Stock Suntour vs Fox Float 34 Forks

[marcparnes]

Does anyone have experience with the stock Suntour fork that comes on the Delite vs the upgraded Fox Float 34? I'm looking for something more compliant than the stock Suntour. I went through it about 300 miles ago and lubed everything which helped but now its back to where it was. If the Fox setup is more plush I'll look into swapping them out. Any thoughts?

Marc

 

[JVBulman]

The Fox Float is a noticeable upgrade in quality. Maintenance is a bit more involved, but if you're into servicing your own stuff or have a reliable shop you work it, I say go for it.

 

[FlatSix911]

Does anyone have experience with the stock Suntour fork that comes on the Delite vs the upgraded Fox Float 34? I'm looking for something more compliant than the stock Suntour.
I went through it about 300 miles ago and lubed everything which helped but now its back to where it was. If the Fox setup is more plush I'll look into swapping them out. Any thoughts?

Marc

There is really no comparison with the stock Suntour fork... go with the Fox Float 34 mm.

 

[Law]

Where Are you riding on a Delite that requires a 1k fox replacement.?

Just keep soaking it with fork lube lol. And the first inch is more tire pressure IMO.

 

[linklemming]

Does anyone have experience with the stock Suntour fork that comes on the Delite vs the upgraded Fox Float 34? I'm looking for something more compliant than the stock Suntour. I went through it about 300 miles ago and lubed everything which helped but now its back to where it was. If the Fox setup is more plush I'll look into swapping them out. Any thoughts?

Marc

What do you mean you lubed it? Did you take take it apart and lube something or perhaps replace shock oil? Maybe lubed the stanchions (which is not recommended)?

What other things have you done to tune it like air pressure/rebound/compression/change characteristics by trimming air spacer?

The Aion is a pretty nice fork for many people. I had one one my Bulls eMTB and liked it except for the fact that I like to service almost all parts on my bikes and the Aion servicing really didnt seem geared for the DIY type (spotty videos, hard to find parts in the US). The Aion on my bulls was a euro spec part(35mm stanchions) since Bulls is german and when it came to getting parts, many parts had to be shipped from europe. Mine initially leaked from faulty seals and while suntour replaced the seal under warranty, it was $90 in labor and a 1 week wait for parts. When a rock took out the rebound adjuster resulting in the fork clunking on being unweighted due to too fast rebound, the replacement cartridge was around $250, had to be shipped from europe (more $$ and time) and more shope time. In the end I think it was going to cost me $350 so I was now going to be out about $450 for this fork.

I finally got a nice new Rockshox Yari on ebay for $550. What nice is about this fork is I can get parts anywhere (like jensonusa), there are nice servicing videos and articles.

I also have a Fox 34 on a FS bike and LOVE it

 

[marcparnes]

What do you mean you lubed it? Did you take take it apart and lube something or perhaps replace shock oil? Maybe lubed the stanchions (which is not recommended)?

What other things have you done to tune it like air pressure/rebound/compression/change characteristics by trimming air spacer?

The Aion is a pretty nice fork for many people. I had one one my Bulls eMTB and liked it except for the fact that I like to service almost all parts on my bikes and the Aion servicing really didnt seem geared for the DIY type (spotty videos, hard to find parts in the US). The Aion on my bulls was a euro spec part(35mm stanchions) since Bulls is german and when it came to getting parts, many parts had to be shipped from europe. Mine initially leaked from faulty seals and while suntour replaced the seal under warranty, it was $90 in labor and a 1 week wait for parts. When a rock took out the rebound adjuster resulting in the fork clunking on being unweighted due to too fast rebound, the replacement cartridge was around $250, had to be shipped from europe (more $$ and time) and more shope time. In the end I think it was going to cost me $350 so I was now going to be out about $450 for this fork.

I finally got a nice new Rockshox Yari on ebay for $550. What nice is about this fork is I can get parts anywhere (like jensonusa), there are nice servicing videos and articles.

I also have a Fox 34 on a FS bike and LOVE it

This fork is extremely easy to service. I completely disassembled it and performed the factory recommended service which includes soaking the felts in oil which are supposed to keep the tubes/bushings lubricated. I also re-greased the seals as suggested using the proper lubricant. On reassembly it worked better but after a few hundred miles it is back to being non-compliant over small bumps. I've been working on motorcycle suspension for a very long time so I'm familiar with it. I've played with the spacers both with and without, air pressure/sag and damping settings. I want to have a fork that is as compliant as possible and this one isn't. Its a matter of the type of seals they use, the makeup of the bushings, the finish on the sliding surfaces, the damping components, allowable tolerances, etc. All of these things contribute to stiction which determines how reactive the unit is going to be to the small bumps encountered on pavement. Everything I've read so far tells me that Fox makes a higher quality albeit more expensive fork assembly than the more middle market fork supplied as stock on my bike. I'm just trying to get some real world feedback before I spend the money and it sounds like you like yours

Marc

 

[linklemming]

This fork is extremely easy to service. I completely disassembled it and performed the factory recommended service which includes soaking the felts in oil which are supposed to keep the tubes/bushings lubricated. I also re-greased the seals as suggested using the proper lubricant. On reassembly it worked better but after a few hundred miles it is back to being non-compliant over small bumps. I've been working on motorcycle suspension for a very long time so I'm familiar with it. I've played with the spacers both with and without, air pressure/sag and damping settings. I want to have a fork that is as compliant as possible and this one isn't. Its a matter of the type of seals they use, the makeup of the bushings, the finish on the sliding surfaces, the damping components, allowable tolerances, etc. All of these things contribute to stiction which determines how reactive the unit is going to be to the small bumps encountered on pavement. Everything I've read so far tells me that Fox makes a higher quality albeit more expensive fork assembly than the more middle market fork supplied as stock on my bike. I'm just trying to get some real world feedback before I spend the money and it sounds like you like yours

Marc

Wow, sounds like you are much more capable in working on forks than me. Sorry if my questions seemed insulting then, but it wasnt clear and we see all sorts of vague questions sometimes

Suntour had all sorts of videos I eventually found and people who are more in the know (like you) could interpolate but not me. Thats why I want forks whos servicing is well documented. Both RockShox and Fox have this.

Yes, I love my Fox Float 34 on my acoustic SC tallboy (as well as the rear shock). Very compliant and cushy and at least on my tallboy, it has 3 set positions(full lockout, firm and soft) for lockout type functionality which I use all the time. The only negative is that the rebound adjuster (like on the aion) is a little nub on the end of a very expensive damper cartridge that can be easily broken off by rocks. The adjuster is much better protected than the aion though. There is a ebike version with thicker stanchions thats uses the fox 32 internals.

I also love Rockshox and in many ways prefer the design as the rebound adjuster is like an allen key that fits into a recess in the damper cartridge and could be easily replaced seperately of the cartridge. My yari isnt as plush as my fox 34 but it was a cheaper model with less sophisticated damper which is fine for that bike as its got huge plush 27.5x2.8 tires.

Why do I focus on this rebound adjuster design?...because I have broke several of them over the years from rocks flying up....damn rocky mountains

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

On reassembly it worked better but after a few hundred miles it is back to being non-compliant over small bumps. I've been working on motorcycle suspension for a very long time so I'm familiar with it. I've played with the spacers both with and without, air pressure/sag and damping settings. I want to have a fork that is as compliant as possible and this one isn't. Its a matter of the type of seals they use, the makeup of the bushings, the finish on the sliding surfaces, the damping components, allowable tolerances, etc. All of these things contribute to stiction which determines how reactive the unit is going to be to the small bumps encountered on pavement. Everything I've read so far tells me that Fox makes a higher quality albeit more expensive fork assembly than the more middle market fork supplied as stock on my bike. I'm just trying to get some real world feedback before I spend the money and it sounds like you like yours

Marc

Hey Marc,
I have worked on a few Suntour forks on the bikes I owned and it is a decent fork for a majority of the use cases and as you alluded, serviceable as well.
I have owned a couple of R&M bikes with both Suntour and Fox and without boring you with all the technical details, FOX responds much better on roads while going over short bumps or road imperfections.

From your handle picture, it looks like you own an R&M Delite and without a doubt, Fox will improve the responsiveness and ride characteristics.

 

[marcparnes]

Great! That’s what I was looking to hear. Now to figure out how to get it done

Thanks for everyone’s feedback!
Marc

 

[djsb]

If you do replace your Aion OEM fork for the Fox Float ones could you do a video or some photo's please? It would be helpful as I hope to do the same later on (on my Delite). Thanks.

David

PS Would you be fitting a Fox rear shock as well at the same time?

 

[marcparnes]

If you do replace your Aion OEM fork for the Fox Float ones could you do a video or some photo's please? It would be helpful as I hope to do the same later on (on my Delite). Thanks.

David

PS Would you be fitting a Fox rear shock as well at the same time?

I already swapped out the shock last summer mainly due that the stock one failed.
Marc

 

[djsb]

Which one did you fit last year? I ask because on a motorcycle for instance both the front and rear shocks have an effect, so they both have to be taken into consideration.

 

[marcparnes]

Which one did you fit last year? I ask because on a motorcycle for instance both the front and rear shocks have an effect, so they both have to be taken into consideration.

Fox Float DPS. The same that is offered as an upgrade from R&M.

Marc

 

[djsb]

For future reference which size of rear shock fits the 2017 Delite? Thanks.

 

[marcparnes]

For future reference which size of rear shock fits the 2017 Delite? Thanks.

The dealer supplied it so I don't really know.

Marc

 

[marcparnes]

Just an update: I finished the Fox 34 install yesterday. The difference is obvious, much more compliant which is what I was looking for. Fox doesn't supply the ebike specific fork with 100 mm of travel only 120 mm, so I had to change the air assembly in order to get the correct travel. It was only $35 so no biggie. I also took the opportunity to upgrade the seals to SKF which has lower friction. Overall the job is quite doable at home but does require a couple of special tools to install the seals and to remove the lowers. I was able to make them but if you had to buy them the cost is about $50 for the two. The only difficult step is removing the lower bearing support from the steerer stem. I was able to reuse it but if I was to do this again I think I would just get a new one. The fender mounting is also different. You need new mounting pieces that go around the fork legs since they are much thicker and it will take a different type of mount where the fender attaches to the fork bridge which I haven't sourced yet. Considering the special tools involved it would probably be advisable to have a shop do the swap unless you're pretty hands-on. BTW, the fork was $750 from Jensen. The the air assembly came direct from Fox.

Marc

 

[steve mercier]

Just an update: I finished the Fox 34 install yesterday. The difference is obvious, much more compliant which is what I was looking for. Fox doesn't supply the ebike specific fork with 100 mm of travel only 120 mm, so I had to change the air assembly in order to get the correct travel. It was only $35 so no biggie. I also took the opportunity to upgrade the seals to SKF which has lower friction. Overall the job is quite doable at home but does require a couple of special tools to install the seals and to remove the lowers. I was able to make them but if you had to buy them the cost is about $50 for the two. The only difficult step is removing the lower bearing support from the steerer stem. I was able to reuse it but if I was to do this again I think I would just get a new one. The fender mounting is also different. You need new mounting pieces that go around the fork legs since they are much thicker and it will take a different type of mount where the fender attaches to the fork bridge which I haven't sourced yet. Considering the special tools involved it would probably be advisable to have a shop do the swap unless you're pretty hands-on. BTW, the fork was $750 from Jensen. The the air assembly came direct from Fox.

Marc

Marc what would have been the problem with using that Fox 34 and leaving it at the120 mm travel?

 

[marcparnes]

Marc what would have been the problem with using that Fox 34 and leaving it at the120 mm travel?

Nothing really other than I have relatively short legs and reducing the travel was easy enough to do.

Marc