Submitted by
lightroom
a Downhiller
from Sopot Date Reviewed: August 10, 2009
Favorite Trail:
any
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Strengths:
Stiff, reliable, super-plush. No damn air, just the good old coil and oil =]
Weaknesses:
heavy, no comp. adjustments.
Bike Setup:
rs domain 302 + ns surge
Bottom Line:
For me, the fork is just perfect. Uses full travel without bottoming out. Very plush for a freeride fork, eats everything from small bumps to giant rocks.35mm stanchions make it super stiff, even when at 160mm of travel. The 20mm QR axle takes just about few seconds to remove, making it comparable to a standard 9 mm dropouts. U-turn is great for climbing. A bit heavy, yet plush and forgiving. If you're a begginer level freerider, believe me, buy this one. There isnt any rocket science inside, making it hard to break anything. Just remember to keep a the rebound adjuster in your pocket, or you're gonna loose it "quite" quickly.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
chernobyl
a Weekend Warrior
from Mililani, HI Date Reviewed: June 19, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Royal Summit
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
OE
Strengths:
stiff, basic no frills fork, cheap,gets the job done
Weaknesses:
none to speak of so far
Similar Products Used:
manitou stance flow, marzocchi z1, RST launch t7
Bike Setup:
08 parker 2.0
azonic nitro, lg1+, dimension 20mm 36h supra bh
halo excited 32h supra bh
titec el norte seat/bars
Bottom Line:
people seem to be having problesm with this for but for the price its hard to beat unless you score a closeout or a hot deal. Overall its stiff and a good cheap fork for the AM/FR/DJ crowd. Its a no frills fork with only rebound adj. i have the 302 120-160 u-turn and so far its been a plush dream, its definitely a good option to the budget oriented, or someone looking for a cheapy good fork. Another neat thing is if you would prefer more adjust ability down the road you can swap with 318 internals to get the motion control.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
egsavio
a Weekend Warrior
from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil Date Reviewed: February 14, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Any
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came with the bike
Strengths:
It works reasonably for his price. The Rock Shox 20 mm axle is great.
Weaknesses:
Heavy for a 160 mm fork. Ugly. Paint is weak. It leaks by a fissure in the lowers.
Similar Products Used:
Totem, Zocchis
Bike Setup:
Cannondale Moto 5
Bottom Line:
It came with my brand new Cannondale Moto 5.I used it 3 times in roads near my home, than I saw oil lacking by a lateral fissure in the left lower. Rock Shox said don't warranty forks bought with the bike. Than I asked Cannondale and after 10 days I'm yet without answer.
I never would buy a so weak piece, mostly knowing the factory don't give the correct warranty.
See photos in http://eder.pinkbike.com/album/Stuff/
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
la-la-ca-bam
a Downhiller
from avon Date Reviewed: September 28, 2008
Favorite Trail:
dirt merchant
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
cutting edge
Strengths:
cheap, extermal compression/rebound
Weaknesses:
flex, not to strong, losses compression
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi 888..... not really comparable
Bike Setup:
coiler deluxe
Bottom Line:
i have lost compression in it and have cracked it..... but you are paying 500 bucks give or take
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
BadMF
a Weekend Warrior
from Slovakia Date Reviewed: June 17, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Nitra Zobor
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
came on a bike
Strengths:
nice stiffness, smooth, looks
Weaknesses:
none yet
Bike Setup:
freeride
Bottom Line:
I have the long version 180mm of travel, 1.5 steer tube. Very stiff, feels good and safe, eats all from small rocks to big bumps. Uses full travel, linear all the way, went never to bottom thou (no big jumps yet)even i am 85kg. Nice fonts, the colour matches the bike (Norco Shore 3). My guess that it suites heavier bikes 17kg and more.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brad
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellingham, WA Date Reviewed: November 12, 2007
Favorite Trail:
yes
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Simple 1.5 steer tube is noticeably stiffer than 1-1/8" Cheap (relatively speaking) Steel stanchions so I can beat the crap out of it
Weaknesses:
Ummm....it's a Rockshox
Similar Products Used:
about everything
Bike Setup:
Bottlerocket
Bottom Line:
The fork is awesome. I was incredibly surprised at how good it is after being asked to test this fork out. I figured being a Rockshox that it wouldn't take too long to f' it up. I was wrong!
This fork is so simple that there's nothing to break except the seals, which has not happened yet.
I've had two Totems already, those things suck. Save your money and buy this fork or the Domain 318. The steel stanchions can't be beat for the type of riding you'll probably be using it for. I never worry about crashing and damaging stanchions anymore. With the 1.5 steer tube, I'm not worried about the fork breaking either.
I had to replace the spring cause it was too soft. A firm spring feels perfect for me (190 lbs).
As the previous reviewer mentioned, remove your rebound knob before it removes itself. When will the fork mfgr's realize that is the most vulnerable spot on a fork?
Seriously, this thing feels good as new after some pretty good abuse last season, and I haven't done any work to it other than swap the spring.
Excellent value for serious riders.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pedro
a Weekend Warrior
from Kassel, Germany Date Reviewed: November 11, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Hercules downhill
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
came on bike
Strengths:
thought as hell, looks, U-Turn
Weaknesses:
rebound knob falls easily, a little to the heavy side
Bottom Line:
great fork, mine is the U-turn model, so its the 115-160mm...some will think the rebound is a little too slow, but i found it to be preety good....although the rebound is the only adjustabiliti on the fork (accept for the travel), i never felt in need of adjusting the preload or compression damping, it seems to be soft at first, but the higher the drops were, the better it felt, yet retaining small bumps, U-Turn is simply a life saver, easy and makes your Freeride bik feels like a XC bike for climbing, the only advice i give is to immediatly remove the rebound knob and keep it with you....great fork!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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