2015 Boxxer WC and Fox 40 RC2 Kashima

[Yeti Dan]

Now that both of these have been out for a while now has anyone ridden both to provide a comparison?

There seems to be rave reviews for the Boxxer and the new charger damper and airsprings, however barely any reviews for the Fox? Flow mentioned that the 2015 Fox 36 (which is similar to the 40) feels much better descending than the Pike. Can the same be said for their DH forks?

Other than the Boxxer weighing bout 150 grams lighter and having 35mm stanchions, what else makes it potentially outperform the Fox 40?

 

[wesdadude]

You might want to read through reviews of the 2014 40 Float, it's practically the same fork as the 2015 but the 2015 stanchions are slightly smoother.

 

[Yeti Dan]

Thanks Wes. I've had a read of a couple of the reviews. Standard marketing BS and nothing to suggest why it is or isn't a better performer then Boxxer WC. Both can be had for almost the same price. (boxer is about 100 bucks cheaper)

 

[wesdadude]

You're going to see a lot of standard marketing BS and fanboy hype either way. Really you need to see if you can ride them to decide.

 

[hazza6542]

Selling my world cups to try 40 floats, should have them this weekend for a big ride so I can give you a direct comparison.

 

[Yeti Dan]

Selling my world cups to try 40 floats, should have them this weekend for a big ride so I can give you a direct comparison.

BOOM! Can't wait to hear your thoughts. If I recall correctly you hadn't modified the dampers on your WCs?

 

[hazza6542]

Nope, stock damper. I like the idea of the charger, simple is good, but never really felt the need for it.

 

[SideFX]

Hi dan . I had the pike with the charge cart on my trail bike . My last DH fork was a 2013 40 and I have some 40 air`s going on a build this week . The reason i didn`t go boxxer for my new dh build was lack of adjustment . I liked the pike < charge cart > capability but the feel was strange , to me it was like pushing down on a fit ball . My last 40 was great every were except on really fast big hits / big jumps and just were not progressive enough at the end stoke . The new 40 has internal air spring adjust to make the fork more/less progressive/ linear and external adjustment .

 

[Yeti Dan]

I'm fairly new to the DH scene and currently have a 2014 WC. I was keen to get the damper upgrades into the fork but for the price of that and what I could probably sell the fork for, I'm pretty close to being able to try out a 40.

The arm pumps, wrists, fingers and hands were really sore after a weekend at Thredbo. I've read that the upgrades can significantly reduce fatigue in the hands. I wonder if that is also the case with the 15 40's. Performance wise I probably won't ever reach the stage where I'm pushing either fork to the limit.

I also have Pikes on my trail and love them although they'll never feel as plush as a DH fork..

 

[SideFX]

I'm fairly new to the DH scene and currently have a 2014 WC. I was keen to get the damper upgrades into the fork but for the price of that and what I could probably sell the fork for, I'm pretty close to being able to try out a 40.

The arm pumps, wrists, fingers and hands were really sore after a weekend at Thredbo. I've read that the upgrades can significantly reduce fatigue in the hands. I wonder if that is also the case with the 15 40's. Performance wise I probably won't ever reach the stage where I'm pushing either fork to the limit.

I also have Pikes on my trail and love them although they'll never feel as plush as a DH fork..

Dan arm pump can also be brakes and there set up . Are you running two or four piston brakes , , how far out are the leavers from the bar , what is the angle of the master cylinder/leaver at .

 

[hazza6542]

Spent the weekend riding at Del Rio on the 40s, wasn't impressed at first, didn't know I was about 30 psi under what I needed...

Stiffer than boxxers, bigger chasis obviously. Adjustments seem about the same, nicer having rebound just one adjustment, don't need high/low. Feels a lot different in the way it ramps up and moves through travel, used 100% of travel when it needed it and plush whole way through. Harder to set up quickly like boxxer but I'll be sticking with Fox for a while now.

And they look shit hot.

 

[Yeti Dan]

Dan arm pump can also be brakes and there set up . Are you running two or four piston brakes , , how far out are the leavers from the bar , what is the angle of the master cylinder/leaver at .

Yeah, I've been playing around with the setup of the levers and shifters. Running formula the ones. I'll keep playing around with till I'm happy with the angle of the levers.

 

[Yeti Dan]

Spent the weekend riding at Del Rio on the 40s, wasn't impressed at first, didn't know I was about 30 psi under what I needed...

Stiffer than boxxers, bigger chasis obviously. Adjustments seem about the same, nicer having rebound just one adjustment, don't need high/low. Feels a lot different in the way it ramps up and moves through travel, used 100% of travel when it needed it and plush whole way through. Harder to set up quickly like boxxer but I'll be sticking with Fox for a while now.

And they look shit hot.

Great feedback! Which did you prefer out of the two? Anything you disliked on the boxxer that the 40 covers or vice versa?

Last sentence sums it up. Love the look of them!

 

[SideFX]

Yeah, I've been playing around with the setup of the levers and shifters. Running formula the ones. I'll keep playing around with till I'm happy with the angle of the levers.

The one`s , Great trail brake and sure a very well know WC rider ran them for a while . Instead of blowing loads of cash on some forks I would be looking at saints, codes or the new glide . The formula i found just dont have the control/modulation of a 4 piston brake and were graby without the pure power of a 4 piston . A better brake will prevent arm pump .

 

[hazza6542]

Great feedback! Which did you prefer out of the two? Anything you disliked on the boxxer that the 40 covers or vice versa?

Last sentence sums it up. Love the look of them!

The 40s. The boxxers disappointed me, only because I stand by my '09 teams felt nicer. They're both great dh forks but the 40s kept me planted on the ground more, tracked a lot better once set up right, found myself choosing better lines through real fast rough stuff, just being able to make little corrections and avoid tombstones a lot easier. Only dislike was 'weight'. They're about the same weight but bike feels a lot harder to pop the front end up, but it's pretty low and raked out so might just be my set up, rebound not ridiculously fast either but it's what worked best for me. Once my decals arrive I'll post them up on my Sunday build thread and they make the bike look killer compared to boxxers. It's all about looking better not performance anyhow...

The one`s , Great trail brake and sure a very well know WC rider ran them for a while . Instead of blowing loads of cash on some forks I would be looking at saints, codes or the new glide . The formula i found just dont have the control/modulation of a 4 piston brake and were graby without the pure power of a 4 piston . A better brake will prevent arm pump .

My codes helped me a lot, but might be trying out saint eventually, having lots of issues with having to bleed them constantly.

 

[Yeti Dan]

How much do you weigh Hazza/Side Fx?

I didn't find myself needing more brake on the T1s. I'm running 180mm F/R and weigh 66kg so more than enough stopping power. I'd look into a 203 rotor if needed.

I think this arm pump as Side FX mentioned is probably due to the way bike is currently set up. I'll have to spend some time tinkering it and getting it dialled to my liking before I whinge about its performance. I've done about 8 runs on it.

Let's be honest though.. 1.5k is a lot to blow on a fork to get the gold Kashima...haha

 

[hazza6542]

$900 for floats including codes from a mate....

I'm about 70-72kg, mate couldn't ride them at ~55kg, wouldn't extend out without enough air pressure, seemed a bit silly on Fox's behalf or they weren't set up right, probably the latter.

As much as 180mm does the job, 203 for downhill is noticeable, coming off 180 from my last bike (5 years ago mind you, and better brakes...). Try em out and you might notice it. If you're in the Sydney area I'd be happy to give you a ride on the big rig with codes to try em out to feel the difference.

Also, 1.5k is worth every cent of bling...

 

[NUMBER5]

Hi dan . I had the pike with the charge cart on my trail bike . My last DH fork was a 2013 40 and I have some 40 air`s going on a build this week . The reason i didn`t go boxxer for my new dh build was lack of adjustment . I liked the pike < charge cart > capability but the feel was strange , to me it was like pushing down on a fit ball . My last 40 was great every were except on really fast big hits / big jumps and just were not progressive enough at the end stoke . The new 40 has internal air spring adjust to make the fork more/less progressive/ linear and external adjustment .

What happened to the Ti 380s ?????? Thought you would have gone cappuccino on this build for sure... hahaha