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Billy Mathisen
May 16th, 2005, 11:59 AM
Hello,

My fork is trying to tell me something, but I don't speak its langauge.

I have a 2004 Fox Vanilla R 130 mm fork. The fork is about one year old and used for trail riding.

Lately, a creaking noise has developed in it. It is most common when the front brake is applied. I am certain that it is the fork causing the noise because I removed it from the bike, and applied some lateral pressure to see if the noise persisted –it did. I cannot isolate where exactly the noise is originating in the fork though. I have inspected the outside for cracks and any loose tolerances–none. The fork operates perfectly.


I don’t really care about the noise, but I am concerned if it is coming from the crown/steerer tube junction as it could reduce the life of my headset if there is any play in that area.

My question is to any salts who run fox forks: what are the most common sources of creak in the fork? Are the slider bushings a likely possibility? I prefer not to send the fork in, and deal with the downtime, unless I absolutely have to. Any advice is appreciated.

(I have also confirmed the noise is not the spring in left leg. But it likes to occassionally"clunk" from slapping the inside of the stanchion - no big deal though. This fork has personality for sure.)

jabberwocky
May 16th, 2005, 12:29 PM
I have a very similar problem in my 2005 fox talas. I have seen several people mention the joint between the fork crowns and stanchions as a common source of creaking on fox forks. Heres s simple test: flip the bike upside down, and take the front wheel off. Stand on the handlebars, grip each fork leg, and pull one side while pushing the other. If its the crowns, this will result in a loud creaking sound.

For more info, see
MTBR thread #1 (http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=70985&highlight=fox+fork+creak)
MTBR thread #2 (http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=96378&highlight=fox+fork+creak)

My understanding is that Fox will warranty this. I dont know if you are still in your warranty period though. Give fox a call.

-Chris

Billy Mathisen
May 16th, 2005, 12:55 PM
Good advice Chris -thanks. I will try that test today. I hope it is the crown/stanchions junction and not the crown/steerer junction. I don't qualify for a warranty. I have a Z1 as a backup to put on my 5-Spot. That tall beast might have to pull some duty -hello freeride.