Submitted by
boco1182
a Weekend Warrior
from Banja Luka,Bosnia and Herzegovina Date Reviewed: September 12, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Strengths:
Good....its 9 yrs old and working perfect
Weaknesses:
didn't noticed yet
Similar Products Used:
only Judy TT,but bike is stolen
Bike Setup:
Genesis Beta AT,for street ride,it can work and on gentle downhill
Bottom Line:
Very good fork for XC....
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rich
a Cross Country Rider
from Trabuco Canyon Date Reviewed: September 30, 2007
Favorite Trail:
old camp
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Wet bath, coil spring, adjustable travel, good rebound adjustment, very light weight.
Weaknesses:
Makes some clicking noises.
Similar Products Used:
everything
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up review. I bought this for in 2000. This race version is much better than the current cheap judys and much better than the older cartridge judys. I put a heavier weight oil in it to make the rebound work best(rebound is super slow to very fast with a turn). The fork is about 3.6 lbs - super light for a 100mm travel, wet bath, coil sprung fork (just like the old Marzocchi Z1s). I can't believe that this fork is still going. It never breaks! It just keeps going and going. I ride twice a week in South Orange County. I will buy another Rockshox (they sure have got a lot more expensive over 7 years).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Wolfeboro, NH. USA Date Reviewed: October 23, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Any and all
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Stock on GT Avalanche
Strengths:
Indestructible. I have done nothing to this shock for 3+ years, and it took it's regular beating yesterday on a 22 mile loop, still performing flawlessly.
Weaknesses:
Rebound adjustment knob? Yes,there is a rebound adjustment knob. No, it doesn't do anything. As far as the preload adjustment is concerned, there is very little difference when I tweek it (maybe .000000034 inches from full up to full down).
Similar Products Used:
First one I have used, so there isn't anything I can compare it to. I like the way it works, though. It's pretty smooth.
Bike Setup:
2000 GT Avalanche, with upgrades as the parts break.
Bottom Line:
I wish this thing would break, but it won't. Then I would be able to get a better fork. I can't feel any difference in the shock since the day I got it, and like I said, I've done nothing to it. The thing simply works, and doesn't die. Oh well, I'll keep pounding it over the babyheads and someday I'll get a SID. Someday.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
K. L.
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary Date Reviewed: October 17, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Anything super technical
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Friend
Strengths:
Simple Durable Smooth compression Easy to overhaul Stiffness & weight are par Brake (non-disc) flex is minimal
Weaknesses:
Damn noisy Preload adjustment is pathetic Rebound adjustment is so-so Red colour (yawn)
Similar Products Used:
Original Manitou's, Mag 21
Bike Setup:
Who cares?!
Bottom Line:
Don't read any further unless you want to learn what not do with these shocks: After 1 year of xc, I started freeriding on these things, and now up to 10' drops. I've only had to replace the XXX seals twice - once because of a high-pressure hose and the other b/c of my first 10' drop. Changing seals is pretty easy, once you figure out the tricks, and overhauling is simple. I just got my freeride bike so these shocks are now strictly xc (unless I come across a stunt...). They're a good, basic shock that gets the job done. They creak like crazy - makes it sound like my front-end is gonna snap off - and the adjustments are fair-poor, but compression is smooth all through it's 4". 4 chillies for the price and what it's inteaded for.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Copenhagen, Denmark Date Reviewed: November 27, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$125.00
Purchased At:
Used
Strengths:
Light - strong
Weaknesses:
Travel
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox mag 20/21
Bike Setup:
XT/XTR, WCS, Thomson, Mavic 517
Bottom Line:
Got it a year ago - and must say its strengh is enourmous. Old-school compared to my friends, - but who cares - as long as you beet them. The fork is up for its first service (for 10 months) next week - should probably have done it earlier on, but it still works perfectly..!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dirk Hollebeek
a Cross Country Rider
from Gallup, New Mexico Date Reviewed: September 26, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Red Rock Ride
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
North Kent Cycle
Strengths:
Reliability, simplicity, cost.
Weaknesses:
No fancy gadgetry to make the riding buddies green with envy.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou, Marz, early Rock Shox (Mag 20/21)
Bike Setup:
Specialized FSR Elite Max Back Bone with all the components stripped off my Trek 8000
Bottom Line:
Excellent fork for those looking for reliability. This is not the lightest, newest, or flashiest forks. It is however a work horse that continues to perform mile after mile with no maintenance. With the old adage of strength, weight, and price ("pick one"), this fork gives all three.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tim
a Downhiller
from Marin, CA Date Reviewed: July 9, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Light, strong, stiff, looks good.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Z1, Manitou Black
Bike Setup:
Old Specialized Ground Control I abuse.
Bottom Line:
Very light considering its strength. I've done some 6' drops w/o any problems.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Hunter
a Cross Country Rider
from Casselberry, Fl Date Reviewed: January 23, 2003
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$280.00
Purchased At:
traded for JrT
Strengths:
Quality
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
Older Judy XC, Jett XC, Marzocchi JrT
Bike Setup:
Trek Hardtail with Full Shimano XT 9spd system, Race Face Cranks, Mavic D521 rear/Sun O degree front rim, Ringle headset, LX V-brakes, Avid 1.9 levers, Kore stem, Titec riser bars, RockShox suspension seatpost, RockShox Judy Race fork, Primo pedals, ODI grips.
Bottom Line:
I have been loyal to Rock Shox because I and alot of my friends use this product. Roommate hase a Z1 Marzocchi on his Sienfeld bike and the seals busted, Why? How? Not from use I tease him. I am really hard on my equipment and this shock has taken all my poundings, trials, and jumping. Florida trails are rough in that there is alot of jagged roots and rough terrain. This shock soaks it up and asks for more. I am glad I got the better Race version because it is lighter. Great product=worry free fun on trails.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from London, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: January 13, 2003
Favorite Trail:
unlisted forests
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
Friend
Strengths:
-absorbs all of the bumps -can be adjusted for travel -strong -fair weight
Weaknesses:
-could use a little more tire clearance -external adjustments are useless (do close to nothing) -plastic pre-load adjusters
Similar Products Used:
RST omni CL, rigid $h!t.
Bike Setup:
Oryx T-Line 750, continental tires, bontrager select seatpost, kore forged stem, cane creek SX-1 headset, and deore (stronger than XTR [I find]) everything.
Bottom Line:
The fork performs like I always wished a fork would. I have never experienced better. Very strong and can take a lot of abuse. Absorbs all roots I hit. Very smooth ride! I highly reccomend this fork to all XC and freeriders, not for downhill though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Russell Ruggiero
a Weekend Warrior
from West Windsor, NJ, USA Date Reviewed: January 2, 2003
Favorite Trail:
R&D
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1500.00
Purchased At:
Jay's Cycle
Strengths:
Good Travel
Weaknesses:
Weight
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shock SID SL
Bike Setup:
Trek STP 200/M858
Bottom Line:
Dear Reader
The Rock Shock Race is a good mid-priced fork. At 3.8 pounds, it is not as the name implies for racing. It is too soft and about one pound overweight.
This product is long in the tooth, and better products are now available at the same cost. While well made, it cannot be regarded as a robust offering for tough trails. If you must buy a Rock Shock offering, then look to their Pilot series. These are up to date products, which are better than the Judy Race in all aspects.
Sincerely Russ
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave Q
a Cross Country Rider
from Yokota Air Base, Japan Date Reviewed: October 26, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Ome, The Bowl, The Res.
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
from a friend
Strengths:
Cheap! $100, Candy apple red goes great with my bike. Good travel (80 mm?),
Weaknesses:
Well, it is used, so there are some scratches. The stickers are scratched some too. The knobs are plastic.
Similar Products Used:
Judy XC, Judy TT, Jett XC, Manitou, Marzocchi, etc.
Bike Setup:
Kona A'HA, singlespeed cruiser (stars and stripes)Deore brakes, Nitrox / Selle glitter seat, DX pedals, Cane Creek C2 headset, ODI's
Bottom Line:
For my cruiser, it's great. It looks super and it makes riding my cruiser so much more enjoyable. My mechanic friend took a look at it after the install and wanted to buy it from me! 4 Chillis 'cause it's used, but 5 overall.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Micha Muscus
a Weekend Warrior
from The Netherlands Date Reviewed: September 2, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Dune/forest-trail in the DD-dunes
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Rings Goirle
Strengths:
It's colours make it look really cool on every bike. It's does it's work well.
Weaknesses:
It needs a warm-up before it really starts to work well, it makes strange squishy sounds, the adjusters are easily overscrewed, so be carefull!!
Similar Products Used:
none yet
Bike Setup:
2000 model Scott team pro, rear rockshox deluxe coiled spring
Bottom Line:
I guess it's an average class suspension for a fair price. The fork was allready mounted on the bike, hence it's pricetag of $0,-. Apart from sounding like it can break any minute when in action, it works fine. But I must say that I notice little difference in the travel distance. Perhaps that is due to my inexperience with such suspensions. But I did give I quite a pounding up until now, so if it holds and doesn't surprise me during action, I'm happy with it. I would like to try a SID equiped bike though, just to feel the difference. Buy it if you want a dependable/affordable 'all can take' suspension. If you want the best, this probably just isn't is for you.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mr Rad
a Cross Country Rider
from Elkridge Date Reviewed: June 11, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Bike Doctor (LBS)
Strengths:
Smooth and easy to use. Price wasn't bad. Seems to be holding up well.
Weaknesses:
The adjusters don't seem to really do much. Stock springs are a bit soft.
Similar Products Used:
Rockshock Indy, Manitou
Bike Setup:
Older Diamondback FS.
Bottom Line:
The fork just works. Doesn't seem heavy and has been holding up well for a year. I got this fork after my Rockshox Indy died - just seemed to loosen all up and want to fall apart. The fork was meant for cross country and it works well for that. Absorbs all the bumbs, rocks, roots, etc. quite well. I haven't taken it off any big drops because the rest of my bike would probably break if I did. After 5 years of riding my Diamondback the only parts that are still any good are the Judy, the Time pedals, and saddle (none of those parts came with the bike).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben P
a Cross Country Rider
from St Paul, MN, USA Date Reviewed: June 1, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Battle Creek St Park, St Paul
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Came Stock on '01 Homegrown Comp, got at Rice St Bikes
Strengths:
Good value Nice ride, good feel Wicked Red XXX seals alone makes this a low-maint shock
Weaknesses:
A bit on the flexy side, especially when steering in ruts or very rocky terrain Rebound adjustment does very little Funny squeaky noise (minor)
Similar Products Used:
'01 Sid XC '01 Z3 Black '00 Judy Race '02 Duke Race
Bike Setup:
'01 Homegrown comp: Titec bar, stem, post; LX crank, XTR rd, LX fd, Upgraded to SD7 rim breaks, Tioga/XT wheels
Bottom Line:
While this fork is capable of 100mm travel, it's not built for DH, so those 200lb idiots doing 5' drops with this shock aren't using this for what it was built.
It's an XC shock through and through, and lighter than most in its pricerange. It's designed for serious offroad riders who want reasonable performance and reasonable wt for a reasonable price. It's not stiff enough to race seriously on, but it does the job really nicely for XC and light DH. I'm an average 5'10", 150lb, so I didn't find any reason to upgrade/change coils or oil wt. I ride it at 80mm of travel, as if I wanted anything more, I would go with an enduro or DH shock. I like the Judy Race, and it seems to be holding up just find considering I don't use boots and I've overhauled and cleaned it only once since I bought it. I'm thinking of upgrading to a Duke race, but the price just ain't right yet.
My ratings below are based on what this shock is meant for, which is XC riding and weekend local races; for those things the Judy Race does quite well. If you want a DH shock, buy a DH shock and quit whining about the Judy.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dijridoo
a Weekend Warrior
from North Dakota Date Reviewed: March 30, 2002
Boots are terrible Poor preload/rebound adjustment A little flexy Relatively poor Rock Shox bushings Noisy Internal noises Stock medium springs too soft Horrible owners/tech manual ( RS should take lessons from Marzocchi!) BUTT UGLY stickers
Originally stock on GT XCR3000 (XT discs, other aftermarket upgrades). Now on custom steel hardtail, XTR Vs.
Bottom Line:
I got the fork stock on a 2000 model GT XCR3000 i-drive. I immediately swapped out one spring for a heavy (I weigh 190) and the srping preload was perfect. I ran it at 80mm (stock) for a couple of months, but then switched to 100mm. After changing the all-travel spacers, which was a very easy job despite a totally useless owners manual, one spring kept rudding the inside of the stanchion during compression and "clicking" a bit. RS customer tech support was actaully very easy to deal with, and mailed me a pair of plastic sleeves for the springs. No charge, and the sleeves were in my mailbox within 4 days.
After coming off a very flexy air sprung Judy, this fork felt super plush right off the showroom floor. Wonderful performance, and rebound luckily is fine for me. However, both the preload and rebound adjusters don't seem to work much at all. I knew this going into the deal from reading other reviews though. Therefore I tune the ride by mixing various oil weights to achieve effective damping.
At 80mm the fork was great, but the 100mm balanced the bike much better. Yes the fork bobs on climbs or out of the saddle hammering, even more at 100mm, but I don't mind it much. Small bump compression is phenomenal. Big hit is OK, but I don't think the valves allow oil to flow through quickly enough, so initial big hit compression travel is compromised. yes I could go lighter oil but then it feels under damped for compression, so it's a tradeoff.
After switching this over to my hardtail it was amazing. I expected to kill this "cheap" fork, and have been learning to do drops and urban stuff, but the bushings are fine, regular maintenance and oil changes have kept things smooth and buttery. Torsional flex is minimal for a Rock Shox but not as good as Marzocchi. Weight is acceptable. I run it with no boots and the seals seem to be doing their job just fine. I was going to find a "better" fork for my custom hardtail, but honestly as long as the Judy is working I'll keep it, and maybe even buy another one as a replacement. You can't beat the price.
5 chilis for value - for sure 4 overall - there are much better forks out there, but this is certainly good enough to make me enjoy it. Adjustability is poor though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Daniel Frost
a Weekend Warrior
from Middlesex, UK Date Reviewed: March 28, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Any
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$225.00
Purchased At:
Bonthrone Bikes, London
Strengths:
generous 100mm travel is about all it offers
Weaknesses:
heavy, original springs were pathetically soft, preload knbos stripped out after q couple of oil changes
Similar Products Used:
just replaced thme with marzocchi Z1 air
Bike Setup:
2000 GT XCR3000 Full susser
Bottom Line:
Passable budget fork, but if uwant my advice the marzocchi air sprung range pisses all over the judies every year
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
hippy
a Downhiller
from kamloops Date Reviewed: January 3, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Bike Shop
Strengths:
Reasonably plush It's red cost
Weaknesses:
all external ajustments don't do much noisy due to "xxx" seals (minor) not really 100mm of travel stanchions are moving inside the crown (very Bad) alot of flex
OK fork for x-country and all round riding, But it is too heavy (over 4lbs) for x-country racing and not strong enough for free riding.
I do alot of free riding and trials so my fork has to put up with alot of abuse. Unfortunatly my Judy is suffering. Between 3-5 foot drops and Bunny Hopping on the front wheel (pogo) the stanchions have come loose from the crown. The result is a little more flex and a loud creaking noise. My bike shop told me that there COULD be hair line fractures on the stanchions themselves. If this is true the fork could snap like a twig on my next ride.
The fork is just under a year old so I am hoping warrenty will cover my ass! If not than I'm looking at getting a marzocchi dirt jumper II or Z1 freeride
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom Carlton
a Weekend Warrior
from Pointe-Claire, Que, Canada Date Reviewed: November 6, 2001
Favorite Trail:
everything
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$175.00
Purchased At:
off a friend
Strengths:
this is a great shock, I've never bottemed it out, it's lightweight and does the trick
Weaknesses:
the shock's damping doesn't really work that well
Similar Products Used:
nothing, my first good shock
Bike Setup:
i have a giant warp frame, an avilio derailer, the rest is standered
Bottom Line:
this is a great shock, i only bought it because i got a deal for it because it's cross country shock and i moastly do urbain and trials, but all en all it works well, I trust the name and do not regret buying it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Stouffer
a
from Vernon.BC Date Reviewed: October 28, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Daugs Downhill
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
bout off a friend
Strengths:
nice, strong, cant bottom them out no matter wat i do
Weaknesses:
havent found any, they olny 4 inches
Bottom Line:
A very good shock. If your ok a biking this shock is perfect for you
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott S
a Racer
from Houston, TX Date Reviewed: October 10, 2001
Favorite Trail:
its all good
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
came on bike
Strengths:
strong, very plush-esp at 100mm, simple to overhaul just messy
Weaknesses:
makes funny noise when compressed, but it is prob. due to lack of maintence, on the heavy side
Bike Setup:
sugar 1, full XTR, monkey lite, bontrager vailiant rims
Bottom Line:
i have had this fork on several bikes. when i first got it on my 2000 paragon i was planning on getting a new fork, so i basically tore the hell out of it but it never failed to break, i have raced downhill courses with it and actually won state once. it has been all over Colorado, moab and all through out texas. it has never leaked oil and has always felt smooth. through the 2 years i only changed the oil twice, i can only imagine how smooth it would be if i changed it as recommended. if you want a fork that is fairly cheap and dont want to hold back on a drop or jump go for it
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tommy
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfield, NJ, USA Date Reviewed: October 7, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$280.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
smooth
Weaknesses:
weak, flexes, not adjustable, heavy, clanks
Similar Products Used:
2001 Heakshok Ti Lefty
Bike Setup:
1996 hopped up fuji tahoe sx
Bottom Line:
plush but flexs badly
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
joe
a Weekend Warrior
from nottingham, england Date Reviewed: October 6, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
someone
Strengths:
nice and adjustable plush 4" travel mine are orange (OEM maybe?) great price for me
Weaknesses:
skinny stanchions make you want to actually keep the fork boots on
Though the oil shox don't offer you infinite adjustments like air sprung shox, I feel it's a better overall XC ride quality even with the slight added weight(if u can't push a few X-tra ounces GO HOME!!!!) If you've ovehauled a shock you know it's pretty straightforward (but it still sucks). Basically if you get the right springs and travel pkg there isn't a thing a judy race can't do(junping off small houses not recommended)that an air shock can. I feel this is one of the best XC shox on the market with manitou running close second.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wayne Potter
a Weekend Warrior
from Pampa Texas USA Date Reviewed: September 30, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Palo Duro Canyon/ Amarillo, TX
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Bicycle depot/Amarillo, TX
Strengths:
Truste name, durability, ride quality, and it's not that stupid SID shock that needs retarded air!!!!!
Weaknesses:
Having to do overhauls suck!!! Plastic pre-load adj. knobs. And mine only has the 63mm travel pkg.
Similar Products Used:
Rock shox jett t2 99, rock shox sid SL 99', Rock shox judy TT(Sucked).
Though the oil shox don't offer you infinite adjustments like air sprung shox, I feel it's a better overall XC ride quality even with the slight added weight(if u can't push a few X-tra ounces GO HOME!!!!) If you've ovehauled a shock you know it's pretty straightforward (but it still sucks). Basically if you get the right springs and travel pkg there isn't a thing a judy race can't do(junping off small houses not recommended)that an air shock can. I feel this is one of the best XC shox on the market with manitou running close second.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bryan Sands
a Weekend Warrior
from Buda, TX USA Date Reviewed: September 8, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Emma Long Motocross Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$219.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
-Looks hot -Better than a Jett XC -3 travel lengths
Weaknesses:
-Damping adjust -Preload knobs -Damping adjust
Similar Products Used:
Jett XC
Bike Setup:
Trek VRX,
Bottom Line:
When someone advertises damping adjustment, I expect to notice something when I turn the knob. That alone will influence my purchases in the future. If you buy for looks, this is the fork for you. It LOOKS like it has damping adjustment.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
joE
a Weekend Warrior
from notts Date Reviewed: September 8, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$100.00
Strengths:
plush 100mm travel adjustable stiff
Weaknesses:
thin paint make it prone to chipping sometimes makes weird squeak
Similar Products Used:
z1 bam z3 m80 z3 coil 100
Bike Setup:
kona stuff,bog standard except forx
Bottom Line:
nice plush forx at a bargain price
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Blake Krazy
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin Date Reviewed: August 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
City Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
I'd tell you but I would have to kill you
Strengths:
Great ride at 80mm, but best at 100 for travel to play with. Easy to overhaul IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Also, easy to adjust. This fork has stood up to all of the test that the Texas Hill Country has had to offer.
Weaknesses:
Bad in bed.
Similar Products Used:
Phsylo
Bike Setup:
Zasker X, XT drivetrain, LX brakes, 2.3" Continentals (great grip), cat eye s.c. (only works when it is completely superglued on)
Bottom Line:
Bad a** fork for only...oh yeah no dollars. I would have paid the full price happily. Easy to maintain, and seems to last a lifetime, beat that Z-1 marzoochis. Advice: adjust to 100mm and your good to go.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
EZ Weave
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado Springs Date Reviewed: July 18, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$259.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
This is an update to my review....
Weaknesses:
Itself
Similar Products Used:
Z-1 MCR + QR 20
Bike Setup:
getting a new one so screw this fork!
Bottom Line:
My fork is even worse now. Lots of noise, super flex and play. Yes I took it apart and nothing is broken, the bushings are just shot. I learned why...
RockShox likes to put bushings on their forks that are wide enough to make the fork plush right off of the showroom floor. But by playing this game, the bushings wear out very fast (as soon as a month if you ride alot...). Marzoochi and Manitous don't feel as plush because the bushings have to be broken in. Everyone knows that Marzoochis run forever...
Oh yeah, despite my aggressive BMX style trail riding I only weigh 141 lbs, so it can't just be a weight thing (Yes I have medium springs and I put in 10 wt vs 5 wt oil).
Buy a Z-1 and live happily ever after...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Cook
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle WA USA Date Reviewed: July 18, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$250.00
Strengths:
Hard as nails, plush travel 100mm
Weaknesses:
Some movement but nothing noticable.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou SXe, Marzocci Z4
Bike Setup:
Orange MrXC + SXe and GT Tequesta + Judy Race
Bottom Line:
Great forks, plush with loads of travel. Cant see any real reason to ride 60mm when 100mm is available.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
damasta
a Cross Country Rider
from gaithersburg MD Date Reviewed: July 13, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$152.00
Purchased At:
Rock Shox
Strengths:
cheap 100mm fork but dose the job to see if u need 4" of travel. nice t be able to adjust to 80mm if need be
Weaknesses:
a B***h to over hall. lower never come off. and when i changed the oil to 20 weight it was to plush.
Bike Setup:
trek 8500r with maguras sram 9.0sl race face cranks bb and stem. and now on a spec. ground control pro.
Bottom Line:
if you need a 4" fork cheap go for it but save ur money for a Z.3 100.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tommy
a
from Fairfield, NJ, USA Date Reviewed: June 30, 2001
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
name
Weaknesses:
flex, weak, bottoms out quickly, not very tunable
Bottom Line:
stinks
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Punk 182
a Racer
from Oakville,On Canada Date Reviewed: June 30, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Kelso
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Sweet! Very Plush. Super sweet. Don't feel a thing.
Weaknesses:
none
Bike Setup:
Trek 8000
Bottom Line:
These forks are sweet. I havn't had one problem with them so far. Nice and soft.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben Bilsland
a Cross Country Rider
from Taunton, Somerset Date Reviewed: June 30, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Anything muddy and not uphill...
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$900.00
Purchased At:
Bonthrone Bikes
Strengths:
Its a Judy Race Its big Its good value
Weaknesses:
Boots 2001 Judys are much sexier
Similar Products Used:
Judy XCs and SLs, Bomber Z1s, Boxxers, RSTs, InSyncs...
Bike Setup:
GT XCR 3000, XT drivechain, deore v-brakes
Bottom Line:
I didnt pay 900 dollars for this fork. I got it as part of a GT XCR 3000 that I bought for about 700 pounds.
Now I could buy a pair of Marzocchi forks but I would like to point sometihng out... Marzocchi are fat-boy forks. Only incredibly large (and usually poor) riders have them. Also, they look like cr*p compared to RockShox.
Lopes, Bootes and Peat all use Rockshox. I use Rockshox and year 2000 Judy Race (year 2001 SL's) are fantastic value for money. If you get them for udner 200 pounds (not difficult) they are the best forks out there. No air to play with (and ruin) and not too light. (ie. sids)
Unless your bike is a great frame, why bother buying a Psylo. Although the white ones would be sexy on my XCR... If anybody wants to buy a pair of barely used 2001 Black Jduy Race forks and they live in the UK, feel free to email me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James P
a Downhiller
from Scotland Date Reviewed: June 26, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Deuchny Woods, Perth
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$220.00
Purchased At:
Armstrong Bike Dock
Strengths:
Very plush, super smooth. Good value, look totally sweet with the boots off. Able to handle a lot of punishment. Seals are impenetrable.
Weaknesses:
Slightly Flexy, slightly noisy
Similar Products Used:
RockShox Judy SL 2001
Bike Setup:
Rockhopper FS 98, Magura HS33, and loadsa other top bits. (FOR SALE>>> CONTACT ME AT dhbikerdude@hotmail.com. £500
Bottom Line:
A damn fine fork. I've been running them on my hartail for the last 2 years, and have had no problems. The sealing on them is amazing, making cleaning near to unnecessary. Take off the boots though, cause the legs look coo'. They take a while to bed in, but once they are running smooth they are some of the nicest single crown foks you can buy. They are the same in all but name to the 2001 Judy SLs, except the don't have that stupid fat arch, but the internals are identical. Oh yeah, to snap them, you'd have to be a pretty harsh rider, as I have given them a damn good thrashing at Innerleithen, one of the toughest DH courses in the UK. They took all the punishment I could dish out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
david
a Weekend Warrior
from kent, england Date Reviewed: June 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
ummm...... dunno
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Chainreaction
Strengths:
¿?¿?¿?¿?
Weaknesses:
creak, flex, lack of movement( bar forwards and backwards movement)
Similar Products Used:
z5 getting these, z4, z1, jr t, other set of judy race(still sux) RST 281, 381, X-verts-nice when they dont go "pop",
Bike Setup:
identityi duel bike, D521's, panaracers
Bottom Line:
for the record? i pair snapped, so that the steerer is comes out of the crown. these r the worst forks ever. Dont buy RS, even Psylos. This bloke we know has snapped 2 sets.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
nick
a
from London Date Reviewed: June 3, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$225.00
Purchased At:
Winstanleys
Strengths:
Looks, 100mm travel, Weight, Cost, Seals
Weaknesses:
Kinda flexy on heavy braking, Damping!
Bike Setup:
Converted XC frame to DH.
Bottom Line:
Look wicked with very tough paintjob and stickers. I have only used the 100mm setting and they work very well, but the rebound adjuster never was that great and now it just does nothing, so my fork is very over-damped. It needed a service after like 2 months but has now gone for nearly a year with no attention. The seals are excellent, i took off the boots and accidentally broke one of the little stretchy silver things (DOH!), and it ran for about 6 months without any subsequent trouble, and only now it just has started to be more oily on that leg (impressive!). i think what everyone says about the bushings has happened to me, it kinda feels 'in pain' under heavy braking on tarmac and flexy. Dunno what people r on about the disc mount for. I dont have discs, but there is no way that a company as big as RS could put a 'fake' disc mount on a £200 fork, could they? So basically its a wicked fork, but if i had known that the Psylo was coming out just a year later, i would have waited for it. Still, its a very good fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
damon
a Weekend Warrior
from ballarat, victoria, australia Date Reviewed: May 29, 2001
Favorite Trail:
nerrina
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
Total Rush Bike Shop
Strengths:
-Really strong. Can be used for x-country cos it's light, and a bit of donwhill cos it's very strong -Range of travel 63/80/100 (leave them on 100) -metal top caps -xxx seals let no mud/dirt/water in (but use the dust boots anyway) -disk mounts -colour (red) -plush, oh so plush!!!
Weaknesses:
-Rebound ajuster doesn't do too much (nothing too bad) -Occasionly has squishy noises (don't worry about it)
the judy race are a kick a$$ fork for the money (if you can't afford psylo/z1/sid). i use them for freeride and a bit of downhill and i haven't had any problems yet.
i'd prolly give them 4.5 chilis cos they're not perfect but they don't have that so 5 will do.....
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a
from Canterbury (kent, uk) Date Reviewed: May 26, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
sorry? strengths? don't think so
Weaknesses:
they suck. majorly.
Similar Products Used:
Z5 (BEAUTIFUL FORK BUY IT NOW!) jnr t (also v. good) Z1 dropoff 2001 (gurgle, slobber!) '96 Z1 (still better than cockshox rubbish)
Bottom Line:
these suck, bushings stickier than superglue, damping dreadful (REALLY hard u hit the damped part of the travel with a harsh THUMP), damping adjuster doesn't work, leaks oil continuously, twangs and vibrates when you hop or wheelie, bushing rattle, crown and steerer click, flexy as hell. and i don't ride particularly hard.
irredeemably hopeless, as with any cockshox product, avoid like the plague
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from St.Louis Date Reviewed: May 18, 2001
Favorite Trail:
CHUBB
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$280.00
Purchased At:
South Co. Cyclery
Strengths:
Price-duability-QUALITY TRAVEL!!!
Weaknesses:
Stock set up sucks!!
Similar Products Used:
Z-3 qr 20/Judy XL/ X-Vert/
Bike Setup:
Fork was stock on my XCR 1500, But also used it on my Kona Stinky-Five Sunn Mamoth DH rims, Azonic double wall riser, Race Face cranks, Bla bla bla!!
Bottom Line:
After upgrading for my weight (235lbs.) this fork was fine!! I can't believe all the problems these people are having. This fork is abused!! I have had 0 problems with the performance or the disc tabs! I would recomend this fork to all the "BIG" boys. Just upgrade to the black springs and change the oil a little heavy, everything will be fine!! I have killed several forks and this one seems to be just peachy!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
david molony
a Weekend Warrior
from Canterbury, kent, England Date Reviewed: May 17, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Penshurst
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
chain reaction
Strengths:
they r red they dont bob du to the massive stiction, hang on, thats bad?
Weaknesses:
seals blown, flex, only have 93mm of travel in 100mm setting, damping 2 slow, adjuster knackered, bushings have more stiction than my panaracers (Tyres) they are crap.
Similar Products Used:
Z5 excellent, read the reviews and buy, Z4, Z1, Jr T's, Monster T's(briefly), indy c, manitou xvert.
Bike Setup:
identity, D521's, Judy race etc
Bottom Line:
The outright lie that they have 100, when they only have 93 mm of travel pisses me off a lot. The bushings r awful, the damping is 2 slow, they r 2 soft at the top and 2 hard at the bottom, Who should buy it? NO ONE, they r crap Get 2001 Z4 or 2000 Z5 marzocchi, they r good
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Killick
a Cross Country Rider
from St. ALbert, AB CANADA Date Reviewed: May 14, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Mill Creek
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$295.00
Purchased At:
George's Cycle
Strengths:
Awsome great lookin' fork. Takes everything in style. Adjustable from 63, 80 or 100mm of travel(very handy)
Weaknesses:
Looks Lame with the black dust boot, so get rid of it.
Similar Products Used:
Judy SL
Bottom Line:
Perfect Fork for anybody lookin' for a reliable and good looking product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jay
a Cross Country Rider
from vernon, nj Date Reviewed: May 9, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Vernon Bike
Strengths:
None...
Bike Setup:
GT XCR 3000, Avid cable disc brakes
Bottom Line:
Tese forks suck... i have noticed alot of play in them, they dive way too easy. When i get on the bike they are already 1/2 way compressed and i weigh 175.. i have not noticed any problem with the disc tabs though, they seem to be holding up ok... i have a friend who weighs slightly less then me and he finds no problem with them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Justin Chambers
a Cross Country Rider
from Gorham, Maine, USA Date Reviewed: May 8, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Gorham USM Trails
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$170.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Looks cool. Very plush and soaks up everything well. Fairly easy to change from 63mm to 80mm to 100mm. Light weight, disc tabs.
Weaknesses:
Squishing sound throughout its travel, but only annoying, does not affect performance. Manual sucks. Adjuster knobs don't seem to do anything at all. Rumors of Disc Brake problems. Doesn't come lubed.
Similar Products Used:
SXR, RST crap, Jett Crap, Z-4 and 5.
Bike Setup:
1999 KHS Truetemper frame, Deore and Kore Components, Deore Wheelset, Judy Race Fork
Bottom Line:
The Fork overall performs perfect. The squishing noise is enough to drive some away from buying this product, but for the price I paid, I can ignore it. I'd talk to some people before you buy this fork, especially concerning the bushing play and disc tab issues. I haven't had any problems with it so far, but am keeping a close eye on them. Also, have it installed and lubed when you get it. I can't believe it comes unlubed. That was a major dissapointment. Don't depend on the manual as well, except for changing the travel, and don't count on the adjuster knobs doing anything, they don't. But, if you like plush, lightweight, oil/coil forks, the Judy Race is for you. I love it, and its small quirks I can ignore. I weigh only 110, and the stock setup runs fine. I'll give it 5 flamers all around because it's exactly what I wanted and runs awesome stock.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Downhiller
from Aptos California Date Reviewed: May 2, 2001
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$240.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint.com
Strengths:
This are good forks that are a really good deal. They have a good amount of travel, and the preloads work good. You can adjust the travel from 63mm. to 100mm. The dampers are pretty good too.
Weaknesses:
There haven't been any weaknesses so far.
Similar Products Used:
Judy XC, JettXC, manitou magnum
Bike Setup:
rockhopper
Bottom Line:
These are really cool forks that are definetly worth buying.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
EZ Weave
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado Springs Date Reviewed: April 26, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Templeton-- anything with big drops and sketchy lines...
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$259.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
It can easily be set up for 4 inches of travel. It is an open coil/oil bath design, so runs smooth without too much maintenance.
Weaknesses:
Rigidity. I put this fork on to give myself more travel for my aggresive, big jump/drop style of riding, hoping that it would be good. All was fine at first, but...
After a month it developed a serious amount of play between the legs and the stanchions. If you lockup the front wheel it feels like you have a loose headset. I can watch the xxx seals flex as I do this and I keep my headset tight, so I know that's not the problem. Also, the rumors about having a disc tab for decoration are worrysome, since I'm about to put a disc on it...
I am dropping Judy like a bad habit. I am largly disillusioned with Rock Shox. They just moved their headquaters to town, so maybe I'll go in and complain. It probably doesn't help that I abuse Judy so much. I don't think it can handle the type of riding I do (my bike is about to die from too many big drops...), but that doesn't mean that my experience is singular. So watch out. I'd like to see the 2002 Psylo's since the '01's have so many problems, but I don't know. I bought the Judy vs a X-Vert Super, because I wanted really coil springs vs Manitous loser elastomer crap, but maybe that was a mistake. I'm saving to buy a Marzocchi Z1 QR20, which is the best fork period.
For freeriding or NS out of bounds stuff, this fork is a joke. Buy Marzocchi. It's probably good enough for XC so I'll give it a 3 for value and a 2 for overall.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
EZ Weave
a
from Colorado Springs Date Reviewed: April 26, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Templeton-- anything with big drops and sketchy lines...
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$259.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
It can easily be set up for 4 inches of travel. It is an open coil/oil bath design, so runs smooth without too much maintenance.
Weaknesses:
Rigidity. I put this fork on to give myself more travel for my aggresive, big jump/drop style of riding, hoping that it would be good. All was fine at first, but...
After a month it developed a serious amount of play between the legs and the stanchions. If you lockup the front wheel it feels like you have a loose headset. I can watch the xxx seals flex as I do this and I keep my headset tight, so I know that's not the problem. Also, the rumors about having a disc tab for decoration are worrysome, since I'm about to put a disc on it...
I am dropping Judy like a bad habit. I am largly disillusioned with Rock Shox. They just moved their headquaters to town, so maybe I'll go in and complain. It probably doesn't help that I abuse Judy so much. I don't think it can handle the type of riding I do (my bike is about to die from too many big drops...), but that doesn't mean that my experience is singular. So watch out. I'd like to see the 2002 Psylo's since the '01's have so many problems, but I don't know. I bought the Judy vs a X-Vert Super, because I wanted really coil springs vs Manitous loser elastomer crap, but maybe that was a mistake. I'm saving to buy a Marzocchi Z1 QR20, which is the best fork period.
For freeriding or NS out of bounds stuff, this fork is a joke. Buy Marzocchi. It's probably good enough for XC so I'll give it a 3 for value and a 2 for overall.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Frank Berkhout
a Racer
from Meppel Date Reviewed: April 25, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Havelte (genieput)
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$275.00
Purchased At:
local bike store (bert's bike shop)
Strengths:
Relatively lite Fast rebound
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
Judy XC, quardra 21R, Marzocchi Z3 lite
Bike Setup:
GT Zaskar frame, Judy race, crossride wheels, air B innertube's, Kenda Kozmik lite tires, Lx groupset, XT rear derailleur, Roox seatpost, fizik saddle, onza bar ens, Titec handlebar.
Bottom Line:
Good race ready fork, I appreciate the fast rebound and the 63 mm spring. But the sid SL is far better, and aint comparable to the judy race. I think that this fork wil be loved by freeriders an xc racers or the sunday mornig type.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from San Mateo, CA Date Reviewed: April 3, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Waterdog Lake
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Coolness, doesn't suck
Weaknesses:
Weight, clicking noise sometimes
Similar Products Used:
a bunch
Bike Setup:
'00 Schwinn Homegrown, Sram, race face.
Bottom Line:
Good fork for the price. if you intend to race XC, get a sid or mars, but otherwise this is a cool fork for the $$$
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pat
a Downhiller
from Abingdon Md Date Reviewed: March 19, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$160.00
Strengths:
100mm travel, graphics, kinda easy to switch bewteen 60,80, and 100mm
Weaknesses:
crap seals, already developed flex in bushings, stupid unlubed seals
Similar Products Used:
Manitou pro-c, manitou magnum
Bike Setup:
Azonic ds-2,mammoth/lx wheelset, lx all around, single cog up front, 9 in the back.....
Bottom Line:
The fork works good for me cuz i only weigh 130 and al lthe stock internals are set up for someone a little heavier than i am. The legs do flex, feels like a loose headset, they do click and squish, the clicks are the travel spacers being either loose or unclipping from onme another, but you can fix that. It scared me when i emptied the original fork oil before i had it on the bike so i could change the travel. there were little f'in metal and plastic pieces in the oil! how they got there i dunno but before riding check or change the oil, god knows what that could have done to the fork.all together what everyone else sez is right, get a marzocchi!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Christian
a Weekend Warrior
from Munich Date Reviewed: March 15, 2001
Favorite Trail:
lago di garda
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
extreme bike munich
Strengths:
no stiction, light, 100mm travel
Weaknesses:
bushing wear out to quick, rebound adjustement non existent
Bottom Line:
I´m not sure about this fork. Overall it works well. Plush travel an good rebound after i switched oil to heavier 7,5. What annoys me it that the bushings wear out so quick! After 5 month it had to be serviced and now again!!! Rockshox told me this was due to my dic brake which puts to much force to the lower legs - excuse me??? Rockshox make their forks disc-compatible but they don´t make them strong enough to handle the forces, bummer. If you want a good cross country fork with smooth action and if you use only v-brakes buy it (but change the oil). If you have dic-brakes and if you like to jump and do extreme stuff - get a marzocchi.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sean Clancy
a
from Vancouver Canada Date Reviewed: February 28, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Upper oilcan (Fer'now)
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
Cove bike shops, app. price
Strengths:
looks, travel, variability of adjustment(rebound, compression, travel), came with good instructions, easy to rebuild- but buy some snap ring compressors-Oil: thank you rock shox for exitting the elastomer era
Weaknesses:
flexy, stock springs are to supple
Similar Products Used:
judy long travel c, quadra 21, judy xc's, Amp b3
Bike Setup:
Old school RMB blizzard, DX (old school rules), xtr V's, grip-shift, and 8 speeds, the most any man or woman needs
Bottom Line:
This bike did wonders to my old frame geometry, it has such a sloping top tube now. The 4" travel is not so hot, although the difference to 3" isn't readily apparent. It's there. A beefy cross country fork that doesn't cut it on the shore, although I am trying to get some big tires to see if it makes a difference. CHANGE YOUR OIL AFTER THE FIRST 7 rides, and replace it with 10 or even 15 weight, and rockshox, get a better rebound valve happening, they were better on mag 21's.I just found out that these shox are made in Taiwan! NOOOOOOOOOOO! if this is true, buy something made in Italy, like Marazocchi's, even if they are more trouble to maintain.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mountain Man
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: February 24, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Bird Sanctuary
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Came stock
Strengths:
Plush when it's worked in, oil bath system, looks cool
Weaknesses:
Flexy(28mm stanchions + twig brake arch), full of stiction at first, seals don't come lubed, incredibly cheap plastic top caps, RockShox manual sucks @$$
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox Indy C (Terrible fork), various Bombers and Manitous.
I am beginning to become quite angry. First of all, MTBR seems to have deleted my previous 2 reviews (?), and this fork is giving me even more problems than before. Where should I start? Oh, CockShox makes the worst lowers of the big three fork makers, period. They flex like mad, just take a look at the twig of a brake arch. The flex would be made even worse if you set the fork to 100mm. Marzocchis, THOSE are a MAN'S fork. In comparison to that, a Judy looks like that little weakling who gets sand kicked in his face by Charles Atlas on the beach. This flex may also cause premature wear of the bushings. Next, the matter of lubrication. The seals do NOT come lubed, because CockShox thinks it costs too much. Also, the rebound adjuster does not work well enough, and the stock 5wt oil is too light. This produces a harsher ride than is necessary. Next, the top caps. THEY ARE MADE OF TAIWANESE PLASTIC. If you try to take them off, they will flake plastic all over the place. The aftermarket models have aluminum top caps, but Cockshox, of course, is too cheap to put them on OEM versions. Also, the preload adjusters no longer turn by hand. I have no idea why, I certainly couldn't have stripped them by hand. It's just another example of poor worksmanship. Last, but certainly not least, there's the problem that this fork is made by RockShox. These guys really have no idea how to write a users' manual. Marzocchi manuals are detailed and complete. Go to www.angryasian.com for some REAL fork instructions. To be honest, I don't think the engineers at RockShox have any idea what they are doing. The only good thing to come out of RockShox, ever, is the oil bath system, which they copied off a REAL fork maker, MARZOCCHI. Marzocchis are made in Italy, while RockShox are made in Taiwan. Now, do you really want to buy a Judy Race? I won't bother replacing the fork unless something really goes wrong, simply because there are other things that need replacement. This fork would probably be fine if you lubed the seals, installed Englund Total Air cartridges, a brake brace, aluminum top caps, and 10wt oil. But, then, you'd have spent enough money to upgrade to a MAN'S fork, a BOMBER. LONG LIVE MARZOCCHI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ashton Johnston
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton,AB,Canada Date Reviewed: February 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
snake trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
Edmonton Cycle
Strengths:
I bought when I worked in a bike shop so I got it cheap,this fork is super strong, I weigh 250 and have done 5' drops landing flat and have had no problems at all,smooth fork with little stiction and plenty of travel without all that much weight.
Weaknesses:
only problem is mine makes a clicking noise about 3" into its travel,not real problem, just annoying
Similar Products Used:
manitou x-vert
Bike Setup:
have it on a freeride ht
Bottom Line:
incredible fork for how much travel it has and its weight, and also its price. I think this is a great fork for anyone
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Cook
a Cross Country Rider
from Somerset Date Reviewed: February 8, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Black Downs, Mendips
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
Mail Order
Strengths:
Good travel, good price, Loads of spring.
Weaknesses:
Rebound is a bit lacking
Similar Products Used:
Z3 & Z4 & Z2 Bombers
Bike Setup:
GT Hard tail
Bottom Line:
Great forks, which respond so much better than the Bombers that I have tried. I just love them, and have never looked back.
They are soo plush, and rarely bottom out!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
eric nykiforuk
a Weekend Warrior
from battleford, sask, canada Date Reviewed: February 3, 2001
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
a bike shop
Strengths:
rock shox quality stiff awsome looks plush 4 inch traveland they come disc ready xxx seals ,easy travel ajustment rebound dail, strong and very light
Weaknesses:
no weakneess
Similar Products Used:
bomber qr20 bomber qr20 (they suck)
Bike Setup:
gt avalanche
Bottom Line:
awsome fork for pretty much every kind of riding
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tiny
a Cross Country Rider
from Centreville, VA Date Reviewed: January 23, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Fountainhead
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Good looks, and plush feal
Weaknesses:
Needs to come with stiffer springs
Bike Setup:
Gt XCR 3000
Bottom Line:
Get a Judy Race!!! You'll love it... easy to adjust between 63,80,100mm after the first time. Also easy to maintain.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
shane
a Cross Country Rider
from Tacoma, Wa USA Date Reviewed: January 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Suntop Mt.
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$180.00
Purchased At:
MTBR marketplace
Strengths:
oil/coil ride, adjustability, tunability, weight
Weaknesses:
cheesy OEM topcaps, 28mm stantions
Similar Products Used:
00 X Vert, K2 smartfork, Jett, Indy, Sid XC
Bike Setup:
00 DBR XR 1, Sid rear, full XT DT, Avid mags, Hugi/Valiant ceramics, Time, Thomson, SDG, RaceFace bars/stem, King HS, Times
Bottom Line:
I replaced the oem caps with the alum ones, removed boots and installed showercaps, replace stock light springs with a heavy/medium combo. Replace oil with 10wt. I (215lb) have been riding this thing in the 100mm mode for over a year know in the rain, mud and dust of the Pacific NW and it is still working great. In defense of the showercaps I think they work well, they do let some water in, but not much. When I first was running them I would service the fork about once a month. Well it has been since August that I last changed the oil and after a Fall in Western Washington and more than a dozen really wet and muddy rides the oil still looked good. Also while I had the fork off and in a stand I gave the lowers a good shake and it had no noticable bushing slop. All and all for the price this has been a super fork
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Iain
a Weekend Warrior
from Scotland Date Reviewed: January 13, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Bottom Line:
Just thought I'd update my review from a while back, (some bloke called andy sent me a mail asking me to). Well the Judys are still superb, if anything they are better now than when I got them as they are bedded in now. They have not been serviced yet as I am putting it off untill such a time as their performance degrades. The are holding up really well (they are surviving a Scottish winter!) and I have no complaints. The paintwork is tough, and numerous crashes have failed to chip or scratch the paint and the stickers are still firmly affixed. The sealing appears excellent, the best I've seen on a fork, as the mud and grit these have been through s horrific. These forks are excellent for any type of riding (bar full-on DH) as they are light, long (ish) travel and nice and smooth. However if i was buying a pair of forks now you can get a pair of 2001 judy SLs for the same price I paid and the SLs look stiffer. However if the Races were cheaper i'd go for them as i really cannot fault them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ds1
a Racer
from Knoxville, TN Date Reviewed: January 11, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Dual -courses
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
bud
Strengths:
it's Black >good seals >adjustable >plush at 4"
Weaknesses:
"slight play in bushings >not much
Similar Products Used:
Indy XL"good" >Marzocchi 2.3/4"{excellent}>Manitiou X-vert99{seals leaked a litle,sold it?}>Monster-T{dam}!!...
i like this fork>so far no problems >4" travel works great >bushings may wear out/?? >light weight always helps in Dual sprints! >good company to back product !
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jordan
a Cross Country Rider
from NY Date Reviewed: December 31, 2000
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Fairly light, plush, easy to adjust, nice looking, better than Jett - ALL TRAVEL is great!
Weaknesses:
Not made for racing (not too light) - that's bout it
If you're lookin for a great value in a fork and are not a serious racer, check this baby out. Nice ride and a nice price. I am partial to the SID line but this is a great choice if you're on a tight budget. I've heard the 2001 RS line has had some problems so if you can find this fork at a heavy discount go for it. After all, who the hell wants to ride a Manitou?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Wgtn, New Zealand Date Reviewed: December 28, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Makara Peak MTB Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
local bike shop
Strengths:
light weight, low maintenance, nice and plush, can take the big hits, go's on and on...
Weaknesses:
small amount of squeaking at first, but once broken in and lubed up properly shes a saint.
Similar Products Used:
heaps
Bike Setup:
Scott Comp Racing
Bottom Line:
Ive been a cross-country racer for about 6 years now and personally believe this is a great all round shox. In New Zealand we have a large variety of terrain and get a wide variety of riding conditions and the Judy Race have been sweet in every condition and every situation. So basically this is the perfect shox for a cross-country rider who wants great performance at an affordable price. The name says it all! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul Hayes
a Weekend Warrior
from Sheffield, England Date Reviewed: December 24, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Wharncliffe side, Sheffield
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Allens Cycles
Strengths:
Adjustable travel, great value for money, fantastic seals, light weight
Weaknesses:
Not good out of the box, flexy.
Similar Products Used:
Judy XC, Indy XC
Bike Setup:
Zaskar LE, playbike
Bottom Line:
I bought this fork because of the reviews in MBUK, but I was initially disapointed. The fork was very sticky (but probably a good thing as this shows that the tolerances are tight) and the fork made loud clicking noises. However after a bedding in period they became smoother and quieter, but I could never get rid of some stiction in the first inch of travel. The preload and rebound adjusters didn't have any noticable effect on the ride, but once I swapped the oil weight from 5w to 10w the rebound adjustment went from painfully slow to very lively. On the trail the fork performed well, I was getting all of the claimed travel and no bottom or topping out. It handled all hits well, but the stiction was annoying over ripple bumps. The fork did flex though, and you could see the axle twanging back and forth under braking. I also experienced brake rub out of the saddle. The seals performed great, and I did put them through a lot of abuse (I also took the boots off). Overall a good, well constructed fork for a great price, but needs some fettling to get the best from it. I would recommend it to anyone who has an undamped fork, as they would sure appreciate this.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason
a
from Marietta,Ga Date Reviewed: December 15, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$159.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Great amount of travel.
Weaknesses:
when I hit apex of the traves, make a bad noise
Bottom Line:
Ever since I got the Judy Race, My biking life has changed for the better. I love what they have done for me. I upgraded from JettC, and I can truely appreciate having a shock that actually travels.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
furio
a Weekend Warrior
from new jersey Date Reviewed: December 3, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Bike Setup:
INTENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bottom Line:
This is a great trail riding fork, not too good for racing though. If any one is having trouble w/ loud clicks when the fork compresses then listen up! Go to Wal-mart and buy a cheap roadie tube, take it home and cut two, 2-3 inch sections out. Pull the spring stacks by unscrewing the the top caps. Slide the cut tube pieces up to the middle of the springs. Reinstall and enjoy the peace and quiet of the trail. Your welcome.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
luke
a Cross Country Rider
from tennessee Date Reviewed: November 30, 2000
Favorite Trail:
many
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
cheaper than competition, many available upgrades. Decent customer support.
Weaknesses:
flexier than compettion, kinda blandfeeling stock. Not ready out of the box
Similar Products Used:
manitous and marzocchis. Noleens crosslinks and smartforks
Bike Setup:
jamis dragon (steel is real)
Bottom Line:
This fork isn't the best of the best by any means. But what technology is put into the fork is pretty good for the money. I have acess to almost any fork out there but i still use a judy because the hydracoil system is simply bombproof on paper, and on the trail. Even a marzocchi (yea, they perform better) has oil cartridges that I am just too lazy to deal with. What im most annoyed with is thae fact that RS doesn't put any oil into the resiwipers at the factory, that makes the forks squeaky and sticky initially. Switching to enduro wipers (rock my world) and greasing everything liberally with slick honey has made these forks comperable to an ok performing marzocchi, and on top of that, I wont ever have to worry about them...ever. The lateral flex is better than a SID at least, but still flexier than a noleen or a zoke. With a stiff hub, this is able to be overlooked (well....). The 100mm option is all hype. With that setting, the fork has the steering precision of a limp dick, and the damping becomes more ineffective. All in all a great fork for what you can find them for out there on sale. I reccomend them to people who want a reasonable light, but incredible bombproof all around trail fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alex
a Downhiller
from UNION CITY,CA USA Date Reviewed: November 28, 2000
Favorite Trail:
SKEGGS POINT
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$199.00
Purchased At:
PRICE POINT
Strengths:
VERY DURABLE, NICE AND SMOOTH RIDE,LOW MAINTENANCE, BEST VALUE OUT THERE FOR UNDER $200
Weaknesses:
WHEN PURCHASED I DID NOT GET A MANUAL HOW TO WORK THE SHOCKS BUT RIDING WISE NONE SO FAR, I HAVEN'T BOTTOMED OUT YET.
Similar Products Used:
JUDY XC, MARZOCCHI Z2 BOMBER, JETT XC
Bike Setup:
KHS ELITE 2000 WITH XT COMPONENTS
Bottom Line:
THIS FORK IS THE BEST FORK I EVER RODE ON. I HAVEN'T BOTTOMED OUT YET. FOR MY WEIGHT THE OTHER SHOCKS I TRIED,I BOTTOMED OUT EXECPT FOR THE JUDY XC BUT THAT FORK IS HEAVY AS HELL.THE JUDY RACE IS LIGHT, EASY TO CLEAN(LOW MAINTENANCE), COLOR OF THE FORK TOTALLY MATCHED MY BIKE(LIKE THE CHECKERED FLAG)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cook
a Weekend Warrior
from London Date Reviewed: November 28, 2000
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
stock
Strengths:
Smooth ride, takes the biggest hits I am willing to dish out to it. Easy to maintain and re-build once you figure your way around the owners manual for the first time.
Weaknesses:
Damping knob, graphics, lateral stiffness
Similar Products Used:
RS Judy C
Bike Setup:
Schwinn Moab, XTR/XT,
Bottom Line:
The more I ride this fork the more I enjoy it. Took a while to break in though. I removed the crappy stickers and redid a custom job - looks great! The lateral play I can live with. Was dissappointed that the fork was installed minus a decent lube job, Rockshox should know better! The damn damping knob fell out after a month, and I've had to plug the hole in the bottom bolt with silicon. I'm happy with this fork, but will buy a Bomber after it dies.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
J.R.
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary Canada Date Reviewed: November 27, 2000
flexy, stock rebound control is decidedly lacking, stock springs are too soft for me.
Similar Products Used:
Z.1 QR 20, Jr.T, other junk not worth mentioning
Bike Setup:
Heckler coil with freerid-ish stuff hung on it(rhyno lites, downhill bar, short stem, low seat, fat tires)
Bottom Line:
I think this is a very good cross country fork, and that's what it's designed for. When the trail gets steep and gnarly this fork is way over it's head. In the 100mm mode it is flexy both laterally and torsionally, and the stock springs won't prevent bottoming off of drops larger than five feet. I've grown out of this fork, so I'm going to buy a Z.1 QR 20, which is a much stouter fork. If you think that you are going to get at all crazy, look at other forks. If you want a cheap, light, reliable fork that performs well in the areas it was designed for, buy this fork. Also, the damper does work, it just needs some heavier oil. Red Rum is very thick, and when put in this fork gives a range of rebound from nearly locked out, to a bit quick for my tastes. All in all this fork has treated me well, and if it's design fits your riding style, would recommend it to anyone. My last concern is the rider choices on this review site. How many people actually fit one of those profiles?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, Oregon Date Reviewed: November 17, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Surveyors ridge
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$199.00
Purchased At:
Thorusa.com
Strengths:
Price!
Weaknesses:
the oil that they put in! Much to light weight of an oil.
Bottom Line:
I did the post 2 down, and now have a much better feel for the dampening. I just put in 15w-40 synthetic motor oil and wow what a difference, the dampening knob really does work, you just need heavier oil, the 5w does nothing, 10w also very little difference, I can't wait to hit the trails now!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
reini
a
from charlotte, nc Date Reviewed: November 11, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
good at soaking up the bumps, 100 mm fo' 300 bucks! hydracoil is ssssmmmmoooottttthhhhh
Weaknesses:
0
Similar Products Used:
rigid forks, marzocchi z.5, manitou magnum
Bike Setup:
stock schwinn rocket 88 stage 3
Bottom Line:
im 15, so i am not very heavy. i changed the oil to 3 wt. and the travel to 100 mm. i can almost be a downhiller with this fork becaust i only weigh 120. great fork on a great bike!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rob
a Cross Country Rider
from Tempe, AZ Date Reviewed: November 6, 2000
Favorite Trail:
McDowell's
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$130.00
Purchased At:
e-bay
Strengths:
This shock is stout, haven't noticed any flex yet. Plush-soaks up the big stuff.
Weaknesses:
Maybe a little soft, I will be trying 7.5 weight oil soon though. Wish it was a little lighter. The rebound dampner is just a gimic.
Similar Products Used:
'98 Jett T-2
Bike Setup:
'98 Trek 930(best chromoly frame), XT, Mavic 217
Bottom Line:
I have not noticed any noise from my shock. Nor have I noticed any severe bob. This shock is the best upgrade I have made to my bike yet. I weigh 170 lbs and I am sure if I bump up to 7.5 wt oil it will be perfect. So far I love this shock. I knocked off 1 chili for value because the dampner doesn't work.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob Hysen
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, Oregon, USA Date Reviewed: November 4, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Surveyors ridge
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$199.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
Light, long travel, and quite. For the money nothing can touch this fork!
Weaknesses:
I don't seem to notice any difference with the dampening. I tried 10w oil and still no major difference. My friend has one and I can notice with his, not sure why.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Indy
Bike Setup:
Schwinn s-20
Bottom Line:
Great fork for the money, still need to figure out the dampening, not sure how much I really need it though. Great travel and easy to take apart and re-assemble.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric Sven
a Weekend Warrior
from New Mexico Date Reviewed: October 29, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Dry Fork Loop, Durango, CO
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
*Plush *Soaks up big hits *No maintenance / failures (yet)
Weaknesses:
*Hello, my name is BOB (especially on climbs) *Mildly irritating "pffssst" sound when absorbing bumps (and I mean EVERY time too)
Similar Products Used:
*Manitou Magnum R
Bike Setup:
*2000 DBR X-link w/ 00 Judy Race; Time ATAC alium; Syncros EA 70 bar; Bontrager seat post
Bottom Line:
Got the Judy a priori w/ my bike to replace the Manitou for an extra $120. It would be nice to BOB a little less, but this can mostly be compensated for by adjusting your stroke / pedaling. A SMALL difference with the rebound adjusted to minimal, but noticed anyway.
I'm not sure that it is exceptionally better than the Manitou (both weigh 3.8#, but it IS more plush), but I've no plans to replace it until it's hosed. Overall, I can't complain.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rob
a Cross Country Rider
from MS Date Reviewed: October 16, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Couch
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
The Wheel House
Strengths:
Easy overhaul, adequate manual. 60-80-100mm travel options without having to buy more parts. Good price. Coil & oil is the best!
Weaknesses:
Rebound damper effects aren't exactly dramatic.
Similar Products Used:
'00 Judy XC, '95 Judy XC, Q21R, test ridden several Headshocks
Bike Setup:
Trek STP 200 w/GripShifts & a few other doodads
Bottom Line:
It took about 100 miles to break in, but the fork now gives a plush, controled ride (time to go back and dial around with the rebound damper now). No weird habits like blowing cartriges -- the new open bath damping's great -- or suddenly loosing pressure like I've seen some air forks do. Plenty stiff for XC riding and the weight's under control, if not exactly feather-light.
Comparing to the old Judys, this fork is much better. Plusher, lighter, more reliable, better seals. Even the boots are easier to slip up for cleaning. And (drum roll please) No More Elastomers! Still not quite as stiff as a Headshock, but when it comes overhaul time it's an easy DIY job instead of a long haul to the bike shop.
Noticibly lighter than the '00 XC model, it's well worth the extra money. I hesitate to rate anything 5 chilis ("it's AwEs0me, d00d!!!"), but I really can't find much of a downside to this good of a fork at this price.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ALAN
a Cross Country Rider
from PACFIC NW Date Reviewed: October 13, 2000
Favorite Trail:
ALL
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$299.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Great travel, Great adjustability, Price, Good looks, Fantastic all around any conditions XC fork, Low maint.
Weaknesses:
Changing the travel seems to be my only complaint, taking the fork completely apart just to change the travel is a pain in the ass. Many of the review's here state that their "00 JUDY RACE" is noisy (ie; squeaks & clicks), is flexy, and comes unlubed............I have not had this problem at all. I must say that ANYTIME & EVERYTIME I get a new bike or component I myself or my local bike shop mechanic, takes it apart lubes & rebuilds it, retightening everything. Although this should be a manufacturers responsibility, it doesn't always happen, so as a general rule it's better to do it just to make sure.
Similar Products Used:
99 JUDY XC, MANITOU, OTHER RS PRODUCTS.
Bike Setup:
98 GT AVALANCHE LE,FULL 00' XT SET UP, RACE FACE HEAD SET, BONTRAGER RISERS, PROFILE "STIFFY" STEM, TIME ATAC CARBONS, RACE FACE "GOOD N EVIL" GRIPS, MAVIC WHEELS W/XT HUBS, WTB VELOCIRAPTORS, & A LOTTA LOVE
Bottom Line:
As I said before, "A GREAT ALL AROUND ANY CONDITIONS XC FORK". A great value! MADE IN THE USA........Always a plus for me!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ALAN
a Cross Country Rider
from PACFIC NW Date Reviewed: October 13, 2000
Favorite Trail:
ALL
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$299.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Great travel, Great adjustability, Price, Good looks, Fantastic all around any conditions XC fork, Low maint.
Weaknesses:
Changing the travel seems to be my only complaint, taking the fork completely apart just to change the travel is a pain in the ass. Many of the review's here state that their "00 JUDY RACE" is noisy (ie; squeaks & clicks), is flexy, and comes unlubed............I have not had this problem at all. I must say that ANYTIME & EVERYTIME I get a new bike or component I myself or my local bike shop mechanic, takes it apart lubes & rebuilds it, retightening everything. Although this should be a manufacturers responsibility, it doesn't always happen, so as a general rule it's better to do it just to make sure.
Similar Products Used:
99 JUDY XC, MANITOU, OTHER RS PRODUCTS.
Bike Setup:
98 GT AVALANCHE LE,FULL 00' XT SET UP, RACE FACE HEAD SET, BONTRAGER RISERS, PROFILE "STIFFY" STEM, TIME ATAC CARBONS, RACE FACE "GOOD N EVIL" GRIPS, MAVIC WHEELS W/XT HUBS, WTB VELOCIRAPTORS, & A LOTTA LOVE
Bottom Line:
As I said before, "A GREAT ALL AROUND ANY CONDITIONS XC FORK". A great value! MADE IN THE USA........Always a plus for me!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from DC Date Reviewed: October 13, 2000
Favorite Trail:
The watershed
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
plush farely good shock absorbtion, a pretty good fork for the money
Weaknesses:
just cant beat my marzocchi, mushy, doesnt have the smooth consistency of my marzocchi, the fork has some weird play in the sliders
Similar Products Used:
indys, other judys, sid, bams, x-flys
Bike Setup:
xt/lx formula discs, syncros
Bottom Line:
A good fork for the money but if you want a real fork get a marzocchi
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
matt
a Weekend Warrior
from halifax Date Reviewed: September 22, 2000
Favorite Trail:
north west passage
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
cycle smith
Strengths:
4 inches of smooth travel. Good seals. Greatlooking!
Weaknesses:
It clicks at the bottom of the travel but no performance lost, a bit of flex at high speed when set up for 4 inches.
Similar Products Used:
bomber
Bike Setup:
Norco Mocha, free ride set up
Bottom Line:
Great fork for the $, but still only a cross country fork even though it has for inches.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Big Higgs
a Weekend Warrior
from Hammond,La. Date Reviewed: September 19, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Plush, durable, dependable, looks good, 100mm of travel
Weaknesses:
Need to lube the xxx seals before the 1st ride, annoying click at apex of travel(see below on how to remedy), will flex(but this can be minimized)
Similar Products Used:
99 Judy C
Bike Setup:
INTENSE TRACER ( IT ROCKS!)
Bottom Line:
1) Lube the seals 2) To minimize lateral flex make sure that your quick release is tight enough. If you hear the brake pads rubbing when you turn the handlebars, it is'nt tight enough. This put an end to my "flex" complaint. And remember this is a XC fork, NOT a freeride fork! 3) To stop the click at the end of travel, remove both springs from the fork. At the bottom of each stack there should be two white plastic spacers. These must be attatched to each other. If both spacers are not on each stack, you will have to fish them out of the fork and clip them together well enough to make sure that they stay together. When they are together, no click! 4) Overall very good fork for the $!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
farmanimal
a Weekend Warrior
from anytown USA Date Reviewed: September 17, 2000
Favorite Trail:
all trails
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
on my dbr x6
Strengths:
supposed plush travel???? ummm oh yea they are supposedly cheap.... what ever u pay is to much
Weaknesses:
noisy, flexy typical rock crap
Similar Products Used:
noleen... other rock crap.. manitou.... zokes
Bike Setup:
dbr x6 cranks wheels pedals magura discs
Bottom Line:
so this was on my new bike... i really tried to like this fork... i tried hard too... i have switched to 10 wt oil, changed the oil levels .. it is better but still just does not thrill me.... can u say jr. t on the way.... this fork was noisy from day one... it bobs, and still bobs, flex is every where... i dont get it folks this thing is not that great.. if not for the fact that it was on my bike when purcahsed and i didnt have a fork that would fit the magura discs there is NO way i would own this over rated peice of $hit...if i could give ZERO i would .. i t just flat sucks
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Justin
a Weekend Warrior
from Florida Date Reviewed: September 12, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Dr. Ruths @ Santos
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Looks good, seal system that can stand up to the sand, rebound adjuster works,weights okay, doesn't bottom out.
Weaknesses:
The seals are sticky,the springs click all the time (I HATE it) it's flexy.
2000 GT XCR 3000 this thing is SWEEET! it wheelies by itself. It's still a little heavy but I don't mind
Bottom Line:
It's a good fork.It came on my GT and it's a good match but I woudn't buy it seperatly. the spring click drives me crazy, I got it to quit but one leg started again. It needs 7.5 weight oil cuz the rebound is to light,the wipers are to soft and sticktiony.If anybody knows how quiet the clicking or if there are any replacement wipers PLEASE e-mail me at: justin4@mountainbike.com.
If your looking for a fork that has good travel and will stay clean, and you don't mind lubing the seals all the time it's good.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kyle MacLeod
a Weekend Warrior
from Port Townsend Date Reviewed: September 8, 2000
This is the sweetest ride I have ever had. Never before have I felt the plush 63, 80, or 100 mm of smooth hardcore travel. Unlike Answer Manitou x-vert 99 which are the biggest piece of crap on the market. The Judy Races are a kick in the balls. They're better then sex!!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bryan Peters
a Weekend Warrior
from Bakersfiels, CA, USA Date Reviewed: September 8, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Tod's Wild Ride
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$239.00
Purchased At:
UniversalCycles.com
Strengths:
It is great I love the Shock real firm and real plush on the downhill. Rebound is awesome everything on this bike is awesome.
Weaknesses:
Kind of a high maintenece shock, requires a lot of red rume Rock Shox Oil
Similar Products Used:
1999 Manitou SX, 1998 Judy XL
Bike Setup:
Specialized Hardrock Freerider(custom built)
Bottom Line:
This shock is awesome!!! If you can get your hands on one of these DO IT!!!!This SHOCK IS AWESOME!!! Five Flamin' Terds
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gareth
a Weekend Warrior
from petaluma CA US Date Reviewed: September 7, 2000
Favorite Trail:
anything CRAZY
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$240.00
Purchased At:
bike world.com (the best)
Strengths:
good plushness.xxx sealing system.good for some moderate dropoffs (if your into that kind of stuff). really easy to maintain. All travel is allright. good deal
Weaknesses:
not too stiff on 100mm. pain in the @$$ to change all travel, get Judy butter because it comes un-lubed.
Similar Products Used:
'99 Judy C, '00 judy xc, and '99 judy xc
Bike Setup:
'99 moab 3, Ive almost everything except for the frame of course
Bottom Line:
a really good deal for what it is. the only major standdown is that it's too flexy. if your more into to downhill or freeride, but don't whant to spend a million dollars on a fork, mabye you should try the '00 judy XL's or something. and don't expect to be able to change the all travel system 5 minuts before a ride because my manual says that you have to take the whole fork apart and drane the oil and evrerything so that you can change a couple of plastic rings around (oh well!). Other than all of this, it's a very good fork for it's price, and I would reccomend it to advancing riders who want to get into racing, or more extreme riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Rhode Island Date Reviewed: September 7, 2000
Favorite Trail:
ADT
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$189.00
Purchased At:
mtbr
Strengths:
Weight, Value, Adjustibility, Reliability
Weaknesses:
Flexy
Similar Products Used:
Manitou, Marzocchi, Amp
Bike Setup:
98 FSR
Bottom Line:
I put over 4000 miles on one of these this summer during a coast to coast ride across the US. This fork is a great choice for a variety of riding. It's travel is smooth and the fork is lighter than a Marzocchi. I don't care for Manitous usually. While the travel is suitable for a full suspension bike, the fork feels flimsy in this application. I think I will go back to Marzocchi. Another plus, in my opinion, is the dust boots. They may not look cool, but they keep crap out of the seals, my fork is still like new due to these. Coil springs are a plus to me as well for both feel and reliability. For the money this fork is great. However, I would recommend a Marzocchi for a full suspension bike if you can afford it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Eden Prairie, Mn Date Reviewed: September 3, 2000
Favorite Trail:
The ones with the dirt
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Adjustability, good looks, nice travel, nice progression and rebound
Weaknesses:
Sqweaks when not lubed enough, rebound adjuster knob is gone after the 1st ride. Weight ( really not that bad .) Cam be a littl twitchy.
Similar Products Used:
RS Jett T2, Z4 ( Tested ) '99 z3 (tested)
Bike Setup:
Trek 8000 stock except w/Time Atac pedals.
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork, a big improvement over my old Jett T2. I like the greater travel, and I like the fact that it is more easily adjustable to my weight. But, if you do not lube the fork, it will sqweak in the initial travel for a while. And the little adjuster knob on the bottom of the right leg will fall of the 1st ride so you need to use a really small hex wrench on it. The weight really is not that bad, but I am still going to upgrade eventually. But now, this fork is ready for everything I throw at it. But, on rough/ technical sections the front end of my biek gets a little touchy, but that does not bother me at all.
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Submitted by
I_AM_CANADIAN
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: September 1, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Bird Sanctuary
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Lakeshore Cycle and Sports
Strengths:
Pretty light, good range of adjustment, good looks.
Weaknesses:
Brake arch is too skinny and it flexes, bobs like mad, didn't come lubed (thanks a lot, RockShox!)
Similar Products Used:
RockShox Indy C (POS), Suntour (POS), Sync (POS), Marzocchi Z4, Manitou SX and SX-R.
Bike Setup:
Stock '00 Schwinn Moab 1 except for Syncros Ti Q/Rs.
Bottom Line:
This is a decent fork. But I'd never buy any RockShox product if it didn't come stock on my bike. Durability is obviously not an issue with RockShox, as is demonstrated by the skinny brake arch, plastic rebound adjuster that inhibits the dropout from touching the ground, and unlubed seals. This fork bobs like mad going uphill... even with rebound damping on full. You can feel some flex on downhills... similar to a wussy RockShox Indy. When left to sit in my basement overnight, in the morning the fork makes an annoying squeaking sound and has a ton of stiction. I have to bounce on the handlebar for a minute to make it go away. All Travel system not so easy to adjust. Overall, a fork that I won't bother replacing for now. It suits my needs for the time being. But I wouldn't hesitate to choose a similarly-priced Manitou SX-R over this fork.
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Submitted by
jeff sanders
a Cross Country Rider
from charlotte,nc,usa Date Reviewed: August 26, 2000
Favorite Trail:
catawba river front
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
low maintenance, lube it w/ judy butter every couple of rides and change the oil every 6 months, and you're good to go. worxs so well that you really don't notice itz there. graphics and colors.
Weaknesses:
all travel too complicated to really use. i didn't receive a manual. rock shox's website says you can download manuals, i'll believe it when i actually get it. a bit flexy.
Similar Products Used:
suspension forks
Bike Setup:
fisher ziggurat, 747's, michelin's
Bottom Line:
I bought a 99' ziggurat, thought the judy sl was pretty smoove. I rode the bike 'bout 3 months. Blew the catridge. Called rock shox and asked, why I could make the fork bottom out just lookin' @ it. "I don't know" Moved to Maine for summer w/ blown catridge. Worked @ bike shop while there. "Your catridge's blown, dude" Big hassle. Received this fork for free. Amends have more than been made. This fork is a tremendous upgrade. Lighter, hydracoil, Homer valve, graphics, all travel I'd think rock shox was better than sex, but their site does NOT allow me to download the manual, and i've tried calling, to no avail. Why me, thanx for the fork though!
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Submitted by
bob
a Racer
from katy, tx usa Date Reviewed: August 24, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
cycle spectrum
Strengths:
all travel system, XXX seals, looks awesome, lighter and better then my POS suntour fork
Weaknesses:
most ppl will back me up on this: it squeaks at first cuz there's no grease (not like it affects the performance, it's just kind of an annoying squeak)
Similar Products Used:
sr suntour P.O.S! judy XC
Bike Setup:
2000 GT XCR 3000 It is soooo sweeet! It is one of the most awesome full suspension bikes I have ever ridden
Bottom Line:
awesome fork, relatively light, relatively cheap, good travel. Totally customizable. I just wish I had some grease around the house... I still haven't made it to my dealer's shop for some.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Patrick Doran
a Cross Country Rider
from 340 Oakview Date Reviewed: August 23, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Golden Gate Park
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came with $1000 Trek
Strengths:
Smooth and consistant shock absorbsion, very fast on most terrain if you know how to ride.
Weaknesses:
Not for pussies when it's set to 80mm or less. Slightly noisy, and less than simple to switch travel - my bike shop says it will be a week before they'll have the springs.
Similar Products Used:
Judy XL, crappy SR Suntour's, Marzochi Z5's, Noleen air - sweet shock, Judy XC
Bike Setup:
XT/LX parts, 25.5 bike, and It's gonna go on a diet soon. Cross country racer bike, not a DH machine.
Bottom Line:
Buy this if you are riding XC, or buy it if you are heavy. But do not buy this if you like to sit on your seat while you coast along, this is not an SR suntour comfort shock, this is a "don't die at 40 mph" shock. The name RACE on the shock is a fairly appropriate name. I am considering upgrading this thing with either englund 100 mm air cartridges or just changing to 100mm spring travel though since I like to do a few dangerous descents here and there. What would I buy if this didn't come with my bike and I had $300 to blow? Probably Marzzochi - whichever models are affordable. If it's cheaper than all Marzzochi's though, then snatch it up.
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Submitted by
Avva
a Cross Country Rider
from Moscow, Russia Date Reviewed: August 17, 2000
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
All Travel System and Hydracoil.
Weaknesses:
Some flex when set up for 100 mm. Not really 100 mm. Bobbing up when climbing with default oil setup (5w oil).
Similar Products Used:
Judy C '99
Bike Setup:
Custom built Scott Team Racing.
Bottom Line:
Perfect fork for gnarly trails with roots even in default setup for me (I'm about 190-200 lbs). Highly tunable travel with All Travel System. Plushness/speed can be tuned with oil weights for almost any conditions even without springs kits. And very simple maintenance - my favorite ;-)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alan Garnes
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington Date Reviewed: August 17, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Anything single track & technical
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Fanticycle
Strengths:
Buttery smooth plushness, fantastic adjustability, great recoil action, price, and MADE IN THE USA!!!
Weaknesses:
A little bobbing on uphills.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou, Marzocchi, RST, Rock Shox Judy XC.
Bike Setup:
98' GT Avalanche LE 6061 butted aluminum, Bontrager "Crow Bar" risers, Profile Design "Stiffy", Race Face head set, Race Face "Good n Evil" grips, Shimano XT V-Braves & Levers, Shimano Deore LX rapid fire shifters, Rock Shox 2000 "Judy Race" fork, KORE quick release skewers, WTB "Velocoraptors" (front & rear), Mavic "X - 221" rims, Shimano hubs, Time "ATAC" carbon clipless, Shimano XT rear derailer, Shimano"Deore" LX crank set.
Bottom Line:
Great fork at a great price that actually works better than higher priced models. Made in the USA is always a + for me!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunnyvale Date Reviewed: August 14, 2000
Favorite Trail:
urban jungle
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Can't beat coil/oil for plush -- takes big sharp hits beautifully. Lighter than a Z2. Comes with fork boots. Rebound adjuster actually works (unlike Manitou).
Weaknesses:
A little flexy at super-banzai speeds. Stanchions were completely dry from the factory. Hey Rock Shox -- 5c of grease will kill your profit margin? Make sure to buy some with the fork.
Similar Products Used:
Z2, Manitou SX-R, C'dale Fatty (P.O.S.)
Bike Setup:
Kuwahara hardtail, XT, 36-spoke 221's.
Bottom Line:
This is the cheapest real fork you can buy (no 'elastomers'). Can't beat it without spending double the money on a Z2. And anyone who says the rebound adjuster doesn't do anything smokes crack -- it works just fine, unlike a Manitou SX-R which will spin around all day but does nothing (but is otherwise a decent fork). A good fork, an excellent value.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fraser Ghlais
a
from Ayr - Scotland Date Reviewed: August 12, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Aviemore
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Good travel / looks/ weight / stiffness I mean there great for the money who needs more!?
Weaknesses:
a wee bitty wobbly but okay when used with hope disc and hub and the seals which wont last the scottish weather!
Similar Products Used:
rockshock mag21SL , Mag10 , quadra21 , judy xc 96' Amp f3xc , whitebrothers 110dc , 97z1's , xcr's , Manitou sports -5's , Muddy fox weird thing? , cannondale one leg things
Bike Setup:
xt drivetrain , hope discs/hubs/botton bracket ,azonics , custom built steel bike , loadsa x-lite bits , Campag rims ti spokes
Bottom Line:
Im a bike mechanic i know what i like and i like these , also any twats saying "theyre okay for beginners?" get real any forks will do any body!!!
plus ive got the new ones with the psylo brace ;P
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Submitted by
Nick West
a Cross Country Rider
from Bloomington, MN, Date Reviewed: August 8, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Good travil, looks ok, works good if its adjusted to the way you ride.
Weaknesses:
rebound adjuster does nothing, hard to give maintance to, needs to be warmed up, if it sit for more than 5 min it does not move, and I have to stand there and bounce on it so it will tavil on the trail.
works good but you have to wacth it close, so you no it will work.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ryan
a Weekend Warrior
from houston Date Reviewed: August 8, 2000
Favorite Trail:
many
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
variable travel, super plush without bouncing every time you pedal, pretty stiff, great seals, great price
Weaknesses:
many people have opened their new judy races (b/c of a horrible and obnoxious squeaking noise) to find the wipers/seals totally dry. come on rockshox!
Similar Products Used:
manitou spyder, sxr
Bike Setup:
specialized rockhopper frame built up for weekend warrior/commuter
Bottom Line:
awesome product. other than having to lift the xxx seals and add some oil it has been absolutely perfect. the buttery smooth travel has been a godsend for my hands and upper body. you can not go wrong with this shock.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Hopkins
a Cross Country Rider
from Princeton, NJ Date Reviewed: August 8, 2000
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
It is very plush! I love the way you can adjust your travel! It's pretty light. Great for riders starting to ride hard and also a good intermediate fork also.
Weaknesses:
When you ride over a crack in the road you get travel. I hate that. I mean other than that are no other real weaknesses
Similar Products Used:
Jett C, Judy C, Marziochi Z2 Bam
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Ziggurat Xt rear derailleur lx crank and front derailleur, xt brakes, xtr wheelset
Bottom Line:
Great shock. This one is a keeper. For a fork like this the price is great.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kelvin How
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: August 5, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
This fork is plush, adjustable, and light. I'v recently bought a 00' Giant ATX that came with the RST 381 EL - what a piece of junk. The Judy Race is much better. I have more fun riding. The fork is responsive and sensitive. I have not yet bottom out and maintainance is a snap. If your tight on buget but want a quality fork, go with Judy Race.
Weaknesses:
1. The spings makes noises over bumps. 2. Instructions that came with the fork sucks. 3. Changing the oil gets messy.
Bike Setup:
00' Giant ATX 840, Syncros, Judy Race
Bottom Line:
1. Its adjustable 2. Its plush and sensitive 3. Won't break your bank, buy once, buy right.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mickey mouse
a
from disney land Date Reviewed: August 3, 2000
Favorite Trail:
jumps....
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
ummm there red, they got 4' of travel and there cheap for what u get.
Weaknesses:
there ugly but i took off all the stickers and put a lil rock shox sticker on it and a fox sticker
Bike Setup:
Trek 8000, kore b-52 stem, pro taper bars, rhyno lites, zonic pedals, mrp, race face cranks....i kinda changed it into a slolam bike, im changin the forks to 5 inch but thats becuz i dont want to bottom out on them. i wanna sell em.
Bottom Line:
good forks for the price. its smooth but i still want those marzzochis...anyway buy em if ur like a beginner rider or if u want some good forks that doesnt dent ur savings account
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Daryl King
a Cross Country Rider
from Hunt. Bch, CA USA Date Reviewed: July 28, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Telonics
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Price, weight, coil/oil system is smooth, low maintenance, sealed well.
Weaknesses:
Kind of flexy and chattery
Bike Setup:
Idrive XCR 3000
Bottom Line:
Not bad. Set up at 100mm, takes big drops and the action is just about right for my 158lbs. Probably the next best thing to a 2000 model Z2 Atom Bomb
$ 299.00
Overall Rating:
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