Rear Shock Issues

[rwmtb]

I purchased my first Full Suspension bike a little over a month ago; it is a 2011 Specialized Camber Pro. It is used but looked immaculate there were nearly no scratches. I have ridden it fairly lightly because I have been taking some friends who have never biked out with me (I have only done a few blacks mostly all my riding is on blues and greens). However, this weekend I took a small jump (I got less than 9" of air) a few times and when I went around after my third jump I looked down and realized my frame under my rear shock was covered in oil.

The shock is a Fox Triad II. When I hit the jump the shock was in the fully open position, during a jump my feet came off the pedals and my full weight came down on the seat. I did not really feel it bottom out but even still it was not that rough of a landing. The shock still seems to function although the lever that adjusts the positions (open, closed, pro-pedal) was very loose. After riding back out the lever started working better. I am wondering what happened.

I’m just trying to figure out what happened. The only thing I can think is that I blew a seal but wanted to get some other opinions before I proceed.

[gar29]

I think you’re right, sounds like you blew a seal to me. I did a quick search and come to find out that shock seems prone to it. Something to do with the lockout is the consensus of opinion.

You could rebuild yourself with a kit like this (not sure if that is the exact one for your model) or send it to someone like Push Industries for a rebuild.

Youtube video on how to rebuild that shock.

[stumpyfsr ✓ supporter]

I had the same symptoms on my Triad II (blew it on a Lunch Loop in CO) and was told at the bikeshop, that was a rebound valve failure. It happen when rebound settings too high over very uneven terrain and it basicaly overheated. Luckily it was still under warranty and I had it repaced in a few days. Check if yours still have some warranty, just in case

[rwmtb]

Alright. Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I feel stupid for not thinking to google my individual shock. I was just looking for this problem in general with rear shocks and could not find much. Unfortunately, no hope for warranty as I am second owner and the bike is from 2011.

I am trying to get the seals redone local or at least find a place to pick them up so I can do it to minimize downtime. Push is taking shocks for rebuild 3 weeks out so that will be a last choice. I will order another set of seals so if it happens again I will at least have parts to try myself.

[rwmtb]

Ok so I took the shock in to a local shop that does rebuilds and the guy there said that because it says Specialized he can’t touch it. He said he could do normal Fox shocks all day but the Specialized ones are proprietary and only Fox can service them. He said all he could do is send it back to Fox which he said I could just as easily do myself. He did tell me that he would cut me a deal on a new shock if I decided to go that route instead.

I don’t really want to be without my bike for several weeks while Fox rebuilds it.

My questions:
Does that sound right?
What kind of shock should I try to replace it with? (It is a Fox Triad II 7.825×2.0)
What kind of good deal should I look for?

[gar29]

Thiswould be similar to the Fox you’re running.

[GTXC4]

That happened on my Float RP2, the air can failed and the seal leaked a little.

Have you tried, looking up info to service yourself? It’s fairly simple, especially if you have some mechanical skill. I service my suspension parts and save time and money, especially because I hate not being able to ride as well. I do know that you can give fox a call, I’ve ordered individual parts from them recently and they arrived in a timely manner. I hope you get it figured out soon.

Take care,
-GT

[rwmtb]

Unfortunately my shock needs to be completely rebuilt as I broke some of the internals related to the propedal lever. I took the shock to a local shop that is very knowledgeable with shock rebuilds. The owner/head tech was not there when I dropped it off but I received a call later and was given the verdict. He sent it back to Fox for me and supposedly tried to ship it same day to minimize downtime. Sadly it means I will be without my bike for a few weeks.

Due to the extended downtime I decided to transfer my front fork over to my old Trek hardtail. It rides a lot better than it used to but after 20 miles of singletrack this weekend I miss my Camber. Worst part is I really need to start dumping money into the Trek to keep it running which is the major reason I purchased a new bike.

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