Once you’ve figured out that your fork is guaranteed to work with your new damper, you’ll need to decide if you’re just going to be upgrading your damper, or if you want to perform any more service while you’ve already got your fork cracked open. If you’re at that 125 hour service interval or getting close to it, then it’s time for fresh seals, dust wipers, and an air spring service. Here at The Lost Co, we generally recommend servicing the fork earlier, around every 75 hours to keep it running absolutely perfect, but if this is a fresh fork that's getting treated to new parts before hitting dirt, then go ahead and leave everything but the damper where it is!

Before you tear your fork apart and make a mess in the garage, double check that you have everything on our shopping list! If you're just installing the damper and are not doing a full fork service, use the list on the right, but if you are going all in and giving your fork a complete overhaul, the list on the left is your new best friend. The lists for installing a GRIP X2 versus a GRIP X are identical, as they require all the same tools!

First, let’s look at the case where you’re doing a full service while you’re upgrading your damper. Luckily for all of you, we have an incredibly in depth hour long YouTube video explaining every step (besides the air spring service) in pain staking detail, so please watch that if you're tackling this on your own, especially if its your first time. Even if you're an experienced suspension mechanic, you still might learn a thing or two!

The whole process is all pretty technical, and we won’t be breaking down all the steps to replace dust wipers, service your airspring, and install the GRIP X2 Damper. Luckily, Fox has some fantastic manuals to help you take everything apart, and more importantly, put it all back together without breaking everything! The Dust Wiper and Bath Oil Service (pictures or video of process) is going to be essentially the same for all forks with a few small differences in the tools you need and the oils going in the lower legs. In step 7 in the first link, we recommend using a downhill tire lever instead of a wrench and being VERY careful not to scratch the insides of your lowers!

Now for the air spring, here are links to Fox's rebuild guides, which we recommend following to a tee for the best results!

• Fox 38
• Fox 36 (NA2)
• Fox 36/Marzocchi Bomber Z1 (NA)
• Fox 34

Last but not least, we have to get that new damper in there! Once again, Fox has a great guide to help you get your fancy new parts installed without a headache. When you have all the tools for the job, this installation is very straightforward, and in case you need help tuning your new fancy damper, check out our super in depth YouTube video on our tuning tips specifically for this damper! Or check out our suspension setup blog post for all the ins and outs your could possibly want to get this fork dialed.

If you’re NOT planning on replacing your seals and wipers, then you’ve got a much smaller job ahead of you, and you don’t even need to drop the lower legs of the fork! Be warned though, we really only recommend this if you’ve just bought the fork or just had a full service done. Throwing the GRIP X or X2 damper is of course an upgrade on its own, but won’t be nearly as much of an upgrade if you’re neglecting the rest of your fork! For all the visual learners out there, Fox has a great video of this process and we highly recommend checking it out for more specific steps in addition to all of the torque values you’ll need.

To install the new damper, you do still need to break the damper free from the lowers just like if you were dropping them, and all of the damper side bath oil is going to drain out into your oil bucket. Once you break your damper free, remove the damper top cap and use a chamferless socket to remove the damper. Now is a great time to clean out the inside of the fork using the SC1, lint free towels, and dowel to push those towels through. You won’t be getting into all the nooks and crannies of the fork because the uppers are still installed, but it’s better than nothing!

Once everything is cleaned up, slide that brand new GRIP X2 damper into place, and there’s a little trick to getting that bath oil in there. In Fox’s video, you’ll see them attach the damper at the top of the fork and compress the foot of the damper to make room for their syringe to squeeze some oil in there, but we prefer to do it another way here at The Lost Co. We recommend that you pour the oil in from the top, so before you grab the syringe, attach the footnut at the bottom so that the oil doesn’t just pour straight out the bottom! There will be about an inch gap at the top where the oil can slide right in, and then get everything all buttoned up!

Just like that, your fork just got a HUGE performance upgrade and it’s time to hit the trails! The new Fox dampers offer fantastic performance but they do take a little bit of tinkering to get all of the dials set just right. Luckily, we have a YouTube video specifically on all of our GRIP2 setup tips and tricks, which are all applicable to the GRIP X and GRIP X2 dampers. We also have a series of blogs dedicated to setting up any piece of suspension, including your fork with that brand new damper in it!

Current Bikes: Chromag Lowdown, Transition TR11, Evil Faction

Bike Size: Medium/Large

Favorite Trails: Oriental Express, Upper Bobs, Interurban

About Me: Hailing from the sunny landscape of California, Tor headed north and landed here in the cloudy town of Bellingham, WA. His riding style is "PINNED" and he loves to scope out those seemingly impossible triples. He loves riding and also loves sharing his experiences with others. You can catch Tor in front of the camera or behind the keyboard, but best of luck catching him on the trail!