Submitted by
Sean
a Cross Country Rider
from Rugby UK
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2007
Strengths: Light, stiff, stiction-free (completely). Very sensitive on small fast bumps. A great conversation starter out on the trail. Feeds my carbon-fibre fetish!
Weaknesses: Low travel. No after-market support.
Bottom Line:
Look dumped this product on the market via Ebay sellers when they discovered no-one wanted to pay $1000 for a fork! There's no after market support for this fork. The final version has replaceable cartridge bearings - make sure you get that one, not the grease-port version. I'm searching for a replacement shock just in case - if anyone's got a spare hanging around sell it to me! I contacted TF tuning about a shock service and the man himself was quite rude to me - so don't even bother! Fournales will do it, just visit their website and email them.
A fantastic fork designed by a well-respected French suspension guru (probably the French Mert Lawwill!) but badly marketed by Look. Their loss is our gain! The only real criticism is the low travel but more than made up for by excellent small bump performance which is what you need on epic rides.
The value is based on Ebay price!!! Overall rating is 4 because no fork is perfect - it's contrary to the laws of physics. The finest Fox fork would get a 2.5 by comparison.
Strengths: no lateral flex lightweight easy adjust no stupid buttons little frictions exotic look automatic lockout very low maintenance
Weaknesses: hard to find! only xc use with 80 mm travel needs some personal work to fit... might use faster your headsets
Bottom Line:
fantastic product for the xc use it is made! as the prices become more human i took one to replace my fox rl that was like a marshmallow in comparison to the cannondale fatty fork and now is like a melted marshmallow in comparison to the fournales!
bought a second one just in case... it ridiculises the traditional forks. is perfect for xcounry even a bit agressive if u dont want to have a bike man to make servicing to your telescopic fork extremely light and durable not great for straight line downhill with big hits
Submitted by
tony
a Cross Country Rider
from new jersey, usa
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2005
Strengths: Very light, very stiff, no lateral flex. The shock is very smooth and has moore travel than Noleen/Girvin xlink.
Weaknesses: The 2-piece steerer tube flexes a little. Out of the box, the bolts are not all tightened
Bottom Line:
This fork is super light, and rides very smooth. The air shock is infinitely adjustble to suit your weight and riding style. The first time I took it out I was underwhelemed, but after adjusting the dampening, it was an entirely different experience. Compared to the Girvin/Noleen/K2 fork, it is much lighter, and has a smoother performing shock, but the steerer tube seems to flex a little. Nice fork if you want to spend the money,and need to run disc brakes. But if you are looking for a linkage fork and are on a budget, the Girvin/Noleen/K2 works very well.
Weaknesses: -i think it can only take proprietary shock -expensive if bought new -not exceptional on high speed downhills.
Bottom Line:
This is the best fork i have ever ridden. I am (As you can see from my similar products used) a complete paralellogramme junkie. This fork is light, has more than ample travel, is stiff and looks great.
It absorbs the liny irregularities without damping (silky smooth ride) and the damping kicks in with larger objects. These forks dont have the same consecutive hit swamping problem the girvins had, but I cant clam that they're void of it. (but whay fork is?) They do have the typical braking dive but with an air shock there's always travel left over. They are unparalleled (pun intended) when climbing and on the straight an level, but dont perform as well as normal telescopic forks on fast downhill sections.
IF youre looking at these forks youre a hardcore XC rider anyway, and these are the ultimate XC forks.
4 chillis for value (if bought new) 7 chills overall rating.
Strengths: I posted a very favorable review for this product already: good stiffness, steering, light, etc
Weaknesses: I had the 1.1 version. Incredibly light but the bearings and spindles wore out in six months despite regular lubing.
Bottom Line:
The UK importer could not be persuaded to supply the required parts or parts list and Look France would not send then direct but at least I got my money back. I purchased the new USE antidive sub fork which is a whole lot better so in the end I am very happy. The moral: Make sure your importer supports this product before you buy!
Submitted by
PAUL LUDWIG
a Cross Country Rider
from ROCHESTER
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2002
Strengths: I'm 210lbs, lean and mean. This fork is as stiff as you want it to be and very adjustible to make soft. Little to no bob during climbs. No brake scrub when rocking. Unmatched trackability. Precise machining on components. Nobodys got one.
Weaknesses: Shock covers up the sterling silver "IF" head tube badge. Two piece steer tube is a scary thought, but its held up so far. The big hits seem big.
Bottom Line:
Buy it if your a weight junkie poser or racer. Buy it if your a big guy tired of brake scrub, noodle turns, bob, dive and not afraid to tell your buds how much you really paid. Solid. Compaired to rock shox its worth the extra.
Strengths: Extremely stiff, very light, machine bearings, marvelous adjustment, great work, great on uphills - it doesn't bob , but it works and great on the downhills - it's progressive
Weaknesses: There are some problems with cleaning it :-))
Bottom Line:
The Look fork shoks - it works perfectly, doesn,t bob but on the other hand it is extremly sensitive!!! It has machine beraings everywhere, so it should be durable. It weights only 1250grams and is just a dream for a cross country racer. It needs a preassure about 15 bars. It is a first ever fork, which need as much air preassure as it is written in the manual!!! I was a llittle bit disappointed when I culdn'yt buy a SID fork, but now I'm very happy, that I've bought LOOK FOURNALES 1.2 FORK
Similar Products Used: Rock Shox SID '98, '00, '01, Manitou Mars Elite
Bike Setup: Storck Rebel Team, Look fork, SRAM 9.0 SL dareliour and brakes, WCS Stem, WCS wheelset, ROOX seatpost, cranks and Handlebar, Flite saddle
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Speedy J
a Racer
from The Netherlands
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2002
Strengths: Well, i can say that it's an extremely stiff vork, it really looks incredible good. You don't even need to have a lock-out on a fork like this because while climbing it nearly doesn't work, very great!!! And the weight, didnt I mention the weight, well it's light, very light, 1180 grams, that's almost 600 grams lighter then a Judy SL and 200 grams lighter then a Sid, doesn't that say enough.
Weaknesses: I just discovered some space beneath the suspension element, let's call the distributor Monday... I will be back to talk about this.
Bottom Line:
The pressure in the damper goes up to 15(!) bars max.
