Submitted by
briangg
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, Oregon Date Reviewed: September 3, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Siouxon
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$320.00
Purchased At:
RST store
Strengths:
Inexpensive, nice rebound adjustment, reliable, you can use old-school V-brakes if you want
Weaknesses:
heavy? no name recognition
Similar Products Used:
Marz.
Bike Setup:
Niner Jet9, Spinergy wheels, SRAM x9/x7 comps.
Bottom Line:
True set and forget reliability. This is the second bike I have had this on--previous was a GF 292. I have got a fair amount of use out of it and have never needed to refill the air or service it at all for that matter. Should I ever need another fork, I'll get an M29.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jh
a Cross Country Rider
from Auburn,CA Date Reviewed: August 29, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Easy to use, stiff, inexpensive
Weaknesses:
Cheap look....who cares...maybe a little heavy
Similar Products Used:
White Bros, Reba SL
Bike Setup:
Steel frame 1 speed
Bottom Line:
Best deal out there if you not riding in a fashion show.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ty
a Cross Country Rider
from gilbert,az Date Reviewed: February 29, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Strengths:
laterally rigid - I prefer this to my reba and got it for 200 bucks less. Low stiction, adjustability, functioning lockout, low maintanance
Weaknesses:
the lockout isn't the most stout product out there. Canti studs are pretty fugly.
Similar Products Used:
Reba 29er, Manitou 29er, WB 29er.
Bike Setup:
Titus RX 29er.
Bottom Line:
GREAT product for the price. I've not compared to fox but how can I even consider when its twice as much? The loser that left the last review is totally wrong, interesting his bike setup is a trek when they dont have a 29er - sounds like a sham review to slam RST. This is a great fork and I applaud them for putting out something for a reasonable price. What a nice change.
The biggest plus with this fork is taht it is confidence inspiring. The Reba feels squirmy when the going gets tough and this one tracks noticeably better where it counts. But then its a bit heavier.
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Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Montgomery, AL Date Reviewed: September 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Kessels Run
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$359.00
Purchased At:
rstmtbstore.com
Strengths:
stiff frame, 44mm offset, nice fit and finish, easy and noticeable tuning options, remote lockout works flawlessly, nice aluminum stanchions, post mount brake mounts, comes in 80 or 100mm, with remote lockout or not, black or white - plenty of choices
Weaknesses:
cheesy decals, rebound lever on lower right leg is plastic, anodized aluminum would be better,
Similar Products Used:
RS Tora 318 solo air (130mm) and RS Tora 302 u-turn
Bike Setup:
Astrix Rook, set up single speed, Cane Creek Solos headset, Salsa Pro Moto bars (11 deg), 100mm M-29 with remote lockout, Hope Pro2 hubs laced to Stans's Flows, Ignitor and Crossmark mounted tubeless
Bottom Line:
Outstanding fork. This fork handles better than expected, I continue to be amazed. I like simple setup, this is the definition of simple, no positive/negative air. It's a set it and forget about it fork. It's laterally stiff and handles the myriad of southeast roots without flex. The remote lockout is great for single speed riding, instant lockout for out of the seat attacks, or thumb-dial in one or two clicks of compression dampening for a platform effect. Priceless!
Speaking of price, $329 for a 100mm fork, add $30 or so for the remote lockout. Beets the $700 for a Fox. I may not be the most savy fork guru but I don't know if I'd get any better handling from a $700 fork.
RST's owner's manual leaves something to be desired and the decals were cheesy (i.e. also easy to remove). Customer service through the online store has been great, Alex and his buds are working hard to keep it that way.
Overall - outstanding fork, exceeded my expectations.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sam Wilson
a Racer
from charlotte Date Reviewed: September 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Dark Mnt.
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$320.00
Purchased At:
RST website
Strengths:
Appearance: Nice paint... pearl white with metallic flake finish. Aluminum Steerer has a shot ping finish. Crown is anodized black finish.
Function: Easy to set up. Holds air... no leaks. Solid Fork... there is no fork flex what so ever, tracks perfectly in all conditions, corners, rock gardens, ledges, this fork can take it and not flex at all. Suspension... great! works perfectly, compression is smooth, rebound is perfect and easy to dial in, lock out can be adjusted to desired setting and works well once set.
Weaknesses:
Weights in slightly more than the Fox F-29 and the Reba 29.
Similar Products Used:
Reba Air 29 fork
Bike Setup:
Ventana El Rey RST M-29 Thomson setback seatpost Thomson 110 mm stem Easton monkey light XC riser bar King headset FSA afterburner crankset SRAM Gen X front Derailleur SRAM X9 rear Derailleur SRAM X9 trigger shifters SRAM 980 cassette SRAM 991 hollow pin chain Fox RP23 rear shock Avid Mechanical disk brakes Avid levers I9 with Arch Rims wheels IRD FireXC Pro tires Time Composite peddles Flak Jacket cables
Bottom Line:
I have drop $600 - $700 on Fox forks before and as expected I had a really great fork. Fox is the benchmark I compare all forks to. I had a Reba on my El Rey to begin with, but hated it... it was so flexy that I didn't trust it not to fold up on me and I felt the front constantly drifting off my line because of the flex in the Reba. I decided I needed to get another fork ASAP and the F-29 wasn't available for two months. That's when the RST M-29 came to my attention.
So when I purchased a M-29 for my 29er I had planned for it to be a temporary fork to hold me over for a few months until I could get around to purchasing a Fox F-29. Then I would install the M-29 on my wife's 29er to replace her Reba. But after riding my El Rey with the RST M-29 I think I'll probably forget about getting an F-29 and just buy another M-29 for the other 29er and get rid of the Reba.
The RST M-29 is an awesome fork! I really put it through the test today and it performed great, no flex, tracked perfectly, soaked up everything I threw at it and rebounded perfectly. I am completely impressed with this fork and how great it performs!!! It was so easy to dial in too and with a few minor trail adjustments I had it perfectly dialed in and in sync with my rear suspension. My El Rey is performing amazingly well with this fork and I couldn't be more pleased with it and considering it didn't cost me $700.00 like an F-29 I am even more pleased with the results of this fork and the purchase.
As I mentioned I judge all suspension forks against Fox forks... the RST M-29 honestly... could give Fox a run for it's money in my opinion. And unless Fox's new F-29 has some kind of dampening to prevent fork compress when breaking, I doubt I'll be purchasing an F-29 anytime soon. It stead I'll get another RST M-29.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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