Submitted by
Meek Meek Meek
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2011
Strengths: Amazing fork. the travel is smooth, rebound works great, lockout is good. I am light so I use the full 130mm travel, and the u-turn adjusts in about 7mm per click.
Weaknesses: No weaknesses at all, except if you are a weight weenie then it might be a little on the heavy side.
Bottom Line:
Get this fork if on a budget. Order from Jenson if you can as they have really good shipping and price match! I ordered on a Friday, and received everything on Monday! And I live around Toronto Canada!!!
Bike Setup: Gt outpost frame, deore crank, deore hydraulic brakes, rock shox tora, sram shifters and derailleurs, nevegal tires.
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Submitted by
Glenn Argall
a Cross Country Rider
from Meridian,ID USA
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2010
Strengths: Stiff, plush, reliable
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
This shock has proved to be a reliable good performer. Once the shock gets broke in it is a lot more smooth and active. As long as you adjust the rebound closer to the fast setting it will work very well. I also recommend keeping the stanchions lubed and clean often and that has also helped with the performance. It is a little heavy but makes up for it in performance. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a good performing fork on a budget.
Bike Setup: Cannondale Killer V hardtail, FSA cranks w/e-thirteen chainring, rock shox, race face stem, easton riser bar, hutchinson python rear piranha front tire, WTB/shimano wheels, Kore pedals, ODI grips,Shimano Deore R. shifter(1x9 Setup), Avid V brakes
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Submitted by
nickav21
a Cross Country Rider
from Bartlett, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2010
Strengths: Like butter over slow chop, adjustability
Weaknesses: Get's dicey over dense root sections
Bottom Line:
This shock really soaks up isolated bumps well. When you really start flying through bumpy sections it just can't soak the chop up fast enough. I've tried really cranking up the dampening speed and it just can't keep up. However, the adjustability of this fork is incredible. It's got lockout, speed dampening, and travel. That's a lot for a fork at this price range. I'd recommend it for sure, just wish it soaked stuff up a bit more when I'm flying through choppy stuff!
Strengths: Stiff, smooth, Chrome plated stanchions are hard to scratch, Great value for money, remote lock out, Rebound adjustment.
Weaknesses: Limited travel, non linear travel(general coil issue really), lock out threshold too low and not adjustable, Heavy for a 100mm fork, casting inaccuracy.
Bottom Line:
Good entry level fork, very stiff, with rebound and lockout. A softer spring would have helped the travel and linearity issues, but would have also created dive issues as there is no compression adjustment. Also when the bike/fork was new the distance between the dropouts was too small by about 3mm(1/8th"), causing the lowers to be spread when the wheel was inserted, causing binding on the stanchions. If I had left this, it would have resulted in premature wear. I base my ratings on the overall performance, and also the high level of some of the bikes that are sold with these as standard.
Bike Setup: Near standard 2010 Alias, Kenda nevegal 2.35,
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Submitted by
jsbikerman
a Cross Country Rider
from brimfield
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2010
Strengths: It is a great fork for the money. It has e decent amount of travel (5 inches).
Weaknesses: To soft on full travel.
Bottom Line:
I love this fork so much and it is just amazing. Some of the other reviews on here say leaks oil and all of that, but it is a cross country fork. I payed 200 for the fork and it is 200 well spent. The bottom line if you want a fork for cheap this is the fork, it won't let you down.
Similar Products Used: dirt jumper 3s, suntour xcm, rock shox dart
Bike Setup: giant stp, saint cranks, tora forks,
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Submitted by
Nickc711
a Cross Country Rider
from sugarloaf pa
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2009
Strengths: good shock for the money
Weaknesses: I had this shock back in the shop about 5 times,the oring kept blowing out in the bottom of the shock,RS completly replaced it once then just sent parts to rebuild it, my local bike shop got sick of rebuilding it, as rockshox did not pay for labor!
Bottom Line:
This shock is good when it is not leaking,but that is not very often! Rockshox is a pain in the *** to deal with too! I dont think i will ever buy another rockshox product after this experience! O and my friend had the same shock and the same exact thing happened to him! This bike was just used for normal trail riding too! It seem rockshox is on a slippery slope to making crappy shox!
Submitted by
wickerman1
a Weekend Warrior
from Richmond, Bc, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2009
Strengths: Very solid, no flex, great dampening, travel adjustments,also has vee brake boss option which seems rare these days, looks
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
It seems that Rock Shox has come a long way from what they were. I had an old Judy which was a nightmare, and also a Psylo which was not too user friendly.
This is not top of the line fork, but for its price, has a lot to offer, it is strong, no flex, fantastic dampening,travel adjust from 130 to 100.
I ride mostly xc and it serves me more then well. The fork also is not a heavy pig like most forks in this price range.
This fork is not intended for big drops or dirt jumping, so if you write a review saying it is junk and exploded after a 4ft to flat, then your review isn't valid because you used the fork beyond it's intended purpose.
Submitted by
johnsogr
a Weekend Warrior
from Washington, DC, USA
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2009
Strengths: Adjustable, lots of travel, lockout, cheap, has v-brake mounts
Weaknesses: Heavy
Bottom Line:
Just upgraded to the Tora 302 after 13 years on the original Manitou and what a difference this fork makes. I was pretty limited in my choices of forks because 1. I'm poor and 2. my bike is set up with v-brakes, but I feel like I made the right choice with the Tora 302. We'll see how it lasts through the summer, but so far so good.
Submitted by
Benny
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2009
Strengths: Strong with nice fat leg tubes. Easy preload and effective rebound damping
Weaknesses: rebound damping can make a reasonably loud sucking noise but its easy to get used to and works well. Only just enough preload for my liking, but I am 6'5" and weigh 105kg and like a relativly firm fork. In any case it has a good handlebar mounted lockout. No real weaknesses.
Bottom Line:
Honest reliable fork for my hard tail off road commuter. Well done Rockshox.
5 flamin' chillies rating from me - given its purpose and price.
Submitted by
ProStacks
a Cross Country Rider
from Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2009
Strengths: Tough, Good Travel (Early On), Lockout, Rebound better than 2008 Model.
Weaknesses: Hardens up after about 4 Months Consistent riding, Prone to Oil leaks due to crappy lockout Cartrige. Bit Heavy.
Bottom Line:
Good Fork for someone just starting out in trail riding. Travel is well modulated early on and gives a good ride feeling.
Requires Internal cleaning after about 4 months to get rid of hardnening effect, but it comes back quickly. The difference was about 20mm Travel.
Even with hardening, you still get about 60-70 mm Travel on a normal ride, which is pretty good. Definitely worth what i payed.
If you want to get into some trail riding, then this is a great fork to have. Good for XC too, but if you can id reccommend getting a Tora SL or Race. If you have been riding for a while, and have good experience with trail/XC, it would be worth investing in something better.
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