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RockShox Duke SL

MSRP $ 385.00
Weight 3.65 lbs
# of Reviews 10
Average Rating 3.8/5
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Description:TRAVEL: 80 mm

SPRING: Hydra Air
Adj: Positive air pressure via Schrader Valve

DAMPING: PURE Delite
Adj: Rebound



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    Submitted by tristan a from edmonton
    Date Reviewed: June 6, 2005
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Strengths:plush, can adjust stifness with air which is good for my body size
    Weaknesses:paint chipped off.
    Bike Setup:norco chaos rock shox duke SL
    Bottom Line:The shock is good. but it has been stored out of the wether and about 10% of the paint has just chipped off. like what a shatty deal. talk about a crappy looking shock when the paint comes off
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Christian Heath a Cross Country Rider from Melrose, MA USA
    Date Reviewed: December 8, 2004
    Favorite Trail:The one I am riding at the moment...
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $300.00
    Purchased At:Local Shop
    Strengths:Adjustments, Have never had to have the thing serviced,,,
    Weaknesses:The ugly lettering on the side!!!
    Similar Products Used:manatou, marzocchi, noleen
    Bike Setup:Azonic DS1, LX, XTR, Hayes Mag hydrolic...
    Bottom Line:I think people tend to love or hate, and then tend to over exagerate the obvious but I can honestly say I have never had a problem with this fork. I ride my bike aggressivly but never abuse, so maybe that is why i tend not to brake any parts, or bones! I would say for anyone looking for a fair value mid-range travel and priced fork this is for you. Anybody looking for an high impact fork this would not be a wise choice. I have never bottomed out the fork although I am about 145lbs. and I tend not to land hard, but I will do 5ft or so drops with it at times and like I say, not a problem. I do give it up to the folks at rock-shock for a smooth-buttery ride, I never spill my beer! ;o)
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Ma ke a Weekend Warrior from Malaysia
    Date Reviewed: December 5, 2003
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Strengths:Nice and soft, absorbs even the slightest bump.
    Easy to change pressure.
    Weaknesses:doesn't bottom out, even when landing 4+ft jumps.
    Similar Products Used:Bomber XRC Pro
    Bike Setup:Kona Kahuna, stock (eccept the forks)
    Bottom Line:These forks definatly do what i ask them to, a big improvement over the bombers.
    The dukes deliver wether you're jumping crevances, hitting rocks or street riding(Malaysia, many potholes.)
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Kyle Beaman a Weekend Warrior from Des Moines, Iowa, USA
    Date Reviewed: November 30, 2003
    Favorite Trail:Sycamore
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $300.00
    Purchased At:Pricepoint.com
    Strengths:108mm travel, Strength, great on the trails. I took it to colorado and it preformed flawlessley.
    Weaknesses:The U-Turn broke after about 2 months of riding on it. I would have it set to 108mm of travel and when i would go off a drop it would drop down, sometimes all the way to 80mm. Other than that though, no problems at all.
    Similar Products Used:Rock Shox Judy XC - Quality product
    Rock Shox Judy SL
    Bike Setup:Giant XTC frame, XTR and XT drive train, Rock Shox Duke SL, Answer Hyperlite Bar, Avid Black Opps brakes with Avid Speed Dial Ti, Sun Rhyno Lite rims with XT Hubs.
    Bottom Line:The Rock Shox Duke Sl is a great shox that has good strength and a good amount of travel for all-mountain riders. The only problem that I had was with the U-Turn and it was still very ridable.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Greg McKenna a Cross Country Rider from Scottsdale, AZ
    Date Reviewed: September 17, 2003
    Favorite Trail:Elden
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $159.00
    Purchased At:Supergo
    Strengths:Cost - cheap ! Good fork on a budget.
    4" travel, Color - White matches my Tracer.
    Reliable. Have had for 10 months, has about 800 trail miles on it. Had it checked out after muddy weekend in Durango and it had no problems. The shop put heavier oil in (7wt) - and I lowered the psi which seems to have improved performance.
    Weaknesses:Little flexy.
    Buddies claim they can see fork deflection as I ride.
    Rebound knob doesn't work after getting it serviced by local shop. Fair amount of feedback (aka: vibration)thru the headset, handlebars. Like I said, seems to run better with lower psi.
    Similar Products Used:Rock Shox Judy SL 100, Cannondale Headshock (original), Specialized Future Shock (1990)
    Bike Setup:Intense Tracer, Avid Mech Disc Brakes, Mavic 223 Wheelset w/ Stans tubeless, XT Group, Sram X.0 Derailluer with 7.0 Shifters, SPD 737 (they wont die) pedals.
    Bottom Line:Good fork for intermediate rider on a mid size budget.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Trey Commander a Weekend Warrior from Chattanooga, TN
    Date Reviewed: August 12, 2003
    Favorite Trail:Edwards Point
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $350.00
    Purchased At:LBS
    Strengths:Nice Ride. Stiff and accepting of downhill abuse. Light for it's price range.
    Weaknesses:Heavier than a SID. Stiction on first couple of rides. Needs lower pressure than idicated for the lightweight riders
    Similar Products Used:Judy XC
    Bike Setup:Klien Attitude Race, XT Compunent Group, Few other trimmings
    Bottom Line:Great shock for the price. This Shock combines weight and durability into one shock with plenty of style. Not seen any build quality/Durability issues like someone else mentioned. Killer Value.

    4 Chilis for overall value cause everything has room for improvement
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Ron a Cross Country Rider from Dallas, Texas
    Date Reviewed: July 23, 2003
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $360.00
    Strengths:Solid performer, stiff and responsive. A solid value for the money, more rugged than a SID.
    Weaknesses:A little heavy but certainly not out of line considering its stiffness.
    Similar Products Used:Many
    Bottom Line:The 2003 Duke SL is a much better performer than the 2002 version, and outshines the 2003 Duke XC. Rock Shox has a value and performance winner in the 2003 Duke SL fork.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Redbuck a Cross Country Rider from Atlanta, Ga. USA
    Date Reviewed: July 14, 2003
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Purchased At:350
    Strengths:Cheap and it worked OK for awhile.
    Weaknesses:Bushings wore out after 150 miles.
    Similar Products Used:SID XC. Rode for 3 years without a problem.
    Bike Setup:IF Steele Dlx. w/ Avid Mech. disk, XT, yada, yada..
    Bottom Line:Not bad until it wore out after only 150 miles. Sent it back to RS through my LBS and still waiting for it after 4 weeks. Yes, I'm PO'd. This is not only a bad product (as far as durability) but even worse service! I'll be replacing it ASAP with a White Bros., which is on order. Anybody want to buy a nearly new rebuilt shock?
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by Eric Parent a Weekend Warrior from Quebec
    Date Reviewed: May 16, 2003
    Favorite Trail:Coaticook
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Price Paid: $450.00
    Purchased At:Gagné Vélo Ski
    Strengths:"Plushy" on compression and also on rebound.
    Weaknesses:Stiction on the first few rides.
    Noisy squeak when I start during the first few minutes of riding.
    Not much adjustment possible on the rebound knob... Only 90 degres but I wish I had more possibilities.
    Similar Products Used:Marzocchi Z2 Atom Bomb '99, Rock Shox Judy SL '00.
    Bike Setup:GT i-Drive 3.0 '01 (international version)
    Bottom Line:This fork seems a lot more tough than my previous Rock Shox which was a SID '01.
    Less nervous than SID but much more adaptative to the trail.

    I like it so far.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Justin Hartman a Cross Country Rider from Setauket Ny, USA
    Date Reviewed: January 16, 2003
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $250.00
    Purchased At:supergo
    Strengths:stiff, nice rebound un allround good fork
    Weaknesses:squeaks a lot during the begining of riding
    Similar Products Used:judy xc
    Bike Setup:gt
    Bottom Line:Very good inexpensive fork. U want a fairly cheap xc fork this is the one u are looking for
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:3






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