Any options to stiffen the steerer tube on a Fox 36 fork?

Well that’s a head scratcher.

Posted by: FLATCH

Well that’s a head scratcher.

230 Lb OP + Thaad post = 200Lb OP finds his fork is now 15% stiffer.

My buddy is between 265/300lbs depending on the time of year. He rides a Ohlins 36 and never hear him bitch about fork flex. Wheel flex that,s a different story, he kills a few wheels a year.

Isn't this what the MRP Bartlett was designed for?

My Helm was good, but maxes out at 160mm and I did manage to blow one up in short order (and I'm only 83kg in kit).

Posted by: nouseforaname

Posted by: FLATCH

Well that’s a head scratcher.

230 Lb OP + Thaad post = 200Lb OP finds his fork is now 15% stiffer.

Wasn’t sure where you were going with that.

@Znarf : I wish I'd heard about the e-bike Fox 36 option before I 'forked' out for this one. Then again I never had any issues with crown or steerer flex on my RS Lyrik so I didn't anticipate this issue. (To be fair, my RS Lyrik had 10 mm less travel and the 36 just encourages me to huck into nasty terrain a lot more otherwise so maybe I'm just pushing the 36 more than I did the Lyrik).

@nouseforaname: I had read about the one reference to Mojo Rising/Geometron's Dual Crown fork idea for the 36 with a lot of interest but since that first teaser article dropped, I've seen / heard nothing further and there is nothing on their website about the 36 option, only the reduced offset 40s.

@grambo: Adding Luftkappe to the already expanded negative air chamber on the Fox Evol air spring does not make a huge difference (unlike what I have heard about the earlier (pre-debonair) RS Pike / Lyrik options which sound like they make a huge improvement). It is a pretty subtle change. What actually made a bigger difference for me in terms of suppleness was changing from a 160 to 170mm air shaft but then running a bunch extra sag (I run around 25% with the longer air shaft). My fork setup is way different than most peoples though which may be down to personal preference or the compromises on running a 'mullet/mixer' bike.

@alltheotherfatshamingtrolls: Yup, I'm with you; getting 30 pounds off would be awesome :( My excuses are age (in my 50s now), too much work and work related travel, family commitments and a love of craft beer. Even in my twenties when I did little other than exercise and probably had a body fat % around 10% I still hovered around 190lbs so I've never been a light weight though.

@Heinous: Yep the MRP Bartlett does seem like an intriguing option and may be worth exploring on my next bike. I am a little leery of going down the dual crown path because I'm worried it would put so much stress on the my head tube that it could lead to failure (anyone heard of Carbon Transition Patrols failing at the head tube?) I was thinking that just adding some stiffness to my existing fork would be less extreme than going full dual crown. Also I've read 0 reviews on this fork and love the damping on the Grip2 so much I would hesitate to spend a whole bunch more money on a gamble.

The reality is that you're probably like 50-60 lbs larger than most product managers who do most the spec on most bikes, and the engineers who design the products for most people are only kind of thinking of the margins, high and low. That's not a negative thing it's just the way it is. Realistically you might never get away from flexing your products. Wheels/bars/stem/forks/cranks, stuff like that. It's just all designed for the average 160-180 lb rider :(

I ran in to the opposite for a looooong time. I was around 140 well in to my 30s no matter what I did. I could barely get full travel out of my suspension for a long time, even when I was hammering. A lot of the time I couldn't even ride as hard as I wanted to because I just wasn't physically strong enough and I would occasionally get worried I literally wouldn't be able to hold my bars straight or resist blowing up if I took a hard front end hit. The plus side is it was nice on the climbing lol.

@Xorrox - I hear you on trying new stuff. I’ve only used the Ramp cartridges (and older Ramp with independent negative spring conversation for 36 - still the best feeling fork I’ve ever ridden) and the mrp forks seem really well like by friends riding them hard.

You could go balls deep on the Mezzer? I'm not one to pontificate about stiffness but noticed no difference in flex between my Pike RC and Mattoc Pro. Just the difference began a non-functioning and functioning fork.

Does anyone know anything about carbon fibre layup or repair?  I was at first thinking of machining my own aluminum steerer insert but couldn’t think of an easy way to exactly fit the taper of the steerer tube ID.  That made me think of creating a mold of it to measure it more precisely which made me think: Would it just be possible to fill the steerer with carbon fibre and some kind of cold cure resin?  I know nothing about carbon fibre layup and resins and would have to somehow include a starnut or something similar in the setup.  

I might have to go talk to Roberts Composites and see if they think this is feasible.

No idea about stiffening your steerer tube, but I second the durolux suggestion. I'm 225lbs + gear. I had a 2018 Fox 36 that developed a creaky CSU within a few months of use. For warrantied it, but I still missed out on a fair bit of riding while it as off for repaits. Next bike came with a pike. Just upgraded it to a Durolux, and the change in stiffness is amazing. The wheel goes where I want it to, and I can feel the handlebar flex. I'd take the durolux over a 36 any day.

I noticed an increase in stiffness with the Marzocchi Z1 over the Fox 36 and the Lyrik. Apparently the Z1 CSU is also less susceptible to creaking. Better yet the Grip2 damper will drop into the Z1 chassis. It's the setup I'm running at the moment and love the fork. I love the stiffness of the Z1 chassis, I like the air spring, and as you know the Grip 2 damper is outstanding.

Posted by: Timmigrant

I noticed an increase in stiffness with the Marzocchi Z1 over the Fox 36 and the Lyrik. Apparently the Z1 CSU is also less susceptible to creaking. Better yet the Grip2 damper will drop into the Z1 chassis. It's the setup I'm running at the moment and love the fork. I love the stiffness of the Z1 chassis, I like the air spring, and as you know the Grip 2 damper is outstanding.

Just to double check - a regular Fox 36mm Grip2-damper does fit the Z1?

I’ve read somewhere that the Z1 has the thicker walled stanchions like the 36 rhythm and the e-bike ready 36 versions - which therefore use the Fox 34 innards...

A 2020 Z1 with a Grip2 cartridge upgrade looks like a great option, as it comes in 44mm offset and 170mm 29er spec. The e-bike ready 36 is 160mm max because of the 34 parts...

To my understanding it is the 36 Grip2 damper. Having ridden both the 36 and the Z1 with the Grip2 the damper performance feels identical. Also my Z1 is a 180 mm travel 27.5, which I don't believe is a variant option on the 34. The air spring for the Z1 is different to the 36 however due to the thicker stanchions being used.