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Need to rebuild a Fox shock


brentb
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8 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

 

That bike really might be on borrowed time. With my experience in shops, ten years is stretching the life of a mountain bike. No one will think any less of you if you replace it some time. Don't wait until it actually breaks under you.

I disagree. Well maintained and ridden as designed this bike should go a long time. Mechanical v brakes last forever. 8spd lasts forever. Updated/well serviced suspension is durable. Keep an eye on rear end welds and the bearings and ride it.

The issue in Austin is that bikes just are not made for Austin. Coker and crowd ran these old Racerx's as all mountain bikes and not as the XC bikes Titus intended. That took it's toll on a lot of them. Don't Huck it and there is no reason it won't go another 10yrs. BUT go ahead and buy another bike.

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28 minutes ago, Mattlikesbikes said:

I disagree. Well maintained and ridden as designed this bike should go a long time. Mechanical v brakes last forever. 8spd lasts forever. Updated/well serviced suspension is durable. Keep an eye on rear end welds and the bearings and ride it.

The issue in Austin is that bikes just are not made for Austin. Coker and crowd ran these old Racerx's as all mountain bikes and not as the XC bikes Titus intended. That took it's toll on a lot of them. Don't Huck it and there is no reason it won't go another 10yrs. BUT go ahead and buy another bike.

 


Absolutely.

 

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12 hours ago, brentb said:

I wasn't ignoring you, keep scrollin'.

Pretty funny, I think I may have gotten your post notification about the same time I got Tim's call.

Here's the deal. I keep bikes a long time and keep them running. Last Saturday, I finally sold my 1993 Trek 8700. This was Trek's half carbon, half aluminum bike. All XT, total weight was 26lbs IIRC. That bike took me on the MS150, and was perhaps my favorite ride for Walnut.

Regarding the shock, Tim @ Cycleast finished up my shock today, and he said while the internal seals were shot, everything else looked fine. No problems rebuilding it, all internal seals were replaced, new damper fluid, and a fresh nitrogen charge.

So, for entertainment purposes here's my 2001 Titus. The original owner was the founder of Hammerhead bikes, I forget his name (Charles?). I'm the third owner and got it around 2005.

After a quick clean and reassembly:

259763833_titus-2.thumb.jpg.76b6e02d6ead894194f15c40ee6fcff3.jpg

XTR hubs and front derailleur, XT rear derailleur.

640576362_titus-1.thumb.jpg.c24cbea55f477ee933f31973ff504d47.jpg

Besides 4 or so small rock dings on the bottom side of the down tube, the only damage is the punched seatstay below. That part of the stay is slightly bent, but it was like this when I got the bike. I had a fall on cheesegrater that punched it even further though, but it's been like this for many years now.

536051012_titus-3.thumb.jpg.79ef030e94ff12460abc34370efcbc5c.jpg

And top tire choices for Austin, for 2008.

1224061305_titus-4.thumb.jpg.d4a4e99c17b7b86acbd1df1d89174217.jpg

I'd like to point out, the rear tire is a full 2.0 inches.

2097542714_titus-5.thumb.jpg.98eec9cf86fc06a99f3e10c7710fd005.jpg

 

Besides normal maintenance, here's the total work I've had to do on this bike:

  1. Replace original Marzocchi Bomber fork with the Recon. It was a huge improvement, low cost, more travel, smoother, and except for its weight, is not a bad shock at all.
  2. Disassemble, clean, and lube the front derailleur shifter. It works perfectly now. Done 3/2019.
  3. First rear shock rebuild, 2009ish? Sent to Fox.
  4. Second rear shock rebuild, 4/2019

It's been a great bike. The rear wheel needs truing, but nothing major.

Thanks, everybody, for the various shop suggestions that allowed my bike to get fixed so quickly! I appreciate it.

 



Some get the above... Others don't.

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1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

That looks exactly like my Hammerhead from around 2005. I demo'd Charles' bike and then bought one.

Loved it and hammered on it for ~4 years, then the frame cracked at the head tube and it had to go to that great bike pile in the sky.

Yours had the update frame with extra suspension link off the seat tube. That's quite a tube split, it just tore apart.

I remember a few Mojos cracking the Titus frames. That is actually something I've watched for, especially with the dent on the right seat stay, but so far no cracks in this frame. When I cleaned it yesterday, I checked around the headtube and BB as usual. This bike is XC through-and-through, and does not invite larger hits at all. Even though the rear suspension is ~4", it feels like half that.

@mack_turtle, once I do some rentals and decide on The Next One, I'll retire this bike.

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I mostly rode the greenbelt and city park back then. I am not a big air guy and always take the easier line. I am not the guy that should be breaking frames. Broke a Gary Fisher twice (cheaper bike), broke the Hammerhead (after 4 years of regular pounding), then I broke a Knolly 3 times (design flaw).

Since that time I had a Sant Cruz Blur (still running the the Austin circles) and a Niner RIP 9 (bought used, now ~8+ years old.)

From roughly 2002 - 2008 or so it seemed like every week someone broke a frame. Few riders I knew escaped without a crack somewhere. The industry probably grew up too quick and pushed the envelope. I'm sure the warranty costs from that time period taught them all some expensive lessons. Those that were able to ride it out financially ended up building burlier bikes and those that could not went under. That is why today you don't see the failures. Another contributing factor used to be that bikes were $1500-3000 back then. If you spent $3K you were really splurging. These days it is difficult to find a new bike under $3K. Maybe our tastes have changed, but I think there was a general recognition that if you are going to be riding hard and want your bike to last, make the investment upfront. I only have one friend these days that regularly breaks his frame, and I bet Salsa hates him.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

This post inspired me to get off my lazy butt and get my shock to Tim for surgery. I picked it up today and quickly installed at test rode it before heading out for the evening. Much better! I literally had to remove cobwebs from the handle bars... 

Tim said the shock was overdue for a service but not worn out. He said he called fox and they said they wouldn't touch it. 

 

20190419_164433.jpg

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Excellent!

My shock took two attempts, though. Tim fixed it, I rode it and the inner seals failed a couple miles out, resulting in the stuck-down problem. Tim took another look and replaced that seal last week, but I haven't had a chance to ride it yet. Probably tomorrow.

How do you like your Ghost Kato?

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2 hours ago, brentb said:

How do you like your Ghost Kato?

I like it alot. I purchased it for do-it-all bike to save my FS for single track. The original intention was for my wife to be able to get out, me to tow the kid trailer and me to do Brushy Creek Regional Trail. However, with my FS being out of commission for a few I've put more miles on single track than I thought I would have, even quarter notch and I like it alot. Kinda makes me want to get a better/longer fork on it or a more aggressive HT. 

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