Installing Your Fork | Before You Ride | Setting Sag | Adjusting Rebound | Locking Out the Fork | Adjusting Lockout Force | Adjusting Low-Speed Compression | Changing the Coil Spring | Service Intervals | Important Safety Information
|
weight |
4.37 lbs./1.98 kg |
|
5.5 in. / 140 mm |
|
features/adjustments |
low-speed compression, lockout, lockout force adjust, coil spring |
|
spring/damper type |
steel spring/open bath |
|
intended use |
|
|
color |
Black Diamond |
Be sure your fork is properly installed before proceeding. Clicking on the link above will take you to a new page.
You can also view a Flash video on Setting Sag.
To get the best performance from your fork, it is necessary
to set and adjust
FOX Part # |
Approximate Spring Rate |
Color Code |
Travel (mm) |
Rider Weight |
039-05-080 |
40.6 lb/in |
Black |
140 |
<90–115 |
039-05-081 |
48.5 lb/in |
Purple |
140 |
115–150 |
039-05-082 |
56.4 lb/in |
Blue |
140 |
150–180 |
039-05-083 |
60.9 lb/in |
Green |
140 |
180–210 |
Symptom |
Remedy |
Too much sag |
Change to higher rate coil spring |
Too little sag |
Change to lower rate coil spring |
Excessive bottoming |
Change to higher rate coil spring |
Harsh ride; full travel not utilized |
Change to lower rate coil spring |
The rebound knob (shown below) is located on the top of the right fork
leg, and has 12 clicks of adjustment. Rebound controls the speed at which
the fork extends after compressing. Turning the knob
Knob Setting |
Setting Description |
Tuning Tips |
Setup Tips |
1 |
Slow Rebound |
Too slow and your fork will pack down and ride harshly. |
If you increase your spring rate or air pressure, you will need to slow down your rebound |
6 (Factory setting) |
Average Rebound |
|
|
12 |
Fast Rebound |
Too fast and you will experience poor traction and wheel hop. |
If you decrease your spring rate or air pressure, you will need to speed up your rebound setting. |
The blue compression lockout lever is located below the red rebound adjuster knob. It allows the rider to close the compression damping circuit in the fork. This keeps the fork at the top of its travel, making it harder to compress.
Rotate the lever fully clockwise to lockout the fork. This position is useful in climbing and sprinting situations, but will sag with the rider’s weight. The fork will "blowoff" in the event that a big hit is encountered with the fork locked out.
To unlock the fork, simply rotate the lever fully counterclockwise.
The fork may cycle a couple of times after enabling lockout. Once complete lockout is achieved, the fork may continue to move 3 - 5 mm. This is normal and does not affect performance.
Even when your fork is fully locked out, there are instances when you still want your fork to be active. To protect your fork's internal parts, your FOX fork will "blowoff" when it encounters an intense hit. You can adjust when the fork blows off—lockout force—by adjusting the blue knob on the bottom of the right leg.
A convenient tuning feature of the lockout force knob is that it allows you to leave your fork in the locked out position—no more fiddling with fork controls when the trail requires your undivided attention. Although you might need to adjust the knob a few times to find the sweet spot, once it is found you can simply leave your fork locked out. Your fork will then respond to hits in the trail (greater lockout force), for example, but will be locked out (lower lockout force) when you are out of your saddle on a climb.
Turn the knob clockwise to increase lockout force and counterclockwise to decrease lockout force.
There are 12 clicks of adjustment. As a starting point, turn the knob all the way clockwise until it stops, then back off one click counterclockwise.
Low-speed compression damping is adjusted with the blue bezel ring (shown below) below the blue lockout lever, and has 8 clicks of adjustment. Compression damping controls the speed at which the fork compresses. Adjust low-speed compression with lockout disabled (lockout lever fully counterclockwise). As a starting point, turn the low-speed compression dial all the way counterclockwise (full out) until it stops, then turn clockwise (in) 5 clicks.
Knob Setting |
Setting Description |
Tuning Tips |
Setup Tips |
1 |
Soft Compression |
Too soft and your fork will pack down and ride harshly. |
Maximum wheel traction and bump compliance. Too soft and you may have excessive brake dive and wallowy feel. |
5 |
Average Compression |
|
|
9 |
Firm Compression |
Too firm and you will experience poor traction and wheel hop. |
Resists brake dive and keeps the fork up in the travel. Too firm and you may have poor traction in loose conditions. |
32MM Vanilla forks cannot be reduced in travel.
eng026
Bushing Technology & Inspection | Seals & Foam Rings | Seal Cleaning | Control Direction | Oil Volumes | Structural Inspection | Dropout Thickness Inspection | Torque Values| Unit Conversion | Suspension Tuning Tips | Using the Pump | Important Safety Information | Service Intervals | Contact FOX Service | Warranty Information