Upgrade 2020 Explore E+ with Fox Flow 32 29" fork (version 2)

[iskjone]

After my earlier mission to replace my suspension fork on the Explore E+ with a RockShox hit a dead end I purchased a Fox Flow 32 29" Suspension fork and so far I'm trilled with the results. No problems with the install and now my bike feels solid and smooth, not like the original fork that steered like a wet noodle.

I think replacing the stock steering bearings with the 'sealed bearings' in the Giant FSA kit improved feedback response that was also missing with the stock setup. That's my two cents worth of amateur advice.

 

[Browneye]

And it fits!?!

 

[iskjone]

Yes. Rides as good as I could hope. I far as my eye and a tape measure can tell everything matches up perfectly. My factory front wheel and brakes installed on Fox fork with no problems. Changing the headset bearings isn't really necessary but I did it just because. I haven't been on any broken trails that test's the limits of travel but the Explore isn't intended to be a mountain bike. The bike's e-Frame, 9mm axles and 32mm fork tubes can take moderate punishment but not serious rock hopping. I left the factory PSI as is and turned the Fox fork selector to "T" and set off on my first ride on hard pavement, lose gravel and a bit of dirt trail. At the end of the ride I was "OK, that's more like it!" Before the Fox change whenever I would do any heavy duty braking my Explore would pitch forward like my dad's 63 Ford Galaxy. Now, you sense the shift in weigh forward but without an abrupt pitch. I'm heading up to Acadia National Park this weekend to ride some Carriage Roads/Hiking Trails thru the Park. I'll have a more informed opinion at the end of that week.

Fox Float 32 29er Evolution Series CTD (Climb, Trail, Descend) , 29"fork, 80mm Travel, 1.5 Tapered Steer, 9MM QR axle. (Model Year Introduction 2015) My price was $325 w/free shipping but there may be better deals.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Unluckily, it is the 9 mm QR axle. Not good for me if I ever wanted to replace the fork with my Vado because it has the Thru-Axle. I was able to replace Suntour NEX crap with Rock Shox Paragon Gold RL, also with the 9 mm QR axle in another e-bike of mine.

 

[iskjone]

Yes, you need to match up the specs but I would think there would be a number of options for your Vado. That's a very popular model. (Nice!) Some of the high end forks are dropping into commodity pricing so you may get lucky. The original retail price of Fox fork I bought was near $1K when it came out in 2015. I paid less than 1/3 that but still think pricing is too high.

 

[gorse]

That's one big lever you got there... no surprise you're having issues with front end tracking, but really you should always set fork sag, rebound etc regardless of the spring type (coil or air). Trusting it to some factory setting after going to all that effort is a bit daft. Aim for 20-25% sag in normal riding position (in your case I'd stand on the pedals as all your weight will be on your seat with that stem stack)

 

[Browneye]

Spendy upgrade.
If I keep my Explore I may be swayed to do the same. Looks really nice, HAS to work better than the POS stocker one.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Rock Shox Paragon Gold RL on my Lovelec. It is also the 9 mm QR axle.

 

[Browneye]

I think he was trying to make a joke out of him questioning the factory setting. Seems like a good fork option. Glad to hear it fits.

There is definitely a difference in the higher end bike suspensions. My Trance just blows me away how well it works. I had no idea they had gotten to this level of damping and control. They just flat work.

 

[iskjone]

Browneye, I would stop just short of recommending the Fox fork as an upgrade. It was an exorbitant upgrade for a Explore E+4 but my factory fork, after maybe 200 miles, had morphed into a pogo stick with a wheel tied to it. I tried different adjustments but the stock fork was just unacceptable to me. My Explore is my one and only e-Bike and so far I'm thrilled with the results of the Fox upgrade.. Your mileage may differ. If I had a Trance I would be reluctant to overspend on upgrading a back-up bike. My primary issue with the Fox fork is the steer stem needs to be cut to a precise length that varies from bike to bike. That means it's probably not transferable to another ride. That sucks.

 

[iskjone]

Rock Shox Paragon Gold RL on my Lovelec. It is also the 9 mm QR axle.


Cool, fenders! I had to loose my fenders when I moved up to 60mm urban tread. Not enough clearance. Does the RockShox have fender studs/bolts?
View attachment 54973

 

[FlatSix911]

Good to see this thread cleaned up and back on topic.

 

[iskjone]

Good to see this thread cleaned up and back on topic.

Yea, my bad. Apologies to forum members and I was already admonished by the this forum's speech police. No excuses.

 

[FlatSix911]

Yea, my bad. Apologies to forum members and I was already admonished by the this forum's speech police. No excuses.

No worries... welcome back.

 

[Captain Slow]

Love Fox forks. You got a really good price.

 

[gorse]

Apologies from me too, didn't mean to come across as a jackass..

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Cool, fenders! I had to loose my fenders when I moved up to 60mm urban tread. Not enough clearance. Does the RockShox have fender studs/bolts?

Yes, it has. The point is, the crappy Suntour NEX fork broke on that e-bike. My brother who currently rides that bike was unhappy. He asked me to do some market research with the motto "Don't let your friends buy Suntour forks" He was very critical about my choices; we have eliminated the RST forks from the equation too. He demanded it should be an air fork (65 mm travel max), it should be good for the 9 x 100 mm QR axle, it should have fender bosses and it should not have the V-brake attachment points. We found the Rock Shox Paragon Gold RL the only remaining, available and affordable option. The price was EUR 169 (it was around USD 200 with the shipment cost).

My brother was enchanted with the sus fork as it met all his criteria. It even came inflated to 100 psi, exactly for his own weight!

 

[iskjone]

Didn’t get fender bosses on the Fox fork because I didn’t occur to me that they might be available on 29er forks. Oh well, I only have room for Muddy Nuts type of fender anyways and it use zip ties.