Kenevo Gen1 38mm Boxxer - new stanchion possible?

biota

biota

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Hi team

So just got back from the afternoon at farmer John's bikepark on my new Turbo Kenevo.

Very glad I bought it 😍😍😍

But in cleaning it, I found a stone jammed in the tiny space between the fork stanchion and chassis.

One in a million chance 🤦‍♀️

My next job was to put bottomless tokens in because it was bottoming out hard even after I increased the pressure well beyond what's recommended for my weight.

So that means the scratch/gouge is the entire length of the stanchion.

I'd describe the damage as a 4mm-wide flat, progressively tapering off towards the top. See pic and vid. There are a couple of slight ridges within it.

It's on the air spring side (left), not the damper side.

Are these repair kits I've seen worth a try?

Being that the boxer is a double crown fork, the stanchions do come out thankfully. But from what I can see online, they aren't yet selling the 38mm one separately?

Should I just ride it until these seals give out, and hope this stanchions are on the market by then?

Could that flat spot damage anything else more costly?

TIA

Danny

PXL_20250215_181741555.jpg PXL_20250215_182356252.jpg PXL_20250215_182402439.jpg PXL_20250215_182406289.jpg
 
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I know absolutely nothing if this sort of damage is repairable or not, but the first thing I'd do would be to send the pics to Rockshox and ask their advice. That really is very bad luck 😞
 
Unbelievable isn't it!

Yea that a good shout, will do.

I think the sheer thickness of the lower leg material makes for a relatively big gap in.
irie said:
I know absolutely nothing about this sort of damage, but the first thing I'd do would be to send the pics to Rockshox and ask their advice. That really is very back luck 😞
Click to expand...
 
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that sucks, especially on its first rideo_O

realistically the damage runs in the wiper seal and the bushes that support the stantion tube in the lowers - the seal is to stop crap and water getting into the lowers to mix with the lube & also stop the lube escaping.

realistically the bushing will be already damaged so probably wont get any worse, if you remove the stantion from the crowns then the damaged area could be turned & positioned on an undamaged bit of bushing?

ideally you'd have a new stantion tube (the bushing will have plenty of support as a %age of damaged area and IF you cant afford the extra to replace?)

but I'd just ride it 🤭

Rich.
 
Zed. said:
that sucks, especially on its first rideo_O

realistically the damage runs in the wiper seal and the bushes that support the stantion tube in the lowers - the seal is to stop crap and water getting into the lowers to mix with the lube & also stop the lube escaping.

realistically the bushing will be already damaged so probably wont get any worse, if you remove the stantion from the crowns then the damaged area could be turned & positioned on an undamaged bit of bushing?

ideally you'd have a new stantion tube (the bushing will have plenty of support as a %age of damaged area and IF you cant afford the extra to replace?)

but I'd just ride it 🤭

Rich.
Click to expand...
Cheers

That's pretty much the conclusion I'd reached after digging into this and understanding more about how they work.

I didn't realise the air piston is inside the stanchion so the important is well out of the way.

At first I thought being on the air side would was worse, but now I think it's probably less bad than if it was the damper side than if it was the damper side.
 
ChatGPT is much better for finding specific things than Google.

www.refreshyourride.co.uk

Stanchion Replacement | Refresh your Ride

If your stanchions are badly scored (anodised coating worn down) its down to internals of the fork being worn out. This amount of wear could mean the fork has passed its functional life and needs to be replaced - but for older bikes the availability of parts to fit 26" wheel bikes is becoming a...
www.refreshyourride.co.uk www.refreshyourride.co.uk


 
biota said:
Hi team

So just got back from the afternoon at farmer John's bikepark on my new Turbo Kenevo.

Very glad I bought it 😍😍😍

But in cleaning it, I found a stone jammed in the tiny space between the fork stanchion and chassis.

One in a million chance 🤦‍♀️

My next job was to put bottomless tokens in because it was bottoming out hard even after I increased the pressure well beyond what's recommended for my weight.

So that means the scratch/gouge is the entire length of the stanchion.

I'd describe the damage as a 4mm-wide flat, progressively tapering off towards the top. See pic and vid. There are a couple of slight ridges within it.

It's on the air spring side (left), not the damper side.

Are these repair kits I've seen worth a try?

Being that the boxer is a double crown fork, the stanchions do come out thankfully. But from what I can see online, they aren't yet selling the 38mm one separately?

Should I just ride it until these seals give out, and hope this stanchions are on the market by then?

Could that flat spot damage anything else more costly?

TIA

Danny

View attachment 154674 View attachment 154675 View attachment 154676 View attachment 154677
Click to expand...
Just to note that based on your images you have a C1 Boxxer which have 35 mm stanchions, not the newest one with 38 mm (D1). The left airspring side stanchion manufacturer number for C1 Boxxer is 11.4018.093.001.
 
MagisterBibendi said:
Just to note that based on your images you have a C1 Boxxer which have 35 mm stanchions, not the newest one with 38 mm (D1). The left airspring side stanchion manufacturer number for C1 Boxxer is 11.4018.093.001.
Click to expand...
Well spotted, cheers! That's what I've figured out today in looking around.

When looking into the bike I asked the shop if they're 38s and they said yes. Silly old me said "oh they look thinner but it must just be because they extend so much further up, making them look relatively thin".

So overall good news 👍👍

Also, definitely going to look into putting something on the back of the fork bridge to shroud that gap slightly 🤬
 
MagisterBibendi said:
Just to note that based on your images you have a C1 Boxxer which have 35 mm stanchions, not the newest one with 38 mm (D1). The left airspring side stanchion manufacturer number for C1 Boxxer is 11.4018.093.001.
Click to expand...
Do you know whether the "2019+" edition one that I keep seeing is the same?
Can't seem to find any other so I'm assuming it is.

www.tradeinn.com

RockShox BoXXer C1 2019+ Left Fork CSU Upper Tube crown/steerer/uppertube assembly fork, Black | Bikeinn

Get RockShox BoXXer C1 2019+ Left Fork CSU Upper Tube in Black for 131.49 €. Ideal for bike with fast delivery. Buy Forks at Bikeinn!
www.tradeinn.com www.tradeinn.com
 
I spent my entire kenevo ownership trying to make the boxxer feel how i wanted, even with the rc2 damper.
I then purchased a dh bike with a fox40 and discovered how a dual crown fork is supposed to feel.
I bought a 40 for my kenevo shortly after. So i would suggest not spending a penny on the boxxer and put the money towards a 40 instead.
 
cozzy said:
I spent my entire kenevo ownership trying to make the boxxer feel how i wanted, even with the rc2 damper.
I then purchased a dh bike with a fox40 and discovered how a dual crown fork is supposed to feel.
I bought a 40 for my kenevo shortly after. So i would suggest not spending a penny on the boxxer and put the money towards a 40 instead.
Click to expand...
Mine's nowhere near dialled and except for the bottoming out it didn't feel too bad to me.
What didn't you like?
 
on the boxxer good or bad discussion, Ohlins made a 'drop-in' damper to fit the older Boxxer & it was used on many competitions - allegedly🤭

Ohlins also made that damper fit the fox 40:p

also, to identify the Boxxer (age, general spec & suggested setup as a starting point) go on Rockshox Trailhead (app or website) & enter the serial number

trailhead.rockshox.com

RockShox TrailHead

A suspension specialist in your pocket! Get personalized setting recommendations for the perfect ride.
trailhead.rockshox.com trailhead.rockshox.com

Rich.
 
biota said:
More importantly I've just dropped 5K, not looking to drop another best part of £2k 😅

Already binned the Code RS in favour of Mavens 🥵
Click to expand...
These were £7000 back in 2020 and rose to nearly £9000 i recall.
So using man maths you are still quids after buying a decent fork 😁
 
Zed. said:
on the boxxer good or bad discussion, Ohlins made a 'drop-in' damper to fit the older Boxxer & it was used on many competitions - allegedly🤭

Ohlins also made that damper fit the fox 40:p

also, to identify the Boxxer (age, general spec & suggested setup as a starting point) go on Rockshox Trailhead (app or website) & enter the serial number

trailhead.rockshox.com

RockShox TrailHead

A suspension specialist in your pocket! Get personalized setting recommendations for the perfect ride.
trailhead.rockshox.com trailhead.rockshox.com

Rich.
Click to expand...
Doing that right now!
 
cozzy said:
I spent my entire kenevo ownership trying to make the boxxer feel how i wanted, even with the rc2 damper.
I then purchased a dh bike with a fox40 and discovered how a dual crown fork is supposed to feel.
I bought a 40 for my kenevo shortly after. So i would suggest not spending a penny on the boxxer and put the money towards a 40 instead.
Click to expand...
Awwww man I know exactly what you mean now!! 😭😭

I've gone to 5 spacers/five tokens with 130 PSI, giving only only 20% sag.

And still it bottoms out hard off a moderate landing.

Nothing much more could really be done with it 😤😤😤
 
Polish the smooth with a diamond hone stone and ride while ordering a replacement.

Ps don't people or bike shops own calipers so they can measure the diameter of the tube?
 
biota said:
Awwww man I know exactly what you mean now!! 😭😭

I've gone to 5 spacers/five tokens with 130 PSI, giving only only 20% sag.

And still it bottoms out hard off a moderate landing.

Nothing much more could really be done with it 😤😤😤
Click to expand...
Thats quite low pressure - I am using 175 at the moment. Have you tried adding 20 psi?
 
James_C said:
Thats quite low pressure - I am using 175 at the moment. Have you tried adding 20 psi?
Click to expand...
Yea. Suggested pressure for my weight is 110, so I've worked up from there.

With 130 I get ~20% sag, and at Dyfi yesterday it nearly shook my fillings out.

Gutted for a new bike to be not fit for purpose.
 
James_C said:
Thats quite low pressure - I am using 175 at the moment. Have you tried adding 20 psi?
Click to expand...
Obviously everything is working off sag. Whether I was running 50 or 150. If it gave me the right sag then that would be the number to use really.
 
biota said:
Yea. Suggested pressure for my weight is 110, so I've worked up from there.

With 130 I get ~20% sag, and at Dyfi yesterday it nearly shook my fillings out.

Gutted for a new bike to be not fit for purpose.
Click to expand...
What you describe sounds a bit strange to me that you cannot get enough support even if going up in pressure.

Have you made sure that you equalize the positive and negative air spring chambers every time you change the pressure in the air spring?

Also, sag is just a basic indicator, not a goal in suspension setup. Even more so in the fork than in the rear suspension. You should take an air pump with you to the trail and do bracketing there to get to your optimum place by feel. Steve from Vorsprung put it to words the best here.
 
MagisterBibendi said:
What you describe sounds a bit strange to me that you cannot get enough support even if going up in pressure.

Have you made sure that you equalize the positive and negative air spring chambers every time you change the pressure in the air spring?

Also, sag is just a basic indicator, not a goal in suspension setup. Even more so in the fork than in the rear suspension. You should take an air pump with you to the trail and do bracketing there to get to your optimum place by feel. Steve from Vorsprung put it to words the best here.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is very strange.

I've done everything you would sensibly think to do.

I'd never drive 2 1/2 hours to ride without taking a shock pump.

You do know he starts the article by saying setting sag is the first and most important step?

Are you suggesting I ignore sag and keep increasing pressure, til my eyeballs are shaken out as well as my fillings?
 
Based on your description, my understanding is that you are blowing through your travel and getting harsh bottom outs?

The stock C1 Boxxer, especially with the basic RC damper, is in a reputation of a fork where it is not easy (or nearly impossible) to achieve all of the following: supple starting stroke, good support in the middle and progressive ramp in the end.

However, I have had the same fork in a Kenevo (rider weight 75 kg kitted) and you can definately get the fork in a place with end stroke support to avoid harsh bottom outs (with some harsness introduced elsewhere) without resorting to excessive spacers.

biota said:
Yea. Suggested pressure for my weight is 110, so I've worked up from there.

With 130 I get ~20% sag, and at Dyfi yesterday it nearly shook my fillings out.
Click to expand...
For a 180 mm C2 Boxxer Select, The Rockshox Trailhead app gives a recommended pressure of 110 psi for a rider weight (including gear) of 59 kg.
IMG_7498.jpeg

Based on your profile pic, you seem more muscular than that. 77 kg rider weight gives 130 psi recommended pressure. There used to be an ”e-bike” selection in the Trailhead app earlier where ten-ish psi was added to recommended pressure, but apparently not anymore. However, where are you getting the recommended pressures or what is your rider weight kitted?

MagisterBibendi said:
Have you made sure that you equalize the positive and negative air spring chambers every time you change the pressure in the air spring?
Click to expand...
Have you cycled through your suspension in several steps to equalize your air spring chambers when setting the air pressure as per the pages 12-13 here: https://www.sram.com/globalassets/d...suspension-setup-and-tuning-guide-english.pdf

If you ignore this procedure it is possible to end up with much too low of an actual air spring system pressure.

biota said:
I've gone to 5 spacers/five tokens with 130 PSI, giving only only 20% sag.

And still it bottoms out hard off a moderate landing.
Click to expand...

Putting excessive volume spacers can result in the fork having a very harsh wall of end stroke. If you try to compensate that by lowering pressure (with many volume spacers), you might get to a fork with absolutely no middle stroke support.

My suggestion would be to revert back to the stock number of volume spacers (was it two for the 180 mm Boxxer? Check from the manual) and still rework with the pressure from there.

biota said:
You do know he starts the article by saying setting sag is the first and most important step?
Click to expand...
You do know that the article after that first sentence says what I said before?
 
Thanks for all your time and input here!

But honestly many of these points conflict with each other.

When I say "bottom out", I absolutely do not mean harsh end of stroke. I mean metal to metal like when you hit a 4-inch nail with a hammer.

So I'm not getting harsh end of stroke because of too many volume spacers. That would be vastly preferable to what I am getting.

I'm close to 80kg with gear and I've used TH, but again after that didn't work I've gone off sag and feel.

The fork also has a big sticker that says plus 10% for e-bike.

And yes I've cycled the fork whilst increasing pressure. If I hadn't done this then - pressure would equalise during operation, + pressure would drop and sag would increase significantly. It's not.

More pressure is simply not the answer. The logic you apply to not fixating purely on sag is equally or more applicable to fixating on pressures.
 
MagisterBibendi said:
The stock C1 Boxxer, especially with the basic RC damper, is in a reputation of a fork where it is not easy (or nearly impossible) to achieve all of the following: supple starting stroke, good support in the middle and progressive ramp in the end.
Click to expand...
Occam's razor applies here.

It's all fun to theorize, but I think this is the right answer.

I've come across a few people mentioning this but not getting into specifics, which is what I've been trying to extract.

There seems to be many boxxers for sale, brand new taken off bikes unused.

So unfortunately I think the answer is that this fork is not much use.

"Racetrack" at Dyfi used to have a slippery slab as a qualifier at the start. Well they've changed it to a 4-ft drop and I didn't know until it was too late.
Based off the sound I honestly thought the fork damage would be irreparable.

If I stuck to flow trails, yeah I could probably get some middle ground like you describe. But I'm not.
 
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