Fox Triad II problems

JBA

I have a 2011 Stumpjumper FSR fitted with a Triad II shock - this is specific to Specialized in a non-standard size (7.875" x 1.9", or 200.02mm x 48.26mm in new money).

About 2 months ago the shock started to make a 'squelching' noise and this has got progressively worse. I had a chat with the guys in Mojo and they suggested dismantling the shock, cleaning the internals and seals, new oil and rebuild. So today I attempted this. However, the result was not good:
I let all the air out of the shock and it compressed, as expected. When I extended the shock a lot of pinkish oil came out from the lock out lever/rebound adjust. The oil was quite frothy, indicating a lot of air in it.
I pumped the shock back up and now it won't lock out. The lever clicks into the open and propedal positions but there is no apparent difference in the compression in any of the 3 lever positions. There is now also a loud 'click' when the shock reaches maximum extension.

Reading various articles on the web it appears that this shock suffers from a lot of problems with many reports of oil leaks of various types.

As I see it I now have 3 options:

1. Ride it as it is and risk killing it completely.
2. Get the shock to Mojo for a service. They are only a few miles away so no problem getting it to them and picking it up.
3. Replace the shock with a new one.

At the moment option 2 seems to be the most convenient. However, CRC currently have an offer on the Fox RP23 in 200 x 51 flavour, so for the extra £50 over the cost of a service I could get a brand new shock. Do I need to worry about the extra 2.74mm stroke though?
Also the Stumpjumper has a yoke attachment on the shock shat rather than an standard bushed mount so could I somehow swap it over to the RP23?



Any advice will be most appreciated, thanks.

supersonic

I was going to say get it serviced, but I'd go for the RP23.

The extra travel will give slighlty more travel (about 7mm) - but if you use the same sag/pressure as the old shock then you'll never use it anyway nor risk bottomong the tyre on the frame.

JBA

Yes, I am very tempted by the RP23 but will I be able to attach the yoke?
It appears to be attached to the Triad shaft with an allen bolt so should be easy enough to remove.
Can I remove the bolt/bushing eye from the RP23 though or is it cast as part of the shaft?

bennett_346

I've had problem after problem with that shock on that exact bike. Mine no longer goes into the propedal position, it will slot into open and lockout just about works. What's worse is mojo "fixed" it by replacing the air seals then telling me that "just riding it" will sort it out. Two months later and it's still as it was before i sent it off.

I'd be very tempted to replace it with an RP23. I think i heard that loco tuning will swap the shaft part for your current one so you have the yoke with correct fitting but the damper and air sleeve from an RP23.

cooldad

No idea about the shock but I can recommend Loco.

JBA

Cheers, chaps.
I'll give Loco a call tomorrow and discuss options with them.

cooldad

Loco is Simon, so him.

JBA

Duly noted, cool dad.

JBA

Loco are rammed and now taking bookings for w/c 17th June.
I can't wait 3 weeks until I can ride the bike again so the shock went in to Mojo this morning and hopefully I'll have it back on Friday.

Stupid Specialized shock set up! :evil:

bennett_346

It is a shame because when it works it's a decent shock. It just doesn't work a lot of the time.

JBA

It has been a good shock and I had no concerns with it until the squelching started.
Once I get it back I think I'll do six-monthly seal checks and oil change to make sure it keeps working as it should.

I'll let you know how it is when returned and if the 3 positions work ok.

bennett_346

Any progress on this pal? I'm ready to send mine off because it has leaked oil from the lever again (like it did last year) and now none of the lever positions will engage. Any word on replacement shocks that fit?

JBA

I got the shock back on Monday and it appears as good as new. The lock lever clicks in to open and propedal positions as it should. I've put it back on the bike but so far have only had a ride around the block. The squelching noise has gone and it feels nice and plush again.
I'm off to FoD to ride the Verderers and Freeminers trails on Sunday so we'll find out then if it really is better...

The guys in Mojo aren't aware of a suitable replacement shock and didn't think the idea of cannibalising an RP23 was a good one.
I wrote to Specialized but they have just said they will sell me a new Triad II for a mere 300 quid.

Thewaylander

moral of the story : - always service your shocks... rear shock seal changes are so cheap and easy to do yourself its unreal.

bennett_346

Waylander, you can't service the damper yourself, it has a high pressure nitrogen charge.


JBA, good to know they can fix the spinning propedal lever issue, but it's a shame about the lack of replacements.

Thewaylander

Did i say do the damper?

I said do the seal changes yourself.. read.

bennett_346

I'm not sure how changing the seals is the "moral of the story" then. Can't see how that would have prevented the damper from exploding internally.

JBA

Well after a few hours on the trails in FoD I can report that all seems well with the shock.
Lever works in all 3 positions and there is no squelching noise.

bennett_346

Well i'm pleased to hear they can fix it then, i'm gonna try and get mine sent off asap. Hope the turnaround time isn't too bad!

bennett_346

Bringing this up as it's beginning to happen to me again. JBA i don't know if you're still around but if you see this, can you tell me if you still have the bike and if it still has problems with this, or if you found a replacement shock that fits the yoke?

rockmonkeysc

One of my riding buddies had lots of trouble with the Triad on his Stumpy. He bought an RP23 and TF Tuned rebuilt it with the parts needed from the Triad to make an RP23 that fitted the Stumpy but was effectively all new where it mattered.

bennett_346

RockmonkeySC wrote:

One of my riding buddies had lots of trouble with the Triad on his Stumpy. He bought an RP23 and TF Tuned rebuilt it with the parts needed from the Triad to make an RP23 that fitted the Stumpy but was effectively all new where it mattered.

Interesting, thanks. Might give them a ring and see if they can pull something together for me. The Triad has been nothing but trouble from day one.

JBA

Hi, bennett_346.
Since I had the shock overhauled by Mojo in 2013 it has been fine. I have done seal checks and oil changes every 6 months and everything is ok so far.
The guys at Mojo gave me a handful of oil 'sachets', each one holding the correct amount of oil for a change so I have been using them.

The Rookie

As suspersonic put at the start, the length is standard, the tiny amount of extra travel, may or may not cause an issue, but in reality a normal 200/50.8mm shock (very common size) will probably fit straight in with no issues.

bennett_346

Thanks guys. JBA glad to see the overhaul by mojo has held strong. Do you ride often? It seems to me the less frequently i ride the bike the more this problem occurs; maybe it's linked.

Rookie, seems like this is the way to go! I'd love a proper shock for it, the Triad isn't even that great when it does work.

mudsucker

I have a Triad on my Stumpy and it has been good as gold. As long as you keep it well serviced (as with all shocks) it is a very good shock.