Submitted by
jump mi'bike
a
from BC Date Reviewed: April 28, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
all
Weaknesses:
none. (except the stanction coating but thats just one small point)
Similar Products Used:
00 judy, 02 boxer, 05 pike coil u-turn, 05 gran fondo 2
Bike Setup:
06 blizzrd, setback seatpost, dues xc flatbar. xt build.
Bottom Line:
i used to have the pike (with a firm spring) on this bike. it was swapped in to do the job last year after spending 2 other seasons on my AM/FR bike. the bike was just too light to use enough of the suspension effectively, plus it was pretty heavy for a bike like this and i wasn't using the top 20mm of travel setting anyway. i like the feel and setup this is a big improvement in small bump control, and weight. i have scratched the coating on the stanctions in the past which in turn causes the top seals to not work, but since the 05 it seemed to be better. less soft. if i had been using the whole 140mm, i might have gone with the van 32, or possibly float, but, the f120 was out of my range and this had got terrific reviews. so i put it on and swapped the motion control from my pike. long-term reliability aside, this fork is terrific. and i like the lockout being at the top of the travel, it allows for me to have a near rigid for commuting with a upright position. and a great suspension for off road. mine set at 115+ 110-
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Submitted by
Robert Metz
a
from St.Louis Mo, 63049 Date Reviewed: March 31, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Lhandal KC MO.
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
I like the adjustability and how plush it felt.
Weaknesses:
Didnt like how soft the lockout felt at times.
Similar Products Used:
Cannondale Left Carbon
Bike Setup:
Kona Kula ultra light aluminum, Bontrager Race lite X wheels, XTR shifters and derailleur, XT cranks, Thomson stem/seatpost, and Ritchey WCS rizer bar.
Bottom Line:
Pretty Decent fork. Good feel and nice weight very stable. I blew the seal(s) between the positive and negative air chambers. Sram corp. was awesome with rebuilding it but I blew it out the next weekend. I plan on replaceing it with a Marzzocchi. I ride hard and this could just be a fluke thing I did ride it for almost a year and I didnt have any complaints other then not like how it felt while locked out.
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Submitted by
Dean
a Cross Country Rider
from UK Date Reviewed: March 1, 2008
Favorite Trail:
The Next One
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
JEJames
Strengths:
Strong with no flex; adjustable +ve and -ve air; adjustable travel; external rebound adjust; choice of v-brake and disc brake mounts; not too expensive
Weaknesses:
never use the lock out and floodgate
Similar Products Used:
None - only rigid forks
Bike Setup:
Alite 4000, XT/717 wheels, Mono mini brakes, Shimano gearing
Bottom Line:
These are my first bouncy forks and they are excellent. I used to get aching finger joints after every ride, but not any more!
It was difficult to decide which to buy, but the good reviews and a special deal made me plump for these. It was a good decision.
I like being able to adjust the behaviour of the forks to suit me and my style of riding (a pump is supplied). Also, the forks are adaptable to range of brake and frame setups. When I bought them, the forks had 100mm travel, but changing them to 85mm was pretty easy and took just 30 mins (spacers supplied although finding the right oil was a bit tricky). These forks are strong too. Even with my 95kg pounding down on them, there is no flex at all.
My only issue is that I paid for the lock out and floodgate features (both in terms of money and weight), but never use them. Locking the forks throws the geometry of the frame out and makes cycling uphill unecessarily more tiring, even on 85mm of travel. The next forks I buy will not have this feature. Mind you, if I hadn't bought forks with this feature, I wouldn't have found out that I didn't need it.
Buy these forks if you are upgrading and want to try out a variey of high end features.
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Submitted by
duncan giblin
a Cross Country Rider
from tasmania australia Date Reviewed: November 18, 2007
Favorite Trail:
www.kellevie24.com trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
cyclingo
Strengths:
light strong relaible, tunable and set and forget, lockout with flood gate is awsome,great fork
Weaknesses:
none, the guy who sold it to me had 80s hair ;)
Similar Products Used:
manitou splice, recons
Bike Setup:
orbea lanza frame with race face evolve xc cranks,xtr wheelset, xt drive train and brakes, reba race forks(obviously)
Bottom Line:
these are bombdiggity and i have been pretty hard on mine but they have been sweet im glad i didn get fox i would have paid more and id int think they would be as good.
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Submitted by
dennis
a Weekend Warrior
from lancaster, calif Date Reviewed: November 3, 2007
Favorite Trail:
dirt
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$470.00
Purchased At:
jenson
Strengths:
light,easy to set up. not alot of flex. they,re not pretty, i got my moneys worth
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
rock shox dart 3
Bike Setup:
marin,sram x9,avid,thompson,moots
Bottom Line:
the first time out i knew i would never have to research the web for a good fork again. these forks made me feel more confident on my favorite downhill and i had more control over the rough stuff.
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Submitted by
James
a Weekend Warrior
from Charlottesville, VA Date Reviewed: October 1, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$290.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Great feel for a fronk fork, easy to tune, good paint job.
Weaknesses:
None as of yet.
Similar Products Used:
Minute Sliver, 1:00, etc.
Bike Setup:
Jamis XC Comp
Bottom Line:
This is a fantastic front fork for general cross country use and freeriding. Far better than any other front forks I've used (mostly Minutes). Took it to Sherando Lake this weekend and it did very well on the rock garden type downhills. Have it set up at 110psi + and 100psi -, and I've yet to come close to bottoming it out (I weigh 170). If you're unsure whether to get the remote pop-lok adjustment, I'd say skip it. The adjustment on top of the shock stanchion is easy to see and adjust, and I just reach down to lock it out on uphills.
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Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Novato, CA Date Reviewed: August 22, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Pogonip
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$353.00
Purchased At:
eBikestop
Strengths:
ADJUSTABLE. Good bang for the buck. Stiffness-to-weight is high. Easier to service and cheaper than competing Fox models. Build quality and seals are good.
Weaknesses:
Lockout is compression-damping only (mitigated by adjustable blow-off valve). Poploc remote is flimsy, with a rather primitive cable clamp. Air-oil damping makes wheezing sounds (but you get used to it). Rockshox user manual does not go far enough in instructing the user of all of the tuning options, and some of the recommended air pressures do not translate to the advertised sag and travel ranges.
I love this fork. If you get deal on an OEM version, it absolutely can't be beat for anywhere near the price.
Adjusting this component can become a hobby for the chronic tweaker - check out the "Reba fine tuning" thread on the "Let's talk about shocks" forum.
The lockout has its pros and cons: it's easy to use, and has an adjustable blow-off valve and remote option. On the other hand, full compression damping lockout on a fork puts you at full shock extension while climbing, unlike the Marzocchi ETA that locks the fork down for better weight distribution uphill. A rebound damping lockout would be useful here.
Still, the 32 mm stanchions and dual bushings make for a relatively flex-free experience - does anyone know of another 115 mm single-crown fork this stiff and adjustable at under 4 lbs, for less than $500?
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Submitted by
Pedalitup
a Cross Country Rider
from Oregon Date Reviewed: August 1, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$416.00
Purchased At:
lowest price possible
Strengths:
Stiffness to weight ratio is amazing. It increases my confidence to tackle ruts, rocks and roots at speed. Easy to setup and the adjustments all work as claimed. You can buy two for the price of one similar Fox product.
Weaknesses:
No post mount for caliper means 2 more screws to possibly come loose.
Similar Products Used:
various sid's = spaghetti, Manitou Skarebs = el dente at best
Bike Setup:
FSA OS Kforce XC bar, Titec carbon wrap 7075 Pluto stem and Xyclone disc wheel on Salsa El Santo.
Bottom Line:
What waterbars? This fork steers better than anything I've ever used. The increased capability is well worth the extra half pound. I recommend the Reba to anyone who's hung up on a gram scale as a measure of product performance. This is among the best parts I've ever purchased for any bike. Go SRAM and may the force be with you.
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Submitted by
Gary Fleming
a Cross Country Rider
from Torrance, CA Date Reviewed: July 16, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Strawberry Peak
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$430.00
Purchased At:
Performance Bicycles
Strengths:
Great tuneability. Excellent quality. Easily as good or better than the Fox Floats I have used. Supple over all type of terrain yet an excellent climber if tuned properly (see the REBA fine tuning forum here and my post). I love the push loc lever for quick transitions from out of saddle climbing to fully active downhill...
Weaknesses:
The included pump gauge did not read accurately, but this was more of an annoyance as it was consistently off and I use 25% sag versus recommended air pressures and noted the measured pressure at optimal sag.
Similar Products Used:
Fox Float RLC
Bike Setup:
Intense Tracer w/ Push Tuned Fox Float rear shock
Bottom Line:
just switched from a Fox Float 100RLC to a 07 Reba Race. The fork worked flawlessly. It was much more supple than my Fox was. I love the push loc on long steep fire road climbs as I can jump out of saddle and grind up the short steep sections without any fork bob. I leave it off the rest of the time and the fork used 100 mm of it's travel without bottoming out. It handled fast rocky single track, whoops and rock gardens all equally well.
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Submitted by
Scotty J
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, IL, USA Date Reviewed: May 25, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
new sram components
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Psylo Race Manitou Minute 3:00 Rock Shox SID
Bike Setup:
'07 KHS XC Team (Shimano)
Bottom Line:
I was a little weary about going with the Rock Shox becuase I was very unhappy with my Psylo. That was before Rock Shox started using SRAM. I had heard a lot of good things about the new Rock Shox so I wanted to try it with an unbiased outlook. I set the positive and negative air to 115. The shock is really active and super smooth. I set the shock to this and it works flawlessly. I rarely use the poploc feature but it works really good. I have never been big on lockout features. So far the shock has held air really well and has worked smoothly. I would def recommend for a racer or cross country rider. With 4" of travel you can't do crazy drops or anything extreme like that. The fork also doesn't flex much so it steers where you want it to go. I gave it a 4 for value since the msrp on these forks is insane but I got mine stock on my KHS XC Team.
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Submitted by
Justin Poland
a Cross Country Rider
from Birmingham, AL Date Reviewed: April 9, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Oak Mountain
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$440.00
Purchased At:
Cahaba Cycles
Strengths:
Smooth, very easy to tune and the pop-lock feature helps me stay focused and keep both hands on the bars in techincal terrain. Five tuning options: positive air, negative air, rebound, floodgate, and compression (lock-out). Something that I didn't know about this fork prior to the purchase was how the floodgate works. If you wanted to ride with the fork locked-out until you reach a rocky section and let the fork do the work of disengaging the lock-out then you set the sensitivity of the floodgate. The force applied by a rocky section will then disengage the lock based on the sensitivity that you set and then the fork is active or bobbing. Great fork!
Weaknesses:
I only got one rock shox sticker out of the deal.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Dart 1- really not a comparison.
Bike Setup:
Stock Silver 07' Trek 6000, Salsa stem and Rock Shox Reba Fork
Bottom Line:
I believe this fork has added to my technical ability as a rider and according to the guys at Cahaba, they service more Fox Forks than Rock Shox Forks so I'm sold!
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Submitted by
brappa brappa
a
from ahem Date Reviewed: March 21, 2007
Favorite Trail:
one with the least horse poo
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$255.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Light. Poploc.
Weaknesses:
Still waiting.
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox Tora 318 , Manitou Axel Elite
Bike Setup:
06 superlight, thompson post/stem, koobi au enduro saddle, cane creek terros wheels, rockshox reba race
Bottom Line:
I consider this my first "upscale" fork. Right away you notice the weight savings... a whole pound off the Tora originals. Bike jumps up and scoots. It came minus a Poploc and I rode it that way for a month. Almost decided not to get the Poploc for simplicity sake, but ultimately got it, and glad I did. No expert, but I inherited a whole lot more talent by springing for these forks. A bunch more control and confidence in attacking the curliest technical stretches with these. Can't tell you how they compare to equivalent Fox. But I am extremely happy, especially at the price I paid.
$
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