Fox Racing Shox 40 FIT RC2 Fork

Overall Review:

Good:

1)The 40 is the stiffest of the DH forks available. This can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your weight, riding style, etc. Personally, I find this as an advantage. You can throw this fork where you want it in rocks. There is no noticeable flex. The fork does not wallow from side to side thru "gnar rox" like a Boxxer does. The stiffness can create a disadvantage in corners where you would want a little bit of flex to stop the front wheel from sliding out, but I don't notice it. I have heard some of my friends comment on this, however.

2)The 40 is extremely adjustable. I think a lot of people that rate this fork poorly have no idea how to set up a fork. Start at close to full open and go in from there until you find your happy place. Also, I highly recommend throwing on a pair of SKF seals. These made a huge difference in the suppleness of the fork on my 2011 40. Although it is not the most supple fork on the market, it should be smooth enough to please anyone.

3)I've found the 40 to be a very reliable fork. After 25+ days of Northstar, riding thru the winter, and the start of this bike park season, I have yet to blow a seal, damper, etc. I change the oil every 20 or so rides and that seems to keep the fork working well. It is also relatively easy to work on. There are no stupid pins/clips holding adjusters on the lowers that you need to pry off in order to change the fork oil(aka boxxer). It is no 888, but when compared to a Boxxer this fork is like a marathon runner instead of the slow fat kid trying to run a quarter mile(reliability wise).

4)Fox has amazing customer service at races. Want your fork rebuilt? Want 2012 dampers in your 2008 40? Go talk to them. You'll be amazed at what they will help you with.

Bad:

1)Spring rattle. On every 40 I've ridden the spring rattles around. The easy fix is to throw a second elastic spring cover thingy on your fork spring.

2)I fell off a cliff at Whistler and put a dent in my left upper stanchion. I cried inside when I had to sell out 250 bucks for a new stanchion to preserve my Whistler trip. That's all I can come up with for negatives.

Overall, I give it 4.5 stars. Just because of the spring rattle issue.

Overall Review:

Performance wise this fork was great when it worked. I had mine for 3 seasons and it got rebuilt twice and was serviced often by a legit shop with a certified fox mech. With all that it still caused a lot of headaches. It squeaked, knocked and spewed oil a lot. I had to get a whole new dampener after a trip to Whistler then about 2 months later it needed new seals after I had just replaced them. I can go on and on but i must've just had some crap luck because my buddies didn't have as many issues as I did. I'd still give the 40 another shot because I've had 3 36's and my girlfriend has a 36 and they work flawlessly.

Overall Review:

Review is about the 2009 RC2 Fox 40, not the Kashima FIT version.

Overall I think it’s fair to say that the Fox 40s have been getting pretty great reviews both on this site and most others. There is just something about this fork that gives it that buttery endless feel along with unbeatable stiffness and quality. The other really great thing about this particular fork is the adjustability, and how users can really create a custom feel to the fork depending on their weight, riding style and terrain. I actually haven’t take too much advantage of the easy adjustability I’m more of a set and forget type but it’s great to know that at any moment if required within a couple of seconds and couple of clicks of the dials the fork can be changed dramatically. This of course has all already been discussed in the other reviews but the one thing I wanted to speak to is the durability of this fork.

I’ve been running the RC2 Fox 40 for two years now and after riding in various conditions including snowy sub zero temperatures this fork keeps on performing great, nothing seems to phase this fork. I’ve noticed with many other forks that after riding in muddy conditions the dials tend to gunk up and seize up a bit but all the dials on this fork still turn like brand new.

I’ve seen a lot of reviews about this fork saying that it needed constant maintenance but with my experience after putting on a lot of hours this fork has really required no work. Even the seals themselves have lasted for two seasons, only recently have they started to puke up oil (my Rock Shox Totem seals blew after about a month of use).  I haven’t changed the oil myself but the bike shop folks have mentioned that changing the oil in the40s is a breeze when compared to Boxxers.

Price wise the fork is a bit expensive but I think the cost is definitely justifiable simply for the performance and durability you get. The plushness and friction free feel make this a top fork and I would definitely recommend this as a pinnacle DH/Freeride fork.

Overall Review: Fire and forget, best fork I've ever owned. No problems, works great once dialed in and doesn't break. What more could I want?

Overall Review: RADest most bad ass fork on the market! with this fork on your bike everything seems smaller as you mow over roots, rocks and small animals! but on a serious note this fork has made racing easier once i dial in the setting for the course.

Overall Review: I like the quality of the forks, you just can't top the quality of Fox. I never once have heard of someone breaking them, just going too long inbetween full overhaul service and a seal wearing out, but what fork wouldn't. My two complaints are; 1, the physical size (yah it looks cool) but you notice it and its in the back of your mind while you ride. 2, they just didn't feel as supple or plush off the top of the stroke like I wanted or have felt with others. Maybe the 2011 Kashima Coat it the magic that will put it all together, now that I would like to ride!

Overall Review: ill give it 5/5 because the feeling of racing and riding them is worth the costs to even have a pair.