What exactly is “E Bike Tuning” on a set of Fox Forks?!?

[Rob Rides EMTB]

The ZEB that came on my Rossignol Mandate Shift Deore 12 has an Emtb sticker on the crown.

Yes - on the Zeb it is literally just a sticker! Internals are the same

 

[RickBullotta]

Have you tried both the 38 and 38 e-Tuned?

Dunno. I had a 38 on my Shuttle and a 38 just came on my S-Works Levo. I ran/run both a few PSI less than recommended and with very little compression damping and a hair more rebound than spec.

 

[Darren]

if you flick the wheel arch with a fingernail while gently cradling the steerer tube to keep muting to a minimum, if you listen carefully you can hear a frequency of exactly 329.63 Hz at a wavelength of 104.66 cm..

otherwise known as..

the key of E !!!!

voila !

And the junior version is tuned to Am

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

And the junior version is tuned to Am

not many gonna get that one

 

[MountainBoy]

I think they don't want to say it, but the e-tune sacrifices pedaling efficiency for traction and suppleness while the standard fork is more focused on making those pedal strokes propel you forward (or at least minimizing the energy absorbed when pedaling).

 

[Moshe]

^^^^ This is exactly what I like on the eMTB.

After all, who doesn't want more suppleness at the top end of the stroke? An eMTB needs even MORE small bump compliance because we have extra power, so we're riding the bikes further into the steep chunky trails where the tires MUST stay glued to the ground at all times.

These characteristics would be good on an Amish bike, as well, except they burn up extra energy. On an Amish bike, we don't have much power to spare. Sometimes we have to give away one desirable characteristic to gain another.

I live near a large Amish community in Ohio. There are many times more Amish on e-bikes than any other people. The only difference is that they must charge their e-bikes on a generator.

 

[MountainBoy]

I live near a large Amish community in Ohio. There are many times more Amish on e-bikes than any other people. The only difference is that they must charge their e-bikes on a generator.

The Amish use generators? You mean with an internal combustion engine?

 

[militantmandy]

Here's a link to a Q&A where they explain the rationale a bit more clearly. Whether you agree or not is another matter. Given that a lot of people I know who run Fox have their compression damping wide open, I can see how many would benefit from a lighter compression tune. I've just bought a Factory E38 (for my regular bike) and will be getting it dialed in soon. Unfortunately post-Covid has limited my riding.

Review: Fox 38 Fork

If you're looking for an enduro fork, ebike fork or something for sending deep on your freeride bike, check out this review of the Fox Factory 38.

theloamwolf.com

 

[MountainBoy]

Here's a link to a Q&A where they explain the rationale a bit more clearly. Whether you agree or not is another matter. Given that a lot of people I know who run Fox have their compression damping wide open, I can see how many would benefit from a lighter compression tune. I've just bought a Factory E38 (for my regular bike) and will be getting it dialed in soon. Unfortunately post-Covid has limited my riding.

Review: Fox 38 Fork

If you're looking for an enduro fork, ebike fork or something for sending deep on your freeride bike, check out this review of the Fox Factory 38.

theloamwolf.com

From the article:

What is the difference between an eMTB model and a normal 38? Could a person buy a 38 this year and then next year when they see how much better ebikes are, put it on that? Haha

Difference will be in the Damper Tune. The E-bike damper tunes will have a lighter compression. We found that a vast majority of E-bikes are sitting down more when riding because they are under power. This allows for a more comfortable ride at the top end of the stroke. The E-bike damper is optimized for e-bikes. You can run a standard damper on an e-bike but might find that your ride experience would be more enjoyable on a properly tuned damper.

That re-enforces my thoughts that the e-bike tuned fork is less concerned with managing pedaling energy.

 

[Dax]

Yes - on the Zeb it is literally just a sticker! Internals are the same

Is it faster with the sticker?

 

[2WHLFUN]

Yes - on the Zeb it is literally just a sticker! Internals are the same

 

[Bones]

So after studying the two drawings, there seems to be only two shims required in order to retune the compression stack.
Has anyone done this?
I had an old RS Pike shim stack in bits loads of times before, but there was plenty of information about them.
Can't seem to find much about taking the 38 vvc apart.
Assuming the shims are available then this little project won't faze me.

 

[Bones]

After reading this it's a piece of cake

2021-2024 GRIP2 VVC Rebuild | Bike Tech Help Center | FOX

www.ridefox.com

 

[PennywiseTheDancingClown]

Just saying, I love my 'emtb' marzocchi Z1.... makes my old fox 34 performance seem dog shit in comparison... maybe they needed a service, maybe I just have the marz set up better... i dont know, I just know I like the marz a whole lot more.

 

[irie]

After reading this it's a piece of cake

2021-2024 GRIP2 VVC Rebuild | Bike Tech Help Center | FOX

www.ridefox.com

There's an engineering principle which is that if something is complicated it is probably because it hasn't been fully understood. In this case complexity matches the level of bullshit in the marketing.

 

[thebarber]

Is it faster with the sticker?

Always.
Especially with Flames

 

[endo_alley]

Having used both pretty extensively I can say there is a very noticeable difference. The E-Tuned is superior, in my opinion. Here’s what I notice:

- Much more supple on the initial stroke
- More sensitive and better small bump compliance
- LSR seems faster and able to recover from small bumps quicker, enhancing small bump compliance
- similar (excellent) mid stroke support to regular 38

It reminds me of the best part of the older B1 Lyrik (plush) and ramp up and stiffness and burly feeling of the standard 38.

It’s bloody brilliant, so much so that I’ve purchased 2 sets myself (one on my Rail one on my Kenevo).

That sounds like a quality coil spring fork or maybe a PUSH Industries or similar coil over air system. Already common for enduro riders.

 

[PennywiseTheDancingClown]

The Amish use generators? You mean with an internal combustion engine?

There are new order amish, and old order amish.... new order amish are much more relaxed about what is and is not too "worldly". every community is different though with the rules decided by the elders/church.

 

[paal]

Recently ordered a new Orbea Wild.
I could choose between 170 and 160 fox 38. For some reason only the 160 is available in "E-Tune". I went with the 170 as I figured the tune was just a gimmick.

Considering changing my order now after reading this...

 

[RichT]

There is a possibility that the average system weight of ebike and ebike rider are higher than a regular pedal mtb, and the e-Tuned damper tunes suit a higher weight.

This would be my guess from a purely rookie/novice perspective - it just makes sense

 

[militantmandy]

Means it has a stronger crown to accommodate fat people.

Mine has the larger ebike crown. It is effing heavy compared to a Lyrik!

 

[vman]

Looking to buy a couple of Fox 38 Factory forks for Rail 9.7's - understand Emtb tune is softer up top and adds an extra volume spacer to become more progressive on bottom than stock tune. Understand that likely for rolling terrain the emtb tune will have more traction and less bump resistance and be faster and perhaps more comfortable than a stock tune fork.

Looking for the below information:

1) Where in the stroke does the emtb fork equals and than surpasses the stock fork, a dyno chart would be great?
2)We have alot of steep trails we ride, so if anyone can share their experience riding steep trails with the etune fork that would be great. The concern is after it goes through the first portion its travel on steep terrain more quickly than a standard fox 38 do you feel it has sufficient mid stroke support compared to a stock 38 tune ?
3) Confirm standard aftermarket crown will fit and any gap is cosmetic and not functional - read something about a special crown for the ZEB RS forks to make it look better on the bike, is one made for Fox as well.
Thanks,

V

 

[Bman]

I’m guessing it’s common in the UK to call a fork a set of forks or use plural for one fork? Just asking, never have heard it in the US.

 

[vman]

Fox apparently does not release shock dyno curves on their two 38 tunes (stock vs emtb) so the only one's available would be from an aftermarket tuning shop. Probably just need to pull the trigger on the Fox 38 EMTB and dial it in on the bike and my local trails.

V

 

[emtbPhil]

As Rob said really. The emtb tune is fantastic.

I fitted a factory DPX2 on the rear and had to go to a German company to source a fox 36 factory with ebike tune. It’s the nicest suspension I’ve ever felt across any of the bikes I’ve ridden. Super subtle. Loads of support. Never bottom it out.

Do a lot of bike parks, downhill, jumps. It just mops them up. Best money I spent on my bike

 

[vman]

As Rob said really. The emtb tune is fantastic.

I fitted a factory DPX2 on the rear and had to go to a German company to source a fox 36 factory with ebike tune. It’s the nicest suspension I’ve ever felt across any of the bikes I’ve ridden. Super subtle. Loads of support. Never bottom it out.

Do a lot of bike parks, downhill, jumps. It just mops them up. Best money I spent on my bike

How did you decide on the 36 vs. 38, travel, weight ...curious as I am looking hard at 38 vs. 36 Fox with emtb tune.

 

[emtbPhil]

Well it was an easy choice for me - my bike was originally 140mm travel with Fox 34's on
I upgraded the rear shock and the factory DPX2 was sooo good it made the front feel awful so I had a hunt around and cube made an action team bike with a 150mm factory 36 on the front, a guy in Germany had brand new stock of them

If I'd gone to 38 they only seemed to come in more around the 160/170 size which would have meant changing the travel down to 150mm at extra cost. Plus tbh I rode my mates with a 38 and they're impressive but very rigid and I'm nowhere near a pro downhill rider so I figured it would be quite a bit of overkill on my bike.

 

[vman]

Well it was an easy choice for me - my bike was originally 140mm travel with Fox 34's on
I upgraded the rear shock and the factory DPX2 was sooo good it made the front feel awful so I had a hunt around and cube made an action team bike with a 150mm factory 36 on the front, a guy in Germany had brand new stock of them

If I'd gone to 38 they only seemed to come in more around the 160/170 size which would have meant changing the travel down to 150mm at extra cost. Plus tbh I rode my mates with a 38 and they're impressive but very rigid but I'm nowhere near a pro downhill rider so I figured it would be quite a bit of overkill on my bike.

I think the choice between 38 vs 36 starts with travel, type of bike, rider weight and then use. For your situation the 36 makes the most overall sense.

 

[MountainBoy]

Always.
Especially with Flames

I put some flame stickers on my forks and they made my bike slower!

My wife had to point out that I had the flames pointing the wrong way. Turned 'em around and I found all my lost speed, and then some!

 

[KlaasNorg]

Its interesting that they dont do e-tuned for the rear shocks, given the justification on their website for specific e tunes for forks.

They do make E-MTB tuned rear shocks. On my Giant Trance E.