Submitted by
luvanicejump
a Cross Country Rider
from Keene, NH, Cheshire county
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2010
Strengths: No frills, no flex.
Weaknesses: No cable stays, but a minor inconvenience.
Bottom Line:
I ride 95% street, 5% hardpack trails.
After destroying 3 different tire and wheel combinations urban curb hopping, I found the set up I've been looking for.
Plenty wide enough to accommodate the fat apples and totally solid. 120.763% better than the Reba SL 29er shock on the better-o-meter. The whole bike felt like a wet noodle with the shock, but now it's precise, stable and lighter. Just like riding a huge BMX bike.
Also, being in the northeast, the cold weather would deflate the Reba shock. I couldn't stand it anymore. Having grown up riding rigid bikes, having a shock was no normal. This rigid Vassago was just the answer I was looking for and dirt cheap to boot.
Bike Setup: GF Rig, Schwalbe big apples on Velocity Blunt.White Industry wheels.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
corb
a Weekend Warrior
from Hoover, AL
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2009
Strengths: As others have stated, it's a solid, no frills fork that is easy on the wallet. Lightweight.
Weaknesses: No lawyer lips. No cable guides.
Bottom Line:
I bought this as a backup to my Reba when it blew a seal and I wasn't sure if I would have it fixed in time for an upcoming race. The part didn't come in time so I rode the ODIS fully expecting to hate every minute of the ride. Happy to say I was completely wrong. The race ended up being a mudfest from hell, but having the rigid fork actually helped. On rough and fast downhills you will be slowing down unless you have exceptionally strong arms and can hang on. That being said, once you get used to it, you don't even think about it and the ride is fantastic. With no moving parts, it's easy to take care of (obviously) and it looks good. With the right tire setup, you get just enough give on the bumps but no pedal-bob on the climbs. As far as my SS goes, I don't think I'll ever go back to a suspension setup. The lack of cable guides is bummer but get some Alligator Gripper guides and it's a non-issue.
Strengths: stiff, relatively light weight (I guess), SMOOOOOOOTH. Definately flexes under heavy hits but that's exactly what I want for riding in the east coast gnar. I haven't ridden may rigid forks but a friend said that it felt smoother than his WB carbon fork.
Weaknesses: ummmm... makes me want to ride rigid SS's all the time? Is that really a weakness
Bottom Line:
This is a solid, no-frills fork. It would be a good upgrade to any SS. Combined with carbon bars and Ergon grips, I have no problem riding all day with this fork. And that's on the east coast... Not expensive so 5 chilli's around...
Submitted by
dashSC
a Cross Country Rider
from Midwest, US
Date Reviewed: January 30, 2009
Strengths: Nice and cheap, compared to most 29er forks. Very reliable, never had any failure. Lightweight: 2.3 lbs.
Weaknesses: No lawyer lips. This isn't a big deal unless you have weak skewers, like the Redlines I had initially. Once I acquired some decent ones [in this case, Salsa Flip-Offs], it mattered not at all. Does seem a bit flexy at times, but this may be partially caused by a lower-grade headset as well.
Bottom Line:
Very good rigid fork, especially for the price. Biggest problem I had was lacking the physical strength to manage some rougher portions. I literally hit myself in the face with my own arms on multiple occasions. :|
Strengths: Light weight, stiff, offset, lots of tire clearance.
Weaknesses: no cable guides, but got DirtDog Skull guides
Bottom Line:
This is a great upgrade for the MC29er, better handling, lighter and stiffer. I used the Dirty Dog Skull cable guides to solve the cable issue. I also like that part of the purchase goes to IMBA.
Submitted by
racerdave
a Cross Country Rider
from WI
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2008
Strengths: Light weight, strong, corners great, good offset
Weaknesses: no housing guides
Bottom Line:
Great fork, and a great upgrade from stock. It's lighter plus has more offset for quicker steering and handling. I like it and recommend it to any Monocog 29er owner.
Submitted by
mtbnachos
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2008
Strengths: Flex/stiff compliant, light, pretty
Weaknesses: No cable guides
Bottom Line:
This is a great rigid fork. I got it at the low 2 pound range and the ride is just a blast! The fork doesnt shudder when I brake hard and steering is very crisp. I just wish this fork had cable guides for a more clean look so I settled for a ziptie. I got the black and it looks very nice, no frills look.
