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Submitted by
Zack
a
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Stiff and "self-centering" effect it gives on the steerer. | | Weaknesses: | Crappy plastic bushings, no disc brake attachment, noisy shock (noleen) and the yoke surface aren't level. Limited travel (2 1/2") | | Bottom Line: | Stiff as hell!!! Tracks true and I simply love the centering effect. It made the trail ride feels like a road/ tarmac. Mine doesn't come with the electronic shock but the coil/elastomer ones. The shock creates snapping sounds on the trail but I've changed it to a cane creek air shock and problem solved. Though it does take alot of modifications to fit other shocks on the girvin but it's worth it.
On the whole, it makes you a better and faster rider if you can adapt to the fork's attitude. It just begs you to ride fast 'cause it's so stiff and tracks excellently, giving you confidence at speeds. Not quite a light weight but your bike's front wheel feels light and easy to flip around 'cause the weight is bundled-up at the head tube area and not the lower fork end, unlike telescopic forks, which have all their coil/hydros/elastomers and gadgets inside their lower fork legs.
You can even adjust your bike's head tube angle by placing spacers either on top of the yoke or below the yoke. But,firstly, you need to machine flat the yoke's bottom surface to get your headset to sit properly.
I love this fork so much that I won't part with it, even when friends offer triple the original price for it. It's an eye cather too, so don't leave you bike in the back alley.
If you're an XC racer looking to improve your technical riding skills, look no further, this forks' for you... if you can still get you hands to it nowadays. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
GREG WILSON
a Weekend Warrior
from FRESNO
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | 007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | EBAY | | Strengths: | IT LASTS FOREVER! IT DOES CROSS COUNTRY TRAILS LIKE A MAGIC CARPET RIDE!! IT STEERS BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE!! IT ATTRACTS CONVERSATION EVERYWHERE!! THE BOMB!! | | Weaknesses: | I MISS MY BIKE SHOP BROS!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THE MONEY I SAVE?? YOU CAN'T BY THEM VERY EASILY ANYMORE AND THEY HAVE NO WARRANTY NOW!! DON'T NEED ONE THOUGH!! | | Similar Products Used: | MARZOCCHI Z1,Z2,QR21. ROCK SHOCK JUDY. MANITOU MINUTE 2:00. WHITE BROS. ETC. | | Bike Setup: | SCHWINN MOAB 1 WITH KOOKA CRANKS,KORE ELITE STEM, SKEWERS, BAR, NUKE PROOF WHEELSET, SRAM 9.0, AVID ULTIMATES, THOMPSON POST, TIME PEDALS, ETC. | | Bottom Line: | THIS FORK CAME ON THE SCHWINN MOAB THAT I BOUGHT OFF OF EBAY. WHEN I WON THE AUCTION MY INITIAL PLAN WAS TO GET RID OF THE FORK AND REPLACE IT. INSTEAD I HAVE GOTTEN RID OF ALMOST EVERYTHING ELSE THAT CAME ON IT. ONE GOOD RIDE ON THIS FORK AND I KNEW THAT IT WAS PERFECT FOR A CROSS COUNTRY SET UP. I HAVE RACED BIKES AND RIDDEN TOO MANY TO COUNT. BUT, I NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO RIDE A CROSSLINK FORK UNTIL NOW. I WISH I HAD WHEN I WAS STILL IN RACING SHAPE, BECAUSE I THINK IT COULD HAVE MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE. IT CLIMBS LIKE A RIGID FORK. IT TRACKS LIKE A ROLLER COASTER. AND IS ALMOST AS LIGHT AS ANYTHING OUT THERE. I LOVE RIDING ALL OVER AGAIN. NO BOB UNLESS YOU REALLY POUND THE PEDALS IN STANDING POSITION. AND FOR THE BOZO THAT SAID IN HIS REVIEW THAT THE FORK BROKE AND HE ATE IT ON HIS FACE! ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS ONE WORD "HUFFY"??????? WHAT THE **** WERE YOU THINKING!! BLAME THE HUFFY, NOT THE FORK!! CMON!!! ANYWAY, THE BOTTOM LINE IS IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO DO 3'+ DROPS, THEN THIS IS EVERYTHING YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. FIND ONE!! BUY ONE!! FORGET ABOUT IT!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunny Tampa, Florida
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Wilderness Parks, the big loop | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay Deal | | Strengths: | Extremely rigid, very light and you can get 'em dirt cheap nowadays. | | Weaknesses: | Relatively short travel, and install and set up is a bit of a pain. | | Similar Products Used: | Buncha lower end RS stuff | | Bike Setup: | Fetish Discipline, Girvin Elite, assorted LX and XT parts. | | Bottom Line: | You aren't going to find a lighter fork for less than $300. You won't find a more rigid fork for under $400. There just plain isn't a lighter and more rigid fork at any price. There are a lot of forks with more travel and a plushier ride.
Buy according to your priorities. Me, I like riding fast through the woods, that makes this the near perfect fork. At current prices it is an insanely good deal. I'm giving it only four hot ones because it hasn't served me a beer yet. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ezekiel
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Strengths: | Light, Strong and Stiff. Simple design, easy to maintain. | | Weaknesses: | Not what I would describe as "plush". Puts a decent amount of stress on frames, more like what a triple clamp/dual crown fork would. | | Similar Products Used: | RST, Judy | | Bike Setup: | 1. Haro Extreme 1
2. Kona SexOne | | Bottom Line: | There is one reason I'm always going to love this fork: it's very stiff. I found the fact that the legs are all one solid piece of metal with some linkage attached made this fork very strong and stiff.
I broke both the Hare and the Kona while riding this fork and it doesn't show any signs of weakness.
I am getting a new fork soon to suit my new frame (Mountain Cycle San Andreas) better but I will miss this fork greatly.
I enjoyed this fork very much. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
coley r
a Cross Country Rider
from austin
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | 700 acres (in the 210) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Tracks well and the chicks dig it (and the guys too for some reason) | | Weaknesses: | the guys always wanting to ask you about it, it kinda scares the chicks off | | Similar Products Used: | rockshox mag21, judy xc | | Bike Setup: | trek y-22 with full carbon everything except for this fork that's got the alum arms, xtr, race face cranks | | Bottom Line: | when i was young and poor i wanted these and now at 29 i'm just poor. but now i got me the setup i dreamed of back then. the ride is more than i ever dreamed. i stayed away from the ones with the carbon arms cause every one i came across cracked around the dropouts. so for all the snooty dh yuppies who are weekend warriorin' it with their multi-pivot, multi-thousand dollar rides, you should really think about why you're ridin'. are you doin it for the love or just doin cause it defines how "extreme" you are? you should try riding up a hill sometime. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Graham
a Downhiller
from England
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Bottom Line: | If anyone could please supply me with any information on the Girvin Crosslinks eg.what thier made of, materials, how they work etc.Please could you email me at littleman_2058@hotmail.com i am doing a project for my A level course at collage and am trying to find out as much about them as i can. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
G
ps. it says that i ahev to check my spelling, and im not too good at it(it doesnt have a spell check button) so excuse the mistakes if there is any. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Bristol UK
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Low maintainance. Very rigid | | Weaknesses: | Looks stipid | | Similar Products Used: | Manitou X-vert R | | Bike Setup: | Supplied from new with my Proflex 857.
| | Bottom Line: | A good light weight design killed off by fashion more than anything. They all suffer from poor machine work on the lower side of the upper yoke-this pulls the headset bearings down unevenly and wrecks them.Get it machined flat. I believe later models came with a collapsable spacer to correct this.
Mine just died though. The shock now jams half way down its stroke. The UK repair people are talking of up to £70 to fix it. Shame really. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
james
a Weekend Warrior
from bath, avon, england
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | odd down bmx track | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Low maintenance, super stiff, light weight, easy to adjust damping/preload. | | Weaknesses: | There a bit of a pain to fit as an aftermarket fork and they really benefit from a brake booster. | | Similar Products Used: | Rockshox judy DH, Z1 bomber | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale SV500 frame, magura hydraulic rim brakes and boosters, LX groupset, Azonic and Kore finishing kit. | | Bottom Line: | Not the first fork that springs to mind as a play bikers fork but they match the travel on the back of my Super V perfectly! There nice and light so the front end is easy to flick about, and because they raise the already high front end of my Cannondale they make a surprisingly good, short travel, downhill fork. They are easy to look after, I just spray mine once a week with WD40! I found the Magura DH brake booster really made a difference to the stiffness of the fork; they certainly flex alot less than the Judy DH or Z1 Bomber! I have never experienced them 'hanging up' in corners as some riders describe although I find they work better if you dont put to much weight over them and let them track naturally over the trail surface. All in all a top fork for any rider who wants a 'do any thing' fork. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Memorial Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Low maintenance, easy to adjust rebound/damping, takes big hits well, no leaky cartridges, light, strong. | | Weaknesses: | it takes a while to get used to, but once you do you have the ability to take on aggresive trails with confidence. | | Similar Products Used: | manitou, judy, jett | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Homegrown, XT/XTR, Mavics | | Bottom Line: | It is so awkward in the beginning. I bought the bike used and it came with it. I think the shock is a 1997 or 1998. I have used k2bike.com to get the manuals and have greased it up with ease (5 allen bolts), and dialing in rebound and damping is easy. the new smart shock is awesome, it has an electronic board to read the hits you take and adjust instantanily. its not squishy, takes big hits and falls from what i have provided it with so far and is easy to maintain. i dont know if you can get your hands on these, but i really like it. thanks to the other guys who have given reviews, has helped me realize that it takes patience to enjoy this shock, once you become the controller of it, the rest is a blast. Guys/girls who have ridden SID's and other oil/air shocks might not like it because it takes some time to get used to, but this is my first real bike and so I am a beginner and it has helped me with controlling the bike better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle Baillargeon
a Cross Country Rider
from Cumberland, RI US of A
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Tower Hill | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Well i just got the bike. It is very strong. It's not to bouncy and it adjusts really easy. I love it so far. It demolishes my Judy XC on my other bike. | | Weaknesses: | I haven't found any yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Judy XC | | Bike Setup: | 98 K2 Pro Flex 3000 | | Bottom Line: | It rules. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Blurple Haze
a Cross Country Rider
from Aurora, Colorado
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | locally; Apex & Deer Creek Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Low to no maintenence design, nice travel and adjustability of dampening, unique travel motion eats up big hits (I have never bottomed this baby out. If the wheel is hitting your fork, you must be landing harder than I ever have), reasonably light, wicked noleen shock unit, superior cornering (with one exception. See below) | | Weaknesses: | Installing this fork extends your wheelbase and raises your handlebar height which will change your riding style and take some getting used to. Some would whine about this, but once you adapt the fork is real workhorse and worthwhile. Several reviews mentioned the fork "folding up" or "compressing" in a high speed turn. It might do that, but I'd bet it happened because your weight was shifting forward in the turn. I have had it compress when trying to make an extremely sharp, lowspeed turn on level ground trying to negotiate a gate. This seems to be related to the linkage design, but I'm talking about trying to whip the front 90 degrees and kick the rear around which is something you'd try at low to slow, not full, speed. As I think back to the various times this has happened, I'm sure I was standing with weight on the bar which loads the spring and starts the funky movement and pulls your weight even further forward. You learn to watch out for this, but the fork is so good in every other way that this problem is negligible. | | Bike Setup: | A 6 year old Diamond Back Vertex Chro-mo lead sled that won't die. Everything but the seat post, stem, and handle bar has been upgraded to XT or XTR for the most part. | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line is that I have loved this fork despite its idiosyncracies. Yes, it extended the wheel base which required me to get further over the bar on climbs, but that is just good climbing technique anyway. This longer wheelbase probably benefits me when decending in that I don't have to get quite as far back on most stuff (just don't weight that fork in a turn). Correcting the increased bar height is easy enough by flipping your stem. I've had more than a few front end Pogos on this fork and recovered despite what the above discussion might suggest. I've also had my front tire skid out in a fast turn with zero factor of the fork buckling and been able to correct and recover rapidly because the fork legs are nice and stiff and don't move independantly of each other. I'm no pro, but I ride pretty hard and was able to keep up with my buddy on his full suspension GT through all those shelves and stutters on Porcupine Rim with no problem. Good riders will get the gist of this bad boy and reap the benefits. It takes some time, though. I definitely ride faster with this fork. Buy this fork (if you can find it anymore) if you hate maintaining your elastomers etc, after every other ride; if you want something that will track a fast corner like a rigid fork all the while eating the ruts when ridden with your weight back (as it should be); if you want travel that is probably as effective as a longer-travel freeride double-crown (to a point) without a major weight penalty; and finally, if you are willing to adapt your style. It could definitely make a better rider out of an intermediate, but the change in style might be detrimental to an advanced rider/racer. A great Cross-country option, espescially if your trails have rough downhills, but fire trail riders who put a foot out and skid their turns might find themselves folding it up.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate Terning
a Cross Country Rider
from Whitefish
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | This Granite Mountain trail down here in Prescott, AZ | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Fairly Light, Stiff, corners well
it has been low maintenance | | Weaknesses: | Legs are too weak.
"Bottoming Out" is defined by your tire hitting the top of the fork, and you going over your handle bars.
| | Bike Setup: | Cannondale CAAD 3 frame, XTR front/rear, XT shifters, Sun Rims | | Bottom Line: | I love the fork, but I am just about to give it up for good now, because I just bent my third pair of legs. I don't have much to compare to as this is really the firt suspension bike I've owned. Granted I ride fairly hard, but I am no pro, and I don't consider myself overly extreme, so I am to the point now where I am about to try a different fork. I tried to get the legs warrantied and of course fell on deaf ears, but I can't afford to keep buying new legs for my fork every six months. I would give the fork a five if they could just keep the fork from going dog-legged on me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
goerge
a Weekend Warrior
from billericci, canada
Date Reviewed: November 26, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
dirt jumps | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
This product is very strong and dousn't weight too much. | | Weaknesses: |
i wish it had a disk brake mount | | Similar Products Used: |
judy xc
sid
zi superfly | | Bottom Line: | A realy good value. not too expesive but you get a lot out of it! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Cross-Country Rider
from Montana
Date Reviewed: October 22, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
light and stiff | | Weaknesses: |
no disc brake | | Similar Products Used: |
Bomber Z2, Manitou Pro, Rockshox Indy | | Bike Setup: |
K2 4000rs noleen elite with nr-2 | | Bottom Line: | When I bought my k2 I thought I would tolerate the Noleen until I had time to put my Z2 on it. I was wrong . It isn't as plush as the Bomber but is stiffer and the dampening is more adjustable. It had some stiction at first but now it is very smooth. At slow speeds it doesn't seem very active but then it doesn't pogo either when climbing hard. At speed it really comes into its own and goes over everything without protest. I don't know what the other posts mean by dive. Perhaps their spring is to soft. I would say this fork dives the least of the Bomber, Manitou and Rocksox we have. Bottom line it is a great fork. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
john macdonald
a Cross-Country Rider
from holland
Date Reviewed: October 16, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
popopo | | Duration Product Used: |
tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: |
none! | | Weaknesses: |
everything | | Similar Products Used: |
rst 180 | | Bike Setup: |
Huffy | | Bottom Line: | I was demoing the shock and it snapped in half, I fell on my face and had to go to the hopital! THHEY SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross-Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: August 12, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Ultra stiff, light, pretty soft for a XC fork | | Weaknesses: |
No disc attachment, dives in a fast sharp turn | | Similar Products Used: |
Manitou XVert R, Girvin pipeline Chubby | | Bike Setup: |
Proflex 857, XT groupo, NR-2 rear | | Bottom Line: | great for XC but there are better choices for more Xtreme riders | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BigDog
a Cross-Country Rider
from Connecticut
Date Reviewed: August 10, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
stiff ( No wheel flop )
Simple to maintain.
Fit well on my hardtail. | | Weaknesses: |
Dives on BIG hits | | Similar Products Used: |
Manitou 1 ( Yes the 1st !! )
RockShox Judy (1995) ( w/ Various upgrades ) | | Bike Setup: |
Litespeed Obed,
USE seat post. | | Bottom Line: | After too many leaky judy cartridges, worn slider tubes and a general fear of it failing I descided to replace my judy. I liked the design and hear good things from others at my LBS. Several people used them on hardtails with good results. I like what it did to the stack height and it made my bike that always felt a little small feel just right. After I got the thing tuned in it works great. Most of the time you cant even tell its working until you ride the same trail with a different fork. I have it set up a little softer then most people like it and I have noticed that it will dive if you take a realy big hit. I went over the bars on one or two ocasions. Overall it does it's job well and has needed almost no maintenance. After the Judy no maintenance is a big plus.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: July 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Winter Park | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Stiff at a board, no flexing whatsoever | | Weaknesses: |
dives in fast corners-makes for an uncomforable feeling | | Similar Products Used: |
amp research forks | | Bike Setup: |
Proflex 857 with Noleen NR-2 | | Bottom Line: | great fork for Xcountry rider looking for solid preformence | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom Crandall
a Cross-Country Rider
from Fairfax Va
Date Reviewed: June 22, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Way better than the 1988 Rock Shock I had. Yes it was time for a new shock.Looks very cool. | | Weaknesses: |
None Yet. Still trying it out. | | Similar Products Used: |
Only one I have tried is my old 1988 Rock shock | | Bottom Line: | Makes my bike look way cool. Putting grease in the fork seems really easy and maintenace looks to be very low. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ErikR
a Cross-Country Rider
from Msla, MT
Date Reviewed: April 28, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Not $600 as the caption states! Stiff, light, great tracking. | | Weaknesses: |
Break-in takes a while. Bushings are pretty crude. | | Similar Products Used: |
Judy xc, Original Judy, Manitou series. | | Bike Setup: |
Proflex K2 3000 | | Bottom Line: | Great fork! A bit on the stiff side initially, handles any terrain with great tracking. TRUST! Motion is less abrupt in chop, and handles whoops like they aren't there. No flop of any kind in tech. terrain. The endo feeling that some riders complain about in the proflex section is probably from a poorly fitting bike. I don't feel it at all. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dustin
a Racer
from Truro
Date Reviewed: April 27, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Easy to Adjust, work great, perfect fork for racing | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
Bomber Z2, Indy XC, Manitiou FS Ti, Bomber Z3 lite, Judy Xl, Judy XC, Indy C, | | Bike Setup: |
1997 Gary Fisher Supercaliber | | Bottom Line: | this fork works great, its awsome for drop offs, and techinal trails | | Overall Rating: |
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