Strengths: -Very plush
-Price
-Easy to maintain
-U-Turn
-Love the white color on the lowers
Weaknesses: -Comes stock with medium spring, which means you have to buy a stronger one
-Maybe a little heavy, but If you're that worried about weight you should be buying a more expensive fork.
Bottom Line:
This Review is for the '08 Tora 318 U-Turn. This fork is SWEET. I put it on my 2007 Specialized Hardrock and the difference from the RST fork is night and day. The fork is very plush and I love having the option of lowering the travel to 85mm for the climb, then throwing it up to 130mm for a descent.
I was thrilled when I found an OE model on Wiggle for under $200. When it arrived I had the lbs put it on my bike so I wouldn't ruin anything, which was a great idea because they had it ready to go the same day. The white color looked so sweet with my brown frame.
After I got it back I put in the Extra-Firm Spring because I was 240 all geared up. (More on this later)
When I took it out for the first time I really wanted to push it to the limits (which for me still isn't that intense). It exceeded my expectations! The U-Turn is a great feature because it's easy to switch between climb and descent. The fork was very plush at 130mm where I keep it most of the time. I also love the lockout feature (My fork came with the poploc remote). The lockout still sags a very small amount, but i don't mind it at all.
I've been at college for the past 4 months without the bike and have lost a good deal of weight, and now my rider weight is around 215. So I'm a little worried the Extra-Firm spring might be a little too firm but we'll have to wait just a few more weeks to find out.
Bottom line, this fork is amazing for the price. You can be sure to find a pretty good deal somewhere online. It kind of sucks that you have to buy different spring kits if you are a heavier rider than 150lbs, but it is nice to have that kind of flexibility. It looks very sweet on my bike. The poploc remote is great even though it does take up some room on the handlebars.
Similar Products Used: RST fork stock on my '07 Hardrock, which really can't be compared
Bike Setup: '07 Specialized Hardrock Comp Disc, RS Tora 318 U-Turn, Avid BB7 185mm brakes, Avid Speed Dial 7 Levers, Shimano XTR cables, ODI Rogue Lock-On grips. Everything else is stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
sambs827
a Cross Country Rider
from Oneonta/Swain, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2009
Strengths: This is for a 2008 Tora 318 U-turn:
-price for product is hard to beat (even at what other people spent)
-U-turn option allows for quick and easy travel adjustment on the trail
-Stiff, yet lighter than most forks on entry-level bikes
-White lowers look cool
-Easy rebound adjustment and lockout
Weaknesses: -Lockout still tends to give a little (about 15mm at 130, 8mm at 85)
-Somewhat heavy for XC in comparison to other products available
Bottom Line:
After a year of shredding on this fork, I have definitely grown to love it even though I know there are better products out there. Once I got the proper spring in there (Extra firm for me; I'm 185ish geared up) felt simply awesome. When I do hit something big enough to bottom it out I rarely feel it bottom, as there is a great ramp-up towards the end of the travel. Unless you are oversprung it tracks well and pretty decent small-bump compliance. We have alot of fairly big hills around here, so being able to drop the fork to 85 or 90 going up then crank it out and get my breath for the downhill is definitely nice. I usually just keep it at 130 (I know, not wise on a frame meant for just 100). I've beaten on this fork for just under a year and it still hasn't yelled at me. Full rebuild coming sometime this winter, and will do it myself since the setup is pretty easy.
All this with the high bang for buck factor leads me to give it 5 Flamin' Chilies for value and a 4 Overall, since it definitely gets beaten by the Reba, Revelation, or Pike.
Similar Products Used: My stock Suntour XCM can't really be described as "similar"...
Bike Setup: 08 Scott Aspect 55, Tora 318 U-turn, Azonic Outlaws, BB7's, Syncros bar, LX rear/Deore front, Panaracer Firepro XC tires.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
hookooekoorider
a Cross Country Rider
from Walnut Creek, CA
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2009
Strengths: Easily tunable with plenty of adjustments (air, rebound, compression/lockout adjustments), pretty stiff, low maintenance, excellent features to price ratio
Weaknesses: Maybe a little heavy, but you'd have to pay a lot more to get a comparable fork that weighs much less
Bottom Line:
I had the 318 RS Solo Air version with rebound damping and compression/lockout, steel stanchions and aluminum steer tube, weighed 4.5 pounds. Rode XC for a year with no problems at all - the fork worked perfectly and never lost any air in a year. The only difference between this and the Recon is that the Recon has aluminum stanchions and a steel steer, making it 1/2 pound lighter. Steel stanchions are pretty much indestructible and you never have to worry about scratching them up or messing up the anodized coating b/c there isn't any. The Tora 318 really is an excellent fork for the money - soaked up the small bumps and could handle the rough stuff, tracked nicely over rocky downhills. It has all the features of high end forks; the only advantage of SIDs and Rebas are lower weight and dual air instead of solo air, but I'm not sure dual air makes much difference as I have a SID and can't tell the difference. I found that I never used the compression adjustment and basically used the lockout as an on/off switch. Get it if you can find one - you won't be disappointed.
Bike Setup: Kona Dawg Deluxe Frame
Fox RP23 6.5x2
Shimano SLX Full Setup
Hayes Disc Brakes
WTB Laser Pro Seat
FSR Orbit HS
Hellbent Bars
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Graphyfotoz
a Cross Country Rider
from Upstate NY USA
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2009
Strengths: Very well built...Beefy....Low cost.
The Lockout is great....even locked it gives ya a inch of plushness.
Weaknesses: On the heavy side but for the $$$ ya pay.....
Don't lose the smaller parts they are costly to replace!
*Air Top Cap and Rebound Adjuster Knob*
Other than this nothing else I know of.
Bottom Line:
Coming from a RST clunky fork to this Tora Solo Air is like night and day!! Rides like a Cadillac!
Nice to have a pump and having a remote Pop-Loc is super handy! Got these with mine (Hafta buy em separate normally I believe). Identical to the RS Recon cept the Recon is a tad lighter and few $$ more.
Watch around a like new one of these can be had 2nd hand for a bargain. Even new they are worth the dinero.
Handles trails like a dream as it is a XC fork not a DH fork!
If your into Cross Country...this fork is for you.
If your into Down Hill and rougher riding go with RS fork further up the food chain.
If you Ride Road or Trail you won't be disappointed!!
Strengths: Rides very smooth. Suspends my hulking girth (216lbs) surprisingly well. Has features/adjustments that work and are relavent (rebound, air spring, lockout). You can change the travel from 100mm to 80mm or 130mm (comes stock at 100mm). Very good value. Works great without breaking the bank. Will work easily with a 2.4" tire.
Weaknesses: Slightly flexy compared to my Marz All Mountain 1, but not terribly so. Air cap kind of tricky and very stiff to screw on. Plastic knobs and caps: they are not flimsy, but I would prefer alloy for these parts.
Bottom Line:
This for the Tora 318 Solo Air with alloy steerer: The bottom line is that this is a fine affordable fork and just plain works.
If you just take it out of the box and push down on it, you can feel the stiction. Fortunately, when you actually ride you don't feel any of it. It rides at about 20% to 25% sag as it should and I have not bottomed it out although I have come about 1/4" from doing so (perfect IMHO).
The rebound adjustment gives a good range of adjustability and the air spring is not difficult to fill. It has a single input valve, but fills both a positive and negative air chamber.
The lockout is handy for extended climbs and is easy to operate by just reaching down and giving the knob about a 1/4 turn.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that this fork performs quite well on the trail. Smooths out non-technical, but rocky trails with no problems and keeps the front wheel hooked up pretty well.
I almost went with a Dart 3 due to budget constraints, but I got another 20% off of the $225 price from Cambria since I bout a frame at the same time so I scored this fork for $180. I'm glad I did. I can only imagine how flexy the Dart 3 would be with 28mm stanchions.
Long term durability is unknown at this time, but if it holds up well, I will consider it a great deal. this fork is well suited to trail riders and maybe racers on a budget. It's a great candidate for economically replacing that pogo stick that your entry-level hardtail came with or (as I did) building up your own hardtail or short travel XC bike.
I give 5 steamers for value and 5 for overall because when you consider the price point this fork sold for, it's an excellent deal and it flat out works very well. Definitely recommended.
Similar Products Used: Marz All Mountain 1, RS Judy XC, Manitou Minute, Manitou Black, RS Pilot, Cannondale Super Fatty (80mm Headshock)
Bike Setup: 2003 23" Kona Nunu hardtail (new old stock), RF Evolve XC cranks, Ritchey stem, Specialized riser bar, Thomson seatpost, Brooks B17 saddle, XT hubs and cassette, Mavic 223 rims, SRAM X.7 RD and twist shifters, Deore FD, FSA The Pig headset, Avid levers and BB7 185mm disc brakes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Indian Hills, CO
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2008
Strengths: Relatively cheap, stiff, smooth compression and rebound, easy to adjust
Weaknesses: Heavy
Bottom Line:
I've been on and off getting back into mountain biking since quitting racing back in 94' Last shock I rode seriously was a Mag20, so it's been a while. Got this shock as the Bomber on my bike was leaking badly and had scratched up stanchion tubes. Cheaper to replace. I'm a very aggressive rider and have put this shock to work.
The Tora is sweet. It offers very precise handling despite it's amount of travel and cost. The 100 mm of travel takes the edge off of all hits, it's smooth over small stuff and absorbs big drops. Recently rode Porcupine Rim for the first time in years and was very pleased by the Tora's precise handling and ability to handle big hits. The Tora got it done. Nice!
Submitted by
pwork
a Cross Country Rider
from Carbondale
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2008
Strengths: Stiff, Plush, easy to adjust
Weaknesses: feels heavy on the bike but seemed lighter off the bike compared to the z.3.
Bottom Line:
This fork is a great value. I'm just getting back into the sport after a 4 year break. I ended up breaking a bolt in my z.3 when I was servicing it. Happened upon a good deal on the 318. It is as stiff as my past marz, as compliant as my Judy, w/ much better cmpression and rebound adjustments/performance than either. It is set at 100mm now, which slowed down the steering compared to the 63mm's due to the differnce in head angle, but I'm going to try it out for a while because I like the extra travel, don't do drops and only weigh 140 (not worried about the frame). It feels heavier than the other forks I've had but that may be due to the fact that I actually have some rebound now and not getting help from the spring to lift the front wheel. Also noticed that it take fast sweeping turns better, front wheel seems to stay glued to the ground.
Similar Products Used: Judy xc, marz z.3, marz z.1
Bike Setup: ~2000 GT Zaskar, xt component set, bb7 front, bb5 back, fork set at 100mm for now.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Sweeney921
a Weekend Warrior
from Richmond, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2008
Strengths: It does pretty much everything well except:
Weaknesses: The manual doesn't provide enough info on adjustments and maintenance
Bottom Line:
I'm really impressed by what you get for the money. 130mm travel doesn't usually come this cheap with such a high level of workmanship. Because it's an air shock, it can be very rigid or very plush, your choice. After setting the PSI correctly, this fork made me a faster, more confident rider.
I bought this at the last minute before a bike trip because my 10-year old Manitou fork finally seized up. The Tora 318 is about 2 pounds heavier than the Manitou Ti fork I had, but has much more travel and absorbs so much more! Keep in mind I went from a Ti spring & elastomer shock to an air adjustable shock. I definitely noticed the weight increase though, but my bike only weighs about 20 pounds to begin with. The Tora 318 is the only 'nice' suspension fork I've ridden with so far.
Similar Products Used: Answer Manitou Ti SX front suspension fork
Bike Setup: Custom Ti Merlin I built in 1998!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steve Rogers
a Weekend Warrior
from South Lyon, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2008
Strengths: Looks and the travel. This shock is stiffer than my old shock.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
Just put it on and have not had a chance to take it out on the trails. So far I love it, my bike is blue and silver, the white shock really stands out. I will give another review after I have used it in the woods. Also, the price from price point included a new cane s3 head set.
Bike Setup: Air Bomb Team frame 853 with full M952 XTR group, Chris king hubs laced to Mavic 517 rims, chris king headset and of course the Tora 318 on the front. Specialized HARD ROCKER tires.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Snider
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2007
Strengths: Although I have had it only a short while I know last year when I tried my friends bike I loved the feel of this fork. It has lasted everyone I know who has one. Also a great "budget fork" that will still give you the bettery feel of higher end fox or marzzochi.
Weaknesses: Slightly heavier than other forks.
Bottom Line:
Bang for your buck you have a great fork for a low cost.
Similar Products Used: All mountain forks by all companies. As an industry worker I get to try new products all the time.
Bike Setup: Fuel EX8 2007 frame. Hayes sole brakes fox rear shock. LX front derailluer with a sram attack front shifter. Sram X7 rear shifter and derailluer. Truvativ XR seatpost and stem. Ritchey logic hardset. Rhyno lite rear wheel with deore hub. singletrack front wheel with deore hub. Bontrager race lite seat. Rock Shox Tora 318 front fork. 17 and a half frame and the bike weighs 31 and a half punds.
It does not look like rockshox still makes the tora 318solo air. What current shock that they are making would be its equivalent in quality? Read More »
I had the Tora 318s in the closet waiting for a rainy day project. It appears that the travel came pre-set from the factory at 130mm. After reading through the tech manual, I see Read More »
I have an issue with my fork. After two seasons of riding with no leaks or problems whatsoever it has suddenly become nearly useless.
While riding my normal trails I noticed that Read More »
So, I've got a Tora 318 solo air that has been on the bike for several years and never been serviced. Haven't ridden much lately, but want to get back with it . . . ordered the sea Read More »
Looking to upgrade my fork.. Its the last thing left I have to upgrade on my Kona Dawgma.. Its a full suspension rig and I ride alot of rooty, rocky trails with drops up to 4 ft an Read More »
