reba is a very, very good fork.

 

PS, take that Crossmark off the front if you value your life.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Short answer - no, it won't. The float isn't nearly as adjustable as the Reba, with their CTD technology.

 

First, check the spacing of the fork by taking it to your LBS (as helpmytrap says) and then adjust the positive air pressure (with neg at zero) to your desired setting, then inflate negative to approx 5PSI less than the positive. If you go above the positive rating, the fork will compress into its travel and you'll have a plusher fork, but less travel.

 

If you're looking for more travel, and you can't adjust the spacing on the XX, I'd recommend going the route of the RS Revelation RCT3, or a normal REBA (non XX / World Cup)

 

You haven't said whether it is the niner or sixer variety, but my recommendation would be the same regardless of wheel size.

 

The thing is, your XX isn't as adjustable as the other varieties of Reba. Added to that, afaik it's limited to 90mm (although I could be wrong here) But if you haven't got the desired adjustability now, you'll be frustrated with the Fox. Especially due to the price they demand (all to do with the name)

 

Revelation is the answer.

Edited August 2, 2014 by cpt armpies mayhem

[JWF]

_{Agree, stick with Reba, I switched to Fox Float 29 32 series when I sold my last bike. the Fox started showing stanchion wear after 6 months, Fox agents in SA didn't even respond to my queries to purchase a new steerer unit. switched back to a 2014 Reba which is now solo air and happy again}

[Tankman]

 

 

_{the Fox started showing stanchion wear after 6 months}

 

_{How do you recon that happened?}

 

 

[PhilipV]

Service your fork, ask them to remove the all travel spacer if there is one in there. And get someone who knows the dual air system to help you with your set up. If your set up is incorrect the fork will not work properly.

Eg, if your negative pressure is more than the positive, it will suck the fork down, reducing your travel.

 

Lastly, stanchion wear is a direct effect of neglect. Service your fork regularly.

[Tankman]

 

 

Lastly, stanchion wear is a direct effect of neglect. Service your fork regularly.

 

I see this way to often. People wait until it is forked or has stopped working, THEN they want to service it!

 

The dustwipers and foam rings does a pretty good job at collecting dust and keeping the stanchions clean.

 

BUT if you dont do your job by cleaning or having them cleaned, all that dirt, grit and grime becomes sanding paper.

 

Not to mention all that dirt going into the oil and then being forced through and sticking to internals where it is not supposed to be, causing havoc!

 

 

 

 

Service on a regular basis!

A service with seal kit is 10x cheaper than replacing stanchions.

[droo]

I see this way to often. People wait until it is forked or has stopped working, THEN they want to service it!

 

The dustwipers and foam rings does a pretty good job at collecting dust and keeping the stanchions clean.

 

BUT if you dont do your job by cleaning or having them cleaned, all that dirt, grit and grime becomes sanding paper.

 

Not to mention all that dirt going into the oil and then being forced through and sticking to internals where it is not supposed to be, causing havoc!

 

 

 

 

Service on a regular basis!

A service with seal kit is 10x cheaper than replacing stanchions.

 

Thanks, you saved me some typing. And a few pictures.

 

One thing though - Fox did have a brainfart about 2 years back which caused premature stanchion wear - they put a foam ring under the air spring seal that caused the bath oil to migrate into the spring. Result - no stanchion lubrication and hence worn stanchions. The ride also got progressively harsher as the spring curve got more progressive.

 

If it's not a 2012 fork, it's a maintenance issue.

 

Also, stay far away from pressure washers.

[BaGearA]

thanks guys I do service the fork regularly and I keep it clean!

Any idea of what the conversion to increase the travel is going to cost?

[Helpmytrap]

Service your fork, ask them to remove the all travel spacer if there is one in there. And get someone who knows the dual air system to help you with your set up. If your set up is incorrect the fork will not work properly.

Eg, if your negative pressure is more than the positive, it will suck the fork down, reducing your travel.

 

Lastly, stanchion wear is a direct effect of neglect. Service your fork regularly.

Not necessarily, I rode my dual air fork with the negative chamber 15psi higher than the positive and still had the recommended 20% sag.

 

I'm not sure if it neglect in some cases, a mate of mine had bad stanchion wear within 3months of purchasing his bike. Granted that this years Epic fell within those 3 months.

[Flowta]

 

Not necessarily, I rode my dual air fork with the negative chamber 15psi higher than the positive and still had the recommended 20% sag.

 

I'm not sure if it neglect in some cases, a mate of mine had bad stanchion wear within 3months of purchasing his bike. Granted that this years Epic fell within those 3 months.

 

There's calender time and actual usage time.

 

3 months of epic training time could be 6 to 9 months of "normal" time

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

There's calender time and actual usage time.

 

3 months of epic training time could be 6 to 9 months of "normal" time

Yep. Was talking to Haylett this PM (bike is in for a full pivot & shock service) and he was telling me about an MTB coach who took her bike in for a service after the Epic. He looked at it and said "you do realise you're going to need new stanchions"

 

WHAT? It's only 3 months old!?

 

 

Well, how often do you ride?

 

10 hours per week..

 

Erm, that's 120 hours. PLUS Epic. Ever hear of maintenance?

[Helpmytrap]

There's calender time and actual usage time.

 

3 months of epic training time could be 6 to 9 months of "normal" time

Fair point but he didn't even have a fraction of that wear on his Rock Shox Reba that he rode for the year and a half that preceded the new bike that has the Fox fork. All this with the same weekly mileage.

[deonkretch]

Been riding Fox Kashima jobbies since they first launched them. Never had ANY issues of stanchion wear - ever, and in some cases it was serviced in early January, rode through to March (10 to 15hrs per week), did Epic, and rode another month after coming back before servicing, not so much as a scratch - the trick is to keep it clean and basically just look after the thing, dammit - too many guys moaning about the stuff not lasting but if you give their bike one look it tells a complete different story. (Apologies for going off-topic OP)

[ThePubSA]

Love my RS reba rl ti dual air .. PLUSH crc having fork sale just saying, the manitous are plush aswell maybe more

[LOSMEICHERIE]

I've been using fox forks for long one of the reasons is i love the aggressive look of fox , i never had issues with my fork and i don't service it regularly i take it for service ones a year i just make sure i clean after each and every ride ... i normally lock the fork when riding on flat road and up hills and this safes the life of my fork . that's my theory and it works for me.