I've just purchased a 'Fox Racing Shox 32 Float 140 RL',(new one)(haven't rode it really yet)
and it seems that when i push the fork in(at home, while holding the front brake), it doesn't fully go back to place, nothing major, just a few millimeters, but to get it back to its original position i have to lift the front wheel of ground by pulling the handlebar up.(so the stanchions get some weight from the wheel),
i already lubed the stanchions with "finish line Stanchion Fluoro Oil" thinking it was some friction problem, but it didn't seem to solve the 'problem'.
any thoughts?
and second thing I've noticed, is that the lockout doesn't fully locks the fork, i can still push the fork a bit down(a few millimeters.),
is it some security measure so the shock doesn't explode if it hits a bump while on lockout?

My question to you is what is the air pressure in the shock? By experience, manufacturers put some air in the shock, but usually never enough for the rider. If it isn't pressure, then I am not sure, and obviously, not much help.

As far as lockout, you will get some travel but it is very restricted and completely normal. Average travel is usually less than 10mm on full lockout.

i've set the sag only by weight: 145 - 155 lbs. = 65 psi i think i'll need to set it properly this time.

65 PSI? That seems kinda low. I'm about 210 and ride a F-100 at 110 to 115PSI. I tried a lower pressure and nearly went flying the first time I took on a log. I'd try a little more pressure to see if it solve your problem.

according to this site ( https://www.ridefox.com/fox_tech_cent...m/float_rl.htm), this seems to be the proper pressure for you're weight more or less.

65psi sounds like the ballpark for a 155 pound rider. make sure you consider all your riding gear, shoes, water, helmet, all that.

or better yet, put all that stuff on and check the sag, then adjust air pressure as desired. also realize that many suspension pumps lose a little air when you connect & disconnect the hose, so shoot a bit high if necessary and ALWAYS re-check sag after you've pumped. don't assume that it is right without measuring the sag after any pressure adjustment.

~15% sag = best pedaling performance, worst small bump compliance, best bottom-out protection (if you jump)
~35% sag = opposite of low sag.


regarding your fork staying down a bit, check the rebound knob. experiment with it all the way in or out. if it's all the way firm, it is very normal for the fork to slowly return. since you are running low pressure, you may need to back out the factory setting a bit.

I generally set my suspension to rebound fairly slowly, but not slow enough to pack up in sustained bumps like a rock garden, series of roots, etc. you can easily test this by riding down a set of stairs.

I think what you are noticing is the air not quite overcoming the force of the negative spring. Try this: pump your fork up to 100psi and compress/release. You should notice that the fork extends to full travel, instead of leaving that few mm's sucked up. Basically, what you are describing is a non-issue.

The lockout is also nothing out of the ordinary. Some forks do include a lockout force adjust, so you can really firm it up or even dial it off more. The fork does have a blow off to save the internals of the damper in case you do forget to unlock.

What Colin said, but if it still does what you described it may need some suspension fluid in the left leg.

For what reason? That would do nothing to help what the OP described. Though it never hurts to open a new fork and make sure all the fluids are correct.

On an open bath system, which is what fox uses it can. Not enough oil can make the fork have slightly more travel than it actually has when it sticks down there that is likely where it was intended to be, which is what it's sounding like to me. Obviously can't tell without seeing first hand, which is why it could also be what ColinL mentioned.

OP, on first compression, was there a spot of oil on the stanchions? It's normal if there is a tiny bit of oil on the first compression.

Ah, the damper side. Generally when referring to forks, you refer to sides from the riders perspective -- riders left side would be the air side, which is what I thought you meant. Either way, still has no bearing on the issue at hand.

I'd put my money on the negative spring.

Think about it in reference to a Rockshox dual-air fork. Once the negative spring pressure gets above the positive pressure by a certain psi(say 10 or so), you will notice that the negative spring starts to suck up the travel. This is the same thing you have in the Fox fork, since it is pumped up for a lower weight rider.

i don't recall seeing oil on the stanchions, at any time.

anyhow, these are all good advices, I'll try to put some more air in the fork, set the sag correctly, play with the rebound a bit and see what happens.

BTW, no negative spring on fox floats. Look it up on fox's website yourself no such mention, yet they offer it for snowmobile and atv.

The left leg which is also the spring side of the fork on an air sprung fox. Rebound and lock out is right leg, the checking the fluid wouldn't hurt, but if the fork is new, could just be a break in period.

Uh, seriously? There has to be a negative spring or you wouldn't have any suspension action.

BTW here is a air spring assembly from a Fox Float -- the one on bottom(the other is a RS Dual-position air spring assembly)...see the negative spring? And yeah, I've been servicing floats for several years now. Think I have a good grasp of them...thanks.

Bit of a hijack but more of a newbie question, The bottom shock in your photo shows a 2nd spring wound around the other way.

What do you guys mean buy "negative spring", does it mean that if you lift the front wheel it is supported by a spring? meaning you don't get the annoying bump that I get with the cheaper forks I have when you lift the front wheel?
Or is it about a second spring coming into play once the forks get pushed down past a pre-set point to help prevent bottoming out?

To be clear, you can have 'suspension action' without the negative spring, but the initial movement would be harsh. Any decent air fork will have some sort of negative spring, be it air or coil.

In the photo of the Fox air spring, the long coil is the negative spring and the short coil is the top-out spring. The top-out spring is what would prevent against the fork harshly topping out. The neg spring is there to help with overcoming the initial force of the positive air spring.