Submitted by
Biker Kai
a Cross Country Rider
from Scottish Borders Date Reviewed: October 25, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Glentress
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$370.00
Purchased At:
www.chainreactioncyc
Strengths:
Adjustability and quality.
Bike Setup:
A very well used but heavily upgraded Spesh Hardrock - Avid Juicy 5 brakes, Mavic wheels, shimano LX gears, Kenda Nevegal tyres.
Bottom Line:
I've used the Reba SL forks for exactly a year and they are now off to Tim Flooks Tuning for a well earned service. I hadn't realised that they cam set up for just 85mm of travel. As I use the bike for XC trail stuff as well as ventures into the local hills, I am getting the fork travel maxed out. In theory this should be 115mm but the reality is probably a little less.
The forks have been very good so far but of late I think the seals have started leaking. That said, I do tend to use the bike a lot.
Well worth taking the time to set up the sag properly and then experimenting with different settings.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a
from Philippines Date Reviewed: August 15, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Bottom Line:
this is my second review for this product. its so good that i bought a second unit. enough said.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Gardner MA USA Date Reviewed: August 6, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Leominster State Forest
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Not too heavy, extremely adjustable, looks cool, stiff, plush for an air fork
Weaknesses:
I could only find one in silver, still looks cool though
Similar Products Used:
Pilot C
Bike Setup:
Kona Bear, set up as a light AM bike
Bottom Line:
If you want a plush light and adjustable fork this is the one you should get. You can get them real cheap now too. Just go buy one.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Prescott, AZ. USA Date Reviewed: August 3, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
price point
Strengths:
Looks good, easy to use, set it and go
Weaknesses:
Have not found one yet.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Mx Pro w/ETA, Rock Shock Pilot
Bike Setup:
Giant Trance, Reba Sl Uturn, Sram XO shifters, XO rd, XT fd, WTB Laser Disc Lite Wheel set, Kenda Tires, Race Face Dues XC cranks, Avid BB7 brakes, Easton bar, Race Face Dues stem and seat post, Ti Tec seat
Bottom Line:
This is an easy to use fork that can take a betting. I like to ride fast single track but here in Arizona there is alot of rock and you miss some and you hit alot. I have jumped on this fork many times maybe 3 feet high and have not had any problems. I have only aired it up twice and one time was just because I was just playing with the settings. This fork rides so well and the price is so great I just cannot see see paying more for another brand. If you can get one you will not regret it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Enrique
a Cross Country Rider
from Mexico Date Reviewed: July 23, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$270.00
Purchased At:
wheel world
Strengths:
tons of tunes thanks to the + and - air pretty light very stiff good looking
Weaknesses:
none!
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Six
Bike Setup:
Marin Rift zone, full XT kit
Bottom Line:
great XC do-it-all fork that can handle a lot more thank a SID or R7. I've made 3 feet jumps in a 4x course and no problem, feels stiff and plush on evry jump
the dual air makes all easier and allows u to perfect, and easly adjust the fork to ur riding style, and terrain.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ming lee
a Cross Country Rider
from hk Date Reviewed: July 16, 2006
Favorite Trail:
tms
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$270.00
Purchased At:
flying ball
Strengths:
Very stiff Great price Super, super adjustability U Turn travel adjustability 115- 80mm Reliable Plush
Weaknesses:
None really
Similar Products Used:
Fox RL 100mm
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth truth
Bottom Line:
I've put many tough miles on this fork through all conditions. I've had no problems with this fork, I've recently started looking for something new but have decided to stay with this rock steady dependable and value priced fork.
I love how plush it feels on technical trails, it takes some hits and jumps (100mm)and doesn't flex. The best feature I love about this fork is the Pop valve which is the same as the new R7 Platinum pop valve and Fox fork pop valve feature. U can adjust the pop valve on the Reba to any level and is an excellent feature for climbing.
This fork has adjustments for platform, compression, ride height, lock out, and thick stiff stanchions to boot.
This fork has excellent adjustability and for the $$ really unbeatable in the market. You can pay more but won't necessarily get more, however it's probably a 1/4lb heavier than SID and R7 but not a big deal.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Gainesville, Fl. Date Reviewed: December 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Santos and 49th Ave
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
The adjustability of this fork is a major strong point. Once dialing in the correct air pressures etc. you really feel like its made for you. It is really responsive and the "blowoff" feature on lockout is great for those unexpected bumps. This thing is light as hell too: 3.4 lbs I think.
Weaknesses:
This is really minor but I think the finish on the bottom end is of lower quality than I expected. The paint looks cheap and I think that the "Reba" logo is a sticker. Again, only cosmetic.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Six, Manitou Axel Elite, this is a definite upgrade
Bike Setup:
I Build my '04 Jamis Komodo from the frame up: the Reba fork, Holzfeller Crank, LX and XT drivetrain, LX shifter/brake combo, Hayes MX-2 mechanicals, Alex TD-17s w/ 2.3" Huchinsons, Hussefelt stem and bar. Its a do-everything bike.
Bottom Line:
For me this is a serious step up from what Ive had on my other bikes. Adjustiblity, responsiveness,weight, and some great features make the 2005 a solid buy (they should be on sale at this point). The cheap stickers and cheap-looking paint are the only drawbacks considering the price range. This fork would be at home in XC, all-mountian, trails, everywhere. Ive even done a little jumping with it. Great fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Hendry Chau
a Weekend Warrior
from Kota Kinabalu,Sabah,Malaysia Date Reviewed: November 9, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Bukit Padang
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
stiff,suck every bum,no complaint about the performance.
Weaknesses:
U-turn dail plastic very fragile. once felt down sure broken apart and cannot get one here. i wrote to sram but no reply.
Similar Products Used:
SID
Bike Setup:
specialized stumpjumper, full xt disc groupset except xo shifter/rd,gobi seat thompson stem and satpost and eastern monkeylite handlebar
Bottom Line:
i bought this fork for change the SID fork i use in my fullsuspension stumpy. well u can imagine how this fork work on fullsuspension bike. i set 100 mm front and 90 mm rear. all the single trek u feel like a carpet only. graet value but the back up service bad... where can i get the u-turn dail?????
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jerome Le Sueur
a Weekend Warrior
from Cape Town Date Reviewed: October 12, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Anywhere Fun
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came fitted on Bike from Bowmans Cycles
Strengths:
Nice and Stiff, Lockout and has a good adjustability.
Weaknesses:
Can tell yet, other than I am still to get the fork to compress to 100mm - I need to play with the settings!
Similar Products Used:
RockShox Quadra 21R, RST Gamma EL, Manitou Skareb Elite - in that order
Bike Setup:
Stock Standard Scott RC 30
Bottom Line:
I am enjoying this fork. When I first upgraded to the Skareb I thought it was great and now running the Reba I am even more impressed - the Skareb was quite flexxy compared to the Reba. Under hard bracking the fork holds out well and performs well in tricky single track sittuations. Just need to play with the settings and see what she is really capable of (The shop set it up for me).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Weekend Warrior
from Florida Date Reviewed: September 29, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$270.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint
Strengths:
Took my new Reab SL out for a ride today. Very nice. Smooth, active fork with good travel. Stiff, steers good, very solid. It is fairly lightweight for a 100mm fork. 3.5 pounds for the dual air SL. Cheaper than the Reba Race, exact same features.
Weaknesses:
The negative air valve is kinda tricky. At first I thought it was not holding air or it was leaking. What I figured out was that as I unscrewed my shock pump, most of the air was escaping. Don't screw on your shock pump too far. It has threads all the way up, but only screw it on until your gauge moves, then start pumping.
Similar Products Used:
Black Elite Air, Fox Float R
Bike Setup:
2002 Giant NRS1 w/ long travel rockers. I set positive so I have about 1/2 inch sag, then set negative to same PSI. More air in the negative makes it sensitive to smaller bumps. Full open setting. I don't use the lock compression setting,thus didn't change threshold setting. It's a suspension fork....why have it locked?
Bottom Line:
I don't think you will find a better 3.5 pound, 85-115mm travel, beefy fork for less than $300. If you are a racer or someone that does huge drops, maybe this fork is not for you. It's great for the weekend warrior. If you have a wad of money burning a hole in your pocket, there are better forks out there. I'll use the money I saved for beer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Quezon City, Philippines Date Reviewed: September 15, 2005
This is an upgrade from my previous Rockshox Pilot XC. So far, so good. The lockout is great, as well as the travel adjustment. The weight is only the downside. Maybe if I have the dough, I'll upgrade to a SID. Then, tranfer the Reba to an all-mountain bike. That's a big "if" and "when".
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tim
a
from Nelson, New Zealand Date Reviewed: September 7, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$375.00
Purchased At:
ae bike
Strengths:
Plush,adjustments,strenth
Weaknesses:
none
Bottom Line:
This is an awsome shock. I upgraded to this from a RS Judy (useless) and was very pleased the air pressure adjustment is very useful as you can change it slightly for the different areas you ride, the lock-out is good I just have a crown mounted adjuster it saves money for the effet of taking your hand off the handlebar to change the dial, the rebound works, and I got the shoch with U-turn which is just about the best bit, a bit more travel on the downhill and a bit less on the uphill makes a lot of difference.Shame they can't have travel adj on the fly. They have not given me a single problem apart from I lose a bit of travel (10-15mm) when I put in the recomended negative air pressure but I get round that by just putting less air in. All in all a significant upgrade from the last RS.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jef
a Cross Country Rider
from Belgium Date Reviewed: August 8, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
when working this fork does the job
Weaknesses:
i'm experiencing simular problems with this thing as mentioned by some other riders in the 'reba race' review. after a couple of months this fork started to lose air at every obstacle ( even the smallest pebble on a horizontal path) It's now been brought back in since repumping the thing was not the solution
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
gary fisher rig singlespeed
Bottom Line:
something is wrong with this fork and i dont know what it is yet... Sram is dealing with it now
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eyal
a
from Israel Date Reviewed: July 3, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$290.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
Stiff but light-weight. And the price...
Weaknesses:
None yet. Hope the air will hold.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Black Elite. Nothing to compare. Only the price was similar.
Bike Setup:
Specialized Stumpjumper Elite 2004.
Bottom Line:
At that price, you MUST upgrade your XC bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric Grootveld
a Cross Country Rider
from Ames, IA USA Date Reviewed: June 17, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Seven Oaks
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Bike World Ames
Strengths:
Stiff, plush, reasonable weight, steering precision is great.
Weaknesses:
Not exactly a featherweight fork
Similar Products Used:
Fox Float, RockShox SID, Duke, Manitou, Marzocchi
Bike Setup:
Giant Trance with Dual Control XT, XT cranks, stock otherwise
Bottom Line:
98% of the fork that a Fox Float is, but a lot less $. Great for everyone but the most hardcore XC racers (get a SID) or if you need something beefier, get a thru-axle.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick Wallace
a Cross Country Rider
from Rugeley Date Reviewed: June 15, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Back O d'ranges Cannock Chase
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$492.00
Purchased At:
Swinnerton Cycles
Strengths:
Good rigidity,Steers well.U-turn
Weaknesses:
Pain to set up
Similar Products Used:
Pilot sl
Bike Setup:
2004 GT I Drive.xt gear.rapid rise mech.
Bottom Line:
Great xc fork.pop lock is just what you need for lung bustin ascents.u turn gives good trail sensitive adjustability and allows me to set the bike up just nice!Never bottoms out and makes the rooty rocky sigletrack feel like blacktop through my arms!all in all an excellent xc fork!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Johnson City, TN Date Reviewed: June 13, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$388.00
Purchased At:
jensonusa.com
Strengths:
Stiff, motion control works well, looks really mean. Very user friendly maintenance and repair.
Weaknesses:
Had an issue with a twisted o-ring when I first bought the fork, Rock Shox fixed the problem and I was only without a fork for about 10 days.
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Superlight
Bottom Line:
The shizzle.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeremy
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne VIC Australia Date Reviewed: May 17, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
On 2005 Giant Trance 2
Strengths:
Stiff, extremely adjustable, plush, Floodgate compression damping, tracks very well
Weaknesses:
Really, none yet...
Similar Products Used:
Many (currently also Duke XC and Skareb Platinum SPV on other bikes)
The adjustability of this fork makes variation in setup easy. After following the recommendations, I played with it in various other settings. What you have is a very flexible (settings!) fork with good compression, rebound and +/- spring ranges which allow easy tuning to match the back end of a full susser. The fork is stiff, doesn't deflect easily and is reasonably light for a 4" fork and plush as you like - I've also experienced no disk rub, as another reviewer reports. The floodgate and (remote 'PopLoc') allow a variety of compression settings (easily adjustable, in a great tip from another reviewer, if you pull out the rebound compression adjuster knob and use that) and is easily locked out for out of the saddle efforts. I've used a great number of other forks on lots of bikes, and I'm happy to say the Reba is a great package. As with all highly adjustable forks, be patient and put the time in to nail your settings. You won't be disappointed!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff Blackston
a Cross Country Rider
from Costa Rica Date Reviewed: May 5, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$320.00
Purchased At:
BlueSkyCycling
Strengths:
Very Stiff, Light, easily tunable, Disc-only option
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Duke, SID and Judy
Bike Setup:
Custom Steel Hardtail
Bottom Line:
Fork works very nicely: stiff with no deflection, easily adjustable. I like the SL because the floodgate is still very easily adjustable on the trail (if you need to adjust), as the rebound knob doubles as floodgate wrench. I set floodgate about medium blow-off and always run the fork in lock compression mode. However, i didn't follow the recommended pos and neg air pressures. I'm 170 and run about 100 positive and 85 negative.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from North Georgia Date Reviewed: April 28, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$285.00
Purchased At:
AEBike
Strengths:
Stiff and plush. Very low weight. Floodgate/Compression control is awesome on long fire road type climbs. PRICE!!!
Weaknesses:
You can't get an SL in citrus.
Similar Products Used:
Fox, Manitou, etc
Bike Setup:
Turner Burner with all the good stuff built kind of light-ish.
Bottom Line:
I had a Manitou Black Elite on the bike prior to the Reba and this is a HUGE upgrade. I have the dual air version set at 100mm. This fork soaks up the bumps so much better than the Black. It doesn't deflect off stuff in the trail like the Black. It feels tons stiffer. A much more confident ride. I would recommend the SL instead of the Race or Team. I'm not big on all the handlebar mounted adjusters, etc. The floodgate is easy to adjust even on the trail since the rebound knob doubles as a wrench for that. This fork is light, cheap, and works as good as any Fox I have ridden.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chad
a Cross Country Rider
from Loveland, CO Date Reviewed: February 28, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Hall Ranch/Devil's Backbone
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$365.00
Purchased At:
mtnhighcyclery.com
Strengths:
Tuneability (compression, rebound, pos/neg, motion control, U-turn travel adjust). Travel is just about right for HT/short travel dual-suspension.
Weaknesses:
too soon to say. I have not experienced any problems.
Similar Products Used:
Marz Z1 SL, Marz Atom 100, Fox Vanilla, Manitou Mars
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth Isis/King/Syncros/SRAM
Bottom Line:
The value of this fork is excellent. It's fairly stiff and looks good. The set up was pretty easy. I found that I don't use all of the adjustments too much, so for me, it's wasted, but for someone who likes to mess around with the engineering, it's great. I think it would make a great SS fork. The compression lock out is easy to use so you could hammer the flats and easily open it up for the rough and DH sections.
With a good front hub, it tracks well. With the XT hubs I had, I got a lot of disc "rub" on turns.
It's plush and the damping is good. Works as advertised.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bortoletto
a Cross Country Rider
from Brazil Date Reviewed: January 17, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$450.00
Strengths:
Strong, stiff, gives confidence
Weaknesses:
Dual air is not perfect
Similar Products Used:
RS Psylo
Bike Setup:
Scott racing, race face crank, shimano XT
Bottom Line:
I was waiting to ride (little hard) this fork before submmited this review. RS Reba is really nice, showing up strong and stiff. Regarding motion damping control it´s terrific, works very well in big climbs, very friendly. The main problem is Dual Air System. I set up the positive pressure with 115 psi and the negative with 90 psi and after got 80 km with hard trail (many downhills in which one of them had 11 km) the air into positive pressure leak to negative pressure rises the pressure to 140 psi however the forks still worked fine. As the results, the travel was reduced. I´m really up set regarding this point because if it´s a fail design RS wouldn´t launch this product. In the end I got such trail in the past with a national fork and hardly had some problem. I expect not carry a pump during a race for fix such problem after ride for a bit.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
kimo lee
a Weekend Warrior
from costa rica Date Reviewed: January 14, 2005
Favorite Trail:
arenal
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Strengths:
Great fork.very strong,flex free, great on the fly travel ajustment.
Weaknesses:
Realatively new system ...but it works!
Bike Setup:
2002 giant NRS AIR xtr drivetrain Hayes mag brakes
Bottom Line:
Exelent allaround fork.very tunable and looks very durable.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kayu
a Weekend Warrior
from Penang Date Reviewed: January 8, 2005
This fork gives me more confident as it looks strong look (actually strong) compare to the SID that I used before. I bought this fork for my NRS but later I fixed it on my new Scott Scale Hardtail. This is the most value of money adjustable fork (85 - 115) with light weight. The adjustable travel gives me flexibility to adjust it low when climbing and high when decending.
Strongly recommend this fork to those thinking of buyig new fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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