The S8™ inverted fork meets and exceeds the challenges of the UCI/Grundig World Cup's toughest racecourses. With 3 different springs per leg, this top-level suspension fork provides endless tuning options for serious racing performance. 6 spring combinations with infinite oil-damping variations provide more opportunities to customize this fork than you'll likely need. With eight full inches of positive travel, and three quarters of an inch of negative, the S8 smoothes the toughest race courses in the world, cuts rock garden like a hot knife through butter and makes bunny-hopping a whole new sport.
Submitted by
schoolisbad1
a Downhiller
from Nor Cal, USA Date Reviewed: November 17, 2008
Favorite Trail:
magic carpet
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
used
Strengths:
PLUSH, 3 springs so very adjustable
Weaknesses:
heavy and super tall
Similar Products Used:
monster T, super T and other old school big forks
Bike Setup:
Kona Stab
Bottom Line:
I thought it would be fun to review such a old fork, I dont ride as much any more but have had this for around 6 years Id say. I love it, besides recently a leaky seal, - just needs to be maintained a bit. It rocks. When I get a new bike im probably going to keep this fork till it explodes. It was never a common fork, but I have never felt anything like, I am able to actually use all the travel in this puppy. Im 160 or so but this fork still takes huge hits, makes up for my mistakes and still outporforms some others.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Franc Bigmuthahucker
a Downhiller
from Sydney NSW Australia Date Reviewed: November 6, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Numerous
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Everything..
Weaknesses:
Nothing..
Similar Products Used:
Have ridden alot of forks, Shivers, Boxxers, Dorados etc..
This is an update to my prior post, I have now used the forks for approx 3 - 4 months.. I have ridden them both easy, hard and very mofo hard, and standby everything I had said previously.. Go and buy a set..
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
wayne c
a Downhiller
from lihue, hawaii, USA Date Reviewed: November 3, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
friend
Strengths:
35mm stonsions, super plus travel, rebound adjuster preload ( optional ),
Weaknesses:
non..just get the right spring setup and oil and it will never bottom and suck up every last bump!
Similar Products Used:
used friends monster T 03, dorado, super T/ junier T 02 and 03, shiver 03, boxxer 02
Bike Setup:
03 V-10,5th w/h ti spring, truvative BB/cranks, easton 70 post, yeti lock ons, kona DH primo bar/stem, hays HFX-9 8", gazzi 2.6 ( front ) gazzi 2.35 ( rear ) Stratos 8", LASER DISK DH wheel set, MRP, jack sh*ts....
Bottom Line:
ausome fork.. saved my but many-a-times, sucks up bumpes better then 03 boxxer, 03 super T. you point this thing and it is king of the trails, also works well on jumps ect. great for free riding/ DH
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Franc Bighucker
a Downhiller
from Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA Date Reviewed: August 4, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Oxford falls
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Strengths, where do I begin?, the sheer size of the uppers makes Marzocchi Shivers look short and annorexic, the fit and finish is excellent, the crowns are CNC'd art.. The rebound and compression adjusters are ultra smooth compared to others..
Weaknesses:
I honestly cannot think of or know of any..A lot of people tend to be a bit bias towards the products they own, but even if I did'nt own a pair, I would be saying the same things..
Similar Products Used:
Owned Boxxers, have tried Shivers, Monsters, Dorados etc..
I have ridden and test ridden a LOT of forks, and have to say that nothing, I mean NOTHING compares or comes close..If your ever trying to decide what to purchase, do yourself a favour and check the S8's out, you will not regret it..
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Submitted by
Dustin
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada BC Date Reviewed: April 15, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1400.00
Strengths:
well, I never thought that forks could feel soo plush, smoothe and solid at the same time. I was used to Jr.T's and these are much better. they soak up anything you hit hard and the external adjustments are great! and the seal are smoothe. Love the look of these forks and would recommomend them to anybody with the $$$ also have the sweet 180 degree turning radius which is awesome!
Weaknesses:
thought they are a great Fork everything must have a draw back, and yes you guessed it they are heavy but much lighter than Monster T's i like about 2-3lbs lighter. Also the seals take a while to break in because you get a clunk when the rebound is faster for awhile till they set in. QR 20 is a B*tch to out in and pull out!
Similar Products Used:
Jr.Ts
Bottom Line:
Buy them, if you got the $$$ and looking into a 8" fork....BUY THEM! though i would only recommend these to Downhiller's becuase of the weight factor.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from Castlegar BC Date Reviewed: September 22, 2002
Favorite Trail:
There are only 3 in the 'Gar but they all rock!
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
bought used with bike
Strengths:
Huge fork that is ultra plush and doesn't seem to ever bottom out.
Weaknesses:
Hard to tune compression dampening without adjustable damping cartridge(see below)
Similar Products Used:
none (the fork on my old bike was a Judy XL)
Bike Setup:
'01 super 8, Hayes, Mavic, Sun, Profile.
Bottom Line:
Swapped out stock ATF for slightly heavier motorcycle fluid to slow down compression. This worked but resulted in a sort of "two stage" rebound. The initial inch of rebound is undamped before it starts to slow down. The sensation seems to go away as the oil gets warmed up. I tend to think that with the adjustable compression damper you could slow down the compression with the stock viscosity ATF and not alter the rebound charateristics. Anybody experiencing this? Or am I missing somthing? This is really only a minor annoyance on an otherwise excellent fork. I can't count the number of times it's plush nature and seemingly bottomless travel have saved my unskilled ass! On a recent ride I got off the trail and into the ruhbarb. While blasting through four foot high ferns at speed, I hit a bowling ball sized rock. The fork casually sucked it up like it was no big deal. Amazing. I haven't yet had any problems with seal leakage(I made a set of pre-wipers to lighten the load on the seals), and fabricated a factory looking set of MX style guards from 2" electrical duct. I wish the fork came stock with adjustalbe compression dampening and guards for the lowers (four chillis for value). Please don't misundrstand me; this fork will make a bad rider better and a good rider great.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jm
a
from AZ Date Reviewed: September 13, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Bottom Line:
just wanted to say, it wasn't leaking, it was something else actually...its been bombproof.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James Howery
a Downhiller
from Prescott, AZ Date Reviewed: January 19, 2002
Favorite Trail:
South Mountain
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$671.00
Purchased At:
Stratos Direct
Strengths:
Huge, ajustable with the sliders from around 8-10" of clearance in between the tire and crown. This is about THE biggest fork around, Monster has bigger stanchions but the S8 has more overlap, and looks even bigger than the monster. Rebound ajuster is very effective, compression ajuster is very effective as well. 3.0 tire is no problem.
Preformance is unreal, it doesn't get much better than this.
Weaknesses:
20mm ALLOY axle! I have heard stratos has at least 2 different kinds of axles now, but mine came with an ALLOW one which is easily scratched by the dropouts when I insert it. Rockshoxs steel boxxer axle makes much more sense, stratos needs to be using something similer. Only other real weekness is the seals, my rebound leg is already leaking, definitly not good but the preformance and features of the fork are worth putting up with.
This is the best fork I have ridden. The travel is amazing. At South Mountain I can roll off of 5 foot SHEER(straight down) drops and not get bucked off. Not that I try to do this but some places at South Mountain have no landing for manualling. The stiffness is great, the Monster T is maybe a little stiffer, but they are both in the same league, basically taking huge rocks off camber at high speed and not getting deflected. Mine was good untill I set it up like my friends monster with SLOW rebound(for big hits) and it was AMAZING, just like butter, going down the mountain and sucking up everything.
I made my own fork guards out of black ABS piping, its about 1/4-1/3" thick and has 360° protection, so damaging the stanchions is not an issue for me at all. The seals are an issue as the rebound has already started to weep, so hopefully that will not be a real big issue. Overall I have to say this fork eclipses most everything else. I've ridden a lot of forks in this catagory and I wouldn't trade any one of them for this.
5 chillis for value, even if I didnt prodeal it at 1000 bucks its still a great deal for the ultimate big hit DH fork.
5 chillis for overall, I know it has the seal issue, but with that much travel, and that it works as well as it does I can't give it less than 4.5, I might give my old boxxer 4 for being a great race fork, but the preformance of this is far beyond other forks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mike Bromelow
a Downhiller
from Hull,Quebec Date Reviewed: January 4, 2002
Favorite Trail:
anything mental !!!
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Purchased At:
tommy&lefefbre
Strengths:
Stronger than hell,plushness is unreal.Makes insane drops and near vertical trails like riding on a couch !!!Easilly fine tuned for bottoming by adding/removing fluid.
Weaknesses:
Honestly,NONE so far!!!
Similar Products Used:
Marzzochi Junior T,White Bros DH 3
Bike Setup:
2001 specialized Big Hit/fox piggy back RC,double wides, 3 inch tires,custom made chain-guide(Thanks Steve!!!)hayes disks,KORE stricktly D bars.
Bottom Line:
Absolutely the plushest riding fork you could want.Looks incredible and costs less than some of the competition does.I nose-dived accidentaly from about 5 feet in the air and the fork sucked it up without any problem.8-inches of life saving,fun inspiring travel.I LOVE my forks!!!I recomend them to any extreme freerider or downhiller.These forks will save your ass when you need it.Heavy but strong .
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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