Strengths: Strong without being overly heavy. So smooth.
Weaknesses: Lack of adjustments, but for the price I can't complain.
Bottom Line:
I've only ridden this fork 3 times on the trails but coming from the Mr.T makes this fork feel like a dream. The Fox 40 I tried felt mushy compared to this fork but that is most likely down to rider setup. The stability and control is amazing and the ability to crank it down to ride up has made all the difference between a wobbly ride up and a totally comfortable and controlled one. I can't wait to ride this fork all season.
Similar Products Used: tried old red Boxxers and Fox 40. Rode a Mr.T for 4 seasons.
Bike Setup: Bullit- mostly stock build
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dusty D
a Downhiller
from Reno, Nevada, USA
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2005
Strengths: Beefy, Adjustable, Buttery Smooth w/travel left over for big hits, mucho tire clearance. Travel adjustment knob is made of metal and is durable. Looks GREAT. Says "RIDE" on it :)
Weaknesses: Expensive, Squishy on the climbs (expected), Bumpers crack and fall apart (expected), No Tullio (C'mon Rock Shox . . . what happened? Tullio was a GREAT feature.). Axel has a plastic (why?) screw in keeper that can be tough to get out.
Bottom Line:
Me likee very muchee. I am not picky, SPV can kiss my SP-@ss, I'm not trying to win a cross country race and I ride a Banshee. If you desire an adjustable fork, there aren't that many options. If you desire an adjustable DC fork, there are even LESS options. I feel blessed to have this great adjustable front fork in such an easily monopolized sector of the market.
Stock, it's EXACTLY what I wanted. It is burly, inpiring confidence on take-off and (more importantly) landing. I ride extremely rocky trails at Northstar Downhill MB park. This fork eats up the babies' heads and doesn't bottom out on the 7' drops.
The first 4 inches of travel are so smooth that you fully expect it to bottom on you. But despite launching off some fairly large hits, my seals have yet to wipe the upper-most inch of the stancions. I have no desire to purchase stiffer springs.
Coming from a Shiver DC (ultra plush, very wide, super burly), I don't even consider this a step back. It is a definite UPGRADE. In a perfect world, I would say invert it, because that way, you'd have the weight of the lowers up where you could control it.
Submitted by
matt holgado
a Downhiller
from london
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2005
Strengths: Stifness/tracking, adjustability, weight, direct mount stem compatability.
Weaknesses: Stock spring too soft.
Bottom Line:
For a bike as adjustable as the 2004 bighit (sad to see them go, demo 8 too heavy for me), the Ride is a great fork to pair up with (true freeride capabilities with the u-Turn). Its held up well to abuse so far and has taken some big drops with ease.
My only problem was the spring, as out the box it was too soft for me (sram say its set up for a 65-75kg rider, but at 73kgs, it was still a bit soft). Swapped for a slightly firmer spring and all is good.
Maintanence is also real easy. If youre over 73 kgs, think about getting a harder spring (TF Tuned does one now).
Similar Products Used: Jr T, Monster T's, Boxxer Race
Bike Setup: custom big hit expert, Swinger 4-way, Boxxer Ride, Hope Mono M4's, XT, E13, Singletracks on Deore, Gusset thru hub.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Tan
a Downhiller
from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2005
Strengths: U-Turn, definitely. IMHO, doesn't make it any less of a "real" DH fork. Stiff, feels real solid. Direct mount stem compatible.
Weaknesses: None so far. Found the new disc mount sizing a bit confusing.
Bottom Line:
This is my third thru-axle fork and second dual crown. I don't know what I was thinking when I got the Dropoffs. Don't cheap out on major parts, especially forks & frames, ESPECIALLY not if you're going to race them DH. The DOs, while probably good enough for just plain hucking, suck on the bumpy stuff as they have no rebound adjust. And the QR20 bolts broke while I was riding so the other assorted locking hardware just fell off, never to be found.
Enough about the DOs, the Ride rules! 7" is enough for me, and where I am, there aren't any chairlifts so dialing the U-Turn down to 5" helps a lot for climbing. At first I thought the Ride might not be a "real" DH fork. If anything, the Rides have helped me be a better DHer simply because I can do more runs. Riding is faster than walking up the hill. Think of them as an old Race with U-Turn, if you will.
Bike Setup: '03 Bullit, Deore drivetrain, Holzfeller cranks, SunRims + Ringle wheels, Diatech hydro discs, Maxxis Minions, assorted no-name, but tough as parts.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Oliver Tan
a Weekend Warrior
from Anaheim Hills, Ca
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2004
Strengths: stiffer than old boxxer (marz. stiff) new crown rules, as does the new drop crown U-turn, turns me on to be able to crank 5-7 inches
Weaknesses: same old RS damping, takes work to make it feel right
Bottom Line:
Uber FR fork, especially for 'core HT's. I can crank it down to 5 inches, stiffens up the spring, and do some dj's, urban, climbing. up it to 6 inches for trail rockin'. up it again to 7 inches for righteous dh'ing or hucking. I get a nice 62 degree HA at 7 inches. I wonder if Stratos ID carts would make a difference in the damping.
Is this normal on the spring side? I've been told it is, but the manual says the lower isn't supposed to have any oil on the spring side, and you're supposed to pour some oil into Read More »
I broke out the bike the other day which has sat all year long. Was washing it and noticed on the front of the crown both sides that the paint was cracked. I do not see any cracks Read More »
The manual says to use 5wt, but I have a ton of 7.5wt golden spectro (I know not the best stuff, but it works ok in Marz forks)
Should I just get some belray or try to use up th Read More »
So it seems from looking at the technical manual provided by Rock Shox that one could replace the spring and rod assembly in the left leg of the Boxxer with u-turn assembly. It lo Read More »
I know they do not recommend this, but has anyone done it with good results. My buddy has Boxxer Ride that i would like to try on the bike, but I would rather the headtube stay o Read More »
