Submitted by
Terence
a Downhiller
from Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2004
Strengths: Travel is supple and plush, well.....comparing it to my crappy 04' judy TT's they were. U-Turn is nice, damping it pretty good aswell. Also, the torsional rigidity was great.
Weaknesses: The fork has a minimal amount of play between the lowers and uppers, but it DOES flex a bit. Ah....and the bloody seals, they are so gay. Also, the creaky crowns that develope.
Bottom Line:
These forks are good if ur on a budget, I got them cheap from a friend who upgraded to vanillas. If you've got some money to spend, spend it on something else, cuz the seals and crowns really let the fork down. If the seals and crowns were better, i'd give it 5 chillis, but since they suck, they deserve 3.5, round that to 3.....
Similar Products Used: Fox Vanilla's, Psylo SL 04', ummmm.....crappy judy?
Bike Setup: Diamondback BSX sport, stock except for bashguard, fork, and cranks.......and tires....
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
rob birk
a Weekend Warrior
from London
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2004
Strengths: Very plus travel and no need to wear in much. Nice look and good travel for long descents.
Weaknesses: The fork is very weak and flexi. I'm only 140lb (8 stone) but after a year and a half the fork just gave up. They are very weak and can't stand up to much. Can't rely on them holding you up.
Bottom Line:
Stay away from Rockshox as they have built some very weak and dlexible forks.
Submitted by
Ryan
a Weekend Warrior
from Banff, AB, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2004
Strengths: Unfortunately I havn't found any.
Weaknesses: Already I have had to upgrade to a firm spring kit approx. $80, After a very short period of riding I now have to change my seals, Paint chips easily
Bottom Line:
The promise of 5 inches of travel sounded appealing but in no way makes up for the overall poor quality of this fork. I expect that an "aggressive" fork like the Psylo should be able to stand up to way more use that than I have got out of it in the last couple of months without dumping all sorts of money in to a fork that already costs upward of $500.
Submitted by
Stinkywiz
a Weekend Warrior
from SB CA
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2003
Strengths: 5 inches good
Weaknesses: Seals & Flex
Bottom Line:
I was introduced to 5 inch travel with this fork. I liked that alot. In two months the damper spewed, after I had already taken steps & purchased the extra firm spring for my 220lb frame (don't even think of installing it yourself $$). It is now on my old hardtail, which has been resigned to road & horsepath duty.
The damping was clumsy & primative feeling from the start & as the fork wore I could detect a noticible "funkiness" in its feel while leaning in. "Funk" is not a good thing in this dept.
I'm actually riding my old Z-1's now 'cause the quality of the travel is that much better. I did like the runs I took down some scary sections when those 5 inches came in handy though.....enough to scrimp & buy either a new z-1 or fox 125r...both running at close to the price I bought this "pedestrian" fork for (w/new spring etc).
Submitted by
Jared Johnson
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntington Beach
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2003
Strengths: Decent weight, U-Turn is AWESOME, SUPER DUPER PLUSH, 20mm thru axle feels better
Weaknesses: Its not a Marzocchi
Bottom Line:
I have to admit, that the whole time that I was looking for a new fork, I was shopping Marzocchi the whole way. I happened upong this for $130 on eBay, and thought, "Hmmm, what they heck, I could get this a come in well under budget." So with like 5 seconds left I placed my bid not knowing what to expect . . . And so here I am with $15 shipping I ended up with this, a bit of an impulse buy.
Talk about the luck of the draw. This fork is lightyears beyond my 2000 Judy Racer. Some people might say, "Duh," but I am talking about plushness that I have never known before. I have tried the Black Elite and Duke XC, but this takes a cake or TWO. First of all, the U-Turn is incredibly easy AND effective. I am a light weight, so I have had no problems with bottoming out, but I can see that if you weigh more than say 170lbs you may want to invest a few extra dollars on a stiffer coil.
You just can't beat the level of adjustability. The difference from riding one moment at 80mm and then cranking it up to 125mm is dramatic. My Judy went from 2.5in. to 4in, but it doesn't even compare. This fork has restored my faith in Rock Shox.
Strengths: looks great, very plush, the u-turn adjuster is great to have and 125mm of travel is a great feature! great runner!
Weaknesses: it dusnt take the hard jumps to well but then its an XC fork!
Bottom Line:
I would say these forks are great for average weight person, where the travel is great. The springs could be a bit harder but thats affordable to get. i found them very reliable!
Similar Products Used: Rockshox Judy SL on a Gt i-drive Marzocchi MXR
Bike Setup: Azonic Evolution. Tioga DH stem and handlebars, Hayes Hydraulic discs, Shimano XT/XTR groupset.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
seto
a Cross Country Rider
from boise
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2003
Strengths: has been a farily good all around fork. u-turn.
Weaknesses: seals are blown and the revive kit has been discontinued.
Bottom Line:
i've completely lost faith in this company since they've discontinued a much needed part only after one year since the product was released. i think i'll take my business elswhere... uh, marzochi?
Submitted by
Marcos Tarazona
a Weekend Warrior
from Bogotá, Colombia
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2003
Strengths: 5 inches of travel, U-turn adjustment. Excelent for Xc riding and little enduro riding
Weaknesses: A little noise whit the first jums, but dissapears for the rest.
Bottom Line:
This is a good fork for XC and enduro if you´re not weight worried. It´s not intended for Down Hill use or Abuse. I´ve used in some pretty bad situations (very rocky terrain and jumps) and some technical trials. I have no problem of oil leaking, nothing is borken, just some scratches on the paint that are logical for the use. PLEASE NOTE, EVEN THE BEST PRODUCT COULD BE LIKE CRAP IF YOU USED IT FOR SOMETHING IT WASN´T DESIGNED FOR. If you do XC or enduro and don´t matter weight, this fork is for you; otherwise, don´t buy it
Bike Setup: jamis hardtail, Deore´s shifters, Thomson stem and seat post, XT derailleurs
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Glenn Meyer
a Weekend Warrior
from hell
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2003
Strengths: 2.7 tire clearance, look cool, rock shox name
Weaknesses: sanction tubes blow, seals blow oil, not strong enough to run large rotor sizes. these forks suck.....need i say more
Bottom Line:
if u decide to get this fork you had better plan on wearing a full face helmet cause you go on your face from braking the tubes. but i suppose you would be ok if you weigh approx. 50 lbs.
Strengths: um.... hum after what i have seen and experanced ...... NONE
Weaknesses: the seals blow oil out after about 6 months of riding then about a year af riding, snap the so called big 30 mm "upper tubs" are like paper thin. of and on the 125 setting with disk the fork will flex
Bottom Line:
dont buy these a swift kick in the ass will feel better than falling on your face after broken sanction. they are fine if you dont do; downhill, freeride, or any single track riding. dont buy rock shox dont buy rock shox dont buy rock shox dont buy rock shox dont buy rock shox dont buy rock shox dont buy rock shox dont buy rock shox
Submitted by
BIG Matt Freestone
a Cross Country Rider
from Carlisle, Cumbria, England
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2003
Strengths: Super plush, very reliable! Will take a lot of stick. Very rigid too, none of the flex that you get with SIDs. VERY nice forks
Weaknesses: The paint marks very easily. U-turn would be nice, mine are OE so didn't come with it. Weight is a little high, but it makes a stiff fork.
Bottom Line:
These forks are very stiff, and super plush!!! Don't listen to anyone else (why would you use these forks for anything else but XC/ Enduro style riding??). Very good fork. Could do with being a tad lighter, but then they would suffer from flex (think SIDs). Worth while buying over any fork. Opt for the U-Turn ones though, then you can fiddle to your hearts content!
Strengths: It is good for up to ten foot drops on to landings. It sucks for 10 foot drops onto flat. Unless u are unusually flaming u shouldnt have a problem doing a drop with this fork.
Weaknesses: its too good
Bottom Line:
every one else who uses this forak is a homo but me
Weaknesses: bottoms on 2 footers, blows seals real easy, you can watch it flex back and forth, for little girls under 100 lbs.
Bottom Line:
these forks are super crap. my friends and i all got them thinking they were so cool, untill we discovered how flexy these things are. then after about a month it started bottoming out off any drop over 2 ft, and off jumps, spraying oil all over the place.
THEY SAID THESE THINGS WERE FREERIDE FORKS!!! WHAT CRAP!
