Sneak Peak of RockShox's 2005 BoXXer WC
There is no denying it – For a long time the RockShox BoXXer has been the weapon of choice for many top level downhill racers. Since 1996, when the first prototype BoXXer was introduced, many small refinements have been made to this world class fork. Thanks in part to the feedback gathered from their team riders – over the years RockShox has been able to satisfy the needs of not only their top World Cup racers, but also the privateer racer who’s looking for a light, affordable and serviceable race fork.![photo]()
Sexy Lines
I’ve been a satisfied BoXXer user for at least the past 5 years - needless to say I was pretty anxious to get my hands on the new 2005 BoXXer. Giving me the feeling of an early Christmas gift – this past week I received a new 2005 WC BoXXer. I will be riding/testing this beauty next season, and will follow up with a long term review – but for now I thought I’d give you a little sneak peak of the improvements and refinements made to the BoXXer for 2005.
![photo]()
New Magnesium Castings
For 2005, the BoXXer line features the same models as last year – i.e. the World Cup, Team and Race, but with the addition of a new vari-travel BoXXer called BoXXer Ride. The BoXXer Ride uses RockShox’s U-Turn system to allow you to adjust the BoXXer travel from 5.25” of travel to a maximum of 7”. To the untrained eye, the new 2005 line might appear unchanged! But that’s until you measure it up against any pre-2005 BoXXer; then some of the external changes become apparent. The 2005 magnesium castings look like they’ve been on a steroid cycle – it got much beefier!! The lowers are now wider, taller and have a newly redesigned arch, which increases stiffness. When I say “wider” I don’t mean the fork is wider, but simply that the bow of the arch is not as narrow as previous BoXXers, resulting in more tire clearance - it will accept the biggest raceable DH tires like Michelin Comp 32's (2.8"), Maxxis 2.7's or Kenda 2.7's , and still have good tire clearance. Quite noticeable in the comparison picture.
![photo]()
2004 BoXXer vs 2005 BoXXer
The space between the arch & stanchions has also been increased, that coupled with new recessed wiper seals, it really helps cleaning & maintaining the fork. Another really nice touch is the zip tie guides on the back of the arch, which facilitates front brake cable routing. In addition, RockShox has tripled the length of the lower bushing to eliminate any binding feeling, which some might perceive as “spiking”. The new bushing length greatly improves fork action on "slap landing" impacts, as well as heavy braking and "g-out" forces seen on today's brutal race courses.
![photo]()
Recessed Wiper Seals and More Clearance
Other than the BoXXer Ride, which has a max of 7” (178mm) of travel, all other models have received an increase of one full inch of plush usable travel - i.e. 8” (203mm) for the World Cup, Team and Race models. As you can see from the picture, the new 2005 BoXXer is exactly 1” taller than the 2004. New top crowns will increases turning radius and will allow you to run direct mount stems from e.thirteen components, Chromag, SIC, Syncros and Large Components. I’m sure many other stem manufactures will make direct mount stems in the future. Also an FYI, the 05 crowns will fit 1998-2003 BoXXers. It's possible to upgrade to a new tall upper crown with increased turning radius and direct mount stem option without changing your lower crown.
![photo]()
New Top Crow With Direct Mount Threaded Holes ![photo]()
Lower Crown Detail
The heaviest BoXXer in the 05 line is the BoXXer team, which is claimed to be 7.2lbs. The WC I received comes in at 6lbs 12oz (3062g) in his heaviest configuration (i.e. uncut steerer, crowns, axle, Titanium springs, all mounting bolts, bumpers and oil). Pretty amazing for an 8” travel fork!
![photo]()
6lbs 12oz (3062g)
I will be following up with a long term ride & performance review later on in the season once I get to put it to the test. So keep an eye on Pinkbike.com for updates. Big thanks to Michael Zellmann of SRAM for giving Pinkbike the opportunity to review their flagship downhill fork!
![photo]()
Zip Tie Guides to Facilitate Brake Cable Routing
In the meantime, if you need any more info on RockShox or SRAM products, feel fee to visit their web sites at www.rockshox.com and www.sram.com
I’ve been a satisfied BoXXer user for at least the past 5 years - needless to say I was pretty anxious to get my hands on the new 2005 BoXXer. Giving me the feeling of an early Christmas gift – this past week I received a new 2005 WC BoXXer. I will be riding/testing this beauty next season, and will follow up with a long term review – but for now I thought I’d give you a little sneak peak of the improvements and refinements made to the BoXXer for 2005.
For 2005, the BoXXer line features the same models as last year – i.e. the World Cup, Team and Race, but with the addition of a new vari-travel BoXXer called BoXXer Ride. The BoXXer Ride uses RockShox’s U-Turn system to allow you to adjust the BoXXer travel from 5.25” of travel to a maximum of 7”. To the untrained eye, the new 2005 line might appear unchanged! But that’s until you measure it up against any pre-2005 BoXXer; then some of the external changes become apparent. The 2005 magnesium castings look like they’ve been on a steroid cycle – it got much beefier!! The lowers are now wider, taller and have a newly redesigned arch, which increases stiffness. When I say “wider” I don’t mean the fork is wider, but simply that the bow of the arch is not as narrow as previous BoXXers, resulting in more tire clearance - it will accept the biggest raceable DH tires like Michelin Comp 32's (2.8"), Maxxis 2.7's or Kenda 2.7's , and still have good tire clearance. Quite noticeable in the comparison picture.
The space between the arch & stanchions has also been increased, that coupled with new recessed wiper seals, it really helps cleaning & maintaining the fork. Another really nice touch is the zip tie guides on the back of the arch, which facilitates front brake cable routing. In addition, RockShox has tripled the length of the lower bushing to eliminate any binding feeling, which some might perceive as “spiking”. The new bushing length greatly improves fork action on "slap landing" impacts, as well as heavy braking and "g-out" forces seen on today's brutal race courses.
Other than the BoXXer Ride, which has a max of 7” (178mm) of travel, all other models have received an increase of one full inch of plush usable travel - i.e. 8” (203mm) for the World Cup, Team and Race models. As you can see from the picture, the new 2005 BoXXer is exactly 1” taller than the 2004. New top crowns will increases turning radius and will allow you to run direct mount stems from e.thirteen components, Chromag, SIC, Syncros and Large Components. I’m sure many other stem manufactures will make direct mount stems in the future. Also an FYI, the 05 crowns will fit 1998-2003 BoXXers. It's possible to upgrade to a new tall upper crown with increased turning radius and direct mount stem option without changing your lower crown.
The heaviest BoXXer in the 05 line is the BoXXer team, which is claimed to be 7.2lbs. The WC I received comes in at 6lbs 12oz (3062g) in his heaviest configuration (i.e. uncut steerer, crowns, axle, Titanium springs, all mounting bolts, bumpers and oil). Pretty amazing for an 8” travel fork!
I will be following up with a long term ride & performance review later on in the season once I get to put it to the test. So keep an eye on Pinkbike.com for updates. Big thanks to Michael Zellmann of SRAM for giving Pinkbike the opportunity to review their flagship downhill fork!
In the meantime, if you need any more info on RockShox or SRAM products, feel fee to visit their web sites at www.rockshox.com and www.sram.com
Stay tuned…
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3 Comments
- 2 0
garage0racing
(May 25, 2009 at 2:48)
I have this and it still works great!
- 1 1
veddermountainman
(Dec 16, 2008 at 16:48)
olddd
- 1 2
redrook
(May 11, 2009 at 15:08)
well, not really. Get it TF tuned and its better than stock brand new ones.
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