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Submitted by
Mike Teitsch
a Cross Country Rider
from Peterborough, NH
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Metacomet/Middletown CT | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Wallingford Cycles, CT | | Strengths: | This fork is by far the most durable and dependable model I have ever ridden. It came standard on the Specialized Epic Comp that I ride regularly several times a week during riding season. The fork has performed flawlessly without any maintenance up until just recently (after almost 4 years of hard use. I have finally torn it down and am replacing the seals,spring assy, damper and steerer tube, but expect the fork to last another couple of years. Can't say enough about the fact that this fork has not had ANY of the problems that ALL the other forks I've owned have had, namely stiction, oil leaks, noise, short lifespans, high maintenance etc. Its been a joy to own.Bravo FOX! | | Weaknesses: | None that come to mind | | Similar Products Used: | Manitou, Rock Shox JudyXC | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Epic Comp-XT ,Avid V Brakes,Chris King Headset, pretty much as purchased otherwise excepting replaced parts. | | Bottom Line: | A tough, dependable, accurate and responsive fork for those riders who want no-nonsense performance with NO maintenance!!pretty much the whole enchilada. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
marc
a
from Maatricht
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Strengths: | I still have the '03 model. The new models might perform even better, but my '03 fork is still functioning top! I serviced it once, after 2 years biking 1-2/week, all year through, lots of mud and rain: nothing wrong inside. No loss of pressure. 8 cm is actually 9 cm! My weight: 70 kg. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Skareb. | | Bike Setup: | Spec.Epic; Thompson, Easton, Marta SL, DT Swiss wheels, XT. | | Bottom Line: | For an 80 mm Fork light and not only suitable for racing; very plush, stiff and responsive, and it has reserves for more agressive XC downhill as well (90 mm). No problems at all after 3 years. Also perfect for Marathon and long rough xc-rides. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Racer
from IL, US
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Gimme rocks and hills | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Local Fox Dealer | | Strengths: | -Very adjustable
-Stiffer than anything else I have tried
-Locks out in top position so the geometry of the bike does not change. This is the way every fork should work! (but no others do)
-buttery smoothe. do yourself a favor and ride one of these. | | Weaknesses: | Definately Pricey.
If seals do blow (mine havent yet) takes time to get fixed. | | Similar Products Used: | Rockshox SID Team w/ lockout (1.5 seasons)
Rockshox judy SL(im almost too embarrassed to put that here)
Marzocchi Marathon Race (1 week/3 rides) | | Bike Setup: | Aluminum Hardtail, selection of Shimano XT, XTR, and Sram stuff. Light Ritchey WCS wheels(for races only)run tubeless.
Old school (and cheap) V-brakes. yee haw | | Bottom Line: | I am a XC racer on a semi-budget. I'm serious enough that I'm willing to put money on equipment, but am still in college so I cant go crazy on parts like some. Since a fork is one of the few parts that can actually improve performance i dropped my cash here.
This is simply the best fork ive yet ridden. So far, it still works pefectly. No leaks, no play, no noise. I do take care of this fork, though. I keep it clean and make sure to wipe off the stanction tubes after (nearly) every ride or race. I will probably have it looked over this spring too, so i can thrash it the rest of the year. (Spring is road season)
Setup was pretty easy. Everything is external, and sag, rebound and compression stay spot on once dialed in. The fork lost <5 psi after 2 months. the only thing that took a few rides was the lockout threshold, but you only ride with lockout on 5% of the time anyway.
On the trail the fork is confidence inspiring. I rode a SID team for a while and got used to that. When I switched forks I was blown away. I think the extra .25 lbs i gave up is worth it. This fork is easier on my back at the end of 30 miles of trail. well worth it.
I can't really vouch for its durability as I have only ridden the fork for about 2 months, and only 2 races, But coming from a pure perfermance spectrum, I'm more than happy. I would buy another fox.
sorry for the length, but i actually take pride in what i write in forums believing that there are actually people looking for advice. The pissed off dude ranting about his 2006 fork being gone for 6 months (its still 2005) is a pet peeve. Happy trails. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
B
a Racer
from Fort Collins, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Hall's Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Direct from FOX | | Strengths: | Very beefy, very stiff, excellent tracking and steering
Easy setup, came ready to go
Plush, smooth travel
Sweet damping, lockout and threshhold adjustments. | | Weaknesses: | Lockout knob rotated slowly out of position after prolonged use. This was easily corrected.
Slightly (.1lb) heavier than advertized, even when cut. | | Similar Products Used: | RS Sid WC and Team (both way too flexy)
Manitou Skareb Super (better, but still flexy)
Marzocchi Atom Race (stiff, but heavy, poor performance) | | Bike Setup: | Fully customized '01 Schwinn Homegrown
Old XTR everything except new XTR cranks and XT fd
King/Mavic/Sapim wheels
Avid Ultimate levers, Ti brakes | | Bottom Line: | This fork replaced my Skareb Super, which broke (and has since been repaired and sold). It is by far the stiffest XC fork I've ever used, and far more plush than my previous forks. By far the smoothest, stiffest air fork I've used. The lockout/damping mechanism did rotate after a month or so, but after tightening the damping unit down, the fork has performed flawlessly.
For me, at only 145lbs, it's a bit much for racing, and I plan to go with the lighter R7 for next year. However, if you're a big or aggressive XC rider, or if you don't race, I can't think of a nicer fork. Butery smooth, unmatched steering precision, very noticeable and easy adjustments. The blow-off adjustment for the lockout was especially nice.
Seriously, if I weren't racing, or if I weren't such a weight weanie, this would be the only fork I'd use for XC. It is lighter than previous incarnations, and for most people it's plenty light to race, so I give it a double thumbs up. For longer or more technical races, the plushness and lateral stiffness were a joy. I highly recommend it to anyone, and enjoyed racing on it despite the extra weight. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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