Full travel : Enduro Itch Switch shock

A reader wonders why he isn’t getting full travel on his rear shock. I think he is getting full travel; he just doesn’t know it.




The mighty Enduro, with aftermarket Fox AVA ProPedal shock.

Hey Lee,

I love your site and your new book. It’s a Mountain Bike text book. Thanks so much for putting it together with Brian. I also loved your
Epic ride article. That is what mountain biking is all about to me.

I found your site a year ago when I was in the market for an Enduro. Last November I purchased a 04 Enduro Pro and absolutely love it. I love the fact that you highlight this frame and it was all through your book as well. I have not been able to get an answer about an issue with my rear shock and was hoping you know the answer (either from personal experience or just heresay). The shock is an 04 Fox Float R. I just can’t seem to get that last 1/4″ -1/2″of stroke out of it. I got the sag at about 30% already and it just won’t go all the way. It will without any air however. I just was wondering if it is because of the frame design, leverage ratio, or a shock issue with stock Fox shocks. If you have an idea I would love to hear it. Have fun in Whistler you bastard!

Ross


Hey Ross.

I passed your question to Brandon Sloan, the product manager for the Specialized Enduros (we just got back from Whistler — ha ha), and he suggested:

1) Make sure the Itch switch shock is in the long-travel position. The switch should be parallel with the shock body.

2) Measure the amount of stroke you’re using. The shock body doesn’t move all the way to the end of the slider. The full stroke is 1.875 inches.

Thanks for reading, and rip it up!

   — Lee

2 replies
  1. Zack says:

    yeah the 03 red enduros rule i love mine i race downhill on it cause i am a little 100 pound 13 year old the enduro kills it and specialized is nice about replacing cracked frames it rules

  2. Tim Gates says:

    Hey Lee,

    It’s me again — the guy who wrote to you about the way you calculated the force generated when doing drops with your bike. I appreciate your feedback, and as a result have heard from some great guys who watch your site, and were interested in the subject.

    I have a question about my ’05 Enduro 130 Comp, that I’m hoping you or one of your knowledgeable readers can help me with. I’ve only had my bike about a month now, and I’m still trying to get the settings just right. I can already tell I’m going to love this bike! The disc brakes are wonderful, the geometry fits me rather well, and the suspension soaks up hits like they didn’t exist.

    The question I have has to do with the effective spring rate on my Float R rear shock. I’ve got about 30% sag set on it @ 205 psi (I weigh about 210 with my gear), but I’m worried because it looks like the little rubber ring that slides on the shock tube is getting pretty close to the bottom of the shock from normal riding. The worst I’ve done is wheelie drop a few stairs, so I’m concerned about bottoming out when I get on some real gnarly terrain. The manual says that the shock has a 2.0 inch stroke, but that doesn’t help me figure out what the spring rate will be when it’s compressed further. If the whole volume was contained in that 2.0 inch stroke, and I knew the bore, I could calculate the spring curve and know how much the spring rate increases as it’s compressed. Unfortunately, I can’t find specific information about this shock, either in the manual, on Fox’s web site, or on the internet. I’m sure I’m not the first person to wonder about this, so if anyone knows what the physical dimensions of the Float R shock are, I’d highly appreciate hearing about it!

    Thanks again, and keep up the good work!

    Tim Gates
    Burlington, WA

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