Submitted by
D Black
a Cross Country Rider
from Rochester, NY
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2005
Strengths: Only 2.1 lbs! Perfect tracking. Low maintenance. Excellent 'set & forget' adjustment. 200% look factor! Since I'm a jumper, it has great travel for jumping and I can keep it on the same setting for everything else.
Weaknesses: 30-60 minute setup.
Bottom Line:
I'm dreading losing it in my next bike upgrade. It has no disc bracket. :-(
Bike Setup: 2000 Trek 7000 full XT, Avid adjustable levers, Suspension seatpost, Panaracer cross country/snow tires, fw titaium goodies.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Lafayette, LA
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2004
Strengths: Point & Shoot. Little if any maintance. Stiff. Responsive.
Weaknesses: Sets the stem up a bit, but flip a riser stem upside down and you are back where you started with a conventional fork. Not Disk compatable.
Bottom Line:
I had an old Vector years ago and was very pleased with the design and performance. It actually moves the wheel in the direction of the impact with out any real dive. The Carbon Pro coil over with dampener really makes this work the way it was intended. Not a bunch of travel, but its working way more than you realize. Perfect for XC- SS, or any HT that requires less than 80mm of travel. Love it.
Bike Setup: Cannondale 3.0 converted to SS. Cook cranks, White Industries wheels, WTB Mutanoraptor 2.4
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Arthur Armstrong
a Weekend Warrior
from Southington, CT
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2003
Strengths: Very rigid, tracks perfectly, plush action, high tech, good performance to weight ratio, and bombproof. Cool factor.
Weaknesses: no disc mounts
Bottom Line:
I've ridden this hard for five years with minimal maintenance, (lube and grease seals only) and never had a problem with the fork. As for customer service, rear shock blew seal after 10 months, I brought the bike to the shop and was riding a new shock 13 days later. My favorite part about the fork is that it goes where ever it's pointed, without the slop I've felt in every other fork I've tried.
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Westchester, NY
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2000
Bottom Line:
I bought this fork used here (clasifieds) for about $225.00. I don't think I would pay full retail, but for this price it is a bargain. I installed the fork myself, and setup is a bit tricky, you need enough spacers to keep the "critical dinension" correct. I also bought a lower rise stem to keep my riding position the same.
Performance has been flawless. It took a few rides to dial in the preload and the damping, which couldn't be easier. Tracks awesome and is very smooth. Little to no maintenance is required. I would definetly recomend this fork to any cross-country rider. I think the weight is about 3.2 lbs, which is very respectable for the performance.
Submitted by
charlie
a Cross Country Rider
from kinnelon, nj u.s.a.
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2000
Strengths: nice and stiff, wonderfully light, travel is supple without being squishy
Weaknesses: i bought mine second hand, but they are expensive if bought new, method of failure(not just for this fork, its inherint to carbon fibre/thermoplastic)
Bottom Line:
i originally rode a r.s. quadra. the next fork i owned was a judy, and with it came a ten fold leap in what i expected from my suspension. after having the girvin(or noleen, or k2, whatever you may choose), i have again experienced a ten fold leap in my expectations. the fork is wonderful. it soaks up bumps, but you dont loose feel for the trail. it tracks like all get out, and it shows very little brake flex(i ride maguras). the only other fork i have ridden that even came close to it was the halson inversion fork.
as for the company, i did have quite a wait when mine needed repairs. i dont know exactly what the problem is there, but they are very slow in getting things done(things which one would think could be taken care of rather rapidly).
i did crack a fork leg while landing a fair jump, but in all fairness, i landed slightly off(the front wheel was leaning slightly to one side). if it had been a metal fork, there is a fair chance that the fork would have bent and i would have kept going until i chose to stop, but being a carbon fibre leg it flexed in, cracked slightly, and then release the rest of its energy by shooting back up again(and hence, throwing me over the side of my bike for a nice little slide along my stomach). this was an unusual case, and i think a very rare one, but it is something to keep in mind.
overall, i would say that if you can get your hands on one for a reasnoble price, do it, otherwise try and get your hands on a halson. other forks are alright, but they just cant compare.
Similar Products Used: r.s. quadra, judy. manitou 2,3,efc
Bike Setup: schwinn proj underground(hard tail, geom. is now slightly lax)
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
TMathis
a Weekend Warrior
from Alexandria, VA
Date Reviewed: October 29, 1999
Strengths: Easy maintenance, rigid, and cool looks
Weaknesses: Uh...not for jumping, noisy, and not for me.
Bottom Line:
Uh I have mixed feelings about this product, but I appreciate my negative feelings are based on the fact that I'm not the type of rider for this shock. I wanted a sturdy shock that was easy to maintain and that was what I got if I was able to stick to pure x-country riding. They were stiff, fast (minimal bobbing while sprinting), and reliable. Unfortunatley, I weigh-in around 220-lbs and when the trail drops off suddenly, oh, about three feet or so and they be them little ramp-like bumps on the trail; I just can't seem to slow down and I get me some air; but when I land, there is a loud clunking sound from the little Girvin and they get all outta-line. Now, I probably lack the skill for soft-landings so it can be my fault; but if you like catching a bit of air or I don't recommend them. However, for pure x-country...awesome fork. Course if you set them to be very responsive to the wee bumps, they are noisy as heck; I liked them really stiff so the sound wasn't a problem to me. I also didn't like how my step height increased due to the way the fork is set up; I couldn't do much about it. Anyways, as an all around fun fork I'd rate them a three, but as a X-country fork I'd give them a four (minus one for weight).
Similar Products Used: Manitou SX-Ds Fatty D Headshok Answer Manitou cheap shock
Bike Setup: Super V 900, yup that's right, had to use an adapter worked fine.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Carver
a Cross-Country Rider
from Adair, OK
Date Reviewed: October 12, 1999
Strengths: Extremely tight steering, No flex, relatively stiff spring setup
Weaknesses: Takes some getting used to (not sure thats a weakness, though)
Bottom Line:
Girvin/Noleen/K2 definitely took the less-traveled trail in designing the Carbon Crosslink - props to them. Not quite sure about the real usefulness of Smartshock yet, though.
Submitted by
charlie
a Cross-Country Rider
from kinnelon, new jersey
Date Reviewed: July 7, 1999
Strengths: it simply feels wonderful. so nice and plush. it is extremely rigid where it needs to be. definitely rides nicer than my judy. pretty light, and damn it looks cool.
Weaknesses: raises the front end a little more than other forks. don't forget to check the batteries in your smart shok(where do you buy 9-volts nowadays?)
Bottom Line:
i really think this is the best cross country fork you can buy. i bought mine for 290 right here on mtbr(i wasnt about to pay 600+ dollars for a fork). this fork is wonderful. if you have had a bad experience with the older vector/vector2 dont think it applies. my riding buddy has a vector 2 on his pf 856, and i can believe that the forks are even 'related'. 3 inches of travel is perfect as far as i can tell for xc, no real squishiness, but it also takes the hits for you, and this fork delivers those 3 in. better than anything else on the market. i would tell everyone to buy one, but look here on mtbr.com instead of blowing your money on some mail order place. this fork is great, but it is still just a fork, dont spend more than $300 on it. five stars, but i wish i could give it more.
Similar Products Used: only similar in the sense that they are suspension forks: rs judy, rs quadra, manitou efc, manitou mach 5, zokes bomber, girvin vector 2.
Bike Setup: bike:schwinn project underground, fork:noleen carbon smart shock, drivetrain:varied
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave Morgan
a Weekend Warrior
from Noblesville, IN
Date Reviewed: June 2, 1999
Strengths: Stiff, Plush
Weaknesses: Fitting the fork to a frame that wasn't made for it is awkard (or impossible, and might require a differnt stem to maintain riding position.
Bottom Line:
I bought this fork because the design made good engineering sense to me, and so far it's been great! It has excellent bump response at speed, and nothing else I've ridden tracks as well in the fast twisties.
Bike Setup: Marin hard tail w/Pro Carbon and NR2, Mavic Crosslinks
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob
a cross-country rider
from Tennessee
Date Reviewed: February 28, 1999
Bottom Line:
It's been workin' great. Tracks fine. To be super critical, the fork isn't squishy supple at speeds below 10 mph. Above 10 mph, it's nervana dudes and dudettes. Servicing is simple, overhaul is painless. Don't show a 'tude to your LBS and parts come quick. I've ridden Manitou and Rockshox. Both washed out when the steering got sketchy (big time bummers). 5 chilis, now go ride kids!
I have a vector1 at first not a great shock but as I upgraded it.. it became one of the best front forks I've ever used. So if you have an old vector and you want to know how to make it work. check out my page http://www.cyberus.ca/~will/Gervin.htm and drop me a line
For cross country racing this fork is far better than anything else on the market. I have a year of hard racing on it with great results. Some people's reviews complained about customer service but if they had gone to a K2 dealer rather than done it themselves they would have no problem. As a dealer employee I've found that parts were always recieved within a week.
Submitted by
Dave Chandler
a cross-country rider
from pennsylvania
Date Reviewed: January 12, 1999
Bottom Line:
The noleen pro carbon may be the best cross country fork on the market. It is a fork that can truely be dialed in to the riders weight and riding style. I have ridden many other high end forks and not one holds a line or has the flex free performance of the pro-carbon. This is a fork that lets you pick you line and stay with it because the fork takes care of bumps big and small. The only downside to this fork is everyone wants to ride your bike because of it.
Submitted by
Marc
a cross-country rider
from Northern Virginia
Date Reviewed: October 26, 1998
Bottom Line:
I replaced my Vector 2 with the Expert Cross Link 98. Great shock, much better then the Vector, but watch out for the installation,(I had the shop do it). The critical measurement they mention is really critical and check the torque on all the bolts. Also, make sure they grease the linkages since they come only with minimal grease. After the installation bugs were worked out this fork was perfect; well damped,quiet, plush w/ 3 toply with. And on sale for $275.
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