FYI, that fork has 34 internals. Some of the 36/38 E-Optimised forks have 34 and 36 internals respectively, to allow for thicker stanchion walls in order to make it stiffer for ebikes. You can tell because those are Fox 34 tokens.
Yep...and these E-forks get discounted a lot more than the standard forks because the demand isn't nearly as high. It would be easy for anyone to make this mistake if they didn't know better prior.
Very interesting. I intentionally bought an e-tuned 38, partly because it was $100 cheaper than the regular, for my e-bike. I had no idea this might be the case. I've emailed the seller, and it's honestly not a huge deal (my e-bike came stock with a Yari fork, that I upgraded with a damper to a Lyrik, which is less robust than a 36, and I love the 36 on my trail bike), but I am very curious whether there would be any trade-offs.
You should create Zoom sessions to teach people how to work on bikes, record the sessions, and post them. Call it Evan's Clinic. I think it could be fun, educational and entertaining.
Interesting about the challenges with the latest rockshox fork. I would appreciate a video where you showcase components parts and bikes you didn't get along with, and have heard or seen similar issues in research.
Got my first Fox fork on a new bike a 38 Grip2 and I'm not getting on with it so far, especially as they seem to have gone out of their way to make it difficult for a home mechanic. 2 different size chamferless sockets for the air spring and damper, 2 different sockets to remove the footnuts, 2 special tools to be able to knock back the footnuts without damaging them, airspring is a separate unit you have to remove, special clamp for the air spring to remove the footnut, a source of heat eg. Butane torch is needed to heat the end of the airspring to be able to loosen the footnut (which i could not do) that damages the o ring so you have to replace it. Then there's the crush washer you're meant to replace too 🤯WTF! IIRC with a rockshox its an allen key, cassette tool and some circlip pliers 🤷 I wouldn't mind but the Fox feels really fidgety and wooden 🤨
Oh Man, I made the same mistake last year when Fox was running their Black Friday deals and bought my wife the e-optimized fork on accident. Also like you I just went ahead and installed it and turns out she’s loved it. It has been a bomb proof upgrade.
Haha no way! When researching online, I found a whole bunch of people on a forum talking about creaking CSU with Fox. So I did mental gymnastics and want to believe the E-Bike version won't have a creaky CSU cuz it's "robust" 😂
I accidentally got 29er plus an extra 20mm travel. Threw them on anyway. Oh boy. My trail bike doesn’t know what it is now but it destroys downhill. Didn’t measure anything before and after but it looks super slack, and height wise it’s more like pushing my motocross bike ha ha feels great when I’m on it though.
I bought my La Sal Peak in 2022; just as they were releasing the new Charger 3 damper. I was a bit disappointed when my new bike came in that it had the Charger 2 damper; but perhaps I got the better deal for my riding style because I love the way my Zeb performs.
Happy birthday! Bike color looks sick in the sunshine. For fork top caps, I use Lunar bike custom top cap tools. Basically a flat wrench that fits the top cap perfect. I can easily carry the tool in my Camelback and change tokens on a ride if needed.
First off, Happy belated Birthday. This was my first 1/4 season on a coil. I ended up buying a sprindex. Haven't had a chance to ride it, season is done up here.
I go back and forth between coil and air on my Ripmo. The coil is amazing for erasing high speed chatter. I get better power transfer with the air though. The coil shock is so incredibly active that I find myself reaching for the lockout lever, where I never feel the need when I'm on air.
Happy birthday man! Nicely looking bike! I could watch that suspension work all day :D Imagine a video where you do a setting or two, describe it as you think it should feel, then record video of how it goes. Then readjust, do same and see if even on a video you can see difference how fork works :)
It's always so funny to me, how break pads affect the break performence. I remember, when I was working at a bike shop, people used to turn in with tektro breaks installed, and requesting shimano for perf. Every time, I said to them, change them pads, if you don't like them, pads are on the house. Majority of people came back not to change the break, but to service them after the season.
With Sram it's the other way around, the stock Code R pads are SO MUCH BETTER than everything else it's insane. I went with Galfer pads thinking it'd get me an extra edge in performance only to find out that they're a little worse and have a far shorter life span
Cool to see another fellow former BMX racer on the MTB! I got my first one a few years ago and haven't touched my BMX race bike from 2008 since! Keep up the cool videos, enjoy watching them. If you are ever in Nor Cal to ride, hit me up!
Oh heck yeah what's up Travis! I remember you from back in the BMX days. I stuck around BMX way too long and so do many other bmxers. I can't imagine traveling to a race for a few 30 seconds laps. MTB is where it's at
It might be that you just need full service. I upgraded my charger 3 with 3.1 upgrade kit while giving fork for full service, day and night perfomance, all dials works perfectly. Best zeb i've ever had
@@NicholasBatten-cl7qw My Lyrik dials did nothing from new. Surely they don't need a damper job straight from the factory? Fortunately, I like it the way it is.
Ohlins the only way to go. I opted for the grip X in my fox 36 and it’s definitely better than my fit for, but it’s just not as good as my grip2. When I watched the tech talk from what I heard the only difference was just the circuit separation for rebound so I wouldn’t think it would’ve affected how plush it is. Your E optimized chassis has thicker walled tubing, I think that’s where you’re getting your super Plush feel from. I wrote a friend of mine’s Marzzoci and it was noticeably more plush than my lightweight FOX 36 factory. it has much thicker walled tubing as well. Maybe that’s where it comes from.
The Fox can be taken apart super easy with an adjustable wrench, no need for the special socket. Just make sure to hold down on the wrench while you turn it. Even better than rockshox cause you dont need a cassette tool, just a common wrench you can find in any department store.
lol, cost more than both of mine too, and I mean TWO,😊 e-bikes, ( yeah, eMTB’s cause I’m 74 YO rehabbing, triple bypass heart attack & minor stroke. I have so much more FUN doing my cardio rehab on two wheels riding hills & trails trying only use the “E” assist on the steaper uphills than on some sort of machine that goes nowhere in a smelly gym. Loving my Yamaha Moro 7’s suspension, it’s really light for an e-bike and pedals great with no assist, the assist makes steep hills doable for the old man part of me to enjoy the downhill rush for the little bit of kid left in me !!!😂 👍
If you are still on the fence about the orange coil just get it powder coated. my local powdercoat shop only charges me 20 bucks per SLS spring so it wouldn't hurt to ask your local shop. i had one powdered Illusion Blueberry to match my Bass Boat Blue Shuttle LT and one powdered Bronze Chrome for my Bronson v3 to match the frame decals.
Happy Birthday! Hope you had a good one. I don't like the way the forks aren't sealed from the fender screws; I feel like if you lose a screw, you could easily have some serious problems.
The faster I ride, the more I appreciate Fox forks. Rockshox lost me with their forks when they went to "Torque Caps" a few years ago. Speaking of which, did you have to change the end caps on your front wheel? Finally, happy birthday, Evan!
I never seen torque caps on a bike out of the box. Looks like nobody cares about that. Each time I see them, owner ordered them separately or made custom ones for his hub.
Not everything needs to be shown or said. I hadn't revealed the spring yet and when I did I said it's 100g lighter than the regular steel version. Then I showed the completed before and after weight
Happy Birthday and congrats on the build! Fox has the fork market nailed down for sure. I’m not super impressed with my ZEB Ultimate because it seems stiff and doesn’t really tune down the trail chatter. I’ve been playing with it a lot but see a Fox 38 or DVO Onyx in my bike’s future if I can’t get it straightened out.
The bearing split open. I’ve only seen that when the headset cups are out of spec/out of round. It basically eats the bearing apart because there isn’t equal force all the way around it
besides being broke the other reason why i don't go with a higher priced fork is all the dang adjusting that is required. My current fork is a 160mm RS Domain and I love it. While it's not top of the line it's great for what I use it for which is some light enduro and best of all it doesn't require a bunch of adjusting. I was considering changing out the damper with the more expensive Charger II (I think that's the right one) but after seeing the damper cost more then what i paid for the fork on sale i decided not to.
Happy Belated Birthday! We went to the bike fest last year and I was really hoping to run into you. Alas we are hoping to go in 2025 so maybe I will get to meet you then. Love your content. Keep up the great work.
@Evan Rockshox dampers sometimes have missing orings at the top (knobs) which allow dirt ingress which messes with the clicks and the damping itself. My Pike Ultimate has a super stiff HSC knob and un-detented LSC knob and will have to disassemble the knobs and top of damper to rectify. I see your HSC knob is almost free moving so maybe it is the issue too. Charger 3/3.1 dampers are also historically less consistent and sometimes they behave differently from fork to fork. My Pike is the silver one with Charger 2.1 - the most reliable and easiest version to service and use, which is why most mechs still recommend to stick with 2.1 and not jump to the buttercup stuff. Rockshox also has less mid-stroke support than Fox so you may need more tokens or a re-tune for shim stack. Rockshox is more plush throughout the stroke so if you just hammer on damping and air pressure without varying your tokens it will cause setup headache.
I havent gone to a coil and still have an X2 on both my E and analog enduro bikes, but I do have the 38 version of that fork. Its the best fork I have ever used by far. I didnt get a new one but updated the dampers on my originals, then sold them for half price of new, so I got what i wanted and hooked up someone else looking for better internals on a older 38 they had too.
It has been a good content to take the fork and show how much friction it has with the front hub you use. It would have been great demonstration what to expect from Fox straight out of the box. I'd raher buy Sprindex spring so you have much more space to play with.
Hey Evan if you’re unhappy with the stock damping on the any of the Rockshox forks they do make a heavier compression tune as well as 3 different rebound tunes.
running 2x 10cc in the fork on a 54lbs levo, 90psi air spring, 10-12clix, ~180lbs rider(w/ gear), 1token is my best feel but will BO too easily on what I ride maybe start with 1 and then go from there, you got the socket; it's an easy swap, plus you got 3 to play instead of one or none 👌
IMO a Smashpot for the Zeb would have been a better choice than moving to the E36. But a coil build in B'ville is overkill. Pretty happy with DVO forks.
A friend just got a new Ibis with Fox and his fork failed twice in two weeks so back to Fox it goes again, sticking down in the travel. Fox does have great warranty but now without his bike again
Three is too many spacers to start with. I recommend one spacer to start with for you. You have a good chance you will want to add a second. This is my guide. YMMV. 120-150 lbs combined rider weight 1-2 spacers, 160-180 lbs 2-3 spacers, 180+ lbs 3-4 spacers
No offence to anyone, but I never liked Rockshox when I ever started. Now, story time about that, I used to have a Suntour heavy gravel fork, just about 60 mm, and when I upgraded to an Orbea Alma, I purchased with a rockshox judy, then I sold it, replaced it with a domain, and from the start, it never felt smooth, and the compression was too harsh. After about 2 years, I got a Knolly Endorphin from Craigslist, Super good deal. It came with a fox factory, and started rough, but once I lubed the stanchions, so much better. Never changing unless I grow out of it.
The Bronson looks really sick now!! Even you are not the biggest fan of the TRP parts but they look just awesome on this frame and colour! I was wondering if you would go with the Podium Gold Fox fork as you said the theme is gold, but this looks better in my opinion. 👍
Happy bday! How are the TRPs with the new pads? I use Trickstuff ( red ) and galfer ( green ) pads in my TRPs and find the braking power much better than stock pads
I have 2-3 tokens in my fox 36. You can run lower psi and have it ramp up nicely with more tokens. The Lost Co. has a great video on setting up the fox 36; I was no where near the recommended settings.
You know what might be interesting - to try intend forks - people say that they are amazing, and for the channel like yours it would be great to try them out and see if its true
Interesting to see your fork came with three spacers. I got the exact same 36 160mm GripX2 (just not the ebike version) and it only came with one spacer. I actually hated the fork for the first month or so with only one spacer in. I was running like 70psi as a 130lb rider and bottoming out a ton. I now have 4 10cc spacers in (running like 49psi) and it's the best fork I've ever felt. How many spacers are you running for it to feel plush?
Charger 3 and 3.1 are both so much worse than 2.1. It’s a shame, but at least it was still a semi functional damper unlike Grip2. Their rear shocks are also becoming way less home serviceable. It’s nice that Fox finally has a working fork damper again with the new Grip X and Grip X2. Hopefully the next step is a multi-chamber air spring like Ohlins and Manitou. The DHX2 is also really easy to service at home, just order the bullet tool and charge the IFP with a shock pump.
Dude I agree with everything you said. I remember saying in a video in early 2023 that I don't like Fox suspension, and I was using the Grip 2. I still love the Charger 2.1 and looking forward to install my grey Zeb again. I try to avoid servicing dampers 😭 but I remember looking up a full service on a Fox shock before and it's basically impossible with the nitrogen charge
Suspension really is impossible to research, Lyrik charger 3.1 is the most supple suspension I've ever had while still retaining some pop. (Tried Grip2, Charger3 etc)
Makes me wonder, is your fork defective? I got the 3.1 and I'm blown away. What you're saying couldn't be further from my experience now really supple over small bumps still really supportive in mid and ramps ups beautifully without much or any volume reduction.
Not sure dude. I’m running CC v3 Hightower with lyric ultimate with charger 3.1 and it feels pretty freaking good.. I do have to run lower pressure which I actually prefer. But like everything it does have a break-in
Happy birthday! I started with the cheap coil spring in case I got it wrong and ended up needing a little stiffer one but most are sold out everywhere, just ordered the Sprindex which has an adjustable rate for the same price as the SL Fox springs so hopefully that works out. How do you like the red MTX Pads? I put the gold pads on the TRP's I just installed and they work well but they have to heat up before they grab and I seem to have a harder time keeping them warm enough now that it's getting cold out.
Weight doesn’t mean much compared to proper set up and performance, especially when you consider the combined weight of the bike and the rider. Running the “lightest” tires you can for your terrain/riding style is a great place to save weight while improving performance.
Hey Evan, I might edit this comment later but I just had to say quickly that bit about the compression might be because you lowered the fork? Just my guess as my charger 3 works really well, maybe since you lowered the air spring it also compresses the damper, rendering the LSC useless? Just my guess
I just went for my first ride on the new grip X2 38 on the 2025 Nomad, it feels great. but my onyx 36 could get a lot slower with the rebound knob, i had the 38 set to pretty much fully slow with both hi/lo today... maybe needs thicker oil? or maybe more oil. It rode beautifully though, I'm sure I'll like it as much as the DVO eventually. I'm also very curious about the PUSH inverted single crown
Happy belated birthday my fellow Scorpio! The bike upgrades are pretty awesome and I'm glad that you're happy with them as lord knows that is not always the result with upgrades! That CC 40 headset bearing is definitely destroyed, also if I were you I would ask your LBS to warranty that ZEB as something isn't right with it. Did the Red Label MTX pads make a difference?
Yeah that headset cup wasn't working properly once I put the new fork on and swapped it with a spare. The red label pads feel more like semi metallic, feels close to metallic with a slightly soft resin bite point
I use a fox float x on my Hightower and I had to send it in recently for warranty service. While that was out I finally used the RockShox Super D ultimate that came with my CC frame and the adjustments on the RS SDU are VERY noticeable where as the Float X is a bit harder to feel. I was impressed with the RS SDU,. the lock out feels stiffer and LSC, HSC and rebound all were easy to tune and made noticeable differences in feel. BUT! I feel like the overall feel of the FLoat X is more what I like. It's supportive, poppy and consistent ride quality.
Oh yeah I have experience with a non-Kashima Float X, mainly on the E-Bike. It was over damped for my liking so that's why I didn't want to go with Float X and Fox 36 with Grip X. I could've went with Float X2 or whatever it's called but I wasn't sure it'd fit in the frame haha
Get Ohlins, its way better than either. The RXF38m.2 paired with the TTX22m.2 absolutely blows my Fox 38 Factory and Fox X2 Factory combo out of the water.
Evan did you take off the black washers from air bleed valves when you installed the fender? I'm sure you probably did It just didn't show on the video. I just got one and watched the video where they took off the little black rubber washer. That is a crazy canera set up😂
FYI, that fork has 34 internals. Some of the 36/38 E-Optimised forks have 34 and 36 internals respectively, to allow for thicker stanchion walls in order to make it stiffer for ebikes. You can tell because those are Fox 34 tokens.
that's interesting info!
Well, learnt something new today, thanks.
It kinda makes sense. Now, what's a tradeoff? Less volume to work with, that will get hot(ter?) faster?
Yep...and these E-forks get discounted a lot more than the standard forks because the demand isn't nearly as high. It would be easy for anyone to make this mistake if they didn't know better prior.
Very interesting. I intentionally bought an e-tuned 38, partly because it was $100 cheaper than the regular, for my e-bike. I had no idea this might be the case. I've emailed the seller, and it's honestly not a huge deal (my e-bike came stock with a Yari fork, that I upgraded with a damper to a Lyrik, which is less robust than a 36, and I love the 36 on my trail bike), but I am very curious whether there would be any trade-offs.
You should create Zoom sessions to teach people how to work on bikes, record the sessions, and post them. Call it Evan's Clinic. I think it could be fun, educational and entertaining.
That is a great idea,I love watching maintenance videos .
@@johnweir8936 me too
You can just buy a regular socket and grind down the chamfer with a grinder. I did it my self and it works just as good.
Happy birthday man !!!!!🎂🎂🎂
Bro this goes so well together
Interesting about the challenges with the latest rockshox fork. I would appreciate a video where you showcase components parts and bikes you didn't get along with, and have heard or seen similar issues in research.
Good choice on suspension upgrade. Glad the new pads helped the brakes. Bike is looking SICK 🤙
Thanks dude! Wait til you see the final upgrades
@EvansMTBSaga Almost forgot. Happy Birthday 🥳!
Got my first Fox fork on a new bike a 38 Grip2 and I'm not getting on with it so far, especially as they seem to have gone out of their way to make it difficult for a home mechanic.
2 different size chamferless sockets for the air spring and damper, 2 different sockets to remove the footnuts, 2 special tools to be able to knock back the footnuts without damaging them, airspring is a separate unit you have to remove, special clamp for the air spring to remove the footnut, a source of heat eg. Butane torch is needed to heat the end of the airspring to be able to loosen the footnut (which i could not do) that damages the o ring so you have to replace it. Then there's the crush washer you're meant to replace too 🤯WTF!
IIRC with a rockshox its an allen key, cassette tool and some circlip pliers 🤷
I wouldn't mind but the Fox feels really fidgety and wooden 🤨
Oh Man, I made the same mistake last year when Fox was running their Black Friday deals and bought my wife the e-optimized fork on accident. Also like you I just went ahead and installed it and turns out she’s loved it. It has been a bomb proof upgrade.
Haha no way! When researching online, I found a whole bunch of people on a forum talking about creaking CSU with Fox. So I did mental gymnastics and want to believe the E-Bike version won't have a creaky CSU cuz it's "robust" 😂
I accidentally got 29er plus an extra 20mm travel. Threw them on anyway. Oh boy. My trail bike doesn’t know what it is now but it destroys downhill.
Didn’t measure anything before and after but it looks super slack, and height wise it’s more like pushing my motocross bike ha ha feels great when I’m on it though.
Love how that Bronson is coming along! Love all the gold accents 💛
More gold to come believe it or not 😂
@EvansMTBSaga 😄 Looking forward to it!
I bought my La Sal Peak in 2022; just as they were releasing the new Charger 3 damper. I was a bit disappointed when my new bike came in that it had the Charger 2 damper; but perhaps I got the better deal for my riding style because I love the way my Zeb performs.
Happy birthday! Bike color looks sick in the sunshine. For fork top caps, I use Lunar bike custom top cap tools. Basically a flat wrench that fits the top cap perfect. I can easily carry the tool in my Camelback and change tokens on a ride if needed.
First off, Happy belated Birthday. This was my first 1/4 season on a coil. I ended up buying a sprindex. Haven't had a chance to ride it, season is done up here.
I go back and forth between coil and air on my Ripmo. The coil is amazing for erasing high speed chatter. I get better power transfer with the air though. The coil shock is so incredibly active that I find myself reaching for the lockout lever, where I never feel the need when I'm on air.
Had the exact same experience with the charger 3.0 zeb and went to öhlins, happy now!
have a fox 38 on another bike. Very good fork too!
Hell yeah. Fox does it for me hope you stick with it❤
Happy birthday man! Nicely looking bike!
I could watch that suspension work all day :D
Imagine a video where you do a setting or two, describe it as you think it should feel, then record video of how it goes. Then readjust, do same and see if even on a video you can see difference how fork works :)
It's always so funny to me, how break pads affect the break performence. I remember, when I was working at a bike shop, people used to turn in with tektro breaks installed, and requesting shimano for perf. Every time, I said to them, change them pads, if you don't like them, pads are on the house. Majority of people came back not to change the break, but to service them after the season.
So Shimano brake pads are way better than ones from Tektro?
People that work on brakes, but write it out as breaks is funny to me. You don’t know what you don’t know.
@@gregoryneal2852 to be fair, bleeding brakes and changing pads have very little to do with grammar
With Sram it's the other way around, the stock Code R pads are SO MUCH BETTER than everything else it's insane. I went with Galfer pads thinking it'd get me an extra edge in performance only to find out that they're a little worse and have a far shorter life span
*brake
Cool to see another fellow former BMX racer on the MTB! I got my first one a few years ago and haven't touched my BMX race bike from 2008 since! Keep up the cool videos, enjoy watching them. If you are ever in Nor Cal to ride, hit me up!
Oh heck yeah what's up Travis! I remember you from back in the BMX days. I stuck around BMX way too long and so do many other bmxers. I can't imagine traveling to a race for a few 30 seconds laps. MTB is where it's at
Happy Birthday, i love your Videos, especially the bike build videos, it’s always very interesting to hear your opinion on things. Keep riding!
It might be that you just need full service. I upgraded my charger 3 with 3.1 upgrade kit while giving fork for full service, day and night perfomance, all dials works perfectly. Best zeb i've ever had
The fact that his dials do nothing is a big sign that it needs a full service.
@@NicholasBatten-cl7qw My Lyrik dials did nothing from new. Surely they don't need a damper job straight from the factory? Fortunately, I like it the way it is.
Happy Birthday brother!
I've enjoyed the series on the Bronson, great content!
Happy Birthday Evan🎉I love your content.
That bike is a ripper, congrats and great upgrades! Also Happy Belated Birthday!
Happy BD...😎
I have two fox forks. I love their feel, and the reliable predictable behavior.
Happy birthday! Thanks for all this content!
Ohlins the only way to go. I opted for the grip X in my fox 36 and it’s definitely better than my fit for, but it’s just not as good as my grip2. When I watched the tech talk from what I heard the only difference was just the circuit separation for rebound so I wouldn’t think it would’ve affected how plush it is. Your E optimized chassis has thicker walled tubing, I think that’s where you’re getting your super Plush feel from. I wrote a friend of mine’s Marzzoci and it was noticeably more plush than my lightweight FOX 36 factory. it has much thicker walled tubing as well. Maybe that’s where it comes from.
He bought a x2 not x
The Fox can be taken apart super easy with an adjustable wrench, no need for the special socket. Just make sure to hold down on the wrench while you turn it. Even better than rockshox cause you dont need a cassette tool, just a common wrench you can find in any department store.
That fork costs more than my whole bike 😂
lol, cost more than both of mine too, and I mean TWO,😊 e-bikes, ( yeah, eMTB’s cause I’m 74 YO rehabbing, triple bypass heart attack & minor stroke. I have so much more FUN doing my cardio rehab on two wheels riding hills & trails trying only use the “E” assist on the steaper uphills than on some sort of machine that goes nowhere in a smelly gym. Loving my Yamaha Moro 7’s suspension, it’s really light for an e-bike and pedals great with no assist, the assist makes steep hills doable for the old man part of me to enjoy the downhill rush for the little bit of kid left in me !!!😂 👍
If you are still on the fence about the orange coil just get it powder coated. my local powdercoat shop only charges me 20 bucks per SLS spring so it wouldn't hurt to ask your local shop. i had one powdered Illusion Blueberry to match my Bass Boat Blue Shuttle LT and one powdered Bronze Chrome for my Bronson v3 to match the frame decals.
🎉 Happy birthday 🎉
Great choice of forks and happy 35th birthday man!
The Lost Co guys are super helpful. Mike personally helped me choose the spring and shock hardware.
Yeah dude those tech sections have been a staple since he told me about them
I just wanna go through the screen and steal your project bike. Frankly, you're giving the bike a whole level of value and it's... Freaking tasty!
Man I'd be devastated if this got stolen
@EvansMTBSaga No need to be worried. I'm 4 hours and thousands of kilometres away from you. 😂
But seriously, that's one rad bike. Work very well done.
Your damper is knackered! The new Zeb is unreal! It smashes the fox 38 definitely
I love that he likes biking so much he even does it for his birthday. 😁
I honesty feel that with the technology there is, suspension could be way better, but rockshox especially
Yeah I agree. It seems motocross has it figured out. Maybe MTB is really limited with the space inside the stanchion
Happy b-day brotha. Stoked to see you on a coil! I knew you'd love Fox! 😉
Happy Birthday! Hope you had a good one. I don't like the way the forks aren't sealed from the fender screws; I feel like if you lose a screw, you could easily have some serious problems.
You need a gold fox dropper
Too expensive! Still might do it though haha
@@EvansMTBSaga lol
@@EvansMTBSagadon't do it black looks better
The faster I ride, the more I appreciate Fox forks. Rockshox lost me with their forks when they went to "Torque Caps" a few years ago. Speaking of which, did you have to change the end caps on your front wheel? Finally, happy birthday, Evan!
I never seen torque caps on a bike out of the box. Looks like nobody cares about that.
Each time I see them, owner ordered them separately or made custom ones for his hub.
You compared the weight of the air shock to the coil shock minus the coil spring.
Not everything needs to be shown or said. I hadn't revealed the spring yet and when I did I said it's 100g lighter than the regular steel version. Then I showed the completed before and after weight
Happy Birthday!😊
Happy Birthday and congrats on the build! Fox has the fork market nailed down for sure. I’m not super impressed with my ZEB Ultimate because it seems stiff and doesn’t really tune down the trail chatter. I’ve been playing with it a lot but see a Fox 38 or DVO Onyx in my bike’s future if I can’t get it straightened out.
I love the way you work on your bikes. I would love to learn to work on mine.
The bearing split open. I’ve only seen that when the headset cups are out of spec/out of round. It basically eats the bearing apart because there isn’t equal force all the way around it
Gold one up bar decals would be cool, gold bolts and thru axles (better bolts do some) and also a custom gold paint job on the spring
I recently upgraded my Lyrik damper to an RCT3 2.1 ,new air spring etc...Love it...Ha!!
besides being broke the other reason why i don't go with a higher priced fork is all the dang adjusting that is required. My current fork is a 160mm RS Domain and I love it. While it's not top of the line it's great for what I use it for which is some light enduro and best of all it doesn't require a bunch of adjusting. I was considering changing out the damper with the more expensive Charger II (I think that's the right one) but after seeing the damper cost more then what i paid for the fork on sale i decided not to.
Happy Belated Birthday! We went to the bike fest last year and I was really hoping to run into you. Alas we are hoping to go in 2025 so maybe I will get to meet you then. Love your content. Keep up the great work.
@Evan Rockshox dampers sometimes have missing orings at the top (knobs) which allow dirt ingress which messes with the clicks and the damping itself. My Pike Ultimate has a super stiff HSC knob and un-detented LSC knob and will have to disassemble the knobs and top of damper to rectify. I see your HSC knob is almost free moving so maybe it is the issue too. Charger 3/3.1 dampers are also historically less consistent and sometimes they behave differently from fork to fork. My Pike is the silver one with Charger 2.1 - the most reliable and easiest version to service and use, which is why most mechs still recommend to stick with 2.1 and not jump to the buttercup stuff.
Rockshox also has less mid-stroke support than Fox so you may need more tokens or a re-tune for shim stack. Rockshox is more plush throughout the stroke so if you just hammer on damping and air pressure without varying your tokens it will cause setup headache.
I havent gone to a coil and still have an X2 on both my E and analog enduro bikes, but I do have the 38 version of that fork. Its the best fork I have ever used by far. I didnt get a new one but updated the dampers on my originals, then sold them for half price of new, so I got what i wanted and hooked up someone else looking for better internals on a older 38 they had too.
It has been a good content to take the fork and show how much friction it has with the front hub you use. It would have been great demonstration what to expect from Fox straight out of the box.
I'd raher buy Sprindex spring so you have much more space to play with.
Hey Evan if you’re unhappy with the stock damping on the any of the Rockshox forks they do make a heavier compression tune as well as 3 different rebound tunes.
running 2x 10cc in the fork on a 54lbs levo, 90psi air spring, 10-12clix, ~180lbs rider(w/ gear), 1token is my best feel but will BO too easily on what I ride
maybe start with 1 and then go from there, you got the socket; it's an easy swap, plus you got 3 to play instead of one or none 👌
IMO a Smashpot for the Zeb would have been a better choice than moving to the E36. But a coil build in B'ville is overkill. Pretty happy with DVO forks.
A friend just got a new Ibis with Fox and his fork failed twice in two weeks so back to Fox it goes again, sticking down in the travel. Fox does have great warranty but now without his bike again
You should consider picking up Sprindex spring for your rear shock. They give you 50lbs of adjustment without needing to buy another spring.
Three is too many spacers to start with. I recommend one spacer to start with for you. You have a good chance you will want to add a second. This is my guide. YMMV. 120-150 lbs combined rider weight 1-2 spacers, 160-180 lbs 2-3 spacers, 180+ lbs 3-4 spacers
No offence to anyone, but I never liked Rockshox when I ever started. Now, story time about that, I used to have a Suntour heavy gravel fork, just about 60 mm, and when I upgraded to an Orbea Alma, I purchased with a rockshox judy, then I sold it, replaced it with a domain, and from the start, it never felt smooth, and the compression was too harsh. After about 2 years, I got a Knolly Endorphin from Craigslist, Super good deal. It came with a fox factory, and started rough, but once I lubed the stanchions, so much better. Never changing unless I grow out of it.
Happy Birthday Evan! My birthday was on Friday turning 51.
I love the videos [especially the Hardtail content] Keep it going🤙🏻
Scorpios are the best! Happy belated birthday!!
The Bronson looks really sick now!! Even you are not the biggest fan of the TRP parts but they look just awesome on this frame and colour! I was wondering if you would go with the Podium Gold Fox fork as you said the theme is gold, but this looks better in my opinion. 👍
Happy bday! How are the TRPs with the new pads? I use Trickstuff ( red ) and galfer ( green ) pads in my TRPs and find the braking power much better than stock pads
As a Bellingham local, it’s super rad to see you partnering with the Lost Co! I’ve been going there for years mostly for suspension
Man one day in the near future I'm gonna make it up there and ride Galbraith!
If you are interested in racing an enduro on that bike, on December 7-8 in Jasper Arkansas, it’s called blaze of G’narly bike stampede
This bike is starting to look so good but, HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVAN HOPE YOU HAVE/HAD A GREAT DAY!!
Thanks Liz!
Happy birthday!! I love your videos!!
You have to try Ohlins suspension
I have 2-3 tokens in my fox 36. You can run lower psi and have it ramp up nicely with more tokens. The Lost Co. has a great video on setting up the fox 36; I was no where near the recommended settings.
Happy belated birthday man, enjoy your content!
The zeb 2.1 charger with the buttercups air spring is the best setup you can rock right without going ohlins.
Oh yeah dude I have a grey Zeb 2.1 and it's one of the best forks ever. I wonder if I could retrofit the butter cups
The creaky CSU is real, but only when you push the fork harder. 38 factory 170 mm
Happy birthday !!!
Awesome bike man, you should try to put the fox dropper post that has the kashima coat ,it would look perfect on that bike😉 btw happy birthday 🎂
When I first saw that bike I instantly thought “oh fox Kashima coating would look sick on that” 😂
Happy birthday!
Keep it up, good videos!
All the best!
You know what might be interesting - to try intend forks - people say that they are amazing, and for the channel like yours it would be great to try them out and see if its true
Interesting to see your fork came with three spacers. I got the exact same 36 160mm GripX2 (just not the ebike version) and it only came with one spacer.
I actually hated the fork for the first month or so with only one spacer in. I was running like 70psi as a 130lb rider and bottoming out a ton. I now have 4 10cc spacers in (running like 49psi) and it's the best fork I've ever felt. How many spacers are you running for it to feel plush?
It's wild that the rear shock was on sale and was still more expensive than my current mtb
Charger 3 and 3.1 are both so much worse than 2.1. It’s a shame, but at least it was still a semi functional damper unlike Grip2. Their rear shocks are also becoming way less home serviceable.
It’s nice that Fox finally has a working fork damper again with the new Grip X and Grip X2. Hopefully the next step is a multi-chamber air spring like Ohlins and Manitou. The DHX2 is also really easy to service at home, just order the bullet tool and charge the IFP with a shock pump.
Dude I agree with everything you said. I remember saying in a video in early 2023 that I don't like Fox suspension, and I was using the Grip 2. I still love the Charger 2.1 and looking forward to install my grey Zeb again. I try to avoid servicing dampers 😭 but I remember looking up a full service on a Fox shock before and it's basically impossible with the nitrogen charge
Suspension really is impossible to research, Lyrik charger 3.1 is the most supple suspension I've ever had while still retaining some pop. (Tried Grip2, Charger3 etc)
Yeah I can't speak to the Lyrik charger 3. I'd like to but these companies act like I don't exist 😭
Well happy birthday and enjoy your new bike🎉
Makes me wonder, is your fork defective? I got the 3.1 and I'm blown away. What you're saying couldn't be further from my experience now really supple over small bumps still really supportive in mid and ramps ups beautifully without much or any volume reduction.
I think I'm going to up the travel from 150 and try it out. Its capable of 150mm travel, but maybe there's a reason they don't sell it as 150
Not sure dude. I’m running CC v3 Hightower with lyric ultimate with charger 3.1 and it feels pretty freaking good.. I do have to run lower pressure which I actually prefer. But like everything it does have a break-in
Happy birthday! I started with the cheap coil spring in case I got it wrong and ended up needing a little stiffer one but most are sold out everywhere, just ordered the Sprindex which has an adjustable rate for the same price as the SL Fox springs so hopefully that works out.
How do you like the red MTX Pads? I put the gold pads on the TRP's I just installed and they work well but they have to heat up before they grab and I seem to have a harder time keeping them warm enough now that it's getting cold out.
Weight doesn’t mean much compared to proper set up and performance, especially when you consider the combined weight of the bike and the rider. Running the “lightest” tires you can for your terrain/riding style is a great place to save weight while improving performance.
Happy Birthday Evan!
Hey Evan, I might edit this comment later but I just had to say quickly that bit about the compression might be because you lowered the fork? Just my guess as my charger 3 works really well, maybe since you lowered the air spring it also compresses the damper, rendering the LSC useless? Just my guess
Yeah I might up the travel and install it on a different bike
I just went for my first ride on the new grip X2 38 on the 2025 Nomad, it feels great. but my onyx 36 could get a lot slower with the rebound knob, i had the 38 set to pretty much fully slow with both hi/lo today... maybe needs thicker oil? or maybe more oil. It rode beautifully though, I'm sure I'll like it as much as the DVO eventually. I'm also very curious about the PUSH inverted single crown
Happy Birthday! I enjoy watching all your videos.
Thanks Jesus!!
Can we see a redo of the braking test with the new pads in the DH-R Evos? I have been planning to put MTX pads in mine.
Happy birthday man 🎉🎂hope you have a great birthday
Happy belated birthday my fellow Scorpio! The bike upgrades are pretty awesome and I'm glad that you're happy with them as lord knows that is not always the result with upgrades! That CC 40 headset bearing is definitely destroyed, also if I were you I would ask your LBS to warranty that ZEB as something isn't right with it. Did the Red Label MTX pads make a difference?
Yeah that headset cup wasn't working properly once I put the new fork on and swapped it with a spare. The red label pads feel more like semi metallic, feels close to metallic with a slightly soft resin bite point
Happy birthday man!!🎂🎂
Great way to celebrate your birthday and great video. I have Fox 34 Performance fork and DPS shock. Is it worth upgrading to factory suspension?
Maybe the rear shock. The fork only if it's not feeling good for how you're riding
I use a fox float x on my Hightower and I had to send it in recently for warranty service. While that was out I finally used the RockShox Super D ultimate that came with my CC frame and the adjustments on the RS SDU are VERY noticeable where as the Float X is a bit harder to feel. I was impressed with the RS SDU,. the lock out feels stiffer and LSC, HSC and rebound all were easy to tune and made noticeable differences in feel. BUT! I feel like the overall feel of the FLoat X is more what I like. It's supportive, poppy and consistent ride quality.
Oh yeah I have experience with a non-Kashima Float X, mainly on the E-Bike. It was over damped for my liking so that's why I didn't want to go with Float X and Fox 36 with Grip X. I could've went with Float X2 or whatever it's called but I wasn't sure it'd fit in the frame haha
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVENNNNNN
Marzocchi. thats all that needs to be said. oh and happy birthday!!
Get Ohlins, its way better than either. The RXF38m.2 paired with the TTX22m.2 absolutely blows my Fox 38 Factory and Fox X2 Factory combo out of the water.
Evan did you take off the black washers from air bleed valves when you installed the fender? I'm sure you probably did It just didn't show on the video. I just got one and watched the video where they took off the little black rubber washer. That is a crazy canera set up😂
That's the sickest bike set up.