Strengths: You could put this on a freaking motocross bike. Bottomless 9" travel.
Customer service is the best you can get.
Weaknesses: I bought the fork used, and probably abused. Rode it for a season before I had to send it back twice for various issues.
Leaky seal on rebound leg fouled up my front brake. Had the seals replaced about a year ago and no issues since. I wore out the rebound cartridge. It developed about two inches of free slop which made the fork scarily squirly. Risse replaced the cartridge (and thoughtfully adjusted the spring rate to a more progressive one) and it works like new.
Heavy? (then again, who the hell pedals a 9" travel downhill sled up a hill?)
Again, customer service is the best you can get. Turnaround time practically nil. The Risse guys really do stand behind their products. Too bad they dont make a SC FR fork. Im sold.
Bottom Line:
I dont really have to balls to take this fork to the limits of its specs. Someone younger, dumber, or just plain insane might be able to, but those are few and far between. (and Im getting old enough that snapping bone would probably put me out of comision for a long time)
For me, I can pretty much point and go now. Dont really have to pick a line, dont really have to worry about dropping the front end on a drop, dont really have to worry about that volkswagen in my way. Probably the last DH fork Ill own.
"If you have the money, I highly reccomend picking one up."
Similar Products Used: Nothing this big. Mostly SC forks. Ridden a few loaner DH rigs with both Boxxer and Super T forks. Always a fan of the Zochs, but they cant really compare to the Champ. Rode a shop bike with a Trixxy, which would be perfect for a lighter freeride bike or DH racer. You cant really compare with the big market forks. Risse's products are in a whole different class.
Bike Setup: Ventana El cuervo. Risse Champ. Romic rear shock. (Will be upgrading to Risse when i save up the money) Various other expensive bike geek parts.
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Submitted by
luke .s
a Downhiller
from Belper, Derbyshire.
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2004
Strengths: Indestructable,9"travel, suits back of ellsworth dare nicely
Weaknesses: A bit too heavy for the perfect freeride bike, prefere darados.
Bottom Line:
When i woke up this morning i couldnt belive i ride this bike and it's been nearly six months. so i did my point of views on ellsworth dares,and the my bro and his mate had to use the pc to argue about super monster t's. But any way, ive done this on my opinoin about champs, there good forks, there very strong (wich is why bender uses them.) But im a dh and freerider and want my bike to be as strong as possible, yet still ligh enough o do a bit a" xc, and me bike is about 391bs but with my new atomblabs and noinner tube slime it weighs about 371bs, and with darados 361bs. So i would only suggest this fork to hardcore freeriders and dh's not to xc or north shore riders.
Bike Setup: 03 dare, romic t2 9", risse champ,easton ea50 bars and seatpost, shimano xtr 24spd,i got my atomblab rims an hour ago, and goodridge cables with hope brakes.
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Submitted by
scott
a Downhiller
from santa cruz,ca,usa
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2002
Strengths: yes, exactly what isn't stong about the champ
Weaknesses: i've sent it back to risse twice in one month but it wasn't expensive repairs >$100
Bottom Line:
call me a freak but my pants were moist after my first decent with the champ. I give it a 4 because it went back twice, but a 5 because it came back quick
Strengths: This is for a Champ 9 w/ big daddy tops. Ultra strong. NO twisting, no bottom out, no seal leaks. The best fork I have ever ridden. (on a bicycle)
Weaknesses: It's obviously heavy, but who cares, it works. It dosen't some stock with stanchion guards. It would be nice to have integrated disc mounts instead of an adapter ( just nit-picking) Sorta pricey, but so is the Avalanche.
Bottom Line:
Well, I have tried them all. I am 240# (no, I'm not a tub of goo)and I ride hard and this fork has done everything I asked. Downhill in W.V.,lots of drops, and the general urban abuse. Did have the polished seal holders come loose once, but I tightened them up with a rubber strap wrench and no prob. The fork feels like the fork on my sx250. Plush and endless travel feel. I use bel-ray 10 wt motocross fork oil in my fork and I have all the adjustment I could ever use. All of the other forks that I tried just got worked ( except the monster, it just needed more travel- now avail. in 2003) I would buy another Risse fork in a min. if mine grew legs. Great fork made in the USA by really nice helpful guys.
Strengths: Stiffness and Tracking Good Adjustability Relatively easy to Service
Weaknesses: There's some stiction, but I'm hoping that loosening the lower pinch bolts will fix this The way it's setup right now isn't close to how I would ideally like it. Brake Dive
Bottom Line:
A very nice and beefy inverted fork made in the USA. The fork doesn't feel very smooth as I stated above. If loosening the bolts doesn't help, I guess I'll give Risse a call. The adjustability between the Compression and Rebound is very good. There are quite a few issues that I'm having with my fork right now, but they aren't anything that a good tuner shouldn't be able to fix so I won't go into any of these. The fork can twist on you, which can be a little annoying, but that's an easy fix.
Out of the box (used keep in mind) the fork appears to be more biased to freeride types of riding. I have the 7" version, but it feels like it has more than that. It's a pretty tall fork too. I've been using the fork for DH which is probably why I'm having some more nit-picky issues with it. It's a bit heavy for racing, but this fork is built using a pretty strong platform so it should last for a long time. I'm positive I can get the fork to perform the way I want after it's tuned. About the only problem that there's little that can be done is the brake dive problem, which is something that many other forks have issues with.
Even brand new this is a great value because this fork should last for many seasons. Overall it gets 4 chilis because it will probably take some time to get exactly how I would like it to be.
Strengths: travel, 3.0 tire capability, plush, no problems yet(knock on wood)
Weaknesses: twists easy, but is easy to put back in alignment
Bottom Line:
Plush fork, no bog problems, all inverts are flexy, compared to white brothers forks this fork is stiff as a heck. Great fork, I love it, it soaks big hits up, I've done urban drops over ten feet with flat concrete landings, sucked them right up, 20 foot drop to a tranny, no problem. Buy it. Compared to other long travel forks this one is cheap and well worth it.
Similar Products Used: monster t, ud 150, DH 3, boxxer, Mr. Dirt, X Vert Carbon.................
Bike Setup: Karpiel Armageddon, Risse Champ 9, dual 24's, 3.0's....................
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Submitted by
Mark McCall
a Downhiller
from Manchester, CT USA
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2002
Strengths: This thing is huge. It sucks up everything it hits. Rock drops, waterbars, shady ditches, ruts, whatever. I am a big rider (220lbs) so I needed something that can suck it up. I got the fork and bike for 1000 bucks. Couldn't beat the deal with a stick. Also the adjustability works really well and its right on top of the fork so thats nice and easy compared to the others you have to take all apart.
Weaknesses: My only problems have been with my headset. I think I need a bigger one to handle the fork (its pretty heavy). I am going to get a FSA Pig DH to replace the one I have on my Spooky. It gets loose a lot. I hope that fixes it so I don't have to tighten the hell out of it before every run.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is this fork will win you races. You can win with a Psylo too, but this makes it much easier. Its like cheating almost having this monster under you. Where I would have to be concerned about a line before I can just bomb through now and not worry about it. If you want on the podium, practice. If you want on the podium and you want it to be easier on your body and concentration, get a big Risse fork, they are bombproof.
Similar Products Used: I was racing on the Rock Shox Psylo Race. I heard a lot of bad things about it, but its a really awesome fork. I have bombed down Plattekill with it and had no problems. It is nice to have the extra travel of the Risse though, it makes me feel indestructable.
Bike Setup: Spooky Project X, Risse Champ, Hope brakes, Ringle hubs, etc.
Weaknesses: they bent. and when such bending occurs, the wallet gets sucked dry!!!!!
Bottom Line:
Fair play to risse, the fork worked well and is obviously decent ( whatch double down , the video ) but i bent the beefy guggers and am pissed that an apparently indestructable product ( reason for purchase ) aint so indestructable. and what a repair bill ..... christ!!!! will
Strengths: Stiffness , Plushness, Reliability, Service (the Risse people rules) ... everything ... adjustability! blah blah blah
Weaknesses: None so far...
Bottom Line:
I bought this fork from a guy that had used it very little, and i can´t tell you how good it is, it rules, way better than a stratos or a shiver ... a lot stiffer and better in every way !
Similar Products Used: Monster.t´s , Junior T´s , Shivers ...
Bike Setup: Planet X Jack Flash Classic + Risse Champ = RULES
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Submitted by
Carl
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2001
Strengths: Stiff, plush, very tunable, SAVES YOUR A$$
Weaknesses: the original seals would slowly weep oil, but Risse fixed this with a new seal/bushing design which works great
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best hardcore forks available anywhere. It can be dialed in to suit any rider, the damping is excellent and its strength makes Boxxer's seem like a childs toy!
Submitted by
mike wadholm
a Racer
from renton wash
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2001
Strengths: I DONT NOW HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO USE AFTER 3 MONTHS OF HAVEING THE DAM THING
Weaknesses: FORK TWISTED AFTER ONE RUN
Bottom Line:
IF YOU DON,T MIND SENDING FORK BACK FIVE OR SIX TIMES AND UPGRADING TO STRONGER BENDER CROWN,S AND TOP TUBS AND MISS HALF YOUR RACES LIKE I DID YOU,D HAVE A GOOD fork` the pepole at risse need to pull ther hed out of there A and stop smoking so much D IF YOU HAV LOTS OF MONEY AND TIME TO WASTE THIS IS THE FORK FOR YOU
Bike Setup: SANTA CRUZ SUPPER 8 FRAM HADLEY HUBS MAVIC 321 RIMS AZONIC BARS RACEFACE SEATPOST RACEFACE HEDSET XTR REAR DERAILLEUR A.C CRANK RACEFACE RING MRP GIDE HAYES BRAKES KORE STEM
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Submitted by
Josh Merrill
a Racer
from San Marcos, CA
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2001
Strengths: Super stiff, Super smooth, damping very adjustable. Awsome built in stem. For those of us cross-eyed folk, we dont have to worry about our bars being straight, it does it for us!! ;o) And it doesnt bottom out, EVER, even over 15 stairs!!!
Weaknesses: Pre-Load adjusters would be nice. If your bike happens to tumble 50 feet down the next down hill trail, then the legs will twist, but an allen wrench will fix that if you have one with you. It just happened to me on my last ride, that is the only problem I have had.
Bottom Line:
This fork rocks!! I dont know how heavy it is, but it doesnt fell too heavy(maybe that is because I had a Monster T before). It is great at soaking up the little rocks as well as the 10 foot ones you drop off!! I love the steering and it looks great too!! Some how it doesnt chopper out my bike either. This is my best fork yet.
Favorite Trail: It has no name, but that way fewer people come to it!
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At: from freind
Similar Products Used: Boxxer, Monster T
Bike Setup: New Specialized Big Hit frame, Chris King rear DiscGoTec hub, Chris King head set, Profile cranks, Mr. Dirt chain guide, Arrow tires, Arrow rear rim, Mavic front rim, Hayes brakes, bla, bla, bla,
Strengths: VERY WELL MADE, ZERO FLEX FROM THE 36MM LOWERS/50MM UPPERS. 120MM WIDE SPACING MAKES ALMOST ZERO WHEEL DISH WHEN USING THE RISSE OR THE NEW MIDDLEBURN 120MM SPACING HUB. FORK SET AT 8" CAN GET ALMOST 7 3/4" TRAVEL AFTER LOWERING OIL HEIGHT AND SWITCHING TO LEIGHTER WEIGHT OIL IN THE COMPRESSION SIDE AND SENDING FORK BACK TO THE IMPORTERS TO REMOVE ONE OF THE COMPRESSION SHIMS WHICH HAD A POSITIVE AFFECT ON SOAKING UP BUMPS AT HIGH SPEED. VERY SMOOTH ACTION AFTER INITIAL BREAK IN. LARGE RANGE OF ADJUSTMENT FROM DIALS ON TOP. VERY TRICK BAR CLAMP/STEM (WORTH BUYING). HAVE HAD NO OIL LEAKS TO DATE EXCEPT FROM A SMALL STONE DING WHICH WEEPS A VERY TINY AMOUNT OF OIL (WORTH BUYING THE TRICK CARBON FORK GUARDS)CAN BE ADJUSTED TO 9"
Weaknesses: SHOULD COME STOCK WITH LIGHTER HIGH SPEED DAMPING,(DIALS ON TOP ONLY WORK AT SLOW SPEED, I.E. TO COMBAT BRAKE DIVE ETC)CANT ADJUST HIGH SPEED OR TRAVEL ADJUSTMENT AT HOME) THIS HAD TO BE SENT OFF, WHICH COSTS EVEN MORE CASH!!
Bottom Line:
THE BEST FORK FOR LARGE HITS/DROPS/FREERIDE ETC. JUST LOOK AT BENDER OR CRISPY IN NEW WORLD DISORDER, DOWN OR DOUBLE DOWN VIDEOS. THESE FORKS ARE MADE TO BE THE STRONGEST/MOST RIDGED FORKS YOU CAN BUY. LOADS OF ADJUSTMENT/PRE LOAD/OIL WEIGHT/HEIGHT SPRING WEIGHT ETC IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE H*******K FORK BUY THE RISSE,IT WILL BE THE BEST DECISSION YOU WILL MAKE IN BUYING A FORK
Strengths: Sick forks! They are stiff, smooth and plush! They leak a little but they are suppose to. Thats how they stay "oh so smooth!". Love 'em to death. No regrets.
Weaknesses: um........i dont think so. Best forks ever!
Bottom Line:
This fork will eat up anything! And i only have the 6" setup. I cant imagine what the 9"ers would be like. But i am totally satisfied and wouldnt ever go back! Cant go wrong with risse! Risse has the best customer service (not that you would ever need it). I got this thing second hand and it is still the best and smoothest fork ive ever ridden.
I bought this fork used off a guy, and the seals a leaking a little bit but this fork still rules! It is plush, and smooth. Makes your bike just roll over things without even noticing. I cant wait till i rebuild it so it will be even smoother than ever. Get this fork!
