Submitted by
hayasa8
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2008
Strengths: What a product! I have put thousands of miles on mine, never did a thing to them! I drop them off 5 ft plus regular, no problems. Can't imagine a better product for the money. Oh yeah, important note...I weigh 230+, for those that have put the fork's strength in question.
Weaknesses: The stupid rubber boots. Always riding up, not a ton of room to zip tie them.
Bottom Line:
Can't go wrong, unless you are purchasing to establish your self as some sort of gear snob.
Submitted by
alejandro aka the puma the puma!
a Cross Country Rider
from santa monica mountains
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2008
Strengths: hall of famer (since 97), never buttered, never f&%$ed with, like the little pink bunny, guy at the shop on lincoln said "just like the day they were put in"
Weaknesses: heavy, i dont particularly like the black st. covers but i could never take them off, pretty stiff, throws you around a little
Bottom Line:
this fork is in my personal hall of fame. i bought an old school frame just to put this thing on (that would be 3, a singletrack 950, blue, all the old xt stuff) i mean, its not a downhill or freeride fork because that kind of riding didnt even exist when this came out. shut up, put one on your commuter, and realize this is a 5 flaming turd all around. someone will just give you one! if youre worried about weight, lose your disc breaks, your eight hundred gears, and all your fancy water bottles and crap!
Purchased At: came on 990 in nashville---store on broadway i think
Similar Products Used: nothing much...just bought a skareb platinum on ebay to dress up my old pony
Bike Setup: 1)trek 990, xtr rear every, xt fr der/ crank/ hubs, 8 sp, king head, thomps, answer pro tap, avid sd7 (sick) sd ti levers, old school top mount deore xt shifters 2) kona unit, race face, chris king head, hubs, freewheel, 517's, monkey lites, magnesium easton stem, ss
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Submitted by
William
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2007
Strengths: still feels like the first day i got it.
Weaknesses: Stock oil is too light
Bottom Line:
Just a follow-up, so far still have no problem with it, i only cleaned the sliders with transmission oils once,and ziped the boot when i got it, and becasue the stock oil is too light, i changed it, butter smooth, still doing drops and jumps, mud and rains, no leaks, and running a 180mm brake on it, works very well.
PS: I ziped the boots -Check oil height, so it doesn't bottom out as bad. -This is a 2001 model, is only coil/oil, not air!
Submitted by
William
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2007
Strengths: $70, can change from 68 to 100mm, fast reaction, and nice travel for it's price.
Weaknesses: the clicking sound from the spring.
Bottom Line:
I got a rock shox qrada21 2nd hand before, and it got 3.somthing rating on MTBR, and i ended up dumping it.
heard alot of riders saying things about rock shox's seal, but nothing happens to mine so far, but again i only got it for a month.
this fork is great for it's price. For $70, with 100m of oil-coil, what can go worng? i did 3ft drops, ride it in the skatepark, and some XC, no problam-o, but ofcouse, my bomber z3 is alot nicer, but you get to keep in mind that it also cost more!
I don't know what yr model the others got, but mine is a 2001 model, so you can't pump air into it.
I'm 145lbs, the yellow/yellow springs works great for me, i don't know about heavier riders, the rebond works well too, very good for small bumps, and with 100mm, it can handle some drops.
Similar Products Used: other old rock shox judys. z3.5 bomber
Bike Setup: Dirt Research Bandelier, 7sp
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Brett Rivera
a Cross Country Rider
from Menlo Park
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2006
Strengths: They're very cheap but...
Weaknesses: The little rubber things have got to go! They make them look like those fake forks on those cheap bikes. Also, they are not durable at all! They broke the 4th time i went moun. biking on them!
Submitted by
Just Another Dirtbag
a Cross Country Rider
from Durango, CO USA
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2005
Bottom Line:
I've had these shox for 4 years and have not had one problem what so ever. Even at 80 mm they still do the job. Riden over 1,000 off road miles. Never maintanced either. I guess I'm lucky. Probably not the best for 5 ft drops but I have gone down some pretty nasty trails and they do just fine. But if you got high standards and a fat wallet these shox are not for you.
Submitted by
Scott Goodwin
a Cross Country Rider
from Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2004
Strengths: None...
Weaknesses: POS. Bought two on clearance a year ago for use on two cross-country bikes. Only have had a chance to ride sparingly on streets within community. Went to ride this summer after bikes sat for about 6 months and on both bikes the seal had popped out of the lower and was leaking oil. Normally, I keep 20 lbs psi in these but during sotrage, I let out all air and filled to 5 lbs. Additionally, these have both always felt incredibly poor in comparison to the two Manitou Axels I have on other bikes.
Bottom Line:
RockShox and local bike shop will make no attempt to resolve problem. Want 75.00 per to repair. What frustrates me most is that I never used these off-road and only rode about 10 times before storing for the winter. When I finally had time to think about riding again, both shocks had the seals pop out from the lowers on the first mount spraying oil from the boots. I would say these shocks are the biggest pieces of junk I have run across.
Submitted by
Jason Aarstad
a Weekend Warrior
from Plymouth, MN
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2004
Strengths: This is a great entry fork to learn on. It has served me well for my first few years. It looks cool too. It'll take a lick'n and keep on tick'n though
Weaknesses: This is definitly nothing to get excited about. It has only 100mm of travel, no adjustment that works that I know of. It is extreamly soft. It bottoms out constantly, i am 180 pounds. It can barley take a three stair. But it has survived four and five foot drops though. It may not perform well but it doesn't break for anything.
Bottom Line:
Halfway decend fork if your looking for more comfort than performance. Not good for much. Not even x-country, it soaks up every pedal stroke.
Submitted by
Jonathan 'jonowee' Wee
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth, WA, Australia
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2004
Strengths: - 100mm or 80mm travel adjustable - Adjustable preload - Damping (can't complain when there's damping) - Replacement uppers are in black (so if I decide to ride without the boots, they look like the sexy new 2004 Marzocchi forks.).
Weaknesses: - Do NOT try to install the fork like I did, A$295 bill to replace uppers (crown, steerer tube, stanchions). - Seals died after a year or maybe half. Fork performance drops.
Bottom Line:
A good fork to start with getting into suspension. A- Coil spring keeps cost and complexity down B- Oil damping saves you from being ripped-off. C- 100mm travel makes it a versatile fork to learn suspension. D- Adjustable preload works with you when you have a few more donuts.
Me now working to enter full-suspension world with a JAMIS Dakar XLT 3.0. Outstandingly top value for a great spec.
Submitted by
Garry Bowen
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney Australia
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2003
Strengths: Very few. Easy to dismantle/service. It hasnt actually broken castistrofically yet but every ride I think that it is going to...
Weaknesses: Flexy, Bad top out with stock oil, Part missing from factory, Crappy plastic parts, no rebound adjustment except oil change.
Bottom Line:
This fork is crap. So much flex under braking. When set to 80mm travel fork seems to lock out at about 40mm. There was a part missing from the factory which I only discovered after dissmantling because performance was so bad. Changed oil to heavier weight at the same time which helped also. I am upgrading to a Marzocchi MX Pro so this fork is gong in the bin..... Only gets 2 chillies (not 1) because it has lasted me 2 years.
Similar Products Used: Marzoochi z.5, SID race, RS mag21
Bike Setup: Avangti hammer hardtail, crosscoutry,
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Jesse
from dayton, oh, usa
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2003
Strengths: good value for money reasonble cross country fork
Weaknesses: Weak design. Can not take hardhits. Ive not ridden on it that much since i got it but it makes some ungodly noises when it hits stuff. Cant count how many times i had to change the oil rings in it.
Bottom Line:
I would tell someone who did very light trails to purchase this fork. I was told that it would hold up to what i could put it through and seeing a i was just getting into mountain biking at the time i believed them. Its kind of cool that it held up against some of the abuse i put it through. It has never been the same since i bottomed it out. If you must purchase something for xc i would recommend this but not if you will do any kind of drop.
Bike Setup: 97 diamondback v-link, xt drivetrain, protaper bars
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Submitted by
Millhouse
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, AB, Canada, eh
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2003
Strengths: has disk brake mounts
Weaknesses: pretty soft, I'm 180 lbs, and I bottom it out regularly...no big drops...too old for that.
Bottom Line:
well, nice shock for a girl :-) seriously, I just got back into the sport, got a deal on an awesome bike 3 months ago, and after the past 3 months of riding, going on tougher terrain, I decided a new shock is in order. Just found it too soft for myself...probably great for someone 150lbs or under.
Bike Setup: Giant NRS-3, added hayes Mech disk brakes
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Submitted by
Jim Davis
a Weekend Warrior
from Adelaide, S.Aussie
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2003
Strengths: They look like real shocks. Strength is not a word to describe them though!
Weaknesses: OH YEH! Spring Strength, seals (oil seals and air seals).
Bottom Line:
Had my new bike for one week and the first time on real tracks I blew the oil seal. Went over nothing bigger than a one foot drop with no bad landings and I weigh 75KG. Guy at the shop told me he had sold about six of them and every person has come back to complain they are too soft.He tried to ring his supplier to do a trade in type deal but the supplier denied any problem and even commented that people had complained they were too hard.I can roll along and bottom them out by bouncing down on the handle bars.Bottom line is - DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY!
Bike Setup: Felt EPO XC, LX front/XT rear derailleur, Avid single digit brakes, all together with CRAP FORKS
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Adelaide, SA, Australia
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2003
Strengths: Look Ok. Move up and down. Hold wheel to front of bike.
Weaknesses: See below
Bottom Line:
These things came as standard on my bike. I must admit they felt pretty ordinary from the start with a fair bit of flex and they seemed to bottom out pretty easily. I am a largish person, 6ft 98kg admittedly so I had them inflated to full pressure. I have ridden these things off road maybe 20 or so times in the 9 or months I have had them and on road to work and back nearly daily. Anyway after a recent ride in the forest of no longer than 30kms, the things felt pretty soft. This was because one seal was blown out, which was surprising because it wasn't a hardcore ride by any strecth of the imagination, with no dropoffs bigger than a foot. So, off to the LBS monday, informed that this was "common" and would be a $50 repair by Rockshox. Fine. Get a call from Rockshox 3 days later to say that they are bent and pretty much a bin job. WTF? Yep, they are a write off, despite the fact that they have never seen any real punishment. Don't even think about getting these unless your day job is a horse jockey and you promise not to ride your bike off of anything bigger than a kerb!