Take the MX6™, give it two-and-a-half years from conception to retirement, shave off it's body hair, teach it to speak, give it some manners, and make it better - that's the S7™. (For you folks who don't get it - that's "Forced Evolution")
We took evolution to heart and fed the fork pure abuse and neglect for about 14 months - thank you North Shore and gracias UK!. [Socialized medicine seems to have helped with the over-the-top R&D.]
7" of travel in a 7.5 lb package with 35mm 7075-T6 superhard anodized stanchions, Compression and Rebound adjusters, and sculpted, taper-fit sliders that make other forks look limp.
Submitted by
Dez mitchell
a Weekend Warrior
from vegreville,AB Canada
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2004
Strengths: LOOKS good can be soft or stiff up to u 7in of travel trannny oil AND CAN TAKE A HIT did a 35 foot gap beautifly
Weaknesses: seals seals seals ive blown the seals twice in 6 mounths and no i didint do them my self i had them professionaly done other than that thats the only weakness
Bottom Line:
good fork,good price,good looks,BAD SEALS, if u want a big hit fork that wont set u back one of your hard tails this is the fork no major problems im going to get a hopped up seal kit and well we can go from there
Similar Products Used: drop offs (the new stinkys) mountanu sherman's,monsters there dual crown the list goes on ond on
Bike Setup: kustom stinky nokian gazzo's 3.0 fox rl ect....
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
JeFF
a Downhiller
from T.O., Onterrible
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2003
Strengths: -All I have mentioned below.
Weaknesses: -Could have less sticktion after being broken in.
Bottom Line:
Well it has been six months with this badboy of a fork, and I havent' had one single issue with it! It is rock solid as ever, sucks up everything I dish out to it, and its still kicking.
There has been a little issue with it being sticky, but one can easily take some 2000+ grit sandpaper and fix that problem in no time. Any issues that the S7 had are truly rectified imo.
Weaknesses: Heavy and crack when you are hard with it!
Bottom Line:
This is a interesting product for freeriders and downhillers that they pay attention to their fork! Good control! Maintenance is simple. Company service is not very good, no dealer in Canada for 2003. If you like big drop choose another product e.g. Monster-t, super t!
Bike Setup: Big hit pro 2001 with upgrade kit 8', disks Hayes, tire: front 3.0x26 rear 3.0x24 etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
JeFF
a Downhiller
from T.O., Onterrible
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2002
Strengths: -Stiff -Looks Hype (better than a monster IMO) -transmission fluid -true 20mm thru axle -Costomer service is GREAT! -Reb / Comp adjustments -DO NOT LEAK anymore -plush and smooth once broken-in
Weaknesses: -none yet (will update as necessary)
Bottom Line:
This fork has been outstanding. I was ver weary about buying a fork used, and an S7 at that, but it proved to be the best purchase for my bike yet. Worried about leakage? Not anymore with the 2002+ models. Stiff? You'd bet, 35mm stanctions get the job done. Not to mention that they look totally rad, and are ajustable like mad. Also, the transmission fluid idea is great. Lasts WAY longer than oil, and has way less cons.
Submitted by
JOE RODRIGUEZ
a Weekend Warrior
from BRONX
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2002
Strengths: ITS TAKES THE DROPS VERY WELL ( 6 TO 7 FEET)VERTICAL RUN ITS GREAT EVEN WHEN I MESS UP A LINE JUST POINT AND PEDAL
Weaknesses: WELL, IF I DON'T KEEP UP WITH IT ,IT WILL START TO STICK,BUT SO FAR NO BLOWN SEALS I GUESS WHAT WORKS FOR ME IS I CLEAN THEM WITH A SOFT BRUSH AND APPLY A VERY LIGHT TELON OIL AND REMOVW ANY DIRT I SEE BEFORE AND AFTER A RIDE
Bottom Line:
I HAD THE BEST FORKS BEFORE AND THEY WERE GREAT FORKS,BUT SINCE I MADE MY SWITCH TO STRATOS IN 1998 (SUPER 6)I HAD NO REAL PROBLEMS. IN 1999, I ALSO HAD ON MY M1 THE S-8 AND AGAIN NO PROBLEMS,IN 2000 ITS WHEN I REBUILT MY S-6 BY ORDERING THE PARTS AND PUT IT TOGETHER MYSELF. I LATER MADE A TRADE WITH THE COMPANY THRU MY BIKE SHOP. ITS NOW AUGUST AND STILL NO PROBLEMS SO FAR.
Similar Products Used: JR.T, ROCKSHOK XL, Z1,STRATOS 8
Bike Setup: 2002 1000 GEMINI FREE/DH BIKE 2.6 NOKIAN,MRP FOR DH W/AC CRANKS RAZOR ROCK LEVERS,XY SEAT POST,TITEC DH,KMC 9200 CHAIN, XTR 3/RINGS FOR FREERIDE
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron Dull
a Downhiller
from Fort Collins, CO 80524
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2002
Strengths: Cheap
Weaknesses: The seals constantly blow, the fork constantly twists, and the brake arch is easily bent. Also, they make it very difficult to have anything warrantied.
Bottom Line:
I started riding freestyle bikes when I was eleven and moved to mountain bikes in ~1992. This company has the worst service of any company I have ever dealt with. There products are some of the flimsiest too. I'm writing this in hopes of saving others from the bad experiences I've had with this company.
Similar Products Used: Marzochi Z1, Boxxer, Monster T
Bike Setup: Bullit set up for DH and freeride. Azonic bars,World cup gaurd, doublewides, Hayes brakes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rich Klassen
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria B.C.
Date Reviewed: February 16, 2002
Strengths: Cheapness
Weaknesses: Seals keep blowing, Fork is always twisting, and the seal caps often come loose on rides.
Bottom Line:
I have gone through two sets of seals in only 6 months.The fork twisted any time I had a crash invloving the front end and like the guy from Sandiego says the service is not that good. Also during rides for no apparent reason the seal caps loosen off. It is currently for sale if anyone thinks they will have a better time than I did with it.
This fork is for you if you are a lithe smooth rider. Burly weekend warriors should not buy this fork.
Similar Products Used: Z1(no joke, this fork performed 20 times better)Super T, boxxer, Shiver
Bike Setup: Rm7(2001) with usuall assortment of parts.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Paul San Andres
a Downhiller
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2002
Strengths: looks cool
Weaknesses: Crowns are extremely weak as is the company behind the product
Bottom Line:
Product sucks. Ordered this fork from Stratos after living in SB and hearing from all the local riders how good the MX6 was and how cool Stratos is. Well, maybe the MX6 was good but the S7 has dangerously underbuilt crowns and the customer service is a joke if you can't go into the Santa Barbara warehouse and get stuff taken care of right away while you're watching them. I broke a bolt on my first ride, sent in in and got another lower crown that quickly blew to shreds on a 10 foot drop. The guy I talked to told me that they originally underdesigned the S7's crowns and that they had failed to test them properly. After months of playing games with these guys trying to get crowns that weren't crap I gave up, sold the fork and bought a new Super T that has been the best fork I've ever seen. This thing laughs at 10 footer something the S7 messes it's knickers over. Maybe I've had a uniquely bad experience with Stratos but I've also seen one of their S4's stanchions snap in two. As they told me during one of many conversations, go with Marzocchi because they have their stuff together and if you have problems Marzocchi has the resources Stratos obviously lacks to take care of you.
Bike Setup: Turner RFX frame, New Super T, hayes hydros w/ 8 inch rotors front and rear, all sorts of overbuilt components to withstand sudden losses of altitude.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jon Morley
a Downhiller
from Kingskerswell, Devon. uk
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2002
Strengths: look mean, £600 pound, 7 inch, compresstion and rebound adjustable, go nice with my remec frame
Weaknesses: they twist when i don't fall of. very sticky. continuosly leaking left seal, real hard to take of wheel because they are permanently twisted, cracked crown and finaly the brace slips down taking you comp 16 with it.
Bottom Line:
they where good until i fell off the first time. now a constant source of hassle, don't work, twist so easy it is unreal brace slips down, top crown is cracked and most annoying is that i paid full price as they where from the first batch in the uk. they have been sent back 3 times and they aint improved. they put me off riding my bike as the slightess fall will result in about 1 hour of down time strighting the forks so i can go ride again. avoid unless you like taking things apart.
Similar Products Used: rst hi-5, boxxer 151, mates 7 inch boxxer, mates monsters
Bike Setup: remec dh pro frame. hope 4-pots +hubs, 3 peice crank. home made parts. parts that work no matter what
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rob Stead
a Downhiller
from Basingstoke, England
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2002
Strengths: BIG, shiny, good range of adjustment.
Weaknesses: Inconsistent, twists in minor front-end impacts.
Bottom Line:
I don't want to launch into a major gripe here because everyone else appears to be happy with these forks. Sometimes mine work really well, but very rarely. I blew the original seals pretty quick. As someone mentioned earlier, Stratos are aware that there was a problem with the original (blue) seals and I was sent the revised white seals. I blue these even quicker in less demanding conditions! My fork is also prone to stiction. Originally I thought this was because of the large diameter stancions used, causing similar problems to those Hanebrink had a while ago, but I seem to be the only one with this problem. Also, because the brace is bolted, rather than bonded to the lower legs, in a front end impact the upper legs twist in the clamps. It is very difficult to reallign the fork after this and any missallignment leads to excessive wear on the bushings, seals etc. Marzocchi and Rock Shox realised that bonding was the way forward ages ago, so why can't Stratos? I don't want to slag off what may well be a good product. These are just the experiences I've had with my fork.
Bike Setup: Turner rfx, hopes, race face, azonic etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Darren Leary
a Downhiller
from Victoria BC
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2002
Strengths: Plush, simple to work on, changeable dropouts.
Weaknesses: Early run of seals (now fixed)
Bottom Line:
Great fork. Had seal problems earlier on, but Stratos took care of the problem and stood by their product. They admitted that there were bad seals which I like in a company. Sent em back, they did a rebuild and its all good now. No leak for 6 months. I reccomend changing the ATF to some synthetic though, it feels nicer and is easier on the seals.
Submitted by
zombie
a Downhiller
from webster, ny, usa
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2002
Strengths: very plush and rigid. looks great, very well made.
Weaknesses: bushings slid up when bottomed out. caused alot of leaking and stiction
Bottom Line:
Stratos was really cool to deal with. When I called they wanted me to send it back. I didn't want to during the riding season so they shipped the parts I needed no charge. They said to send it back when the season was over for a rebuild. that's cool. The fork soaks up everything when working properly and I'm sure will be better when I send it in.
Similar Products Used: I've tried a bombshell marylin, a resse champ, a mr dirt and a white dh3. All very nice forks. I think that the stratos is the most adjustable and smoothest of them all.
Bike Setup: Rocky Mountain, RM9, S7, hussefelt's, d321's on hayes elite hubs, Hayes 8" hyd.
