Replacement for rear shock?
 

Hi all,
I could use some ideas here... I have a Cannondale V2000 full suspension mtn bike (@ 15 years old) which is in excellent condition except for the minor problem I found today. The rear air/oil shock has finally given up the ghost and has leaked fluid out and and I can't pump it up. Obviously a seal or two has failed. The shock is the "Fox Alps 5R Airshox". So my questions are three:

1) Does anyone know if if is possible to rebuild these? Which leads to Q2....

2). Is there someone or some company that does rebuild them? Which leads to Q3....

3. Does anyone happen to know if there is another shock that I can replace it with? I don't know enough about these shocks to know if there is a universal mounting design and all shocks will fit all bikes, or each shock will only work on one specific bike, etc.

Any help/direction anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.

(This was the first sunny day I have seen in I-don't-know-how-long and was I bummed to grab my bike and find it no worky :( )

P.S. I'm a nOOb here and did try the search function first!

Thanks!

Fox RP23 will breathe new life into that bobbing design. Could be borderline fantastic.

Check with Push Industries. They specialize in rebuilding Fox suspension products. They have excellent customer service so give them a shout regarding your shock:

http://www.pushindustries.com/

I checked with PUSH and they don't service anything prior to 2000 and no ALPS shocks. Any other ideas?

Hippie Tech suspension may do it. But honestly, I might lean towards a new shock.

To point you at specific shocks it would help to know the eye-to-eye and stroke measurements of your current shock and what you want to spend; the shocks, if of suitable eye to eye length and stroke, can fit a variety of bikes via the specific sized mounting hardware (reducers/bushings) for the particular bike. You might call Fox Racing Shox and see if they will still service the old shock, too.

Good advice; they most likely will. A Fox tech once was kind enough to give me an Alps 5 long after it was out of production. But before he shipped it off, he sent it over to service to be thoroughly freshened. I'll bet they still have o-rings / seals, whatever to go through an Alps for a customer, provided there's nothing damaged inside.

I will try and give them a call tomorrow. Thanks.

Might also try Risse Racing (http://www.risseracing.com/index.shtml). They were the only place I could find a new rear shock for a '97 Specialized.

^^ Another good tip. People either love or hate Risse; but they DO still carry a couple shocks for your Super V.

I would have also suggested prowling ebay for a Fox Vanilla Float; but that I see now it's a very non-standard size. According to the Risse charts, the mid-90s Super V shock was a 5 1/8 eye-to-eye and is clevis at one end. You can find a lot of standard Foxes at 6.5x1.5 but that one's a pretty specialized (no pun intended) unit.

There's this company called Fox. I hear they service the stuff they manufacture. ;) Any bike shop can send one off to be repaired. Sometimes they even give you a new one for slightly higher than the repair cost.:thumb:

There's this skill called reading. Saves passing 'advice' that has already been posted.

Why have a bike shop get involved to ship a shock? Fox works well with the consumer...

:roflmao2:

You funny guy.

I've never been accused of paying attention to detail - missed that one.

I went the shop route because my LBS has a great relationship with Fox.
They had quoted $150 to repair an old vanilla, which they ended up replacing with a newer model for $170.

Update: I called the company called Fox, and they told me they did not work on Fox Alps shocks anymore. The tech I spoke with had no ideas what I could do. I guess my experience with them has been a little different than previous posters. I went to a Cannondale dealer and they attempted to find a comparable shock online without much success. PUSH stated they couldn't rebuild it, sorry. I sent an email to Hippy Tech last week but have not gotten a reply back yet.

So for the time being and "stuck" with my road bike. I have considered injecting the shock with epoxy and making the bike into a hardtail, but I'm not quite there yet. :D

Thanks for the replies.

Not surprising that neither Fox nor Push will work on an older shock. The newer stuff is way better in comparison.

Nuther option I'd recommend is Cane Creek. They have a trade in program for their Cloud Nine shocks which knocks off a $100 or so. Plus, they can custom make a shock for you, just call them up and provide the specs of your current shock. I have a Cloud Nine on my NRS and it was a vast improvement from the stock SID.

Good luck in getting your dually back to full working order.

Hi

I found this old post from you and wondered what you did to fix it in the end??? Im having the same problem with my Cannondale, just out of storage!!

Exact same problem here. Sounds like I need to buy that epoxy unless anyone's found a better solution!

I have a full suspension 20'' folder, similar to a Dahon JetstreamP8. It comes with not adjustable rear shock. I have the bike just over 1 month and noticed, from day one, that rear suspension not working at all. I can't even slightly move (compress)the shaft by pushing saddle down. I took the shock out, and tried to compress it - no luck. I was told by the seller on line, that it takes time for air to leak out to a usable condition... What a bs. Does anyone having similar issue with not adjustable rear shock? Is this can be fixed? Thanks.