I was leary of Rock Shox before, having only fidden Fox previously. I've ridden this fork HARD for 2 years. I bought it used on ebay. Still holds air great, dual air is very compliant, light, lots of tire clearance, and laterally stiff. Everything I want in an XC fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Dreger
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs, CO Date Reviewed: September 30, 2003
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$375.00
Purchased At:
Rock Shox
Strengths:
Color, Stiffer than the Sids,
Weaknesses:
Still flexy, And SRAM has the worst customer service dept in the industry.
Similar Products Used:
Judy, and Sids
Bike Setup:
2002 litespeed lookout mtn
Bottom Line:
After 6 months, negative and positive air both leak. Slowly, but still have to check every ride. The pump that came with it blew and rock shox said they would warranty it, but turns out the guy who agreed to warranty it was fired, and somebody else at r. shox said they won't cover it. Alright big deal, dealer hooked me up with replacement from their shop. Kudos for dealer. Now both dust seals are leaking fork oil. Ordered replacement parts from dealer, except they tell me that neither r.shox nor distributors have the all important/elusive crush washers for the bottom of the legs. So, how does one service their fork without replacement parts. Rock Shox and Sram are headed for disaster. Moving manufacturing overseas and horrible c.s. this company is the equivalent of H.D and AMF in the 70's/80's. Hopefully, Paul Turner and his gang can pull off a rebuy. Untill then R.shox has lost another customer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
daniel hackett
a Cross Country Rider
from Essex, UK Date Reviewed: September 19, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Danbury Woods
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Woollyhatshop.com
Strengths:
Does the job & hasn't gone wrong yet. Little flex, no wheel scrubbing, easy to tune up, you can pump them up to near lockout for road use. Look nice if you've got a yellow stem and headset (like me).
Weaknesses:
Paint comes off on axle mountings after frequent wheel changes, jelly stickers came off pretty quick, but nothing some glue hasn't sorted.
Similar Products Used:
Indy XC (owned), tried a few others, can't remember which. They weren't yellow.
Bike Setup:
GT Zaskar LE
Bottom Line:
Stepped up from a relatively crappy fork (Indy XC) and found a huge difference. I'm about 90-95 kg and haven't bottomed them out. These are much plusher, much stiffer, les 'boingy'. Best thing I can say is that you don't notice them in the woods. No problems with air loss, oil squirting, seals, squeaks etc. I'll give them 4 - if they made the uphills easier I'd give 5
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
1500MPG
a Cross Country Rider
from MI Date Reviewed: August 10, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
OEM 2002 Trek Fuel 98
Strengths:
Light
Weaknesses:
OH, blown seal after 7 months and about 10 rides on my wife's bike. OEM 2002 Trek Fuel 98. She never beat it, only rode mild XC trails with me. After storage in a heated room all winter (stored resting on wheels upright) the shock would not hold pressure at all for an entire ride and leaked oil out the negative air chamber.
Similar Products Used:
Never tried an air fork till this one. I've owned a couple of Marz Atom 2's and a Manitou elastomer without ever a single problem. Not impressed with RockShox.
Bike Setup:
OEM 2002 Trek Fuel 98
Bottom Line:
Skip this fork. I will have to purchase a decent replacement as I will no doubt play the blame/wait game with the dealer and Rock Shox. So disapointed I will wait till the repair/replacement outcome before I decide ever to purchase another RockShox
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gabor Herman
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego Date Reviewed: July 25, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Noble Canyon
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
came
Strengths:
Holds air well. No Slop!
Weaknesses:
Seals are good for 100 hrs, just like the manual says. In a weeks time my LBS couldn't get original replacement seals, so we they upgraded the better ones. But this is Southern California! Doesn't speak well for the manufacturer.
Similar Products Used:
Headshock.
Bike Setup:
Dean Duke ( Yes, the yellow matches the bikes decals and it is nice to have Duke written on the bike!)
Bottom Line:
Had it 100mm of travel, it might be perfect!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Al
a Weekend Warrior
from MA Date Reviewed: June 4, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Nam
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
Very nice adjustability, and very stiff. Smooth stroke, and is very good on big and small hits.
Weaknesses:
This one is minor. Color choice all you is either yellow or duke blue. Also when you fill the negative air chamber oil may shoot into your pump. To fix that just tip your bike upside down when you fill the negative air chamber.
Similar Products Used:
Duke xc, judy
Bike Setup:
2001 Gary Fisher Tassajara with Shimano deore compnents.
Bottom Line:
Sweet fork. IT may be a little heavy but the stiffness makes up for that. Buy it!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Franco Rillo
a Racer
from Rosemere, Quebec, CANADA Date Reviewed: April 15, 2003
Favorite Trail:
kelso, milton, ontario
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Skiis and biikes
Strengths:
Sexy looking ice blue, strong, light!! + and - air chambers!! Super adjustable. Missing lockout :-(
Weaknesses:
doggy toy noise, for the first 2 strokes. A little movement, but not enough to bug the cray out of me.
Bike Setup:
Norco fireball 2001 custom
Bottom Line:
It squeeks, ya so what, only for the first 2 strokes! Then ok. Online manual says to hang bike upside down so oil flows everywhere and to add teflon based oil after every ride on the upper tubes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jesse VOZA
a Racer
from Marigot, St-Martin, FRANCE Date Reviewed: March 25, 2003
Favorite Trail:
5mn from home
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$215.00
Purchased At:
TRISPORT
Strengths:
+ Good looking + Stiffer + Adjustable
Weaknesses:
- No lockout - Always squeeks the 1st 3 bumps - Poor stickers - Poor internals - Dry foams
Similar Products Used:
SID, LEFTY, JUDY
Bike Setup:
TREK 9.8
Bottom Line:
I will never buy a ROCKSHOX fork anymore. I moved to this fork after such a bad time with the SIDs (even if RS sent me a brend news 2003 model in exchange of my dead 2002). I said : "I'll never ride a SID anymore". I Thought the DUKE was light and bombproof enough. Dreams ! After 6 months - The positive air was going to the negative chamber changing my travel from 80 to 50. To get back my travel, I just had to press the negative valve. Better than a PSYLO, uh ? - The XXX seal started to crack under the sun - The bushing started to have play - The rebounf damping cartridge exploded lettnig all its oil out in the right leg...
You know what, I have 2 bikes and change them every year. I will never buy a bike with a RS anymore even if RS send me a brand new fork every time. Now that my other bike have play in its FOX FORK bushings. I ordered a MARZO MARATHON from SUPERGO.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
C N
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX USA Date Reviewed: March 4, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$240.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
High value for $240 mail order fork, esp with the dual air pos/neg spring, and decent weight. Fork is stiff, easy to set up, and 100% reliable to date. Upgraded from a Manitou SX on my Sugar 2, its only a 80mm travel fork so choose correct for your bike. I got a second one for my Moab 1 hardtail, seems the price went up $20 since 9 months ago.
Weaknesses:
Seems like full travel is hard to get out of fork. While Ive worked with the sag and neg pressures, seems like there is always the last 1/4 to 3/8th inch of travel still left. Also, feels like fork has compression spike on hard edged hits and drops, the damping may not be refined enough to deal with wide variation of hi/low speed hits. Wish it had more supple feel of coil fork, but cant have it all.
Similar Products Used:
My first dual air forks, and back to back with older style SIDs, Dukes flex less due to larger fork tube size, and longer bushes.
Bike Setup:
2001 Sugar 2 with Fox rear shock, Duke race up front, with Lizard Skin fork boots from day one.
Bottom Line:
Ive used this fork over nine months in varied conditions including two solid weeks biking in New Mexico and Sedona AZ and a forty mile 100 % rain and mud slog in the Ouachita Challange, AK. Do date not one problem, no air leaks, no oil leaks (yes, oil blows by neg air valve) and no play in bushings that I can tell. While not as plush or refined as higher end Fox forks from what I hear, its all around a good performer and great value for the money. I think the 2002 Duke Race dual air is with its adjustability is the best of the Dukes, I wonder if RS needed to cut costs by not offering the dual air version. Four out of five Chilies for overall rating just because I think the compression damping could be smoother and more progressive.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jorge Vega
a Cross Country Rider
from Puerto Rico Date Reviewed: February 25, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Cambalache Forest
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$239.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
stiff,light and looks good.
Weaknesses:
Play in the stanchiors.
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox Judy air
Bike Setup:
SRAM rocket shifters ,Race Face crank arms and Time ATAC pedals.
Bottom Line:
I don't like how it fell.
No absorve bien las imperfecciones del terreno y no te hace sentir seguro en condiciones tecnicas.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Duncan
a Racer
from Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: January 22, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Powerline/Foreplay
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Strengths:
-Stiff for a RS -Kinda Light -Ok Race/Aggressive Riding -Looks
Weaknesses:
-Its a RS -only 3cm total bushing materal -Red Rum outta -valve
Similar Products Used:
-Manitou Magnum -Zokes Zone -2001 Judy XC -Marzocchi MXR -
Bike Setup:
Dekerf/Thomson bar+stem/Phil Wood/Hayes/XTR/RFTLP
Bottom Line:
Good overall fork from RS. Have no cosmetic problems or problems with the stantion coating. Not as stiff as my Marzocchi and does have "busing play," but is "normal" says RS. Good for XC trails/races. Not too bad for aggresive XC but rather have my Marzocchi.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Light
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver, Canada Date Reviewed: January 13, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$320.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Stiff, light, adjustable
Weaknesses:
Stanchion anodizing flakes off, stickers fall off
Similar Products Used:
Judy SL, Z1 FR
Bike Setup:
Kona hard tail, XT/XTR, Syncros.
Bottom Line:
Fork was great until the stanchion anodizing began to flake off. Sent fork back for warranty and Rock Shox said it was not a manufacturing defect. If there is not scratch or mechaninal damage from a rock, etc then why is it flaking off? It has to be a manufacturing defect. Good anodizing does not flake off. DON'T BUY ROCK SHOX, they don't stand behind their products. It was at warranty for 8 weeks and they did nothing! If they did nothing it should have taken 1 day.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JAXX
a Racer
from South Africa Date Reviewed: December 9, 2002
Favorite Trail:
The one in the montains,the one without the lions
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$229.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
THis fork is built strong. Front wheel goes right where u point it. Eats the roots and rocks
Weaknesses:
This fork takes LOOOOONNNGGG time to bed in. The very cool looking rs stickers fall off, and then one gets lost and so u have to pull the other one off too!!! :( If u drain all the +tve air the seal lifts up and sprays oil :( Dampning just isnt as good as TPC
Similar Products Used:
SXR
Bike Setup:
Giant atx 880 full xt. NUUF SAID
Bottom Line:
Great fork, despite the long bedin time it really has started to perform well, and i am really happy with it. the tunibility is amazing although the -tve air sucks in stanction meaning that getting your full 80mm is impossible.
Over all it is a great fork and comes highly recomended to anyone who rides a lot and wants strengh with adjusabilityl
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
pimpbot
a Cross Country Rider
from oakland, CS Date Reviewed: December 7, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Light, looks trick, fully tweakable, sqeaky toy noises (not a bug, a feature!) pretty cheap, smooth, stiff
Weaknesses:
PTFE uppers chip easily, weighs more than advertised, damping too slow with stock oil, pillow stickers fall off easily, wrong color for my bike
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox Jett (POS stock fork)
Bike Setup:
2000 Giant Yukon with carbon bars, SRAM brakes, suspention post
Bottom Line:
I love this fork. Smooth as greased moose poop. Light blue doesn't go with my forest green bike. nice and tight! Upper teflon coating chipped my first ride out. After that, I got some lizard skins... problem solved. damping seems a bit slow on the slowest setting. Doesn't leak. I haven't had to add air in a month. I got no problems with oil blowback, probably because I invert the bike before I pump up negative air. This fork is a tweaker's delight. I bug the hell out of my friends when we ride 'casue I'm always tweaking my bike. I got it pretty well dialed at this point tho... Now I need to learn how to service it... not that it seems to need it
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom Hong
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh Date Reviewed: October 7, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Dirty Harry's - Verona
Strengths:
Low Maintenance. Good stiffness. Doesn't leak air. Good quality paint and hardware.
Weaknesses:
Plastic dampner top cap. Jelly bean stickers that don't stick on curved surfaces.
Similar Products Used:
RS Sid and Manitou Mars
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Superlight / Mongoose Ti Hardtail
Bottom Line:
Wow! It sounds like as the year went on, RS manufacturing quality may have gone down. Headset like rattle????
Well, so far I have put on a year on my two forks. I have spent much more time on the Superlight than hardtail. First came the Dirt Rag Punk bike enduro. Rode into winter since it was so mild. I did Snoeshoe 24 then took it out west this summer... Colorado, Wyoming, Montana - you get the picture. Big ups big downs.
The fork on the superlight has become more plush as it has worn in. The bushings have been great and the damping right on. I currently run 138+ and 125- and weigh about 175. I have Hope discs and had to have Chris at Speedgoat surface the fork tabs to get the alignment right. RS thick paint. Very important with discs. Solid performance...
In August, I serviced the fork. I was happy to report that the oil wasn't too worn, the seals and foam rings looked great . Replaced all o-rings. They are common sizes available from o-ring suppliers. Used RS oil and redrum (expensive!!!!) In addition, used slick honey to help with assembly.
I have been very fortunate. My forks have worked very well. No leaks, very good sealing. Easy to service. Since I do not have enough hours on the hardtail yet to service I will report back later. I feel bad for others with problems.... RS has great engineering, but has not apparently gotten the bugs out of manufacturing. I wish I had not paid so much for my forks, but the business cycle in this country makes you wonder how these companies survive.
"east coast" Tom
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Indiana Date Reviewed: September 16, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$229.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint.com
Strengths:
very tunable stiff, good control
Weaknesses:
loose headset feel at low negative air pressure
Similar Products Used:
Duke XC
Bike Setup:
Trek 8000
Bottom Line:
My bike came with the Duke XC, and I had the same loose headset feel that many reviewers are having. I had to send in the Duke XC for a warranty issue and decided to get the Duke Race b/c of the great price, and I needed something to finnish the race season with (3-4weeks rock shox said).
The dual air tunability is great on the duke race. If you keep the negative air pressure within 10psi of the positive (under if you don't want to bob alot), the loose headset feel goes away. I have raced with it set up like this and it didn't seem to "plush".
The problem isn't bushing play, loose stanctions, ect. This has all been confirmed by riggerous testing. The problem seems to be that the positive air cartrige is not engaged at the top of the travel (ie. small bumps or when the fork is not compressed beyond normal sag). The negative air chamber helps this by allowing the positive chamber to engage sooner or at the top of the travel.
As far as the leaking oil. I haven't had this problem yet but am very weary. all I can say is make sure you tune the positive air chamber first then the negative. If you need to let air out of the negative air chamber turn the bike upside down.
The dual air chamber is definetly the way to go. To bad the new Duke Race doesn't have it. Who as time to fiddle with knobs on the top of forks. I'm sure this is a nice feature when you just riding around on the trails, but when your racing (Duke Race) when do have time to mess with that crap. I don't see how Rock Shox can even consider this a hybrid of the SID without the dual air.
This is a great fork for "heavier" riders. Not a good fork for lighter riders though. In fact Rock Shox recommends you replace the spring with a lighter one if you weight less than 160lbs.
Great value seems like everyone is getting a good price for it. Overall rating is great, but I don't have much to compare it to.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Al
a Cross Country Rider
from MA Date Reviewed: September 14, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Nam
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
almost everything
Weaknesses:
one problem, the negative air valve shoots oil into my shock pump. What do I do? I need help. if anyone knowns email me. Please. My email adress is mtbal@attbi.com
Similar Products Used:
Rock shock Duke xc
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher 2001 Tassajara hardtail
Bottom Line:
THis fork was great up to the point when it shot oil into my pump and wont stop. I recomend buying it if your an agressive cross country rider.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Chester, ct Date Reviewed: August 31, 2002
Favorite Trail:
cockaponset state forest
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
no flex, light, cool color (ice blue), air system
Weaknesses:
leaks air a little after a month (every shock will
Similar Products Used:
judy sl, pos manitou sx-e
Bike Setup:
GF big sur, mostly stock
Bottom Line:
great shock for the adventure rider or a racer on a budget-not much weight difference from a SID. i'd reccomend going with a duke sl if you're a heavy rider, otherwise this shock is one of the best out there
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fred Porter
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City, USA Date Reviewed: August 2, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
-Much stiffer than forks w/ 28.6 stantions -Acceptable weight for stiffness -simple -plush immediately after overhaul -rebound damping knob works
Weaknesses:
-No boots -way to expensive for what's inside (compared to a similarly priced Black Elite Air) -no bottom out or top out bumpers -PITA to service due to open bath lube and dual snap rings on both legs -inconsistent travel -loose headset feel -blows grease through the negative air valve -PITA to set oil level
Similar Products Used:
Mantiou SX Ti Manitou Xvert Super (w/ travel reduced to 90mm) Rock Shox Judy SL (1997) w/ risse gem cartridges (RS cartridges blow)
Bike Setup:
Trek 9.9 hardtail
Bottom Line:
I weigh 170-175 and am running approx 137# pos and 120# neg. It tracks nicely and has a short axle to crown distance which keeps the handling sharp on older hardtails.
MSRP for this fork should be much lower than it is. The fork is really primitive when compared to a Manitou Elite Air which is similarly priced. No Pure damping (which is a knock off of the Maniotou TPC).
Setting the oil level is a total hassle due to the open bath design. Where it is possible to use a dipstick on the Manitous, Rock Shox requires the owner to dump out all the oil and then refil with a measured volume of oil. A messy, wasteful process. If you want to drop the outers for cleaning... oil everywhere! To top it off, RS recommends a 10 hour service interval. For some folks that is more than once a week. Give me grease ports and sealed damping (oh yeah, that'd be a Manitou)!
However it is pretty plush for the first ride after servicing.
I've been checking the air pressure regularly as this is my first air fork and i'm leary of leaks. It is holding pressure pretty well. However, the travel seems to be inconsistent and I really have to pound the fork to get even 75mm of the 80mm of travel.
When I check the negative pressure grease blows into my pump. So now i deflate the negative chamber fully before attaching the pump and then re inflate to desired pressure. RS tech service said this is to be expected. IMHO that then is a poor design.
Like others I have the loose headset feeling in my fork. Loose bushings already!
No top out or bottom out bumpers.
I'll keep this fork for the remainder of the season, sell it and then get a Manitou Black Elite Air on close-out or whatever Maniou offers up w/ 80mm travel for 2003. Servicing the Duke Race is to much of a pain in the...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Igor Santiago
a Weekend Warrior
from Ibicaraí, Bahia, Brazil Date Reviewed: July 16, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Trilha do Caldo
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Pedal Power
Strengths:
Smooth feel, strong, strong, strong, good weight, Rock Shox quality.
Weaknesses:
It's so cool and strong.
Similar Products Used:
Judy SL, XC
Bike Setup:
Rocky Mountain Vertex, Head Set: Chris King, Crank: Truvativ, XTR front and rear, Sram Rocket Shorty Grips, Thomson Seatpost, Ritchey WCS stem
Bottom Line:
I ride 200 km for week and the fork is in high quality, working in high precision. This is a very good XC fork. I use in all conditions, uphill, downhill, cross country, competitions and there is not problems. I think that this is the best cross country fork of the Rock Shox. The SID is not so strong like this. I am very satisfy with my Duke Race fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rick
a Cross Country Rider
from Costa Mesa Date Reviewed: July 8, 2002
Favorite Trail:
El Moro, Aliso, Whiting, San Juan, etc.
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$229.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Fairly light. The yellow looks great. Stiff and plush.
Weaknesses:
Leaks oil
Similar Products Used:
Judy XC
Bike Setup:
S-works FSR, XT/XTR, Mavic, Koobi
Bottom Line:
This is a very good XC shock when it doesn't leak. I have to say that I have always had some problem with Rock Shox products, but I was willing to give this one a try. When it doesn't leak it's great; however, I've ridden this shock about 400 miles, I weigh 140 lbs, and the negative chamber blows oil. I am going to have it fixed because it is nice, but had I paid full price, there would have been hell to pay. For the person who complained about the loose headset feel, I would bet it is just that. Mine had the same feel about 300 miles in...an eighth turn to the conix and no more looseness. There doesn't have to be much play to get a really loose feel. Overall buy one, but be prepared to fix it to get it to run well.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joshua
a Cross Country Rider
from Saratoga, NY Date Reviewed: July 1, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Technical stuff
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$229.00
Purchased At:
SUPERGO
Strengths:
pretty light, stiff, electric blue is nice lookin'
Weaknesses:
Neg air cahmber seal blew out.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou magnum R
Bottom Line:
I only got to ride the Duke race for 2 hrs before the negative chamber crapped out on me. After checking the neg air pressure after the ride it shot oil back into my pump and lost at least 25 psi right there. The real story here is SUPERGO. SUPERGO SUCKS! They have had my fork for 3 weeks and counting and won't return my calls.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gregor
a Cross Country Rider
from Ketchum Date Reviewed: June 14, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Like I would tell....
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$229.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Torsionally stiff, very tuneable
Weaknesses:
Play in the stanchions
Similar Products Used:
Judy XC, Manitou XC carbon, Manitou Mars CL
Bike Setup:
Moots
Bottom Line:
I've been riding this fork for about a month, but have put almost 500 miles on it. Sounds like I'm having the same experience as Mark (below). Initially, this fork felt as stiff as a Marzocchi and the only problem was a little stiction on the first couple of compressions of each ride. After a couple hundred miles, I started noticing what felt like some "play" in my headset. As it turns out, the play is coming from the fork legs. I'm not losing any air and torsionally the fork still feels good. However, the fore/aft flex seems to be increasing and the "loose headset" feel is pretty damned annoying. I haven't pin-pointed the problem with the fork yet, but I will, and I'll let you know how it plays out. Rocksux came close on this one, but no cigar. I'd be really pissed if I paid full retail for this thing.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mel macgregor
a Cross Country Rider
from honolulu Date Reviewed: May 23, 2002
Favorite Trail:
makakill
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
price point
Strengths:
full on stiff fork that plushes over rocks and roots with ease.the fork weight at 3.3 lbs .it seems to a lot lighter than my old manitou mach 5 at 3 lbs.ajustments and fine tuning is just a pump away.
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
sid, manitou mach5
Bike Setup:
manitou ht xtr drivetrain,brakes,duke race
Bottom Line:
buy this fork you won't be dissappointed!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nathan Bannerman
a Racer
from Anacortes, Wa, U.S.A Date Reviewed: May 19, 2002
Favorite Trail:
anything rough and fast
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
sponsorship
Strengths:
Fast rebound and nice high air presure for a lite rider great for fine-tunning
Weaknesses:
flex in the lages alout of movement in the bottem when on slow rebound it lookes corney whith how the name is molded in to it no lock out for climbing
Similar Products Used:
01marz z.4 air rock shox 99 jet tt(pieca s*#%#)
Bike Setup:
98Kona kula full xt bott frame in 2000
Bottom Line:
the duke race is a great fork for everything but climbing
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Plano, TX Date Reviewed: May 15, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Johnson Branch
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$229.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Relatively light, adjustable, seems to hold air, torsionally stiff
Weaknesses:
fore/aft stiffness sucks, leaks a little oil
Similar Products Used:
Manitou SXR, Future Shock
Bike Setup:
Marin Mt. Vision
Bottom Line:
Follow up review: after having ridden this fork about 100 miles offroad, I have a different opinion of it. It is great except that it has play in the stanchions that is really annoying. My cockpit feels like I have a loose headset, except that I don't. It is the play in the fork legs. My LBS said that this was normal, but I never had it in my Manitou. It is extremely annoying to have any play in the steering assembly: it isn't a Buick.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from michigan Date Reviewed: April 16, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$280.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Stiff, very little stiction, simple to air up. Smooth travel through stroke.
Weaknesses:
A little heavier than expected, but nothing extreme. Sounds like a dog's squeaky toy on first few compressions, maybe this will go away once broken in. Decals fell off before riding it for the first time. RockShox should leave them off if they can't get it right.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Z2, SuperFly, Manitou
Bike Setup:
Klein Attitude Race XTR/Raceface Avid mech. disk.
Bottom Line:
Good fork for this type of hardtail, seems to track really well with disk brakes, even on harsh technical descents. I've ridden lighter forks on lighter frames and felt less confident. The small extra amount of weight equals durability in this case....time will tell as I ride and race this setup.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Christopher Smith
a Racer
from Olathe, KS, USA Date Reviewed: March 27, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Landahl, Blue Springs, MO
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
EBay
Strengths:
Stiff. Plush. Yellow.
Weaknesses:
It doesn't make me look skinnier.
Similar Products Used:
Sx-Ti, SID XC, X-Fly, SX-80, Judy Race, Duke XC
Bike Setup:
Titus Racer X
Bottom Line:
Snappy performance. Who should buy? Anyone who likes a little of everything, without having to sacrifice performance. I'm a large man, and I can't make this thing flex. It's nice.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas, TX, USA Date Reviewed: March 27, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Johnson Branch
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$229.00
Purchased At:
Supergo.com
Strengths:
It is plush, stiff, and kinda cool. And I got an amazingly great deal!
Weaknesses:
It is so plush that it compressed more than I thought it would and threw me over my handlebars right in front of my girlfriend.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou SXR, Specialized Future Shock
Bike Setup:
Marin Mt. Vision (kicks ass)
Bottom Line:
I was really undecided between this fork, the Marzocchi Marathon, the Manitou Black Elite Air, and the Fox Float R. I read the reviews here on MTBR and almost opted for the Fox. What finally won me over was the amazing deal I got on this fork. Instead of the $500 I would pay for the others, I got this for two-hundred-freaking-twenty-nine bucks! Dam. "What's up with that?", I asked myself as I entered my credit card number.
Seems like a great fork so far. I'm obviously not used to that whole negative air thing. I need to adjust it down a little so it is not so plush. It does a great job of taking anything I have been able to throw at it so far.
It is stiff as heck. Since I weigh 210 and am pretty brutal on my bike, I appreciate that. I was worried that the whole dual air thing would be kinda squirrely, but it hasn't been so far.
Who should buy it: anyone who actually RIDES on their mountain bike and don't just hover slightly above it (like SID riders must)
Who shouldn't buy it: anyone with tons of money, so they can keep posting reviews on MTBR and tell me all about the other expensive forks
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom Hong
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh Date Reviewed: March 22, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Dirty Harrys
Strengths:
Very stiff. Low maint. after good initial servicing. Wonderful action.
Weaknesses:
Again... Quality control issues on assembly. Jelly bean stickers still lift up.
Similar Products Used:
Mars/SID/Judy
Bike Setup:
Superlight/Mongoose Pro Ti
Bottom Line:
Well, even after my review I posted before, I liked the fork enough to get another. I immediately took it apart to make sure everything was OK (see my other posting) I was not disappointed. I got another Friday built fork. There was no oil in the air chamber side leg ?!?!?!? As usual, I assembled it as it should be with the proper lubes. RS 5wt oil for the legs and redrum for the air chambers. Good thing this fork is so easy to work on... RS has assembly quality issues. Two for two.
Well... The performance is tops. This one is on my hardtail. Just make sure you check your fork out before you put it into service or you may get a rude surprise.
I hope RS assembly improves.....
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
David FitzPatrick
a
from Mountain View, CA. USA Date Reviewed: March 18, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Quicksilver Mines/Almaden Vlly
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$229.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
80mm of plush travel!
Weaknesses:
That irritating squeak they make when I hit a rut. Sounds like my dogs squeezy bone.
Again, lets think about that 80mm of plush travel. I'm all about floating over those washboards. These babies deliver as advertised ! And that yellow looks schweet with the raceface submarine yellow. If my bike got stolen tomorrow (heaven forbid) I would run out and buy another one. Schwing!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mitch
a Cross Country Rider
from torrance,ca Date Reviewed: February 18, 2002
Favorite Trail:
backbone
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$330.00
Purchased At:
jenson
Strengths:
not flexy, good big hit action,external rebound rabbit and hare. can dial in with air and oil settings
Weaknesses:
fork weights 3.6 pounds with 7.9 inch steer tube. called rock shox about weight. they weight it without oil. this is how they get the 3.35 pound weight. their reason is that fork oils weight differs. I weighted 3 different fork oils and all were within i/2 gram of each other. Last rock shox for me.
Similar Products Used:
all
Bike Setup:
1997 merlin mtn
Bottom Line:
italian shocks rule
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Manuel Gaytan
a Racer
from Obregon Sonora Mexico Date Reviewed: January 23, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Dique 10, la jolla, el vitachi.
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
speed bikes, Hermosillo.
Strengths:
all u can read in RS web page, cool looking.. Todo lo que puedas leer de ella en revistas, y se ve a todo dar.
Weaknesses:
A little havy. and that ugly plastic cap... looks like manitou..or the old RS quadra 5 Esta pesadilla, y tiene unos tapones de plastico que parecen de manitou o la vieja quadra 5 de Rock Shoks... no mamen...
Similar Products Used:
SID XC, SID sl. X-FLY, Fatty ultra.
Bike Setup:
sexy Trek oclv...something else???
Bottom Line:
Es una horquilla con las prestaciones de la SID sl, pero con unos gramos de mas, la manipulas como tu quieras presion positiva o negativa.
Its a very good fork u can, tune negative and compresion travel... its feel like sid Sl but extra weigth.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jason
a Weekend Warrior
from Louisiana Date Reviewed: January 18, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Ruston & Hooper
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$290.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Stiff, strong, etc.
Weaknesses:
CROOKED STICKERS!!!!!, Paint on crown cracks with install, rebound is strictly asthetic.
Bike Setup:
INTENSE TRACER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bottom Line:
Now a word for RvK (the racer) - Moron! We CAN complain about the stickers being crooked and we CAN blame this on RS! Why? Because this is a RS product! It doesn't matter whether the stickers are put on at the factory, the lbs, or the friggin' moon, it is still RS's problem and fault! RS made the decision to let the lbs handle the task of putting the things on and they should be held responsible for that decision. If RS saw in their infinite wisdom to let monkeys put the stickers on, and they were crooked, would you blame the monkeys? NO! You blame the idiot who decided to let monkeys handle the job! So if the stickers are crooked, then it IS RS's fault and they should be held accountable. So there! That said, it is a good fork (crooked stickers and all) and does its intended job (XC) very well.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Derrick
a Weekend Warrior
from The city of Angels Date Reviewed: January 10, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Stifffff!!!, Rs Dual Air, the plushness, the very low maintenance! LOOKS!!
Weaknesses:
None so far
Bottom Line:
This thing is the best XC fork i have ever used in my life. After being on a crappy Manitou Mars Carbon for 2 years i had enough.I got the dough together to get this bad boy!
This thing has the dual air and feel of a sid without the flex and price! The 1st time I took this thing out it was heaven compared to my old manitou junk.
The plushness and stiffness allowed me to ride for hours without my hands starting to feel funny. Also this thing goes perfectly with my bike's paint scheme.
Perfect fork! get one get one get one! u wont be sorry!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
RvK
a Racer
from Halifax Date Reviewed: December 30, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Fight Trail - Whopper Drop
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Came on my Fuel 98
Strengths:
Stiff, Light, Adjustable 30mm Stanchions, Hot lookin'!
Weaknesses:
Nothing, some people say that the stickers are all crappy and on the wrong angle but little do they know.... the stickers don't come on the fork, the come in a nice little package, FOR YOUR LOCAL BIKE SHOP TO PUT ON!!!!!!!!! If they are on really bad, blame it on your local shop, don't blame Rock Shox because it's not their fault
Similar Products Used:
Psylo, It is the same idea just less travel and weight w/ no lockout. Which you don't need because it's a race fork and racers should be too fast for a lockout.....
Bottom Line:
Awesome fork, nothing wrong with it, no lockout? Don't complain.... If your sad about a lockout, buy a noodle SID and shut up.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Endo
a Cross Country Rider
from Montreal Date Reviewed: December 8, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Flume
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Stiff, plush, adjustable
Weaknesses:
No travel adjust or lockout
Similar Products Used:
SID, X-fly
Bike Setup:
Devinci Moonracer
Bottom Line:
A good, simple and solid shock.
My SID was a disaster. It wouldn't hold air from day one and was very flexy making downhills scary.
I got the Duke on the Rockshox upgrade program and I think I made the right choice.
This shock has 30mm stanchions compared to the 28mm of the SID. It also has a number of stiffening features cast into the magnesium lowers that help keep it very rigid. I imagine this would be an ideal shock for a disc brake equipped bike since it is both stiff and light which offsets the added weight of the brakes.
There are no "bells and whistles" on this shock so there is less to go wrong. The damping is a simple open bath system in one leg and the other leg holds both the positive and negative air. The only thing that could go wrong would be if the negative airseal leaked (which was the problem on SIDs). So far, the Duke seems to hold air fine (cross my fingers). The open bath is also a simple system that seems to work well. I was worried about the complexity of the "pure" damping system with lockout that is on the SID and Psylo. It has it's own service manual!! This worries me.
The previous problems associated with Rockshox seem to have been corrected (I guess all they have learned from all the returned shocks).
The bushings are well lubricated and are a whopping 40mm long (my SID had only 5mm long bushings). This adds a lot to the stiffness. The 3 part XXX seals seem to work much better than the old resi-wiper 1-piece seal. The seal do seem to "grab" a bit which takes away a little from the plushness. This may improve with time. The valves are a simple "outside thread" arrangement like a bicycle tire. This makes it MUCH easier to add air compare to the old SID arrangement where the caps where threaded and could be stripped. The air goes in and very little leaks out when you take off the pump.
One little feature I like a lot is the cast-in "Duke" name on the lowers. No more having to replace decals at $5 a pop! It looks great.
The plastic damping knob looks a bit cheesy. It would be nicer if it was aluminum.
Like all shocks, it is WAY overpriced if you buy it aftermarket. Get it with the bike and you'll save about half the price.
On the trail, you can dial in the amount of negative air and make it very sensitive over the small bumps. The 80mm travel is adequate for XC riding but you use it all on any agressive downhill. If you do a lot of downhill riding, the 100mm travel Duke SL is a better choice. If you like tweaking for plushness (or you like the colors), then this is a better shock. The weight is the same. I imagine the SL might be more durable since there is not chance of negative air leaks with the SL's negative spring.
All in all, this is best shock I've ridden to date. The true test of course will be to see how it holds up in the long term (since RS's have been known to develop problems after a year).
Good job RS! You seem to have a winner. Now if you could just improve your customer support by carrying parts and catalogs for longer than 3 years!!!! (ridiculous)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
TA TONKA
a
from Fort Collins, CO Date Reviewed: November 28, 2001
Favorite Trail:
This one and then the next...
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Got a deal
Strengths:
Stiff, plush, cool new colors (I got the ice blue one)
Weaknesses:
You just know that next year's model will have the very cool climb-it control / lockout that the SID's and Psylo's have this year.
Finally - a short travel, dual-air, cross-country fork that's built for stiffness. Perfect for aggressive XC riding or for stiffening up the ride of bikes that don't feel right with long travel forks. Kind of like the love child if Psylo knocked up SID....
I'm a larger rider (6'2 & 220) and am very pleased with this fork. It feels exactly like the Psylo Race - which is no surprise as they share the same internals. Very plush with an excellent overall feel on the trail. If it were stolen I would buy it again.
I wonder if the right leg internals / lockout from the Psylo or SID SL could be retro-fitted in to this fork? Everything seems to match up...
Buy it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Larry JAckson
a Weekend Warrior
from Lake TAhoe, CA, USa Date Reviewed: November 12, 2001
Favorite Trail:
flume trail
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$359.00
Strengths:
Hyper plush travel, Dual air is best system out there, Stiff as hell, cool ice blue color, the new Ptfe stancions are real sweet!
Weaknesses:
none yet
Similar Products Used:
MArs elite, psylo race, black super air, x-fly
Bike Setup:
GT I-drive 3.0 stock except fork and new speed dial TI levers, and avid mechs front & rear
Bottom Line:
This thing is the best rockshox fork i have ever used except for the Psylo race!
This thing tracks the ground like no other and has the stiffness of a psylo but at almost the same weight of a mars or x-fly. Hyper plush travel, takes jumps well.
The perfect fork and i will be retro fitting the Pure dampner on a psylo into the bad boy! then you get lockout and climb-it control too!!
Rock Shox Rocks!! Manitou can go home!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom Hong
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh, PA Date Reviewed: November 2, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Dirty Harry's
Strengths:
Very smooth!!!! Stiff and ramps well. A big improvement over SID
Weaknesses:
Poor assembly quality control. A bit heavy.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou MARS, RS SID
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Superlight
Bottom Line:
Overall, performance wise, RS seems to have a winner. Action is tops. Opened up the fork after a few rides to make sure there was enough lube on the seals. My fork oil was full of small metal flakes and shards from manufacturing. Called RS. All they could say was "good thing you checked your fork!" Go figure!!! Cleaned everything out. Owners: Might be a good idea to check that you don't have a Friday built fork. Use good quality O ring pliers. Otherwise, I am enjoying the flex-free ride. Less rating due to quality control issues.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jason
a Weekend Warrior
from Louisiana Date Reviewed: October 30, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Hooper & Ruston
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
stiff, strong, plush(after a few miles),sweet yellow, honest three inches of travel, killer asthetics
Weaknesses:
paint cracks on crown w/ install., crooked stickers.
I'm 6'1" & 245 lbs., and so far no problems. Tracks tight, carves the corners, and never wimpers. RS might have a winner here, only time will tell. Ride On!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kris
a Cross Country Rider
from Canyon, Texas Date Reviewed: October 24, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$449.00
Purchased At:
Bicycle Depot in Amarillo
Strengths:
smooth feel, adjustablity, very stiff.
Weaknesses:
a little heavy for an all air fork
Similar Products Used:
sid sl, manitou sxr
Bike Setup:
full xtr, Chris king wheel set
Bottom Line:
The fork is the best handling that I've ridden. Immediately after installing, I noticed a substantial difference over previous forks in stiffness. After riding, I am very pleased with the performance and plan on running it into the ground. It is the best combination of performance and weight that I have found yet.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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