Boxxer's or 40RC2

[.dan.]

I'm going to be buying some new forks soon and i need to know what to choose from.
I am choosing between a set of 2009 Rock Shox Boxxer World Cups or 2009 Boxxer Teams or a set of Fox 40RC2's
i have tried out the 40's and love the feel of them but i hear that they are high maintenance and have problems with the internals.
i havent tried out any of the Boxxers but i hear they are low maintenance and similar in performance but they are flexy.
I have decided not to get the 888's any more and have ruled them out from this list
So i would like to hear of the pro's and con's of each fork
thanks

 

[norco_rider_7]

i have a pair of 888's and i must say i love them. they feel sick and soak up everything. But they are a tad heavy

 

[mhuth1]

hey dan and welcome to rotorburn.

what fork you need all comes down to your style of riding and what u want to do on the bike. Marzocchi 888's are seen as more of a freeride/huckers fork but like you said they are strong and dont take as much to maintain and they still do perform well on dh trails. Cedric Gracia and Fabian barel have both placed highly in the world cups on 888's.

On the other hand fox forties are seen as more of a downhill only fork than dont ramp up as they go through there travel making them easier to bottem out. Fox forties are also very adjustable with more features but more features = more maintenance. i owned a set of forties for a few months but just hated the feel of them and soon moved on to a set of boxxer teams.

If you can ride both, and ride a set of boxxers then decide what feels best for you and your kind of riding. Dont listen to all your mates saying get these cause there fully sick and thats what i have.

my 2 cents...

 

[dunndog]

I have 40's, love 'em. Don't do regular maintenance (not as regular as I should) but they've given me no grief at all and I have no compliants. I ride dh, mostly at the you yangs which has some very rocky terrain aswell as plenty of flowy bermy stuff and a few good jumps, they feel great, rarely bottom out and i'm almost 90kg. They say they're on the heavier side but I don't really notice it, they just feel super solid and that's what I'm after.

 

[.dan.]

thanks guys but how often is it that you would have to service 40's and are they hard to service

 

[supadan808]

hey

iam about to make the change from the 88 to the fox 40s as iam getting a new bike.

the 88 on my old bike were and are awsome no maitenance at all mybe just a little lube off the seals now and then. but they have neva let me down even though me and my bro built then from scratch our selves.

so iam a little worryd about how the foxes will feel but being a top of the line fork i see no probs in them

 

[BUSHPIG]

40s are the go, marzzochi had a problem in 08 but they might be better now. fox make a great fork, smooth and strong. I found my 888's to be a bit to sticky, but ok for beginning DH

 

[zanus]

Make sure you get the RC3's if you go 888. Ata have supposedly had some problems similar to the RS 2-step. At the end of that day though, try to get someone who has them and have a ride on them. I acctually have riden both. I couldnt choose between them. Both great forks

 

[Rendog]

what fork you need all comes down to your style of riding and what u want to do on the bike. Marzocchi 888's are seen as more of a freeride/huckers fork but like you said they are strong and dont take as much to maintain and they still do perform well on dh trails. Cedric Gracia and Fabian barel have both placed highly in the world cups on 888's.

You do realise they probably wouldn't be normal 888s, customised very well and that if they want sponsorship they don't say no if other companies havn't offered it to them.


I just had a pair of RCV so bit different to what you want but they performed well enough, just wern't light enough for my liking!

 

[stinkybigmacc]

Problems with the Fox 40 internals have all been solved with the new fit cartridges, i.e. stronger bladder and a better seal/bushing. If the 888 is what you want go the rc3, awesome fork, good internals but spring weights can be a bit hit and miss and getting aftermarket springs is a real hassle for some reason.

 

[cluster]

I've got some '08 888RCVs, and they're AWESOME!!! They're soooo smooth and will take anything you can throw at them. Also don't need any maintenance - the only thing I've done is put a soft spring in them, as i'm only about 60kg.
Only thing is if you're after a light bike they're not so great... pretty darn heavy, think they were like 3.5kg+ from memory - but my bike is pretty much a tank on two wheels , so I've sort of given up on thinking about making it light!

 

[TimLago]

reply

i think u should go 4 the 40s i have ridden bikes with then on and they soaked up everything and wer fun to ride i currently have 66rc2 so im keen to get triples i think ill get boxers tho

 

[dl79]

Either the 888wc rc3 or the 09 Fox 40 with the FIT cartridge will be a great choice. I personaly ride the 40's and love them.

 

[jacko13]

You do realise they probably wouldn't be normal 888s, customised very well and that if they want sponsorship they don't say no if other companies havn't offered it to them.


I just had a pair of RCV so bit different to what you want but they performed well enough, just wern't light enough for my liking!

same with 40's.

40's have a pretty frequent service interval and thats for a minium.
you need to pull them apart and clean after every muddy race/ride or your bushings and seals will be gone before you know it.

i know a guy who did a days wet riding at whistler and that was enough to wreck his bushings.

also, cracked lowes are not uncommon as fox take as much material out of them as possible to try and save weight.

888's are a just as good fork, easy as stiff but alot more bombproof. ive ridden the ata's and they're super smooth with a crap load of adjustment.

dont rule out boxxer's either old or new version and single crowns.

 

[Super Eben]

ive got boxxers and their mad

 

[dunndog]

Well I'm no expert, but i ride youies all the time which is pretty rocky rough going.. i'm almost 90 kg and i've had my 40's serviced 3 times in three years, ridden in all conditions, crashed regularly, bottomed them out often enough, and they are in tip top condition inside and out. can't comment on others as haven't ridden them enough but, as far as mine go anyway, the 40's are bomb and meteor proof!

 

[bethextrem1]

I've got a set of 40's and love them. Although I have now upgraded the internals to a bos cartridge. The only thing I've had go wrong was a broken ti. spring, 30lbs/in- Black ordered from the UK as Aus don't bring them in. I ride 2/3 times a week at OBR witch is very rocky. As for lowers braking they fixed that in 08. I sevice mine whenever the seals start to leak witch is between 12 to 18 months.
The only gripe I have is with the Ti springs, the Aus importer sucks lemons. The lightest Ti spring that they bring in is a 40lbs/in, that's two springs to heavy for me and the steel spring feels shit loads heavier.
I've had a set of 888's but they were not rc3's so the only comment is that they are heavier.

 

[.dan.]

Thanks for the advice guys I don't think i'll get 888's any more but lately I have been thinking about getting a pair of 09 Boxxer world cups or Teams.
I'm still thinking about getting the 40's though but I'm not completely sure.
So any advice on if you think the boxxers might be better would be great
Thanks, Dan

 

[Jack456]

If your going to get Boxxers get 2010 or just get the 40's.

 

[dunndog]

Boxxers or 40s- that age old debate. I know people with both and they all swear by what they're riding. As cliche'd as it is, you should try to test them both out and pick what you like.