Submitted by
martin lundstedt
a Downhiller
from gävle, sweden Date Reviewed: August 27, 2007
Favorite Trail:
duro
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
3´60 norr (vännäs sweden)
Strengths:
pretty lightweight. pretty good for street ^^,
Weaknesses:
too soft for my taste..
Bike Setup:
brave machine22, duke(426 soon), mavic 729D, shimano XT hubs(...)last but not least, a green crocodile bike horn! :D
Bottom Line:
i bought it because i couldn't afford a pike 426, but i'm thinking about buying it next year.. but the duke is pretty good. i haven't tested the durability of it yet though :P well, it's pretty good for streeting as i said, but when it comes to dirting it's pretty soft. i'm thinking about replacing the spring in it :P
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rachid
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver/Ottawa, Canada Date Reviewed: September 30, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
OEM on XtC2
Strengths:
Durability, takes a licking and keeps on ticking
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Judy Oil (2000 model)
Bike Setup:
xt/xtr with easton carbon bar and seatpost, hayes hydraulics and ExCalibur wheels
Bottom Line:
It's a great fork, when I ride XC in Ontario it gets me around fast and secure, I've upgraded to a carbon handlebar so I keep the fork on a medium setting and the combo fork/bar, soak everything up. Used the fork for DH/FR in BC, firmed it up with higher PSI than suggested for my weight (190) and it reacts like a charm, rarely bottoming out. Took 3 foot drops and went dirt jumping and the thing doesn't want to die, it's a great fork.
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Submitted by
yoon Lee
a Cross Country Rider
from busan,Korea Date Reviewed: October 30, 2005
Favorite Trail:
baekyangsan, Hwangryungsan
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Kumchun MTB
Strengths:
It's enough to enjoy single track. Strong stention tube and enough travel. Looks good!!
Weaknesses:
weight, My fork is 1.77kg. It needs more diet
Similar Products Used:
PilotXC, Marzocchi Mx-comp
Bike Setup:
Nrs team
Bottom Line:
It was very nice shox to m. Because it has durable components. It operated as sid shox, but it's much heavy than SId. I think it is the best shox aroun same grade
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Submitted by
Brian
a
from San Diego, CA Date Reviewed: July 30, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
I'm 235# and ride moderatly aggressive. Small drops, 2 ft. or less. Shock has held up fine, and seems stiff enough, while other stuff has broken.
Weaknesses:
hmmm, weight? Not quickly adjustable. Not many weakness IMHO,
Similar Products Used:
Older shocks. Nothing else current.
Bike Setup:
Iron Horse Hollowpoint sport. Small upgrades.
Bottom Line:
The reason I'm writing a review is to let other big riders know that this shock is very tunable.
It was OEM on my bike, and WAY too active to climb efficiently. I'm 235#, and the front would boing WAY too much when climbing out of the saddle. Comes with 5wt oil stock. Changed it to 10wt first and really liked the effect. Went to 15wt and it is now perfect for someone my size. Compression and rebound are MUCH more controlled and the adjuster has a good range also. For fine-tuning you can adjust the oil level too. More oil = more progressive damping. Less = more linear. For final tuning I dropped the oil level about 1/4 inch, giving me slightly less activity in the first inch of travel.
To change the oil I "cheated" and just dumped the oil out of top of the fork, by removing the top cap, and pumping the shock up and down. Not the recommended method, disassembling the fork and completely flushing the oil, but my method seems to work. Also made a "dipstick" for fine tuning oil level. The fork is now "dialed in" for my size and style, and works 10X better than original. I might have already changed forks had I not taken the time to get this one working correctly.
Good fork if you fall into the designed weight range (160#'s ????) or you take the time to make it work for you!
Not gonna give it 5/5 because there may be better stuff out there for the price? But I just don't know. hThe reason I'm writing a review is to let other big riders know that this shock is very tunable.
It was OEM on my bike, and WAY too active to climb efficiently. I'm 235#, and the front would boing WAY too much when climbing out of the saddle. Comes with 5wt oil stock. Changed it to 10wt first and really liked the effect. Went to 15wt and it is now perfect for someone my size. Compression and rebound are MUCH more controlled and the adjuster has a good range also. For fine-tuning you can adjust the oil level too. More oil = more progressive damping. Less = more linear. For final tuning I dropped the oil level about 1/4 inch, giving me slightly less activity in the first inch of travel.
To change the oil I "cheated" and just dumped the oil out of top of the fork, by removing the top cap, and pumping the shock up and down. Not the recommended method, disassembling the fork and completely flushing the oil, but my method seems to work. Also made a "dipstick" for fine tuning oil level. The fork is now "dialed in" for my size and style, and works 10X better than original. I might have already changed forks had I not taken the time to get this one working correctly.
Good fork if you fall into the designed weight range (160#'s ????) or you take the time to make it work for you!
Not gonna give it 5/5 because there might be better stuff out there for the price, but I just don't know. Hope this helps. B.
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Submitted by
Nick
a
from USA Date Reviewed: June 15, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Strengths:
on 4. Pretty.
Weaknesses:
The rebound regulator is falling down
Similar Products Used:
duke xc u-turn
Bike Setup:
evil Doc. Race face diabulous.
Bottom Line:
I like this fork but it is not for DJ so i will change it/
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a Racer
from Cape Town Date Reviewed: December 29, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Stiff. Relatively plush. Cheap.
Weaknesses:
None really, I suppose it could be a bit lighter, but then it'd be flexy like a SID.
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox SID Race, Manitou Skareb Elite, Fox F80RLC
Bike Setup:
Kona hardtail
Bottom Line:
The best value in forks. A pity that for 05 the only Duke model in the lineup is the one with U-Turn, which adds some weight. This fork is stiffer than a Skareb, and MUCH stiffer than a SID. Which means great handling upfront. Have only serviced them twice in 2 years, and had to replace a broken spring the last time, although the fork was functioning just fine. Highly recommended!!
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Submitted by
Liam
a Racer
from Flint Hill,VA,USA Date Reviewed: October 6, 2004
Favorite Trail:
CAMBO mtb trails
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Bike Stop of Warrenton
Strengths:
Strong and durable, easy to set up.
Weaknesses:
Bounces around a lot for racing and there is no lock out option. It is a little heavy.
Similar Products Used:
Rock shox duke U-turn, crappy huffy stuff.
Bike Setup:
Trek 8500 frame, Duke fork, Shimano XT and Bontrager race components.
Bottom Line:
Good basic fork. But if you are younger lighter rider like me who is getting in to racing you might want to look in to a lighter fork with a lock out. Like the Manitou Skareb Super or a Rock Shox Sid Team.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Hito
a Weekend Warrior
from MI Date Reviewed: September 18, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Northeast Park
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$270.00
Purchased At:
CBO
Strengths:
Dependable fork, absorbs small bumps and very solid
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox Pilot XC
Bike Setup:
Tassajara with mods.
Bottom Line:
Good fork. Much bettern than the Pilot XC. For a hardtail MTB, Duke is probably the best bet. Go higher in price, and it'll be overkill. Duke XC gets the job done.
Duke XC seems to grab the trail better, and is a nice upgrade to any hardtail. If you are a hard trail rider, then this fork is excellent.
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Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson, AZ, USA Date Reviewed: August 29, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
R & R Bicycles, Tucson
Strengths:
No complaints as far as function, it did what a suspension fork is supposed to do--smoothed out the bumps. A minor quibble was that I never seemed to get it quite tuned as far as pedal bob vs. small bump plushness. Did fine with the larger bumps but always was sacrificing small bump comfort for pedalling firmness or vice versa. I suppose this might be expecting too much at this price point.
Weaknesses:
Fork cracked six months after purchase and RockShox refused to replace under warranty.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Trek Fuel 90 stock except for Avid mechanical discs and Sun Ringle Disc-O-Tek wheels
Bottom Line:
I am a beginning mountain biker who is returning to cycling after many years. I enjoy riding singletrack and while I like going as fast as my meager abilities allow, I certainly don't do anything extreme. The fork cracked when the front wheel dropped in a rut in the trail and stopped the bike cold, throwing me over the top in the process. After my initial relief at finding only a couple of minor scrapes, imagine my surprise when I noticed the front wheel wobbling back and forth after starting to ride again.
I took the bike back to the shop and after commenting they'd never seen that before, they called RockShox and sent the fork back to them at their request. Well, it's their conclusion that there is no manufacturing defect and therefore I'm not covered under warranty. I've since talked to more than a few riders who have had or witnessed similar crashes without a resultant cracked fork. However, I'm not going to argue whether or not there was a manufacturing defect. I've just had a catastrophic failure of a major structural component of the bike under what I would consider routine use. Their argument was that since it was secondary to a crash, the warranty was void. They in fact commented to the dealer that this was like going back to the car dealer expecting replacement parts after a car crash. While car drivers may not be expected to be involved in crashes, last I heard mountain biking was a contact sport. Crashing IS an expected occurence. Is RockShox arguing that bicycle components should not be expected to survive a crash? That only riders who never crash can expect to have their warranties honored? Suffice it to say, I am extremely disappointed at their attitude. At the very least, I feel that they could have offered to replace the shock with another at a discounted price. A good company making good products should stand by what they sell. Customer service is an important of product quality. RockShox fails miserably at this. I will never buy another RockShox product and would discourage anyone who is considering buying from them. I would rate them a big fat zero if I could.
As an aside, I have similar issues with R & R Bicycles. It was only after some not so gentle persuasion that they offered to replace the fork at a discount. And then they charged me the shipping cost of the fork I wanted when they didn't have it in stock. It seem they're satisfied having one time customers rather than repeat business.
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Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from West Chester Date Reviewed: June 11, 2004
Favorite Trail:
French Creek, Fair Hill
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$310.00
Purchased At:
Bean Bikes
Strengths:
Soaks up everything, great climber, Very Durable
Weaknesses:
None Yet
Similar Products Used:
2002 Duke XC
Bottom Line:
This is a very solid fork that will serve everyone from the racer to the regular rider very well. The Duke series is known for their toughness and durability. I just finished riding an 02 Duke and it still works great. I just wanted a new version and color.
This fork soaks up all the small to medium bumps with easy and keeps your wheel planted on the steep climbs.
310 installed at Beans Bikes...
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Submitted by
kenneth lin
a Weekend Warrior
from melbourne Australia Date Reviewed: January 20, 2004
Favorite Trail:
still looking
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
singapore
Strengths:
pretty light, and smooth after getting abit warmed up
Weaknesses:
not too smooth on the initial few bumps, works as intended after some warm ups
Bike Setup:
Klein attitude with attitude V stuff, changed to XT cranks, front derailer and shifters
Bottom Line:
a good fork that works fine, have not really wacked it much as i am new in melbourne and do not know any trails here, just went down hill on a fire trail and bashed through some roots and off the track. not too bad performance, and its pretty worthwhile for the cash, its not the most expensive but it works, dun need too much tuning and maintanence this is my first review by the way thanks guys
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