Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh. NC USA
Date Reviewed: November 16, 2007
Strengths: Adjustability, relatively smooth.
Weaknesses: Leaky seals, loss of travel.
Bottom Line:
At 225lbs, I am no lightweight. But even with the heavier duty spring kit, I have had to rebuild this fork going on 5 times. The last time was by the home office at SRAM. When the fork works, it is smooth and fun. But if you are a heavier rider or ride aggressively, look elsewhere. This fork can't seem to take much abuse.
Submitted by
Jared
a Cross Country Rider
from Delta, CO
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2005
Strengths: Can adjust travel from 63-108 mm. Pure Delite is awesome. External rebound adjuster is handy. Reasonable weight for an easily adjustable fork.
Weaknesses: The factory springs are more than stiff for a 165 lb rider, in fact I have to keep the thing at 100 mm of travel or better or else the spring rate is too stiff.
Bottom Line:
A reasonable fork for the price, and the weight. I don't know what those guys that said the fork went through all of its travel too easily were doing, but if you set this up using the Owners Manual specs you should have no problems. It is nice to have an easy way to crank the travel down for the long climbs, and then open 'er up for the down. If you want a versatile fork that can be used for all XC bikes, this is the one you should pick. I have had it for a year, and have had not one problem with it at all.
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi 100 X-Fly, SID Race, White Bros XC-72, Psylo XC
Bike Setup: Have this fork on both a Litespeed Unicoi, and an Intense Spider XVP.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Don
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2005
Strengths: Easy to adjust, feels good, seems durable.
Weaknesses: No complaints.
Bottom Line:
I'm 50 years old and weigh 190lbs and was getting pounded with fork I had. Granted, I don't have much to compare it with, but I really love this fork. Initially I played with the settings but wound up setting it up for the full 115mm travel. Surprisingly, I was still able to climb the steep stuff without much trouble - and the higher front end made going down gut-on-the saddle stuff more secure. I ride a lot of singletrack, but generally keep both wheels on the ground, although my kids' bad influence has got me to thinking about trying to jump a bit next summer. I put close to 1000 miles on this fork last summer. Love it.
Weaknesses: Super soft springs even after upgrading to "stiffer" spring kit.
Bottom Line:
This fork is very poor in the damping department and no good for anybody weighing probably more than 110 lbs. Even with the stiffer aftermarket spring kit. It basically felt like it was mushing out or collapsing everytime you went over anything. Piece of junk
Bike Setup: At time I was riding a Spec Enduro 2002
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steve-o
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison, Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2004
Strengths: Adjust. travel, Pure Delite damper (when it works), smooth ride, seems pretty tough
Weaknesses: HEAVY, Pure Delite damper,
Bottom Line:
I got this because the travel can go down to 63mm and for older frames it keeps fork trail low enough so it still handles well. Very plush ride... I'm at the top end of the range for the med spring and it feels soft - perhaps a bit too soft, but not enough to warrant getting a spring that will likely be too stiff. Depends how much weight I loose (gain) over the winter... I've taken time to adjust/tune the fork based on what I've read on the reviews. I had some problems with the Pure Delite damper when I first got it. Before I used it I found the adjuster wouldn't work (stripped out)... the fork bolt would limit the amount that the valve could be opened ... they say that the valve should be closed all the way when putting in the fork bolt so it doesn't damage the damper...I guess that didn't happen at the factory. RS very quickly sent a new damper shaft/valve to Pricepoint who sent it to me (overnight - excellent customer service). I put it in myself (not that hard, but a bit messy...) and it works more than it did before - but there is still a limit to how much I can open it with the fork bolt in. I can get quick enough rebound for what I do so I can't complain... but they say it should have 3 turns ... I get about 1.5. That said, this handles the rough stuff (rocks, roots, rocks, rocks...) very well and it makes it fun to see those little surprises on a trail and think, "this'll handle it - no worries". It is heavy and I'm taking that to mean it'll last a while... but we'll see. I'd recommend reading the reviews (03 and 04) to learn more about tuning this fork properly. A 4 for Value since it is pretty cheap, and a 3 overall... given the problems with the damper (I would've given it a 2 if RS hadn't been so quick to send out the part and take care of the problem)
Weaknesses: Dosent last to long with out need for rebuild, noisy, bottoms out easy,
Bottom Line:
Good fork, have been happy with it for last 12 months, although it is a tad noisey can put up with it, rebuild them atleast twice yearly, holding up well to my clydesddale riding and my 90kg weight, all up great middle of the range fork, well worth the time and money.
Weaknesses: some clunking sounds when getting maximum travel, u-turn is a bit stiff
Bottom Line:
I'm a relatively light rider and these are fine for me. They are plush, have travel adjustment, and everything else can be adjusted externally aswell. Great xc fork, that also has the travel if any more extreme riding wants to be done. Not sure how it performs 4 heavier guys but for me they are great!!
Submitted by
JTW
a Weekend Warrior
from Front Range of Colorado
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2004
Strengths: The fork is fairly light for its price range and the adjustability is pretty straightforward.
Weaknesses: I gotta second most of what I've read about this fork. It rattles. It cluunks. It squeaks. It has the torsional rigidity of a wet piece of notebook paper. And, can you say, "stiction"?
Bottom Line:
I've owned a number of RS forks over the years and I shoulda learned my lesson on this one. After no more than a half-dozen rides, I just hate it. The noise and the lack of rigidity do not inspire confidence on technical DH or fast XC single track. You feel like the thing is gonna come apart at the seams. I love the shop that sold me the bike (why I did not list their name above) but I do not feel that a bike of the Klein's caliber should be spec'd with a piece of cr*p like the Duke. In the end, the guys at the shop are doing the right thing and working with me on the price of a new Fox fork to replace the RS. Can't wait.
Weaknesses: Caillouteu do not work enough on ground
Bottom Line:
This type of fork is really excellent for the cross-country. She really adapts itself has quite typical of grounds, but her not work not enough on rocky road. I am happy of my purchase carc' is really him fork par excellence for the cross-country.
Submitted by
2WJ
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Worth
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2004
Strengths: Smooth and Plush
Weaknesses: Flex,Steering precision not great. Bottoms out..the spring only good for 150 # rider. The Pure DeLite damping system is noisy,read the 03 reviews about this fork the 04 is the same.
Bottom Line:
Don't buy this fork if you are: An aggressive XC rider. If you weight more than 165 lbs. on the bike. Nice looking fork. Noisy clanky rattle that gets worse the more you turn up the rebound knob. I took the fork apart to retune for my weight of 180 # and to fix the clatter ...there is no fix for it. I sold it used and bought a Fox Talas R , enough said.
This guy rides like butter. I'm a little sketchy on the U-turn, but so far so good. I like the addition of the air as well. My only gripe is that they need some design changes. The dukes have looked the same for 3+ years. I'm glad I bought it tho, espescially for $260. It's a huge jump from my RST, but I have ridden SID's, Duke's, Marzocchi's, etc. I think I got the most bang for my buck. I hope it lasts.
