Submitted by
old school freerider
a Weekend Warrior
from emsworth,hamshire,england Date Reviewed: August 10, 2009
Favorite Trail:
the whites level
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
internet
Strengths:
it takes alot of discipline and it others a smooth ride.
Weaknesses:
after about a year and a half it bottoms out and becomes crunchy. And after about 2 years it locks on you
Similar Products Used:
a big round 0
Bike Setup:
hardtail
Bottom Line:
overall a good fork dies whithin 2 years but great value. I would recommend ennyone starting out mountain biking
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
isaac
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia Date Reviewed: January 25, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
came with bike
Strengths:
100mm travel,
Weaknesses:
the rebound and compound dosent work, very soft
Similar Products Used:
rst omni.
Bike Setup:
Avanti Barracuda
Bottom Line:
the shocks compound and rebound doesnt work thought i think that has somthing to do with them been an oil shock instead of a spring shock
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
alex hastings
a Downhiller
from harrogate Date Reviewed: January 3, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
good on dirt
Bike Setup:
ump bie
Bottom Line:
i have the 2006 verin and they are ace for a beginer dirt jump and street rider
the ride is good and it doesnt rebound to fast.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from IL Date Reviewed: September 13, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$79.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
Solid Design, Easily Servicable. 80 or 100mm. Price!
Weaknesses:
Comes with some faulty parts and to little oil
Bike Setup:
KHS XC304
Bottom Line:
Great fork after I called the warranty dept at Answer. It came with to little oil and a faulty dampening system. After that was repaired it has been absolutly fantastic. The spring is soft for heavy riders but its still comortable. It is easy to service and refill the oil. The tech guys at Answer are great with helping you out with any problems.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bandersnatch
a Weekend Warrior
from fairbanks Date Reviewed: August 26, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$430.00
Purchased At:
beaver sports
Strengths:
cheap for its class
Weaknesses:
too soft
Similar Products Used:
hardrock
Bike Setup:
2003 specialized rockhopper
Bottom Line:
I really want to like this fork but I have to give it a bad rating. It really damps out the bumps and keeps the wheel planted on the ground. But the default spring is way to soft, I can stand beside the bike and buttom it down buy pressing the the handle bars. This wouldnt be bad except for the companys terrible stock situation. I ordered the stronger spring for it 5 MONTHS AGO and it is still on backorder. I just gave up and cancelled it and am currently looking for a better spring.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Kokomo, IN Date Reviewed: April 18, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
OEM
Strengths:
Price, doesnt flex like other cheap forks, easy to get parts, work on yourself, buttery smooth
Weaknesses:
Stock spring too soft for me
Bike Setup:
03 Iron Horse Rogue
Bottom Line:
Fork came with medium spring, but since I weigh 220, it was waay too soft. Ordered the firm spring, now Im happy, works better than a lot of forks costing a lot more. Keeps the front wheel PLANTED on the ground thru rough sections, no matter how fast you go so you keep control.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
zack
a Weekend Warrior
from san diego, ca, usa Date Reviewed: February 26, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$260.00
Strengths:
great bang for the buck
Weaknesses:
way to soft suspension
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
I am just starting out riding, and I love the bike. However, I immediately noticed that the bike's suspension was very soft. It seems that I would enjoy it more if I got a stiffer spring did the 100mm conversion. I've been searching the net looking for springs, but I'm not coming up with much. Can I get a spring off the net, or should I just bring the bike to a shop for a firm spring? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Thi
a Cross Country Rider
from Auburn Date Reviewed: February 11, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
rebound dampening works awsome
Weaknesses:
a little too soft
Similar Products Used:
pilot c, manitou six comp,Rock shox judy c and xc,rst gila,
Bike Setup:
2003 rockhopper in upgrading process
Bottom Line:
I take 4 footers with this thing and it still wont break.The springs are too soft it seems to be a constant problem with oem forks and this is no exception but i weigh 145 lbs so it isnt that bad but even when it does bottom out the fork seems perfectly fine no broken seals or anything.Rebound dampening is awsome it didnt work for the first three months and then it started soaking up the bumps and roots like none other.oh ya do the 100mm conversion, big difference.4 chilis overall because of springs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
arturas k
a Cross Country Rider
from vilnius, lithuania Date Reviewed: January 21, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
cheap, convertible travel, good perfomance
Weaknesses:
i hate those plastic caps - pre load damping and compression damping assembly. it was stupid idea not to do it from alu. besides, i broke my rebound damping assembly.
Similar Products Used:
rst, suntour
Bike Setup:
xtc se 4
Bottom Line:
there is no dealer in f*.. lithuania, but answer products technical support helped me to get needed parts. god bless tech support. in concliuson, axel is cheap very good fork for its price. if you want 100 mm travel, be very careful when converting because parts aren't very strong, you might brake smh
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ian
a Cross Country Rider
from Columbia, MD, USA Date Reviewed: December 23, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
performance, came on bike
Strengths:
one of the cheapest forks you can buy, works ok for what it is.
Weaknesses:
only way to adjust damping is by changeing oil. no size-specific spec on new bikes (all come with medium spring), can be a bit of a hassle to get a different spring.
Similar Products Used:
Old rock shox, scott, AMP, demoed many forks on the market now
Bike Setup:
Jamis Dakar
Bottom Line:
i run mine with 100mm travel, and it's pretty good for what it is. once you get the right springs, of course. damping works, firm spring is firm enough for me. it's not as stiff as my AMP, but i doubt anything you can get nowadays is.
I wouldn't buy it if it wasn't on a bike, but on a lower-end speced bike it's hard to beat.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bas koper
a Racer
from holland Date Reviewed: December 5, 2003
-4.2lb? -oil damping does not work (....look at bottom line) -bottom-out-all-the-time -80mm travel -lateral flex
Similar Products Used:
AMP suspension fork
Bike Setup:
decathlon rockrider 8.1: Manitou Axel Comp Deore/LX Truvativ Avid Mavic 221 Formula Hutchinson mosquito airlight Total weight: 12kg (with lighter inner tubes)
Bottom Line:
The Manitou Axel Comp performs in its standard setup very bad!
You can change all that: +convert the travel from 80mm to 100mm +change the oil from 5W to 7W (or mix 5W with 10W) +replace the standard spring by the yellow one (yellow=stronger)
Submitted by
Wade Warfield
a
from Charlottesville VA Date Reviewed: December 4, 2003
Favorite Trail:
anything fun
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Came on the bike
Strengths:
It hasnt broken yet. It has externally adjustable rebound which i find very suefull. WHen you have it on the softest setting, it is great for cross country riding, and when you want to give it hell you can adjust the preload accordingly.
Weaknesses:
It took a lot of riding and lot of big hits to break it in
Similar Products Used:
Duke
Bike Setup:
Jamis Dakar stock accept new tires and flat pedals
Bottom Line:
I realy like it, but that could just be because i havent really ridden anything else that much. I recently discovered the joys of mountain biking and have ridden all the timei since then. I ride alot of cross country, and on the trails it never bottoms out. I also discovered that i like to spend alot of time in the air and the fork hasnt shown any signs of breakage. It bottoms out all the time on drops and jumps to flat, but what 100 mm fork wouldnt.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sandy
a Cross Country Rider
from Scotland Date Reviewed: November 8, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Anywhere
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Cheap, only disc mounts, good for xc and some drops, pretty good for climbing. Convertiable travel.
Weaknesses:
Awkward to disassemble and reassemble. Top seals are pretty crap for bad weather riding which i do quite often.
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox judy & duke (pretty crap), Marzocchi Z1 (good for tough terrain/downhill).
Bike Setup:
Giant XTC4, Stock everything apart from pedals, tyres and handlebars.
Bottom Line:
These forks arent bad, they arent great either. They came with my bike and initially were quite tough and unresponsive until i 'broke them in' (went down a semi downhill course).
These forks feel much better after conversion to 100mm, you just remove a plastic spacer. The bike doesnt sit any higher after the conversion, just much smoother forks :)
These came with a disc only mounting, and giant supplied an adapter to fit uk disc brakes (works well had no problems).
In all honesty I will probably replace the forks next year. I need a top notch all round fork and i can see these becoming a nuisance in the future. I wouldnt quibble too much if you get these forks supplied with a mountain bike, especially if your a newbie, but I wouldnt buy them induvidually as there are better forks out there.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Charly
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, ME Date Reviewed: September 26, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Haven't ridden it enought to say.
Weaknesses:
See above.
Similar Products Used:
...
Bike Setup:
03 Rockhopper
Bottom Line:
Just letting everyone know the written manual and online instructions for coverting the travel are wrong. They say the adjustment is in the right (from rider) leg.....it's not, it's in the left, along with the spring (definitely recommend the heavier spring upgrade, I weigh 170 lbs.). I took apart the right leg, and interestingly the directions/figures are correct up to the last step.....the clip isn't there. I called Answer and the "tech" on the other end of the phone line was like..."DUDE...it's in the other side". I explained that I followed the directions....he said..."well, they must be wrong". lol.
Just wanted to save everybody some time/trouble. I put in the new spring nd converted the travel on my lunch break...easy. Feels incredible now. FIRM!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Derek
a Cross Country Rider
from Snowshoe Date Reviewed: September 9, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
smooth strong
Weaknesses:
oem springs not heavy enough
Bottom Line:
I like this fork. I haven't had any of the issues that folks are talking about below, except for the springs. I invested $20 for new, heavier springs, and I like the fork even more. I would definitely buy this for again. I really don't think you can go wrong.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jo mamma
a Weekend Warrior
from kirkland, wa Date Reviewed: September 9, 2003
Favorite Trail:
anything w/dirt
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
came with bike
Strengths:
cheap, came with bike
Weaknesses:
too soft, not much travel
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi dirt jumper III, on friends bike
Bike Setup:
rockhopper, eggbeater mallot c's, fire xc pro's, shimano mix
Bottom Line:
great shock if you are 150lbs, i weigh 180 and the thing bottomed out at 80mm travel. went to answers website to see how to convert travel and found out that they have made some changes so I had to completely disassemble the entire left leg to convert travel, that fixed the travel problem but still way too soft. lbs ordered firm spring 3 weeks ago and still havn't seen it. good shock for beginner but too much hassle to get set up right for bigger riders
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from NY Date Reviewed: July 24, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
It absorbs shock
Weaknesses:
The words Pogo and Stick come to mind
Similar Products Used:
What ever comes on various Bikes in the $400-$500 price range
Bike Setup:
Stock F300
Bottom Line:
It came on the two bikes that I considered the most (Rockhopper and F300), so I was destined for this fork. I clearly think it was better than other oem forks that I tried on other bikes in this price range, but the damn thing is like riding a pogo stick. Very, very bouncy. My friend has the same bike and just ordered the stiffer springs. I'm gonna wait to try his out before taking the plunge myself. The fork does its main job, which is absorb all the bumps. I have yet to bottom out the fork, granted I havent really been all that rough with it yet. I've done mostly road and light trail riding on it. I have it set to whatever the factory set it to, which I guess is 80mm. You do get used to the bouncyness over time, so we'll see whether or not I swap it out or upgrade the springs. It is adjustable, so I was able to stiffen it up a bit on my own which was nice. If I had paid good money for it, I'd probably be complaining a bit more about it. But as it came on the bike and I really do find it to be superior to other oem forks in this price range, I'll give it 5 chilis for Value and 4 chilis overall because its bouncy and I might have to pay $18 to get new springs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wayne
a Weekend Warrior
from Oregon Date Reviewed: July 24, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Powell Butte
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
UPDATE: Feels even better with the firm upgrade spring! Very smooth, no stiction.
Weaknesses:
Nothing I can really think of for my current application.
Bike Setup:
'03 Rockhopper w/ Sun-Rungle ZuZu Pedals & Rock Shox Seatpost.
Bottom Line:
THIS IS AN UPDATE TO MY FIRST REVIEW:
The shock was soft from the factory on my bike. I upped the travel to 100mm and it made a big difference. I changed to the firm spring (YELLOW) and now it's excellent. It feels very, very "exact". Very happy for the additional $20 invested. Pick up some M-Grease to lube up the new spring. I also re-lubed the micro ports. Smooth travel.
Night and day difference from day one. I'm completely satisfied. Answer's customer service is also excellent!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wayne
a Weekend Warrior
from Oregon Date Reviewed: July 15, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Powell Butte
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
Convertible to 100mm and price
Weaknesses:
Product weight and a little too soft for my weight still. A $20 firm spring should fix this.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Rockhopper
Bottom Line:
Once I adjusted it from 80mm to 100mm it was a whole new animal. I'm much happier now. Answer's website has detaield instructions on how to make this change. You'll need a few Allen wrenches and a hard-to-find 20mm open end wrench or socket to convert the travel. Highly recommend going to 100mm.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tiki ford
a Downhiller
from iron city, passion, bob Date Reviewed: July 11, 2003
Favorite Trail:
backyard
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$1000000.00
Purchased At:
the bike shop
Strengths:
can binch press 300lbs
Weaknesses:
can leg press 100lbs
Similar Products Used:
stapler
Bike Setup:
wood frame broken now
Bottom Line:
buy a drill
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
David
a
from Weston FL Date Reviewed: June 4, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Markham
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Int'l Bikes
Strengths:
cheap
Weaknesses:
poorly made, i had mine rebuilt twice, bent the steerer and have snapped the reverse arch on it. Im a smooth rider also, it bottoms out all the time. It is a pathetic fork. Dont buy one, save your money and buy something nice, chances are what your replacing is better, and if its broken why replace a bottom line broken part with this bottom line POS.
Similar Products Used:
Black, Vanilla, misc. Marz
Bike Setup:
2003 F300, 2003 Bullit
Bottom Line:
I wouldnt recomend this fork It came stock on my c-dale, at first I liked it, then I started having nothing but trouble, I ride mostly technical single track. Any more questions email me, im not interested right now in a huge review.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pastor Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Arizona Date Reviewed: May 17, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
tough stiff smooth
Weaknesses:
a bit heavy for weight geeks, but still worth it
Similar Products Used:
Duke C, Judy
Bottom Line:
I recommend this fork to anyone except perhaps weight weenies. It's not heavy by any means, but heavier than race specific forks. I am pleased with this fork. It's silky smooth, takes small and big hits well, and I've never bottomed out. My front end is very stable when cornering, especially compared to some other shocks I've ridden. This fork has held up to months of abuse; I'm hard on my equipment. Bottom line: I like this fork. Alot.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
V Rogers
a Weekend Warrior
from West Virginia Date Reviewed: May 13, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Smooth as butter Stiff Inexpensive Looks good
Weaknesses:
A tad heavy for racing, but other than that, nothing.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou X-Vert Rock Shox Duke XC Marzocchi EXR
Bottom Line:
I really like this fork. It's as smooth as any of the other forks I've owned. It has yet to bottom out on me. I can't notice any flex in the front end at all. I was looking for an inexpensive fork to replace my Duke XC, which gave out on me. I am pleased with my purchase. If you need a less expensive fork that will perform along with the top of the line, look no further than the Axel Comp.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
chris lawson
a Cross Country Rider
from singapore Date Reviewed: May 9, 2003
Favorite Trail:
bukit timah/sentosa
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
TEF bikers junction
Strengths:
very very absorbing shox, very responsive, feels much more sturdy then my old SR xcr fork i was using
Weaknesses:
none really, just i guess the fact that you are always in fear of manitou crappy worksmanshipp
Similar Products Used:
SR XCR, MANITOU BLACK
Bike Setup:
scott usa, elite racer, with axel stock, deore lx and xt, hydrolic disk brakes....ect
Bottom Line:
good fork for medium xc users, i dont think you can get much more hard core for xc
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Austin Groves
a Cross Country Rider
from wells Date Reviewed: April 22, 2003
Favorite Trail:
YMCA
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
smoothness!
Weaknesses:
A bit to loose..
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi EXR
Bottom Line:
aint to bad but could be a bit stiffer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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