Trigger 29er Fox shock travel bar lever - very stiff

[trailgumby]

Hi Guys, just a quick question if I may.

I have a 2013 Trigger 29er with the fancypants dual chamber Fox pull shock. I'm wondering how others with this bike find the action of the handlebar lever for the rear shock.

Mine is quite stiff - quite a lot of force required to get it into short travel mode - much more than you would apply to say a Lefty fork hydraulic lockout. It has always been like this since purchase in mid-2014 and has not changed much if at all.

Both my son and I ride this bike and the handlebar suddenly snapped almost exactly on the left edge of the KP180 handlebar remote mounting band on his last ride. Fortunately only an elbow graze and a few bruises.

I am wondering whether what seems like an excessively stiff remote may have contributed to a fatigue failure of the handlebar. The KP180 handlebar remote is a write-off - thoroughly ovalised by the bar failure.

Thanks for your help.

[TheRookie]

Did it contribute to bar failure, no, the amount of force you can react with your thumb pressing the remote compared to the load on the bars under severe riding is tiny, not at all relevant.

Hydraulics are by their very nature much more efficient.

[TheKaiser]

Did it contribute to bar failure, no, the amount of force you can react with your thumb pressing the remote compared to the load on the bars under severe riding is tiny, not at all relevant.

I had one of those Triggers myself. Agreed that the stiff action of the lever would still be minimal compared to the other forces on the bar, however the clamp design and torque on the clamp bolt may have played a role in the bar snapping. With it being all ovalized now, it might be tougher to tell, but often smaller production run and/or poorly made parts will have a sharp edge on the inside face of the clamp, that can score the bar and provide a stress riser that can lead to a crack.

I don't recall what the finishing work was like on the inside of my lever clamp.

[TheRookie]

In which case just doing up the clamp will do the damage, not the minimal force from a thumb press.