Advice required; what downhill fork?
Discussion
Just got my belated 40th birthday present:
(Wife sorted one out for last year, just a week before I smashed myself up in the Alps on t'other bike and it had to go back.)
Need all the advice I can get on forks. This is what I know/assume, in order of cost:
Advise away!
(Wife sorted one out for last year, just a week before I smashed myself up in the Alps on t'other bike and it had to go back.)
Need all the advice I can get on forks. This is what I know/assume, in order of cost:
- Rockshox RC; good, low cost fork. Pretty durable but not that tuneable.
- Marzocchi 888; twice the cost of the above but (apart from the crap 2008/9 intages) hugely durable and reliable.
- Fox 40; first class performance and adjustability, absolute top-price brand, needs regular (perhaps too regualr) servicing.
- Bos Idylle; ditto above, but with 'questions' about back up and support.
Advise away!
Depends if you're a racer looking for that extra 1 second or more of a jumper/fun/freerider like me.
The Boxxers really are the best VFM in my opinion if you want to go fast, they're reliable too apart from the World Cups that need a service twice a run. Mate picked up a set of R2C2's last summer in Whistler, ran faultlessly ever since with no work, lot more adjustable than the standard RC's light too.
888's are the best if you're more into having fun and throwing shapes, I had some 2008 RC3 Ti WC's and they were brilliant (it was the 2009's which were crap) the more basic ones work just as well. Quite heavy, but totally reliable.
40's are clearly the coolest ones, the gold stanchions and that name will get you all the 'props' you ever want from the 17 year olds at the bike park if you want. They ride really well, but cost the earth, need a lot of tlc and eat through bushes and blow seals if you're a heavier rider.
If you want to go really fast, I'd get the Boxxers, if you want to have a bit of fun and 'huck' get the 888's and if you want to look cool, and in fairness do a bit of both and can swallow the huge cost get the 40's.
I don't know a thing about the BOS stuff, but it does look good!
The Boxxers really are the best VFM in my opinion if you want to go fast, they're reliable too apart from the World Cups that need a service twice a run. Mate picked up a set of R2C2's last summer in Whistler, ran faultlessly ever since with no work, lot more adjustable than the standard RC's light too.
888's are the best if you're more into having fun and throwing shapes, I had some 2008 RC3 Ti WC's and they were brilliant (it was the 2009's which were crap) the more basic ones work just as well. Quite heavy, but totally reliable.
40's are clearly the coolest ones, the gold stanchions and that name will get you all the 'props' you ever want from the 17 year olds at the bike park if you want. They ride really well, but cost the earth, need a lot of tlc and eat through bushes and blow seals if you're a heavier rider.
If you want to go really fast, I'd get the Boxxers, if you want to have a bit of fun and 'huck' get the 888's and if you want to look cool, and in fairness do a bit of both and can swallow the huge cost get the 40's.
I don't know a thing about the BOS stuff, but it does look good!
P-Jay, thanks for info. What's servicing like for RC's - not too frequent?
I don't really jump big, but then on the other hand, I'm fairly ham-fisted and most of my riding will be on the Chase, which is notorious in mtb component circles for f
king up suspension and drivetrain componentry... So maybe still be 88's have it.
The Bos stuff gets great reviews and my mate's Morewood runs nicely on them, but I do wonder about support from an importer that has just a mobile 'phone as the contact, if anything were to go wrong.
I don't really jump big, but then on the other hand, I'm fairly ham-fisted and most of my riding will be on the Chase, which is notorious in mtb component circles for f
king up suspension and drivetrain componentry... So maybe still be 88's have it.The Bos stuff gets great reviews and my mate's Morewood runs nicely on them, but I do wonder about support from an importer that has just a mobile 'phone as the contact, if anything were to go wrong.
Digga said:
P-Jay, thanks for info. What's servicing like for RC's - not too frequent?
I don't really jump big, but then on the other hand, I'm fairly ham-fisted and most of my riding will be on the Chase, which is notorious in mtb component circles for fking up suspension and drivetrain componentry... So maybe still be 88's have it.
The Bos stuff gets great reviews and my mate's Morewood runs nicely on them, but I do wonder about support from an importer that has just a mobile 'phone as the contact, if anything were to go wrong.
There's probably something in the book that says every X hours, which is always a difficult thing to calculate because it's such an odd thing to measure. Full day at Cwmcarn on the uplift is 8ish hours, but between lunch, bit of bike tweaking and being shagged I'd usually only do 10 runs, at about 4 mins a run that's 40mins of actual riding time - I doubt in the eyes of the service people they'd count that as 40 mins, or 8 hours...I don't really jump big, but then on the other hand, I'm fairly ham-fisted and most of my riding will be on the Chase, which is notorious in mtb component circles for f
king up suspension and drivetrain componentry... So maybe still be 88's have it.The Bos stuff gets great reviews and my mate's Morewood runs nicely on them, but I do wonder about support from an importer that has just a mobile 'phone as the contact, if anything were to go wrong.
Anyway, according to the bloke in the bike shop "it's the same as the Marz 888's service 'em when they start feeling bad" The main thing is they've got good seals and a coil spring so they're not so sensitive to a bit of 'treatment'. If reliability it key you can't fault 888's open-bath, change the oil in the lowers and you've changed the oil in the whole damper side, couldn't be easier.
Across my group of mates we cover most brands and specs, the 888’s have by far been the most bomb proof. Boxxer world-cups have been leaking air and oil, 40’s blowing seals and spraying oil up the stanchions, breaking dampers and eating bushes.
888s all the way! They might lose in the weight-weenie stakes, they gain ten-fold in durability. Those I know with them just keep on riding (the Alps and the Mega year after year, a season in Whistler etc) with little maintenance and no problems, whereas those with Fox 40s regularly reported (before moving to 888s!) blown dampers, seals etc, etc despite near religious servicing.
R.P.M said:
Digga, how many times....?!
FOX for Show.
BOS for Pro.
Reinforcing your Sunday morning sermon eh? FOX for Show.
BOS for Pro.
Been mad busy - yesterday afternoon fixing broken mower curburettor and rebuilding the seized Hope hub on the singlespeed (and oily day!) and today with work - so haven't had further chance to look, but since Olly says Bos's support is first rate (if very small business)it sounds very tempting.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff