The Shock Lab

Back for warranty - WHAT HAPPENED? 🤔

We're taking apart this X2 to figure out what the problem is, it started leaking pressure after 10 months of riding, which is technically outside our current air can warranty, but we don't see warranties often, so we can be quite flexible 🤙

But most importantly, I want to figure out the issue and see if it's something we did wrong or if there's something we can improve 🔍

So, let's take the air can apart real quick...oh wait...the engineers decided air can services are overrated. We need to take apart the whole shock 🙃

Yes, that means to de-pressurize the damper, disassemble, drain, then build it back up, vacuum bleed it...only to access the first seal that gets contaminated, the one that's most likely to leak. Holy sh*t, what were you guys thinking?! 😡

"Calm down bro, they did all they could, maybe it's not even possible to service the air can separately with this layout, right?"
Yeah...that kind of makes sense, IF THERE WEREN'T OTHER BRANDS WHO HAVE DONE IT FOR YEARS 🤬

I don't mean to compare (I actually do), but the Cane Creek DB air has always had a 2 piece sealhead that lets you service the air can. So does the Öhlins STX and TTX shocks, AND THE ROCKSHOX VIVID...

Maybe this wasn't an issue considering most X2s would aerate prematurely and require a full service before the air can even had issues, but that's another thing I want to talk about...

THERE IS NO AERATION. I'm sure you were waiting for me to get showered in shock oil as usual with these, but there was absolutely no air in the system...how?! 🤔

This isn't a $100 upgrade, or $50, not even $10, upgrading your seals to FKM will cost you next to nothing and will dramatically improve the damper reliability of your X2 (or any 🦊 shock).

What about the air can?
We've been using OE (or similar) seals for the air can and I haven't been happy with the soft wiper seals they use

These new wipers are stiffer and provide a much better internal and external seal against contaminants. They will be featured on our custom air can service kits and will allow us to increase our air can warranty to 1 year as well 🔥

Part 2 dropping soon 🔜

TTX Air Service - PART 2

This story is too good not to share: "AI said to turn this gold k**b to adjust compression" 🫪 "And it said it often gets stuck" 🫪🫪🫪

To be fair, the k**bs can be a bit confusing for some, and the "clicks" on these aren't really that noticeable. That said, it's one of my favorite trail shocks, like a mini-X2 (without the premature aeration) 👀

Speaking of which, did you notice the air can is already disassembled, without having to take apart the damper? Just saying 👀

This allows you to service the air can separately as needed and prevent worn/damaged parts, exactly as shown in the video 😢

The damaged damper body is a sealing surface, and scratches/wear can result in pressure leaks, even with fresh seals. Replacements start around $25 for some brands, but the damper body for this puppy is ~$100 💸

And sometimes it goes like...*unavailable at US distributor, 6+ weeks ETA* 🙃🙃🙃

In fact, both the replacement end cap kit and the damper body were unavailable for weeks. Is there something we can do? 🤔

Stay tuned for part 3 👀

Quality control? Never heard of her... 🤔

Have you noticed how, even with fresh bushings, the hardware can be a bit (or very) loose?

Yes, there is 2 OE part numbers for these fl**ge bushings, one of which is supposed to fix this exact issue, but if you've used them before, you know they don't actually help 👎

The "standard" bushing is 0.598" x 0.501", it's a relatively common size and works beautifully for 15.00-15.02mm eyelets
Their "special" bushing has a smaller (WTF?) OD at 0.5925" x 0.498", giving it an interference of only ~0.015mm (~0.0005") against the eyelet. I guess they wanted it to rely more on interference with the hardware, not the eyelet...have you had shocks where the bushing spins against the eyelet? Yeah...that's why 🙃

A lot (or most) of the modern Fox shocks are oversized, pretty consistently, almost like if they were doing it on purpose...there must be a reason then 🤔

Maybe they want to keep the friction low at the eyelets, but I think they may have taken it a bit far(?) 😬

Anyway, I'm not a fan of Fl**ge bushings since they must be removed to securely clamp the shock for service, and they often get stretched/deformed in the process, forcing you to replace them, even if they were in good shape 😢

Sleeve bushings (you don't have to buy them from me) can stay in place during the service, and their continuous contact surface (compared to split fl**ge bushings) improves their durability, even with heavy side loads 💪

For 15.03mm+ eyelets, DU bushings (like those found in Rockshox shocks) are my personal choice, these fit considerably tighter against the eyelet, and are burnished to size after installation for the perfect low friction fit 🧈

For Fox, Öhlins, and DVO hardware, you'll also need to compensate for the missing fl**ges, you can machine or 3D print your own. We actually use 3D printed Igus spacers designed to be used with square cut o-rings to effectively seal off against contaminants and keep the original spacing, I'd be happy to share the 3D file if you need it 🤙

And of course, the Igus bushings, custom spacers, and the installation/burnishing tool are all available on the website. Link in bio 🔗

Fox 40 rebuild - PART 3/3 👀

Final assembly of this Fox 40, making sure to lubricate the air spring properly so it can perform at its best 🔥

We've switched to a thicker Öil for the air spring, which helps prevent oil migration into the negative chamber, keeping your fork buttery smooth for a long time 🧈

To finish up, we install the SKF Dual Compound wipers using our affordable 3D printed seal drivers 🤘

This was obviously not a step-by-step service video, but more and more people are asking for full rebuild tutorials, would you be interested? And what fork/shock would you like to see? 🤔

I just uploaded our most detailed video and the closest we have to a full tutorial (so far) to our YouTube channel, make sure to check it out 🤘

Affordable tools, premium seals, and of course, professional service. Link in bio 🔗

Fox 40 Rebuild - PART 2 - Damper and air spring assembly 🔧

Full video is up on our YouTube channel! 📽️

Here we continue with the Fox 40 rebuild, finishing the damper assembly and torquing to spec with our 3D printed, CF reinforced Hex Clamps for GRIP X2, one of our best sellers 🔥

Then, the air spring, make sure to lubricate it properly, you want plenty of grease but not excessive, as it can transfer into the negative chamber over time. Make sure to spread it nicely as shown 🤌

Part 3/3 dropping soon! (Or you can watch the whole thing on YT) 🤘

This video is NOT a step-by-step process, it focuses on key steps of the process that I thought you'd find interesting and is also what I had time for (yes, someone complained I was making it look too easy) 🙄

That said, I just posted a 30+ minute ASMR video showing a rebuild (and more) with way more detail than ever before. It's also on our YT channel!

Video linked on today's story! 🔗

"AI told me to turn this gold k**b...and said it often gets stuck" 🥲

PART 1 - Air sleeve disassembly

Someone recently complained about our videos making the service look "too easy" (sorry, I guess) as we're compacting a multi-hour process into a couple minutes, which means accelerating, cutting or skipping clips completely ✂️

I don't like it either, but what am I going to do?
Make a 30+ minute video so I can show every clip at a more natural speed? 😒

Well, that's exactly what I did. Live on Youtube now! Öhlins TTX Air rebuild 🔥

You better get some popcorn because it's GOOD 🍿

..
Look how they massacred my boy... 😢

Oh man...this one definitely hurts to look at. AI is cool and whatever, but please don't try to twist your "adjusters" with pliers, they may not even be an adjustment 🫪

If that wasn't enough. Oh, surprise!
The damper body is also worn, and the best part?
Neither of these parts is available through the US distributor, no ETA 🫠

Follow me on this POV adventure where we rebuild this, once beautiful, Öhlins TTX Air. And use every tool at our disposal to bring it back to life 🤌

Spoiler alert - it's more than just a rebuild 👀

The full video is up on our YT channel 🤘

What shock should we do next? 🤔

If you have complaints about the video being too long/short, too fast/slow, bright/dark, etc. please reach out to filmyourown@nobodyispayingmeforthissh*t.com

Fox 40 rebuild. With affordable tools 🔧 (part 1)

THIS VIDEO IS LONG, longer than usual and more than I can upload to FB/IG reels, the full version is now live on Youtube 🤘

I kept this video a bit slower/naturally paced (mainly because I don't have the same editing skills as ) but also so I could have a better chance to explain stuff in the video, because I know most of y'all don't read the description 👀

That said, here's how the VVC rebound adjustment works (~2:20 in the video), because it's cool AF. But maybe unnecessary? 🤔

The high speed rebound shim stack is supported by a plate/shuttle that contacts the shims at a predetermined point around the shim stack, its effect is maximized and immediate when it contacts at the edges of the shims (like on GRIP2), while having that contact inwards (as shown with GRIP X2) eliminates digression and only affects the shim stack at higher speeds, as the shims are able to "crack open" more easily and independently of the shuttle force 🤘

Now, the shuttle *spring rate*(?) is determined by the shim behind it, and, if you play close attention, it makes contact against 2 spirals 🌀

The distance from the center to the point of the spiral where the shim makes contact determines the leverage you have against it, at the edges, you have the most leverage against the shim, making it softer.

Similarly, making contact closer to the center, that shim will behave as a much stiffer shim. This is something you can feel with your fingers next time you take one apart 🤙

The best part about this, is that even at the stiffest position, there's virtually zero digression, which means your fork can recover smoothly and quickly from impacts 🤘

The tiny bleed hole in the low speed rebound check valve is a different story, it can't flow much (if any) oil, meaning the relatively thick shim has to be cracked open every time the fork has to extend, even just a little bit, which can result in the fork feeling "laggy"

The higher bleed shims (not shown) featured on tuning kits for GRIP X2 (and now the latest X2 variant as well) fixes this issue, letting the fork better recover 🤙

Looking for the tools?

Just another aerated X2 🤷

As the video explains, the main cause of aeration on DPX2, Float X, X2, etc... is the Polyurethane o-rings Fox used to use at the seal head. They finally got rid of them on their new shocks, but there's still thousands out there with PU seals (99.9% of them already sound like this) 🙅

The main issue here is, the air can can be at a much higher pressure (~350psi max - at full extension) compared to the IFP, which pressurizes the damper and can be as low as 100psi on some, creating a massive pressure delta ⚠️

Polyurethane has amazing abrasion resistance and works great for sealing oil, but the compound is often too hard and can't seal off the air molecules as well, these creep into the damper over time, even when not in use! That's why some 🦊 can be aerated even out of the box 📦

So, how do you choose the right o-ring? 🤔
Let's try to keep it simple, starting with compounds:
⚫ NBR - Great for most applications, cheap and effective.
🟢 HNBR - Slightly better wear and UV resistance.
🟤 FKM - Improved wear, UV and chemical resistance.
🟡PU - No.

Now, hardness! 🤏
70-75A - Most widely used, soft enough to conform to sealing surfaces easily
90-95A - Stiffer compound, may be ideal where seal extrusion and/or premature wear is a concern

Lastly, sizes! 🔍
This can be the most intimidating part, as you often see sizes like 3.53 x 12.29mm (WTF), but it's relatively straightforward
The smaller number refers to the cross section, or how thick the o-ring is, while the larger number refers to the inner diameter

Now, with metric seals this is easy, a 1.5x9mm o-ring is, you guessed it, 1.5mm thick and has a 9mm ID 🤘

But of course, there's also the AS568 (bald eagle) standard (and more), where they're identified by code. You'll see AS568-206, or even just -206, for example.

The first number, or "series" will give you the cross section:
0 series - 1.78mm (on most)
1 series - 2.62mm
2 series - 3.53mm

..and so on, while the following 2 numbers determine the diameter; bigger number, bigger diameter, for example:
-206 - 3.53mm CS x 12.27mm ID
-209 - 3.53mm CS x 17.04mm ID
-214 - 3.53mm CS x 24.99mm ID
..and so on.

C