Submitted by
Tim Kane
a Weekend Warrior
from Braintree Date Reviewed: December 15, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Wompatuk Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
bicycle link, Weymouth, MA
Strengths:
works very well for the price
Weaknesses:
don't like the name.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
stock Trek 4500
Bottom Line:
I'm new to mountain biking. This was my first season. Now I love it. I suppose as I bike more I may desire more performance. My use has been been trials, probably better described as more cross country. Lots of rock banging, tight cornering. Not much jumping. For now, this front end works great. I can't see what more you could ask for from a front end so I suppose that's because I'm new to it. It has not failed me yet after beating it up pretty good for a season. Almost no maintenance outside of wipe the dirt off and a light spray with oil every now and then.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rick SCHOCK
a Cross Country Rider
from Kingston, Ont. Canada Date Reviewed: March 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:
MacAuley Mtn, Picton
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Great fork for the price. I needed an inexpensive fork that would be reliable, strong and last a couple of years as an upgrade to the bike's original fork. I like the U-Turn capability. I can lower the fork while riding and the fully-extended setting allows the fork to absorb almost all bumps/hits (within reason).
Weaknesses:
With the fork dialed down to the least travel, I find it doesn't absorb little bumps/chatter much. Also, you have to get off the bike to extend the travel.
Similar Products Used:
The Judy SL is a nice upgrade for my bike's original 1998 RockShox Indy XC.
Bike Setup:
Cross country hardtail, steel bike. Nothing special.
Bottom Line:
For 100 bucks it is a great deal for the fork but I wouldn't pay above $150. The U-Turn feature is handy and the fork has proven to be reliable and stiff over a full season of cross country riding. It is a simple old-tech fork so doing any downhill or jumps over 2 feet would be asking for trouble or at least disappointment.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ricardo Vasquez
a Cross Country Rider
from Quito, Ecuador Date Reviewed: December 18, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$170.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
Cheap! the best u can get for that price, infinite travel adjustment 70mm-100mm, extremely durable, easy manteinance, nice damping, can handle 4 ft drops, didn´t leak until now
Weaknesses:
coil is way too stiff, does not absorb small bumps, in a XC race your hands can suffer a lot, weight, U-turn kinda hard to turn, preload is not functional at all
Similar Products Used:
rock shox psylo, marzocchi mx comp, marzocchi mx pro eta tas, some cheap SRsuntour, RST omega
Bike Setup:
GT avalanche 2.0, sram x7 shifters and derailleurs, shimano deore crankset, avid brake system
Bottom Line:
Not so good if u wanna go pro, only good if u really dont want to spend more than 200 you can get a marzocchi for less than $100 more
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC Date Reviewed: March 31, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
U- turn offers a lots travel adjustability. Durable.
Weaknesses:
Too Stiff for an entry level fork. U-turn is really hard to turn. No compression, lockout, rebound or any other extermal adjustment. Every small bump is felt.
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox Psylo
Bike Setup:
Giant Rainer
Bottom Line:
When i got my bike the first thing i noticed was how much the travel i could adjust After a few hard cranks I was down to 75mm of travel. Whenever I use the shock in the longer strokes 100-115mm there is a loud oil swishing sound on the inside since the first day. Also this fork is wayy too stiff considering that it has 115mm of travel on an XC frame.... at least it won't bottom. Because its so stiff it doesnt respond to small bumps at all shaking me up pretty bad at times. However, it has been really reliable so far no serious problems except for the fact that it is slowly leaking oil leaving rings of it on my stantions at times.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Nashua, NH USA Date Reviewed: March 16, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
U-Turn is great. Plush, magnesium fork legs.
Weaknesses:
None that I can think of........
Bottom Line:
Don't pass this fork up, especially for the price. I raced with this fork in my weekly training races and had no problems keeping up with people running forks 3 times as expensive.
Overall I'm super impressed with its performance. Over 6 months of use and it has required little to no servicing and hasn't skipped a beat.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
lpdot
a Cross Country Rider
from Minsk, Belarus Date Reviewed: August 25, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Strengths:
Long travel, looks good, the HydraCoil damper works nicely.
Weaknesses:
Stock spring may be too hard for riders under 70 kgs. Does not absorb the small bumps very good.
Similar Products Used:
SR Suntour M9050 (coil + MCU)
Bike Setup:
Kelly's Quartz hardtail frame + various Shimano components
Bottom Line:
For the price you can't buy any better. It's a really good and comfortable fork for urban and novice cross-country riding. RockShox ships the fork with 3 different springs - be sure to choose the right one for your weight.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
john j
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX Date Reviewed: August 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Walnut Creek
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came with Bike
Strengths:
I do not think this shock is all that bad. You are able to adjust the PSI for different weight riders and adjust the rebound and tension; which you can pretty much lock the shock out. I am sure you can get this shock for 180 or so online, which make is a pretty decent deal
Weaknesses:
kinda heavy
Bike Setup:
motobecane fly pro
Bottom Line:
a good shock for <$200
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Deerfield, Illinois, USA Date Reviewed: July 2, 2005
Good shocks for a novice. They work well for cross country and freeriding and just around town. Has some trouble with big jumps, so wouldn't be good for downhill. Picks up little bumps and 3' jumps very well though. Otherwise very good and good longevity.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Don
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodland Hills, Ca. Date Reviewed: June 19, 2005
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Works well. Does what it's supposed to do.
Weaknesses:
No rebound damping adjustment.
Similar Products Used:
Various over the years.
Bike Setup:
Ironhorse Rogue (stock).
Bottom Line:
Fork came with bike mail ordered from Supergo. The U-turn feature was cracked and the fork internals were frozen, right out of the box. After having parts replaced (Rox Shox paid for parts) the seals leaked. After 6 mos. of riding, there is considerable fore and aft play in fork stantions. other than that, it works fine.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Corrie Elieff
a
from Cambridge Ontario Canada Date Reviewed: May 20, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Hydro Cut, Waterloo
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$180.00
Purchased At:
Gears and Grills
Strengths:
Great travel and clearance, for the price you cant beat it. Amazing bang for buck. Smooth fork.
Weaknesses:
The u-turn adjustment is stiff, hard to adjust, and the rubber on the adjuster wore out quickly
Great Fork for the money, a good investment. Far Supurior to the Judy TT, but if your looking for and XC fork, go for the Duke, or Pilot. Great fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tim
a Cross Country Rider
from new zealand Date Reviewed: May 17, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
the u-turn is handy
Weaknesses:
stiffness, overall performance
Bike Setup:
giant NRS 3
Bottom Line:
An OK shock for price especially with a U-turn feature but if you want performance or ajustability then judy wont please you I've used it for cross-country and found that it doesn't take the bumps nicely.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan Hansen
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA Date Reviewed: February 12, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Mission Trails
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$109.00
Strengths:
Inexpensive. U-Turn is a nice feature.
Weaknesses:
HEAVY! Seems to "springy". Suspension is too stiff.
Similar Products Used:
RockShox Pilot SL
Bottom Line:
If you are looking for performance then look elsewhere. I would highly recommend to upgrade to atleast the Pilot series. But if all you want is something extremely basic then you can't beat the price.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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