Fox float X rattle

[Hattori-Hanzo]

I've had my stereo hybrid 160 for just over two weeks now and loving it, It's my first full sus Ebike but being new to them I'm wondering if something is amiss with the amount it rattles.

I've read the Bosch motor can rattle, as can the battery in the frame.

Tonight this video was uploaded about the Fox float X rattle and I'm wondering if this could be the problem.


Doing a similar bounce test I do get a knocking noise but it's really hard to pin point exactly where its coming from.

I've removed the battery and cover from the bike and the knocking is still there so I can rule them out however it does sound like the knocking is coming from inside the frame rather than the shock, but like I say its hard to pin point for sure as the sound travels.

has any one else experienced this or can shed any light as to what else it could be?

I'll try and get a video of mine but I need 3 hands to hold the camera.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

Doing a bit more testing I'm starting to think it is the shock.

If I fully open the rebound adjuster the knocking gets noticeably quieter when doing the bounce test on the saddle.

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

For reference I managed to get a very short video of the sound.

What do you guys think, abnormal knocking?

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

Just to bring this thread up to date.

I sent SilverFish a message including my video and they agreed the shock needed to be inspected.
Removed the shock from the bike (semi successfully, more on that later) and sent it to them using tracked insured delivery which cost around £9

Shout out to SilverFish who where absolutely fantastic. The shock was inspected, rebuilt and sent back to me in under a week. No other cost incurred as it was a warranty claim, I just needed to provide proof of purchase.
Can't thank SilverFish enough, amazing service, answered my messages promptly and got me back out riding swiftly.
Will be recommending and using them again in the future.

Did 40 miles on the bike today and the rattle has gone so really happy with the result.

Now onto the bad news.
When removing the shock I managed to damage the trunnion bolt which is made from alloy and thread locked in.
I started another thread on this but will copy the info over to here as I think its relevant for anyone else removing the shock and its nice to have it covered in one thread.


Hey all,

I needed to remove the shock on my new cube stereo for inspection.

When trying to remove the trunnion bolts I discovered they where extremely tight.
Eventually I managed to get one out and found they are thread locked in, and they made from alloy and not steel.

When trying to remove the other bolt the head started to round out.

Very luckily I managed to remove the bolt with the help of some gentle heat but the bolt is now toast and needs replacing.

This maybe common knowledge to some but a warning to anyone that's not done this before.
If a bolt is extremely tight when it shouldn't be (14nm in this case) it's likely had a dose of thread lock.
Don't go for anything bigger than an allen key when trying to remove it, if you try to use a ratchet you're sure to round it out.
If you're straining the allen key trying to undo the bolt stop and Use a bit of gentle heat to weaken the thread lock before trying to undo it again.

A hair dryer may be able to get it hot enough, be very careful with a heat gun as you could quickly damage the paint.

In my case I have a small pencil torch which gives out a very accurate hot flame, which I directed into the head of the bolt.

With a bit of patience and luck it came out.

A liberal amount of thread lock had been used on the bolt.

This is the bolt in question

After many hours of searching online, finding a replacement bolt is proving tricky.

So while I continue to search I did a temporary fix

I drilled two blind holes in the bolt and knocked up a rough pin spanner.

Hopefully I can tighten it with the pin spanner and there is just enough bite left in the hex to torque it up.
I wont be using any thread lock but it should only be for a ride or two, at least I can get out on the bike.

This is also another good method for removing a stuck bolt before trying a screw extractor

Glad to say the bolt held up fine all day today but I will be checking it regularly to make sure it hasn't come loose.

If anyone knows of where to get hold of a new bolt I;ll be glad to hear it.

The only place I have seen one is bike-discount.de but the postage is too expensive.

Hope this helps. safe riding.

 

[Grovester]

Did you find a place that sold the bolt?

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

Unfortunately not. I'm still using the original bolt which I've manged to torque to spec and without any thread lock so when I do eventually find one I can replace it easily.

The only place I've seen one for purchase is from bike-discount.de but once you add postage you'll pay way more than the bolts worth.

I did get hold of a Vitus trunnion bolt from Wiggle. The dimensions are not exactly the same but it should work, importantly the thread diameter and pitch is correct.

If my original bolts head completely gives out I'll try replacing it with the Vitus bolt.

The only other option is going to a Cube main dealer. I tried a couple but neither were really interested in helping at all.
It's crazy they don't make these trunnion bolts easily available. I've read so many people with the same issue.

 

[Grovester]

There are a few on Wiggle. Please can you let me know which one you went for.

Like you I damaged my bolt removing the original. Didn't think about Threadlock and now own a pencil torch

 

[Hattori-Hanzo]

https://www.wiggle.com/p/vitus-trunnion-mount-shock-bolt-kit-2018

This is the one I bought.

Like I say I've not tried fitting it yet but it should work.

 

[Grovester]

I had the same rattle/tapping on my bike which has annoyed me for ages. Took me while to locate it to the rear shock.

Just got my shock back from silverfish and all rebuilt under warranty. One week turnaround. No rattle at all now.

You can also source the bolt in UK if you search for cube 8539 (this is the actual cube part number. Not the number on the bolt). Got a pair from Trailhead.