Submitted by
BigWillieStyle
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2011
Strengths: It works at first.
Weaknesses: After a while it doesn't work. Leaks fluid in my car, poor quality/longevity
Bottom Line:
This is a cheap fork that comes on cheap bikes. I'd be surprised if it lasted more than a year performing as a fork should. Mine simply wouldn't engage unless considerable force was placed upon it. Would have been better off with a lighter, rigid fork. Was one of the first parts replaced on my stock rockhopper.
Similar Products Used: Cheap department store stuff.
Bike Setup: 1998 Trek ZX7000
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Pollution Warrior
a Weekend Warrior
from Tiayuan, China PRC
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2010
Strengths: Holds the wheel to the frame; soaks up bumps ok; nothing has fallen off of it yet
Weaknesses: Locks up solid in cold weather
Bottom Line:
Depends on how much money you have. If $130 is the top of your budget and you live in Miami or only ride when it's over 40 degrees, then it may be ok as long as it doesn't self-destruct like some have experienced. It could be more plush, some in this price range are, but my only real issue with it is that it locks up in the cold. Supposedly you can change the damper oil to 2.5WT, but that's only good to around freezing I think. A friend recently bought a bike with a Suntour XC9 (I think?) and it felt better to me on a really short ride. Suntours may be a better bet for the money. Hardly anything has lower reviews that Dart forks though.
Similar Products Used: Judy TT, el cheapo stuff on low-end Chinese bikes
Bike Setup: Frankenstein bike (built from parts, but good parts mostly)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
MTBERMISS
a Cross Country Rider
from Mississippi
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2010
Strengths: Great lockout feature, 120mm of travel, adjustable rebound, adjustable preload, great for XC Riding
Weaknesses: Stickers are boring
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork for cross country riding. Great for beginners or budget riders. Mine never let me down. I only switched because of more technical riding.
Similar Products Used: Rock Shox Recon, Rock Shox Revelation (My current Fork), I have several Dart 3's.
Bike Setup: RS Revelation U-Turn Air Fork, RS Monarch 4.2 Rear Shock, Panaracer XC Pro Tires, Race Face Deus XC Crankset, SLX Derailleurs and Cassette, Selcof Stem, seatpost, and handlebars, Bontranger seat, lock on grips, and Mavic Wheelset.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Blksocks
a Cross Country Rider
from PA
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2010
Strengths: Easy to maintain, locks out really well, and with proper care it should last quit some time.
Weaknesses: Gotta treat the lockout with love when doing fluids.
Bottom Line:
It's a really good fork for the amount of money it's selling for. It's not for Dh/DJ riders just purely for XC riders. I think half of these complainers are people who don't know how to take care of something or abuse it without thinking and then complain that it's crap. This fork is excellent for the amount of money wanted for it.
I rated it a 5. Why a 5 you ask? Because I can bike for 3 to 5 hours day after day on it on trails/forest roads with pot holes, large roots, rocks, and whatnot and not have any problems.
Submitted by
riverman
a Cross Country Rider
from ontario
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2009
Strengths: cheap, post mount, semi functional lockout
Weaknesses: springs are too stiff for me (I'm 140 pounds, can't get more than 50mm of travel, they flex like CRAZY! with mild-medium front brake, the forks curl back almost an inch. lockout only works if the you set the preload too high, rebound goes from molasses too spingboard with little room in between
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike knowing that I would be replacing these forks down the road, but I didn't realize it would be so soon. my biggest complaint is the amount of flex in the stanchions. if it comes on a bike and you can't afford to buy a better one, it will do the job for a while but you will want to upgrade asap. whatever you do, do not buy this fork unless it comes with your bike! save an extra $150 and buy a used reba!
Submitted by
Energetik
a Cross Country Rider
from Reading, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2009
Strengths: The main strengths of this fork lie in the fact that it has both a rebound adjuster, and a blow off circuit for the lock out.
It also has a post mount style caliper mount for disc brakes.
Weaknesses: This fork is definitely on the heavy side. The stanchions are skinny, and I can feel some play as well.
Bottom Line:
Well I got it for free as a take off from my wife's bike. It is better than what I had, but I wouldn't have bought this one if I were in the market. I would have saved my pennies for a Tora air with the motion control or better.
For an entry level weekender rider this fork will work just fine. I would never ride anything other than cross country with it.
It does the job, but there are far better forks out there.
With basic adjustment of preload and rebound, these forks will handle everything that can reasonably be expected of them. Big bumps and ditches can max them out, but there's no off-putting "clank" sound when this happens; you feel it, but have the impression that the forks can take it. Adjusting the preload avoids the bottoming out, but reduces "small bump compliance", so a compromise is necessary. The lockout has a threshold which "blows off" when encountering a large enough hit; a feature you only otherwise find on much more expensive forks. A bit too flexible with its 28mm stanchions (most other forks have 32mm stanchions), but could only really be improved with an air spring, which would increase the price and make a "Recon" a better option (which comes with better damping and is lighter). As far as I can tell, "Toras" have the same internal workings and are heavier, making Dart 3s better value. They've never leaked (although I've seen Toras that have). These should last me comfortably until they wear out and I'll replace/upgrade with an air fork. Mediocre compared to higher level forks, but outstanding compared to equivalent forks by other manufacturers.
Strengths: When taken off the bike, they make a good club.
Weaknesses: Leaks oil. Took it to the local bike shop and they couldn't repair them because RockShok kept sending the wrong part. Eventually had to downgrade to the RockShok Dart 2 just to ride the bike (they didn't have Dart 3s in stock).
Bottom Line:
Try to avoid if you can. If they come on a bike your considering buying, pull them off and sell them on ebay and buy a quality shock.
Submitted by
pedrotyler
a Weekend Warrior
from wilson
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2009
Strengths: this fork has a nice lock out and is very adjustable, the rating on it says the largest disk break size is a 160mm, but i am running a 203mm disk and it works fine it a solid fork but could use more travel
Submitted by
Natedogz
a Cross Country Rider
from NorCal
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2009
Strengths: Uh, it's a suspension fork, so it absorbs at least some of the trail chatter. Came installed on both my bikes. It's definitely better than the RSTs that I rode, but insufficient for real trail riding when it gets technical, rocky, rooty, or stutter bump.
Weaknesses: Can only take up to 160mm brake rotor. Flexy, heavy, un-plush (if that's a word), harsh riding over technical, rocky, rooty, or stutter bump terrain. The one on my 26" wheeled bike wore out in less than a year and leaked oil...but Rockshox took care of me and replaced it, so good customer service!
Bottom Line:
Came installed on both my bikes. Better fork than the RSTs that I rode, but insufficient for real trail riding when it gets technical, rocky, rooty, or stutter bump. If/when you get into the more serious trails and riding, replace this fork ASAP with something lighter weight and plusher feeling, your hands and arms will thank you!!!
Similar Products Used: This review is for the Dart3 26" wheel and 29er wheel versions....same rating for both, except that I just replaced my 29er Dart3 with a 2009 Reba because I couldn't stand riding the Dart anymore, it just beats me on the really techy sections.
Bike Setup: 2008 Specialized Rockhopper Disc and Rockhopper Disc 29er (now with Reba! :) )
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
ppfeifer
a Cross Country Rider
from Northern Virginia
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2009
Strengths: Rebound and Preload Adjustment
Weaknesses: Poor lockout design
Bottom Line:
Unfortunately, you get what you pay for with the Dart 3. This is a cheap fork that provides very little performance enhancement. Additionally, after three months the lock out mechanism completely failed. :( My recommendation to any prospective buyer is to save up the extra $100-200 and get a better fork. A buddy of mine at the LBS recommends that you buy the best frame, fork , and wheels that you can. After riding several other bikes, I believe him. Do not buy this fork.
Submitted by
gkmeador
a Weekend Warrior
from nashville
Date Reviewed: December 20, 2008
Strengths: +Cheap
+Lockout
Weaknesses: -Too Stiff
-Poor small bump compliance
-Do not get all of the travel
Bottom Line:
This fork came on my bike. Many people seem to be having difficulties with leaking oil, not me. This fork might as well always be in lockout mode because there is no small bump compliance. (Sag set at 20mm, rebound is in the middle) You might be better off riding rigid than buying this fork.
Submitted by
cweslh
a Weekend Warrior
from Nashville, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: December 16, 2008
Strengths: Lockout feature, Easy Maintenance, Good for Uphill
Weaknesses: Not enough Travel
Bottom Line:
Good value for the price you pay. There are a lot of good features including the lockout which is useful for flat trails or trail heads. If you are trying to use this for back flips, then I would not recommend this product. Good for single track.
Hey,
I'd like to service my Dart 3 sl, change the oil, clean the seals/dust wiper, etc. I can't find a service guide anywhere. Has anyone done it before? Fork is feeling pretty Read More »
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I have a dart 3 that is plush in warm weather, but gets really stiff in cold weather.
Is this just because its a dart 3 and not a super high-end shock, or is there a way to fix Read More »
I have a Dart 3 that is locking with the the lockout off, but not all the time. Any idea what could be causing it other than the obvious, that it's a crappy fork? That's why it is Read More »
I was checking out my old fork and I measured it's travel, and it shows nearly 115mm of travel. Specialized website says its 100mm, and my new fork is 100mm. 15mm looks like quite Read More »
