Fox 36 performance bleed valves

So I got my first ride in this season in Squamish on my new Fuel EX. It has the performance 36, not elite, and has no bleed valves but there is what seems like a thread in plug for them. The fork was a bit harsh and I forgot my shock pump assuming I had too much air in them. But then when I got home I decided to use the bleed valves. Discovered there is no valve per se but I unscrewed one and there was a whoosh of air. No whoosh in the other side and now the fork feels a lot better. So the question is, how often does one need to use bleeders and would it be worthwhile installing some? I have burped forks in the past with a small zip tie under the wiper but wasn’t something I needed to do often. Are the newer forks any different?

I have excitedly pushed the bleed valves on mine after bike park days, rough descents, long big mountain runs and not once heard a well defined whiff of Fox Flatulence fluttering from the ‘fore mentioned fart buttons. I was hoping for a hiss, but nothing. 

Maybe mine are silent but deadly. 

I would be ok with the screw in/screw out plugs I think.

Posted by: mrbrett

I have excitedly pushed the bleed valves on mine after bike park days, rough descents, long big mountain runs and not once heard a well defined whiff of Fox Flatulence fluttering from the ‘fore mentioned fart buttons. I was hoping for a hiss, but nothing. 

Maybe mine are silent but deadly. 

I would be ok with the screw in/screw out plugs I think.

Bwahahaha. Made my evening. I’m gonna use that.

Theory: maybe a heavier rider naturally vents the lowers from the fork flexing. I’m about 210lbs. My 36 visibly flexes a bit.

Posted by: mrbrett

Theory: maybe a heavier rider naturally vents the lowers from the fork flexing. I’m about 210lbs. My 36 visibly flexes a bit.

I weighed 141.8 after yesterdays ride. Flex for me is a non issue now. I’ve had the opposite thing happen to my forks than over pressured lowers. I had a vacuum where the fork was drawn down at rest. Zip tie under the seals, a small sound of air and they returned to full extension. My guess is that at deep compressions, a little flex and air escapes the seals. The fork then extends under much less force and seals up again. Do this several hundred times and the forks sucks down. ???

The pressure difference can happen a bit from regular use, but I believe it's much more prevalent with larger elevation or temperature changes.

Posted by: andy-eunson

Posted by: mrbrett

Theory: maybe a heavier rider naturally vents the lowers from the fork flexing. I’m about 210lbs. My 36 visibly flexes a bit.

I weighed 141.8 after yesterdays ride. Flex for me is a non issue now. I’ve had the opposite thing happen to my forks than over pressured lowers. I had a vacuum where the fork was drawn down at rest. Zip tie under the seals, a small sound of air and they returned to full extension. My guess is that at deep compressions, a little flex and air escapes the seals. The fork then extends under much less force and seals up again. Do this several hundred times and the forks sucks down. ???

When was the last time you did service on your fork? Is it possible the transfer port between the upper and lower chamber is clogged and causing the air imbalance? If it continues to suck down, Id suggest doing a air spring service to see if that cures it.

Posted by: shoreboy

Posted by: andy-eunson

**Posted by: **

When was the last time you did service on your fork? Is it possible the transfer port between the upper and lower chamber is clogged and causing the air imbalance? If it continues to suck down, Id suggest doing a air spring service to see if that cures it.

I’m good at servicing. I have a full service annually at S4 and I’ll do one or two lowers services myself at home in the interval. And I’m a little obsessive about measuring how much my forks are extended. So I do keep on top of things. It’s something we should all keep on top of though.

My issue is not with the air spring otherwise the zip tie under the wiper wouldn’t do anything. One zip tie under each, pull fork to full extension and remove the little zip ties and it’s good. And I do hear a small hiss of air too when I do this

I heard a little air come out the other day when I opened mine.  Probably worth checking every once in a while. 

Similar topic: having trouble tuning my performance fork to make it feel good.  Lack of high/low speed adjustability is not great, fork is diving.  I removed a token and upped the air pressure to try to compensate.