Ohlins Recall RXF 36 & RXF 34 Air Forks
Photo credit: damien2146
Ohlins have released a safety recall on the RFX 36 29/27.5 and RXF 34 fork spec'ed on the 2017 Stumpjumper, Enduro and Fuse and the 2018 Stumpjumper, Enduro, Levo citing safety fears.
From Ohlins' website:
"Based upon reports from the field, we’ve concluded the Öhlins RXF 36 29/27.5 Air forks and all RXF 34 Air forks sold to aftermarket and spec’d as original equipment on the 2017 Stumpjumper, Enduro, and Fuse, and the 2018 Stumpjumper, Enduro, Levo, may contain a defect in the top cap which potentially affects safety. Specifically, the right-side top cap on some forks may not be adequately torqued which in some cases may lead to the top cap working itself free through riding. When this happens, the air cartridge may abruptly spring out of the stanchion tube causing a risk of injury to the rider. Therefore, we’ve decided to ask riders to stop riding, and our dealers to stop selling, affected forks and bicycles.
We are working urgently in partnership with Specialized on a remedy to this issue. Once we have obtained the necessary government approvals on our solution, we will issue a recall to fix the forks and get you back riding. As we progress with our recall strategy and approvals this site will be continuously updated."
We reached out to Specialized and they had the following to say:
 | Your safety is our number one concern – but we also care about your happiness, and we know how much it sucks to be without your bike! We’re working tirelessly with Öhlins and the appropriate government agencies to get you back out there as fast as we possibly can. However, the reality of a situation such as this is that there are very specific steps that need to be taken in order to provide an approved long-term solution. In light of this, we have implemented a temporary fix to hopefully help bridge the gap. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes and your patience while we work through this important process is greatly appreciated. Please contact your local Specialized retailer or ridercare@specialized.com for more information. |
We reached out to Ohlins for comment and were directed to their website which has now been updated with a Q&A which we have posted below.
Q: Why is Öhlins conducting this Stop Ride / Stop Sale?
A: We are conducting this action because we have identified a potential safety issue and want to keep our riders safe and prevent possible injuries.
Q: Which products are involved?
A: Öhlins RXF 36 29/27.5+ and 27.5 Air Forks and RXF 34 fork. It do not affect RXF 36 Coil forks or the DH Race Fork.
Q: What is the problem with the affected forks?
A: The right-side cap top on some forks potentially may unthread and become loose which in some cases may lead to the top cap working itself free through riding. When this happens, the air cartridge may spring out of the stanchion tube causing a risk of injury to the rider.
Q: How many incidents have happened?
A: We have reported, to CPSC in US, that four incidents were the air cartridge has come loose. There has been approximately 17,000 forks produced.
Q: Whom do I contact if I have had problems?
A: Contact the retailer you bought the product from and they will help you out when the fix has been government approved.
Q: Do you have a fix?
A: We have worked tirelessly and we have a validated fix that are not yet approved by government authorities. We ask for your patience and we will continually update this FAQ with more information regarding the process.
Q: I have not had any issues with my fork. Can I continue to use it?
A: No, at this stage we advise that you are not riding our product until our fix has governmental approval and has been applied to your fork.
Q: Where can I find more information?
A: We will continuously update ohlins.com with news on how we are proceeding in getting the fix governmental approved.
If you're one of the affected customers, we recommend you follow Ohlins' suggestions, stop riding the product, and contact your retailer.
Author Info:
Member since Jul 22, 2013
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Trump: "Add a Tariff...that will fix it."
Which is - surprise surprise - Specialized.
They were surly asked to cut production cost. Result is a faulty product.
Formula still has to recover from the financial and image blow they got associating with Specialized.
Feel sorry for Öhlins – bad business move – but I hope they move forward.
I blame the brands to become greedy and see what they think it is an opportunity of a lifetime.
If you have millions dollar contract in front of you – and they ask you to do something impossible – you should refuse.
Öhlins has been at it for about 10 years and they have been pretty small for most of it.
It's easy to pick on the big guys, huh? this "right-side cap top" issue was definitely caused by the big S.
I'm sure if DVO does a recall it'll be Giant's fault.
that is a good point, R cubed. i just hate sh*tty oe components that're an even more stripped down version of the same company's lowest aftermarket model. insulting. makes you wanna just buy a frame and build it up to not have to faff with switching out all the half-arsed parts.
I'm assuming that DVOs relationship w/ Giant is for their standard suspension, but looks like they may be giving them the new Topaz 2.0 first..... tho not sure if the internals are really any different than the current Topaz, which i enjoy running on my stumpy.
Anyway this is on Ohlins, not Specialized. Ohlins made the forks and, if you read the release or talked to anyone at Specialized or Ohlins, you'd know this likely boils down to missed torque specs during initial assembly. When Reverbs failed due to inadequate IFP lubrication during assembly no one blamed the frame manufacturers who speced the posts, they blamed RockShox. These are complex machines we're talking about and they have an absurd number of moving parts for how small they are. Things are bound to go wrong every once in a while and life is way too short to become so hateful over that.
Mistakes happen, give them a chance to make it right, don't go pointing fingers, ride your other bike or hit the gym for a few days, and most of all lighten the f*ck up dude.
Agreed. So many fanboys of SPECIALized goving you hate. I worked at the company for a short stint and it was a joke.
Long story short, yes, they’d rather push less reliable product out the door and gobble up warranty costs, thats what you get and should expect for Specialized. Sad part is everyone pissed about not riding during the recall will forget all about it and blindly purchase the next model...
TRUST ME: If you have these forks just keep riding them. An air spring to the face never did anyone any harm.
An air cartridge through the goggles / eye socket would have been a great contrast to the telegraphed / expected fall down a mountainside (which could have still happened post-cartridge blast).
They have to come up with a remediation, submit it to CPSC, and have them approve it - keeping in mind they don't work quickly, it's not like CPSC is losing business for dragging their heels.
Ohlins is, I believe, legally forbidden from even talking about it other than 'stop using it, return it, wait for a resolution'
Remember Geo Man bike lights? They were basically driven out of business because a recall on their batteries, that took CPSC a year to approve the remediation.
I found this out as I was practicing runs on a dual slalom course (remember those?) and had mine let go as I loaded the bike into a corner, the pent up energy of six angry elastomers shot the top cap out of the crown right into my shoulder. Hurt pretty good like a very solid punch, and the fork was immediately bottoming out harshly, ending my run. I had to go search through the grass on the side of the course to find my precious little sponge/springs and walk my bike back to the car, my day done.
*nostalgia intensifies*
Any bike shop I was in, buddies doing maintenace, etc...all things were tightened, as you say "nice and tight".
I had an issue with a Race Face BB(multiple times) and I contacted RF..they were asking me if i had torqued to the proper number(whatever the hell that made up word is). I responded with.."I have no idea..I just tighten til it feels right, and in fact the guy on your online video does the same thing!" Truth..the RF mechanic didn't use a torque wrench. The torque thing drives me nuts!
Even if it is just torque the cap correctly, it all has to be documented that the fix has been done to all affected forks, because no doubt their quality auditors will be looking at it very closely and they are compelled to do it by the book...
I've been riding a long time, built a lot of bikes..never used a torque wrench. I've had plenty of parts/frames snap and break but none due to improper torque. Cheers
Ohlins should of never made an air product, stuck to coil, what they know. The rxf36 coil and ttx22 are mega.
Stx22 went back 3 times before I demanded it be replaced with a more reliable shock. Rxf36 air was dry out of the factory, poor form on a £6500 bike.
Whole host of other issues on the bike, certainly wouldn't be buying a full build again. Expensive lesson learnt there!
Things like "this is so typical of a company that sided with Cane Creek" and "my 2004 Marzocchi 888 would NEVER do this"
Having never ridden these forks and shocks I can’t really comment on their performance. But I can say that my mid-range suspension has generally been flawless with minor maintenance done in my garage. Maybe it’s the heavier or less sophisticated internals or less adjustments that 90% of riders don’t need.
I hope they can remedy the issue, both Ohlins and Specialized. Their customers need to be out riding and not stuck at home with an expensive and useless product.
Quality? I haven't seen that yet.
That’s what they get for farming out work! ! !
Shimano has never recalled their brakes from 2014 up, meanwhile there's way more chance to get seriously injured or die due to inconsistent lever feel than a fkng air spring failure. Nearly every single Shimano brake has this issue. Who is whining on Shimano? Nobody, but as soon as company announces a recall everyone is a fkng smart ass.
Safety first, but nobody can see how mass produced product will behave, and all companies had a fk up at some point. They do need to clean their sht. BUT! Few human behaviors disgust me more than becoming Moralistic Hyenas feeding on someone elses admitting mistake. Adults behaving like sht kids in school.
Btw, anyone still got some left over tin foil?