jambon

Hi ,

There is a knocking , clunking sound that is coming from my Fox forks . I thought It was a loose headset at first so I tightened that all up . I did that hold the front brake and rock the bike test and still felt and heard knocking but not from the headset .I have located the source as coming from somewhere inside the left leg of the fork .I feel it most when when I am cycling fast omn rough trails or using the front brake . .I got the bike second hand and the fox fork is a Fox Fork float rl 130mm. I think its a 2005 model .I have no idea how often it was serviced or when it was last serviced . Would I have to send it off to a Fox Shock service centre or would it be better to buy a new fork ?Or maybe its something simpler that some bike shop could fix ? The bike shops around where I live dont sell or know much about higher end mountain bikes so I don't really trust their advice .

yak

Any qualified bike shop should be able to service the fork and install new seals. They'll know better once they open up the fork. I have mine serviced at my LBS every year, it costs me about $60. You may have to call around to find a shop that caters to mtn bikers.

jambon

Hey Thanks for pitching in , I live in Ireland and there is only one authorised fox maintenance centre in the country , I emailed them and they quoted me €145 to get the fork serviced ,thats almost $200 U.S Dollars !I contacted a good mountain bike shop and they said that all fork issues get reffered to that same centre , very pricey and there could even be a charge if they open up the shock and see that it is beyond repair . Seriously considering just saving up for a new fork if I cant find someone to do it cheaper .

I <3 Robots

A typical for service requires only an oil change and new seals (30usd). The price they quoted you is probably for a complete overhaul...which includes servicing the air cartridge.

Fox forks are really common. I can't see why a simple 45 minute oil change and seal job needs to be sent to an authorized service center. Any shop that does bike maintenance should be able to do it for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh-sIrnC8xs

yak

Thanks for mentioning this video. I was going to suggest this as an alternative to paying a shop to do it. It's the last bit of bike maintenance that I haven't tried yet, mainly because it's so cheap to let my buddy do it at his shop. I should watch him do it next time, he's that kind of shop owner that would gladly let me look on and learn.

I <3 Robots

Its really not that difficult of a job. Just take your time with it. Only tricky part may be pressing the seals in if you don't have a seal driver.

Also make sure you look up how much oil to add depending on the fork. I made a mistake the first time by adding the oil volume for a FiT cartridge instead of the open bath.

Its possible that the clunking could be the result of not having enough oil in the fork.

Oil Volumes

jambon

[QUOTE=I <3 Robots;17030944]A typical for service requires only an oil change and new seals (30usd). The price they quoted you is probably for a complete overhaul...which includes servicing the air cartridge.

Fox forks are really common. I can't see why a simple 45 minute oil change and seal job needs to be sent to an authorized service center. Any shop that does bike maintenance should be able to do it for you.


Hi thanks for your advice.That $200 dollar fork service included a replacement of the lower bushings .I am being referred to the fox centre and and not told to get a seal and oil change as bike shops I have asked believe it to be a bushings problem . Hard to know until someone who is qualified open it up and has a look . If just an oil change and seal job would do the trick then that would be great for my pocket . However with the amonu of noise and play I dont think new oil and seals will fix it .

jimc101

[QUOTE=jambon;17035693]They are common, but Fox do keep a pretty tight hold on their spare parts and service centers, with normally only one authorized service center in a country. For Ireland, this is OCSUSPENSION FOX Service Center Would be surprised if that many LBS's would work on the Fox forks, as they are still a fairly specialized fork, which need a number of unique tools, oils & training to retain the warranty on it.

If it is the bushings, the Service center price doesn't sound too bad, but would also be looking at new Fox/RockShox/Manitou forks as you can get a lot of modern fork for just a little more like this Manitou Match Comp Forks 2014 | Chain Reaction Cycles

If not the Bushes, being as your for is getting on for 10 years it's well out of warranty, so would just follow the Youtube videos. Would look at ordering the appropriate service kit, plenty of ebay, if you need oil, Putoline should be available from MotoX shops.