RockShox Boxxer R2C2 Fork - 2011

(discontinued)

This fork has been smooth from day 1. I got this used off of ebay and the lowers came bent (how the hell he bent those I dont know) so aside from putting new lowers on ...this thing has been awesome. After using some of rockshox starting points from their manual and adjusting a few clicks here and there this fork has been buttery smooth with minimal maintenance. It has the small bump sensitivity w/o the dive on the mid stroke. The way I have it set up currently with my demo it just eats up the terrain which includes some loose to hard pack dirt with some rock gardens.

I like all the adjustments I can do to truly make it feel plush on any terrain though. As for the flex I have only noticed it when my damn rear brake went out and i had to rely on my front brake the whole way down. Yes I ate shit over the bars when it first happened and came to a turn which i couldnt stop for thats how i found out my rear was gone. When I came up to the turn and used the front brake where the fork hit into the corner that was the only time i felt the flex. Being that it is a triple clamp you shouldnt notice to much flex imo and it feels stiff enough to me. I have over shot some jumps and under shot a few times in my first season and this fork saved me. For the price, rockshox quality, ease of maintenance, and adjustments you can tamper with this is an overall great fork.

The Good:

1)With fresh oil in the lowers, a rebuilt damper, and a ton of slick honey on the seals the fork feels really good. The problem is that the feel doesn't last. I went threw countless sets of seals/dust wipers on this fork.

2)The fork is quite adjustable for the price. You get three springs which can easily be swapped out if you do not fit the stock spring rate, and a multitude of adjustments(Bottom out, high and low speed compression, and beginning/end of stroke rebound)

3)The $850 price point puts this fork in a price range that your typical downhill rider might actually be able to afford.

4)The fork is relatively light for a coil fork.

5)The fork is simple to rebuild. Anyone with some directions, a few special tools and a few minutes to spare can do it.

The Bad:

Before I start, I just want to say that it may seem like I am being negative about this fork. That's because I kind of am, but I am just trying to be completely honest. I really feel you can get a better fork for the money.

1) As I said above, the fork needs to be rebuilt(oil in lowers and slick honey on seals) after almost every weekend of riding in order for it to actually feel good. After a normal weekend of riding, the suppleness in the initial part of the travel tends to dissipate, which yields arm pump to the rider and kind of takes away a rider confidence coming into anything rough. This could be isolated to certain riding environments like Northstar(where I usually ride), which is especially dusty.

This might not be a deal breaker for some but for me I had this fork apart way to much. Also, when you throw copious amounts of slick honey on the seals, the stanchion of the fork usually retains some of the grease, so you end up getting more dirt on your stanchions, which ends up in your seals and lowers of the fork. You are trying to fix the problem, but by fixing the problem you are just recreating the problem, and creating a need to buy new seals. This is the reason Fox tells you to not grease the seals when rebuilding your fork.

2)The fork is more flexy than its counterparts(Fox 40, Manitou Dorado, 888). This could actually be a benefit to you if your a lighter rider, or prefer a more flexy fork, but I feel like I am more in control and more confident in my riding with a different fork up front. The flex is especially evident to me in corners and in rock gardens where the front tire can be deflected from side to side. However, this fork(flex wise) is a major improvement upon the previous generation of the fork.

3)It is a well known that Rock Shock's quality control isn't the best. My fork came with hardly any oil in it which was very disappointing to me after paying my hard earned money. It's an easy fix, but for those who are clueless on how to work on a fork this could present a problem.

In conclusion, the Boxxer R2C2 is a good fork when you put in the work to keep it maintained. It did not mesh well with me, but it may work well for you. It obviously must mesh well with somebody because this is probably one of the most popular forks you will see at any bike park. However, personally, I would buy the 888 Rc3 or even the 888 CR for the same price if I was to buy a fork in under $900 price range again. The 888, to me, is a far superior fork in ride quality and reliability to the Boxxer.