Fox 34s topping out

mxh
mxh Posts: 51
edited November 2013 in MTB workshop & tech
2013 Fox 34 CTD Talas - factory set to 150mm

Have noticed recently that they are 'topping out' when lifting the front wheel, but only after a bumpy section of trail. Riding around the car park there's no issue, but throw a few bumps at them, then give them a pull and there's definitely a 'clunk' which I can only assume is them topping out.

Anybody else had this issue? Is it a problem, or do they all do it? Although I didn't notice it for the first 6 months of usage.

I don't know whether a service will sort them out, or whether it's something more serious that will require looking at under warranty. I'll take it back into the shop where I bought it, but it would be handy to have some feedback from others with the same fork first.

Comments

  • poah
    poah Posts: 3,369
    what is your rebound damping set to?
    CCDB IL coil CS first impressions

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  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    All forks should top out when you lift the front wheel, what they shouldn't do is make a noise while doing it!

    Check damper oil level as a first step, otherwise it could be a rebound stop issue.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • mxh
    mxh Posts: 51
    POAH wrote:
    what is your rebound damping set to?

    9 clicks out from full in. Any relevance?
    The Rookie wrote:
    All forks should top out when you lift the front wheel, what they shouldn't do is make a noise while doing it!.

    My thoughts too, hence my concern
    The Rookie wrote:
    Check damper oil level as a first step, otherwise it could be a rebound stop issue.

    I'm not going to check anything internally as, if there is a problem, I wouldn't want any warranty to be voided by me having a look around inside. I'm really just trying to guage whether other people have had similar issues with this fork
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Checking oil level just means removing the cap, it's not a dissasemble job!

    You could try slowing the rebound to see if it makes a difference.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • poah
    poah Posts: 3,369
    mxh wrote:
    POAH wrote:
    what is your rebound damping set to?

    9 clicks out from full in. Any relevance?

    wondered if it was just rebounding far too fast
    CCDB IL coil CS first impressions

    MTB Scotland youtube channel
  • Dick Scruttock
    Dick Scruttock Posts: 2,533
    What version of hype fork are they? FIT, Evolution etc?
  • mxh
    mxh Posts: 51
    The forks are "FOX 34 Talas 650b Evolution"

    With regard to the rebound, don't forget that a) it didn't used to do this and b) it only does it after going through a section of rough ground. So playing around with rebound is only going to disguise the issue (if it changes anything at all) - whereas I'm looking for ideas on what may be causing the issue.

    I did speak to a suspension specialist and they did comment that these forks come out of the factory 'a bit dry and sticky' but hadn't heard of any particular issues with topping out. Maybe it's just mine - so I might just take it back to the dealer to sort out, but it's good to try and find out a bit about the problem first, any other occurrences, other peoples experience etc
  • Dick Scruttock
    Dick Scruttock Posts: 2,533
    Send it back to them under this recall and see if they will check the rest of it out for you.

    http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/artic ... rks-38788/
  • mxh
    mxh Posts: 51
    Unfortunately these forks aren't covered by the recall.
  • mxh
    mxh Posts: 51
    A quick update for anyone who's interested!

    Took the forks in for a service, as I thought it might just be bad stiction that was causing the forks to top out (ie they weren't returning properly until completely unloaded)- however they had a look inside and gave them back saying that they needed to go back under warranty. Apparently there's a known issue with these forks - Fox are aware of it and will replace the damper under warranty. It is NOT the current recall issue, but something different.

    Will be taking them back to the shop I bought the bike from and getting them to return the forks to Fox.

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