Fuel EXe Fuel EXe Suspension Modifications/Questions

Mteam said:

I've tried both the linear and progressive aircans on the super deluxe ultimate on the fuel exe. In my opinion the linear aircan is too linear for the frame and bottoms out too easily, if you put enough air pressure in it to stop it bottoming out then the small bump sensitivity suffers too much.

If you're upgrading from one of the other deluxe/super deluxe shock that come with the exe from the factory then just take the progressive aircan off that shock and fit it to the super deluxe ultimate, that's what I did when upgraded from the stock deluxe select+ that comes on the 9.5 to a super deluxe ultimate

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Thank you for your respond.

Problem in my case is, the old aircan is dead. Thats why i had the idea to Upgrade to a new Shock. But rockshox don’t sell the Shock with the progressive can.

Rockshox pisses me off.

-aircans out of Stock.
-only linear aftermarket Shocks.
-2023+ shocks you can‘t Service the bushing inside the Aircan and Airpiston, wtf where they thinking? (Thats the reason i need a new Shock or a new Shock Body)

Make a move to Fox The new X2 is a great shock.

Decolocsta said:

Thank you for your respond.

Problem in my case is, the old aircan is dead. Thats why i had the idea to Upgrade to a new Shock. But rockshox don’t sell the Shock with the progressive can.

Rockshox pisses me off.

-aircans out of Stock.
-only linear aftermarket Shocks.
-2023+ shocks you can‘t Service the bushing inside the Aircan and Airpiston, wtf where they thinking? (Thats the reason i need a new Shock or a new Shock Body)

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I’ll sell you my 2024 X2 in 205 x 62.5 (increases travel to 146 mm). It has only been ridden 2 times. I am only selling it because I am not good at setting up suspension and wanted something easy to set up, so I installed the Marzocchi Bomber.

$400 if you are interested.

Again, this is the 2024. DO NOT buy a 2023 or earlier, it will be garbage.

Cell4soul said:

I’ll sell you my 2024 X2 in 205 x 62.5 (increases travel to 146 mm). It has only been ridden 2 times. I am only selling it because I am not good at setting up suspension and wanted something easy to set up, so I installed the Marzocchi Bomber.

$400 if you are interested.

Again, this is the 2024. DO NOT buy a 2023 or earlier, it will be garbage.

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The X2 is very easy to set up. The recommended settings for the psi used to get 30% sag are very close. The only adjustment I made was to open the LSR adjuster by 2 clicks.

gamble said:

^ What does this have to do with suspension modifications? I'm just putting the info where it is useful. If someone else searching these forums for exe issues and comes across their post, they may see a work around on the same page.

I just swapped the airshaft assembly in the original Lyrik Select+ from 150mm to the 160mm with buttercups but have not had a chance to test it out yet. Supposedly buttercup on the one side is still a decent upgrade, we'll see. Cheap easy try, and the entire air spring side had WAY too much grease anyway, happy to have been in there.
DebonAir+ Upgrade - FS-UPK-DBP-A1 - RockShox

RockShox Debonair+ Buttercup Air Spring Upgrade Kit

The new DebonAir+ is built to strike the perfect balance of what riders really want: butter-like small bump feel, increased air volume to add support throughout the travel and higher overall ride height for more confidence when things get steep. This upgrade is for those who have 2023+ ZEB...

www.fanatikbike.com

Factory rear still, haven't even put it in steep mino link setting yet. I need to put some miles on what i've got before tossing a shock at it, but loving all the info in here.

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Any feedback on this mod? I didn't know you could put a buttercup air spring in a select +. Other than the 10mm increase in travel, could you feel the butter cup?

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Thx Folks, but im done with Fox.

I just have purchased a new Aircan.

This is a thight one for Rockshox, disappoint me again and we have to Talk

Canyon Shawn said:

The X2 is very easy to set up. The recommended settings for the psi used to get 30% sag are very close. The only adjustment I made was to open the LSR adjuster by 2 clicks.

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I may mess with it some more. Stillwell Performance (suspension shop) said the 2024 X2 is the best performing air shock on the market, with the exception of the EXT. I am sure that is a matter of opinion or preference though.

The Marzocchi Bomber is riding REALLY good, so I don’t think, at least for me, that it is worth changing out. It is riding that good. I picked up the Marzocchi for $240 on sale (50% off) I can’t recommend it enough.

The Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork is also on sale for 50% off. A little heavier than its Fox counterpart, but it is a really good fork at a really good price. I already have the Fox Grip 2 and it is performing well, so I will be keeping that.

I know Marzocchi is made by Fox. If anyone is looking for good suspension that is very easy to tune, at an affordable price, Marzocchi would be hard to beat.

Cell4soul said:

I may mess with it some more. Stillwell Performance (suspension shop) said the 2024 X2 is the best performing air shock on the market, with the exception of the EXT. I am sure that is a matter of opinion or preference though.

The Marzocchi Bomber is riding REALLY good, so I don’t think, at least for me, that it is worth changing out. It is riding that good. I picked up the Marzocchi for $240 on sale (50% off) I can’t recommend it enough.

The Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork is also on sale for 50% off. A little heavier than its Fox counterpart, but it is a really good fork at a really good price. I already have the Fox Grip 2 and it is performing well, so I will be keeping that.

I know Marzocchi is made by Fox. If anyone is looking for good suspension that is very easy to tune, at an affordable price, Marzocchi would be hard to beat.

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I have the Z1 coil kit in my Fox Rhythm 36. With that and the X2 out back, I can’t complain about anything. This setup is 100% better than the stock setup for my 9.7. The amount of speed I can carry is amazing.

Cell4soul said:

I may mess with it some more. Stillwell Performance (suspension shop) said the 2024 X2 is the best performing air shock on the market, with the exception of the EXT. I am sure that is a matter of opinion or preference though.

The Marzocchi Bomber is riding REALLY good, so I don’t think, at least for me, that it is worth changing out. It is riding that good. I picked up the Marzocchi for $240 on sale (50% off) I can’t recommend it enough.

The Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork is also on sale for 50% off. A little heavier than its Fox counterpart, but it is a really good fork at a really good price. I already have the Fox Grip 2 and it is performing well, so I will be keeping that.

I know Marzocchi is made by Fox. If anyone is looking for good suspension that is very easy to tune, at an affordable price, Marzocchi would be hard to beat.

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Bomber coil?

Greetings everyone

Question for you all please.

I have a regular rs deluxe shock (not super deluxe) on my 9.5. Size large bike.

Question pls

Do you guys know many volume spacers are installed from the factory and how many are maximum that can be installed?

Heavy rider here.. $220 lbs.. Was hoping to keep this.shock

Thank you!

My beauty ))

Dave_B said:

Bomber coil?

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No, Bomber Air. I am amazed at how good it rides.

For anyone that's running the Rockshox SDU with HBO coil shock, did you keep the stock Linear Rebound and L Compression tune? Are you using the RS spring or matched with other springs?

Thinking of getting one over stroked to 62.5mm or 65mm. Riding a size large in high setting with 160mm fork and mullet. Leaning towards 62.5mm for more clearance if I decide to go low and full 29".

Would appreciate anyone's feedback.

For reference, I'm riding BC North Shore trails, mostly Fromme and Seymour. Mix of single blacks and blues. Looking to feel more planted and have small bump compliance. Only been on a few rides with the mullet. It's nice and playful but not as stable as the 29" on rougher and steeper terrain. Never ridden a coil but thinking might add a bit of stability to give the mullet set up more versatile.

If anyone has been underwhelmed by the performance on the Fox Float X on the 9.7 it might well be because Fox/Trek specced a really terrible tune on this shock. I have had heaps of problems with my rear shock developing knocking and hissing noises, and I have finally had the problem rectified by a professional tuner. He looked into the specced tune and compared it to other Fox tunes and found it to be incredibly stiff, so the shims may not be able to move quickly enough on smaller and repeated bumps. It can cause cavitation inside the shock.
Talking to the mechanic at the shop where I bought my bike, the owner there was underwhelmed with his Float X and replaced it with a coil. He said he had been told it was specced with a lot of platform to counter pedal bob, and that returning it to a normal tune should improve it considerably.
The solution for me was to to have it rebuilt back to a normal Fox medium tune in both compression and re-bound. You could try this before investing in another shock.
BTW the blue compression adjuster knob does work on this shock without any other mods. My shock has been on a shock dyno several times and my guy confirmed it works.... but just with a very narrow band of effectiveness on the stock tune. It might be a bit wider now... I haven't played with it to find out.

Just want to say hello to everyone and thanks for the advice from all of you.
I will be starting a 9.5 build very soon and will be purchasing a new shock and fork. What rebound and compression tune is best for a Super Deluxe Ultimate with a progressive can?

BobMtnBkr said:

Any feedback on this mod? I didn't know you could put a buttercup air spring in a select +. Other than the 10mm increase in travel, could you feel the butter cup?

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Honestly not sure, i changed so much at the same time it's hard to tell what did what. I love the way it rides though, no complaints. If you're already going to increase travel, might as well buttercup it.

gamble said:

Honestly not sure, i changed so much at the same time it's hard to tell what did what. I love the way it rides though, no complaints. If you're already going to increase travel, might as well buttercup it.

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Fork upgrade will be a 160mm Lyrik ultimate with buttercups. I’m going to go 146mm on the shock.

Gamble what did you do suspension wise?

KC10ENG said:

Fork upgrade will be a 160mm Lyrik ultimate with buttercups. I’m going to go 146mm on the shock.

Gamble what did you do suspension wise?

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I made a lot of changes to the rear tune same time, added a cush core rear, and switched to a double down casing assegai up front. The combo seems balanced and enjoyable for me is all I can say about it. I take the battery out to do lift service stuff and the balance seems great there as well.

Hello all. New Trek EXe 9.7 owner here. Lots of great info around here. Just wanted to ask if anyone here is using a fork that has a 51mm rake offset. I have an older Fox36 Factory 160mm with a 51mm offset. Does it negatively affect handling considering our bikes geometry?

Question to you suspension pros here - I'm using my fuel exe (9.8 gx axs, size M) as my only bike atm. and enjoy riding bike parks (higher speed flow and jump lines) quite a lot. It's not really what the bike was intended to do I guess, but I'd like to optimize the suspension a bit towards that style of riding while not making it perform completely shit on techy trails. What's annoying me atm. is that I go through the full travel too easily even with running relatively high air pressure - so I already ordered the 160mm airshaft /w buttercups and some additional volume spacers for rear/front suspension to make them perform more progressive. Also considering mullet.

Any other recommendations on what else to change to accommodate for that style of riding?
Also, any experience with over stroking or rather removing/chaging volume reducer on the rs super deluxe select+? It seems like the 60mm has a 5mm spacer installed, so I can only really go to 65mm by cutting it out. For changing it to 62.5mm I'd probably have to send it in, since it seems a bit more involved to install a new spacer. Altough a few people here seem to ride 65mm, I'm not really sure with the clearance on a size M frame and the frame flex when hitting bigger jumps / drops.

xcel said:

What's annoying me atm. is that I go through the full travel too easily even with running relatively high air pressure - so I already ordered the 160mm airshaft /w buttercups and some additional volume spacers for rear/front suspension to make them perform more progressive.

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Volume spacers in the rear shock will help a lot, start with that. That is really all you can do in back, with that shock.

For the fork, make sure you're running 1-2 clicks of HSC first, then add spacers as needed.

If you have the 9.8, you have adjustable HSC in the front (charger 3 damper) but no adjustable compression on the rear (super deluxe select+)
Either volume spacers or HSC can prevent bottom-out. Increasing HSC slows down the compression on sudden impacts- whereas volume spacers increase the spring rate towards end-of-stroke, but does not slow the compression down

Hanggaw said:

Hello all. New Trek EXe 9.7 owner here. Lots of great info around here. Just wanted to ask if anyone here is using a fork that has a 54mm rake offset. I have an older Fox36 Factory 160mm with a 54mm offset. Does it negatively affect handling considering our bikes geometry?

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I have a 51mm offset 160mm Marzocchi Z1 Air on my new EXe 9.5 (frame up rebuild). It was that or a 44mm 170mm fork, and I wasn’t keen on voiding the warranty on the frame. I was nervous about losing stability at speed vs 44mm. I ride this bike back and forth with my Levo which has a 160mm fox rhythm 36 44mm (basically the same fork) and the differences are difficult to perceive. Mayyyyybe a little more self-stabilization of the handlebars on the 44mm offset and mayyyybe a little more maneuverability at speed on the 51mm, but very possibly this is placebo effect.

Some people claim they can tell a big difference in riding but in my experience I haven’t felt it. 54mm might be pushing it but even then I might give it a shot before dropping cash on a replacement over 10mm of offset.

xcel said:

Question to you suspension pros here - I'm using my fuel exe (9.8 gx axs, size M) as my only bike atm. and enjoy riding bike parks (higher speed flow and jump lines) quite a lot. It's not really what the bike was intended to do I guess, but I'd like to optimize the suspension a bit towards that style of riding while not making it perform completely shit on techy trails. What's annoying me atm. is that I go through the full travel too easily even with running relatively high air pressure - so I already ordered the 160mm airshaft /w buttercups and some additional volume spacers for rear/front suspension to make them perform more progressive. Also considering mullet.

Any other recommendations on what else to change to accommodate for that style of riding?
Also, any experience with over stroking or rather removing/chaging volume reducer on the rs super deluxe select+? It seems like the 60mm has a 5mm spacer installed, so I can only really go to 65mm by cutting it out. For changing it to 62.5mm I'd probably have to send it in, since it seems a bit more involved to install a new spacer. Altough a few people here seem to ride 65mm, I'm not really sure with the clearance on a size M frame and the frame flex when hitting bigger jumps / drops.

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I found the rear shock unrideable for any bigger hits or g outs. I dealt with it as long as I could, but no adjustability on anything but rebound is a no go for me. The new 2024 X2 has been excellent for this frame. Transformed the bike. Cannot speak to the fork as I did not run the stock fork but once and quickly loaded a Fox 36. I have a 9.8 XT. Bike floats over stuff but planted at the same time. Amazed at the control now.