Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Birmingham, AL
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2006
Strengths: low mantenance. little flex. not the heaviest.
Weaknesses: not the lightest. bob at my current 170lbs, unadjustable.
Bottom Line:
I ride semi-fast on bumpy, technical trails, log/rock piles, small (1 ft) jumps, but no big air.
Got it on a good sale somewhere. The fork has been trouble free, even on some hard hits. I like the fact that there's little if any flex, as compared to the old Sids. I haven't been losing weight, so I may need to get new springs because my 170lbs causes a bit of bob. Bottom line- respectable weight, reliability, flexibility (adjustable travel, although that's not a big deal to me), and performance at a very good price!
Submitted by
Akos
a Weekend Warrior
from Hungary, Middle Europe
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2005
Strengths: -it is very-very plush due to the hydracoil damping-lubrication, the spring, the negative spring and the good seals -With the u-turn feature you can adjust the geometry of the bike -reliable due to the proved and old technology used(hydracoil damping, u-turn)
Weaknesses: -hopelessly bobbing -the rebound adjuster knob is very easy to lose -the preload is not adjustable at all.If it's too soft or stiff to you, you must buy a new spring
Bottom Line:
According to the product manual, its sag is good for me(I'm 67 kg).In spite of that, the 108 mm travel is not enough when dropping more than 40cm/1.3ft.So it's not suitable for dirt jumping.It is too linear for that. I think this fork is the solution for traditional xc hardtails which cannot support a long-travel fork due to the climbing geometry. Of course it needs some maintenance but its quite easy to manage due to the simple fork structure
Submitted by
jhun viray
a Weekend Warrior
from chatsworth, ca USA
Date Reviewed: December 27, 2004
Strengths: easy to adjut and light
Weaknesses: spring too soft for > 185 lbs and no lock out
Bottom Line:
this came with the bike, easy to adjust if your not into thinkering around...to soft for me...i weight 185 lbs...after having for one year, i upgrade into stiffer spring and works great for me...now its leaking...its time to upgrade for marathon sl...in short this is a good fork for starters...
Bike Setup: sugar 3 '03 xt, chris king head and hubs, ceramic mavic rims, terry saddles, rest stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Glenn
a Weekend Warrior
from Auckland NZ
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2004
Strengths: U Turn, rebound adjust (which works), looks stylie
Weaknesses: Longevity of all bits plastic, why o why rs
Bottom Line:
These were retailing in nz for about a $1000, until the all new singing an dancing '05 models became available. Needless to say i got mine cheap, cheap, cheap and how stoked i am with'm, plus they look way cool in silver with the embossed duke logo on the legs, yeah baby!!! U turn works really well, great for climbing, tricky descents and takes good hits when rampin it up. Unfortunately you can't adjust the travel while underway, but who cares, i'm not spending $1300 for the latest and greatest, i'll just stop and turn!! Ride is plush and responsive when tuned in with the rebound adjust, which i'm sceptical will sustain a heavy impact, but we shall see overtime. If your heavier than 160, upgrade the springs, i'm not, so it does'nt affect me, but other people who have sat on my trusty stead find they have too much sag (stop eating all the pies people). They're definitely not the lightest out there, but would suit an aggresive trails/dirt jump rider, looking for a reasonably priced huck fork, but only if you can find one. Five turds all round cos they worth it.
Similar Products Used: Psylo, Judt tt, Indy sl, DNM Triples
Bike Setup: Which one?
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Zach
a Cross Country Rider
from Elko, NV
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2004
Strengths: Worked awesome for ups and downs while it worked. Felt like it could take on anything in my area expect large drops. Adjustablity was great switching between pavement and trail riding.
Weaknesses: Longevity. 5th or 6th ride on the fork: 30 feet from the garage the air side of the fork gives a death heave of hissing air and oil. Lost ability to hold air and our local mechanic said "Gotta send it in." The dust seal was blown out by the leaking air and fastening it down didn't mitigate the problem. 2-3 weeks before I get it back! Now I know what what the waiting period feels like for gun buyers.
Bottom Line:
Sweet fork with dependability problems.
Normally I would pass an instance like this off as bad luck but my father also has a Duke XC that lasted less than 90 days before biting the dust. Different bikes from different shops so I would say Rockshox has some work to do improving the reliability of the Duke XC line.
Submitted by
Jamie C
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2004
Strengths: Travel is adjustable, very smooth, solid fork.
Weaknesses: Springs a little light, can't adjust this without changing the springs. Little heavy.
Bottom Line:
This fork exceeded my expectations. Only down side is that new springs need to be purchased to change the softness/hardness of the shoxs. Raced with them in a 24 Hour Solstice race and they held up very well for the different types of terrain and my everything was smooth.
Submitted by
Anthony
a Cross Country Rider
from Morris County, NJ, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2004
Strengths: Stiff, reasonable weight,Looks good,Adjustable U-turn makes this a go anywhere fork. Rebound adjustment works well throughout it's range. Build Quality.
Weaknesses: not real easy to adjust while moving.
Bottom Line:
When you have lots of money to spend, the choice is easy. When you don't, you go through the laborious task of reasearching and comparing everything from the worst to the best in an attempt to get the best of all worlds for what you're willing to spend. This fork has given my bike much more precision and stability allowing me to descend faster,climb better, and can now pedal through sections I previously had to coast through. I ride East Coast terrain loaded with rocks, roots and small drops. I e-mailed SRAM a question about oil levels , and surprisingly received an answer in about two hours. The product performs great, looks like it's built to last, and has responsive customer service. I'm not sure why Rock Shox receives all the bashing it does on these message boards. I'm very pleased.
Submitted by
ish
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2004
Strengths: I'm lovin' the u-turn feature...it lets me ride terrain i couldn't tackle before. nice and plush when i need it, and i can crank down the travel before the climb, or change my bike's geometry before a technical descent.
Weaknesses: tips the scale a little too far, but i suppose that's the price paid for 45mm of travel-adjust.
Bottom Line:
Hooked up a wicked deal on this baby through work, and am loving it so far. probably not something i'd rock in a race, but excellent if you're going to ride a variety of types of terrain.
Bike Setup: Thin Blue Line w/ mix of LX, XT, race face, eggbeater SL
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Roewyn Blaine
a Cross Country Rider
from Palatine, IL USA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2004
Strengths: Strong and stiff... plus, it looks super-fly.
Weaknesses: Kinda pricey, but worth it... shop around and you'll find a good one.
Bottom Line:
After you adjust your travel and find that zen balance between rabbit and turtle, it's like smoooooth butter on any kind of terrain. I've dropped it, climbed it, run over root-ridden stretches and it's holding up like gangbusters.
It is a little on the "bling" side of the register; all the bike shops around here we're quoting me 270 at the least... but if you find one, BUY IT. You're going to get your $$'s worth out of this shock.
4 turds for price (you do have to look around), but 5 fo' the rating... it's too good once you get it on your ride.
Favorite Trail: Ocala's Hard Rock, and props for the local trails here
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At: aebike.com
Similar Products Used: RS Jett (my first shock.. *sniff*), Fatty Headshock, Judy XC
Bike Setup: Candy apple red Cannondale F300 w/ Duke XC, Truvativ Stylo, SRAM drivetrain, Deore brakes, Rhynolites... all kinds of goodies...
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Toowoomba, Qld, Australia
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2004
Strengths: Strong, function very well U-turn especially.
Weaknesses: None yet
Bottom Line:
I weigh 100kg and these forks havent bottomed out yet. These forks are the reason I bought the XTC2 over the XTC3. Money well spent. I haven't tried a more expensive shock yet. For what riding I do Rock Shock Dukes are perfect.
Bike Setup: Standard Giant XTC2 Disc, with cateye enduro 8
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from sydney Aus
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2003
Strengths: Looks, smooth, Rebound adj, u-turn is cool, seems strong.
Weaknesses: Aint the lightest out there, Not as easy to turn u-turn while riding as you want it. The seals get dry after a while and will squeak a little.
Bottom Line:
Good for the weekend warrior but I am already thinking about buying a fox cause I am getting serious and would like a lighter weight fork. The u-turn is a good feature but when it has weight on it's hard to use. You have to keep the stanchions(sp?) lubed, i use a teflon based chain lube and I put this on before every ride at the lip of seal, then I cycle the fork up and down a few times and then wipe off all dirt, this will keep it smooth, clean and quite. All up I like the fork and think it makes a good fork for the xc/all mountain rider on a budget.
