Submitted by
nebbike
a Weekend Warrior
from Scottsbluff, Nebraska, USA
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2009
Strengths: Great Fork, tune-able, Lightweight, durable, GOOD LOOKING, lockout
Weaknesses: Lockout no longer works, Silver crown looks out of place
Bottom Line:
Great fork. Best fork I have ever used as far as value goes. It handles the little bumps and the big drops just the same. Definitely a trail fork. At 3.75 pounds it is light enough for my short track racing but beefy enough to take the DH runs.
Similar Products Used: Rock Sghox SID ,Manitou Black ,Fox RL100 , Marzocchi Z1
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Submitted by
Dan Byers
a Weekend Warrior
from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio USA
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2005
Strengths: Stiff, resist disk braking flex, affordable, fairly plush, good for Clyde
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
Great fork for the money. I paid $239.00 from an Eay seller that still has planty in stock. With the help of MTBR I researched and found that the 2003 Duke Race was considered a reliable fork with good dampning characteristics. I'm 6'1" 220 lbs,and ride hard. So far no leaks of air or oil. There seems to be a touch of stiction, but that is typical for an air-sprung fork. It's gotta be broken in by now, so I can live with it, as the stiction is gone the instant I climb aboard and sag happens. Plenty light for a 30mm fork too. I'm not thrilled with the chrome-plated crown, but you can't have everything. WAYYYY nice for what I paid. Oh yeah...I have read that some had trouble with their lockout failing. Not mine...works great still.
Strengths: Looks good. Very easy to adjust. Solid feeling fork
Weaknesses: Not had long enough to find any
Bottom Line:
It is as good if not better than my Marazocchis of which I am very happy with. I have not had them long enough to see how they last but there are plenty of parts available to service them. Some say the weight is a problem but you wouldn't get all the features this fork has to offer on any other fork for this money and still retain the solid feel. Marazocchi marathons weigh more and cost more. Fox- the same and the SIDs flex to much for my liking. As an allround trail fork they are excellent. As a XC race fork they are a bit heavy but if you were that serious you would just go for the SIDs. All considered they are great forks and if you look about you can get a bargain at the moment.
Similar Products Used: Marazocchi shiver, MXC ecc, Atom race.
Bike Setup: SCOTT Strike pro.
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Submitted by
Andy
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins, Colorado
Date Reviewed: December 17, 2003
Strengths: Excellent XC fork. Light, adjustable, nice feel, stiff for a XC fork.
Weaknesses: I don't know of any.
Bottom Line:
IMHO, after riding virtually ever air fork made in the last five years, I can honestly say that Rock Shox has the best performing, best feeling air forks of any manufacturer - including FOX. This particular fork is no different and offers the same consistent feel that I have gotten from SID's, my mustard colored Psylo Race and my 02 funky blue Duke.
I am clydesdale (6'2 & 210 lbs) and I run about 140 PSI. I get the full 80 mm of plush, yet short travel. Due the lower axle to crown height, the 30mm stanchions feel stiff and predictable.
Rock Shox also offers the best online service manuals of any of the manufacturers. These forks, like all RS products are simple in their construction, easy to service and parts are readily available from a reputable LBS within a couple of days.
For my money, this is the best 80 mm big guy race fork made.
Similar Products Used: SIDs, Psylos, Z1's, MX Pro, Mars, XVerts, Blacks, Fox Floats, the list goes on and on...
Bike Setup: This was on a Kona Hei-Hei TI Hardtail that I used to race but I am moving it to a new black ano blur.
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Submitted by
CulBaire
a Weekend Warrior
from Geelong, Vic, Australia
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2003
Strengths: What can I say, I am a big fan of RockShox products, and I have never been let down with any of the 6 Forks from RockShox, that I have used / owned.
It's a great high end XC race or heavy trail fork, it has little or even no flex like the SID's, but is light, durrable, supple, and easy to ajust. I would recomend this for heavier riders, looking for a beefie fork.
I got them for less than half the retail price in Australia :-P
Weaknesses: Busted the rebound damper ajustment, but this was my own fault for not winding it up when working on them.
Lack of Service manuals' for the Pure damper, and Hydra Air systems on the Rockshox/SRAM website...Come'on guys!
Bottom Line:
A great Trail fork, will work well for almost every perpose, I raced this weekend with them, on the rockest course, and they preforemed great. They are supple yet solid, easy to setup nad great to ride on.
Manitou: 2003 Black Elite's & Black Sport, old X-Verts and Mars too (not sure what levels)
Bike Setup: Avanti Hardtail, LX/Deore mix, Avid Disc's, Duke Race's (100mm)...Soon to get started on my Light-Bike project ;-)
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Submitted by
Harry Smothers
a Racer
from Statesboro, Ga, USA
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2003
Strengths: Strong, Lightweight, good overall fork!!!!
Weaknesses: None ... other then the stickers fell off when I put it on my bike
Bottom Line:
Great fork. Good for any rider! Just wait for the price to go down. It's a very strong fork and the weight makes it a great buy for the price. Better then most forks that I've ridden in the same price range.
Bike Setup: Truvativ Stylo cranks, XT all around, Mavic X3.1, Hayes Mechs
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Submitted by
dookie b
a Cross Country Rider
from riverside ca usa
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2003
Strengths: smooth, reliable, looks good, weight is satisfactory
Weaknesses: blew a seal after about a year of riding, but hey it bound to happen sooner or later. atleast it lasted for a year, and seals arent hard to replace
Bottom Line:
anybody who is complaining about the wieght is lame. this fork was created to fit the niche between psylo and sid.its an aggressive xc fork intended to be ridden harder than the sid. for what it is the wieght is not bad. its a good fork buy it
Submitted by
Dirk Diggler
a Cross Country Rider
from Middle of, California
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2003
Strengths: stiff, fairly plush for an 80mm... stiff factor benefit outweighs the weight factor here, compared to it's anorexic brother the SID. keep in mind i'm 190.
REASONABLY priced for a fork with these features. c'mon, the list on the FOX comprable model is over 100 dollars more.
lockout, need i say more?
not sloppy, at all... good for riders 180 and up.
Weaknesses: my pet peeve is the top out slap back... i really need to start playing with the ol psi however. i've seen as little as 2lbs make a huge difference so i can't knock it just yet for that.
Bottom Line:
2003 duke race: this is an excellent fork for the money... definately more plush and less clunky than the cheaper RS line. to be honest, it will probably be far more durable than the upper end RS line (just from what i've seen and heard of the SID) then again, you get what you pay for. in this price range, however, the features are unbeatable. at this point if you start spending more, you're just doing it to lose weight, NOT gain quality and features.
while suspension is a highly preferential thing, i seriously doubt you'll be wishing you spent the extra money for something other than this a year down the road
bottom line, if you have to "save" to buy a fork, buy this one. if you've got the cash, buy a SID world cup, lose a pound for twice the price and brag to your friends... keep in mind, as you age, you'll still gain that extra pound :P
Strengths: Very reliable fork, elegant design, looks cool
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I would recommend this fork for any racer who likes high-speed riding and cross-country. I don't this it is weighty. It rather provides an example of right balance between weight and reliability.
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Sonoma, CA
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2003
Strengths: Very plush ride and the lockout is essential for long climbs.
Weaknesses: None found yet.
Bottom Line:
I don't agree with the other comments about this fork being too heavy. After spending several hours doing research on the internet, I found that the SID would be too fragile for a 190lb rider and that the Marzocchi shocks were all in the 4+ pound range. The duke race comes in at 3.7lbs. which makes in one of the best shocks, considering it's features and weight, for the money. I don't believe that the Silver only comes in a 80mm. I have an email into Rock Shox to verify this but most retailers offer the silver in 80 & 105mm.
Bike Setup: 2002 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Pro, Race Face Cranks and Rings, SRAM 9.0 Rear, Mavic CrossRide rear
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Submitted by
Bert Bruijn
a Cross Country Rider
from Adelaide, Australia
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2003
Strengths: Weight Strength Adjustability Comfort
Weaknesses: 100mm is blue and 80mm is silver So watch your geometry and takes a few good rides to bed in
Bottom Line:
Strong and light Cross Country all round fork. This fork will go onto my XC duallie in a few years when they make lighter frames. Fine rebound adjustment and lockout is invaluable. Nice and stiff for a 80kg rider. Have given it hell and it rides plush. Some logs I don't even feel. Ride air 30psi less than specified but check sag (20-30mm) regularly. Gives confidence so I can push my limits further than ever.
Similar Products Used: RS Judy SL'01, Duke XC'02, Psylo Race '02, SID SL'02
Bike Setup: Klein Attitude Race '02 hadtail, XT, XTR wheels, Thomson stem&seatpost, Avid SD Ultimate brakes, Titec bar, Duke Race '03 fork
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Submitted by
Dave Wood
a Weekend Warrior
from Cheltenham, UK
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2003
Strengths: Plush, adjustable fork. Agree withe the comments about air pressure - go for less than recommended and it'll be better. The lock out is wonderful on road and climbs. The rebound is effective and has a wide range of adjustment. Now if they could do it at low 3lbs weight! I've just stripped it after about a year, and there was little contamination by dirt, so it survived the ultimate test of Cotswold mud over the winter!
Weaknesses: A little flexy (100mm) and overweight for the price. Aside from that, little.
Bottom Line:
Good fork, not outstanding but solid & reliable. Get it lighter and less flexy and you have a fork made in heaven! Buy it if you like reliability, good looks, lockout and reliable performance.
