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Fox Racing Shox
TALAS RLC
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Average Rating
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4.45/5
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# of Reviews
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56
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MSRP
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$ 699.00
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Weight
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Description:The TALAS R, RL, and RLC are the ultimate lightweight freeride suspension forks. The premium PSC chassis SDC damper system and the NEW TALAS air spring system make this the most adjustable fork for the ultimate lightweight freeride bike.
- Single Schrader air valve allows easy one-time tuning setup
- Easy spinning TALAS allows on the fly travel adjustment at 3mm per click from 85 to 125mm. Pressure and spring rates change automatically to correct setting as travel is decreased.
- IFP with Secondary air chamber provides linear air spring through entire travel for the best bump absorption.
- SLT - 4 custom SLT seals are used in the NEW TALAS system to provide the lowest friction and maintenance.
- Fox Quality Billet CNC parts used throughout the TALAS system
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Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Reno, NV
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Downieville | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Craigslist | | Strengths: | Plush, fully adjustable, The best fork I have ever rided. | | Weaknesses: | Leaks a little more than I would like, But any fork is going to seep a little oil past the seals. | | Similar Products Used: | Z1 | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakar, XT/XTR drivetrain, Hayes HFX-9 | | Bottom Line: | This fork is such an insane upgrade over my last fork it is hard to know were to begin. Bottom-Line: I love this fork and would recommend it to anyone who can get their hands on one | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Maui
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light weight, stiff, adjustable everything | | Weaknesses: | Huh? | | Similar Products Used: | SID,Black,Dropoff,Superfly,Boxxer, 888 | | Bike Setup: | Switchblade, PUSH TALAS front and rear sus. | | Bottom Line: | Not perfect for everyone, but perfect for me. Get a professional to set your suspension for you and most of your complaints will disappear. "PUSH" will custom your ride like a dream. Tell 'em what you want and they WILL deliver. To all the haters out there, stoke somebody out by selling yours to 'em and get something else. There's no one fork for everybody. Keep looking 'til ya find yours! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Frank Daugherty
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntington Beach
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | San Juan | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$585.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Bottom Line: | A FOLLOW UP:
I had PUSH Industries to a rebuild on my TALAS R. It's a high speed rebound upgrade along with a "ProPedal" feature w/blowoff that replaces the lock lever. Still sorting out the ProPedal thing, BUT, the new rebound circuitry is amazing. The fork used to sort of compress down into its travel when going down steep stuff. It seemed like it wouldn't rebound back up in time to take the next hit. The PUSH guys put a new thingy (technical term) that stops that from happening and really lets the fork work on high speed stutter bumps. Used to the thing would run wide on me when rounding a corner with braking bumps in it, not anymore. As a bonus, I don't have to run the air pressure as high now, so it's even more supple than it was. I'm off to have the RLC rebuilt. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Cooper
a Cross Country Rider
from Olympia, WA USA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | rock candy loop | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Came on jamis bike | | Strengths: | VERY VERY smooth fork..I've tried em all and this fork is by FAR the best! Rebound and compression adjustments are spot on and easy to use. I havn't had any problems with the seals going out, so I'm not sure what thats all about. I like the feel of air very linear, springs have there stong point. Fox did an excellent job with this fork. If you want the best look no further! | | Weaknesses: | NONE...wish it would except an 8 inch rotor..but thats about it. | | Similar Products Used: | Manitou EFC, Judy downhill, Judy SL, Marzochi Z1(still using that on my hardtail!) | | Bike Setup: | Jamis dekar XLT 2.0, full xt, hayes disc brakes, Monkey light carbon bar, Easton magnesium stem, Thomson seat post, IRC trail bear tires...WTB seat. | | Bottom Line: | If you want the best this is it...I've tried em all...I will never go back to Rockshock or Manitou..EVER! Marzhochi is about the only product that can compare. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tom
a Racer
from philly
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | everything | | Weaknesses: | that i only own one | | Similar Products Used: | judy, psylo, z1, sherman breakout, and another manitou, junior t | | Bike Setup: | fsr set up as a sweet trail/race bike | | Bottom Line: | Im so impressed with the performance of this fork, that I had to post another review. Its just smooooth everywhere(well I wouldnt take it downhilling). I did a stage race this weekend that included a time trial, short track, hill climb, and to top it off a 21 mile xc race through some awesome east coast singletrack. The fork was one thing i never had to worry about. With all the adjustibility this thing has, it excelled in every event. I used the lockout with blowoff set in the middle for the short track. I dropped the travel for the hill climb. And for the xc and time trial( the time trial was at night, awesome) I ran it around four inches. great fork. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stu Abuba
a Cross Country Rider
from Watford, UK
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Afan Argoed | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Cyclopedia, Watford | | Strengths: | VERY plush ride. Ultimate settings adjustablity if you spend the time to do it. Excellent quality. | | Weaknesses: | Weight of a can of coke heavier than super light forks, but travel has it's price.. | | Similar Products Used: | Judy SL, Pilot, SID race | | Bike Setup: | Specialized M5 S-Works With Panaracer Fire XC's, Easton Carbon bars and Thomson stem | | Bottom Line: | £550 Uk price was good. I've given them 300miles of real off road battering and they've come through very well.
Excellent absortion and ride quality when I got the rebound and compression right. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
eric
a
from littleton, co. US
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Plush ride, lots of adjustment | | Weaknesses: | Seals leak oil, Not user servicable (a real pain if, when you have problems) | | Bike Setup: | Klein Palimino Team | | Bottom Line: | As can be seen in numerous reviews, the seal between the right upper tube and the lower body cylinder bleeds oil each time the fork is compressed and drips down the cylinder body and onto my wheel rims during a ride. I would really like to repair this myself to avoid being off of my bike for a week or more and then I could maintain my own fork in the future (changing oil and seals). Unfortunately the manual has some information for maintenance on other Fox Forks shocks, but doesn't give much on the Talus.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tom
a Cross Country Rider
from philly
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | got dirt | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | i love it | | Weaknesses: | none yet. i love it | | Similar Products Used: | various rock shox, sherman breakout( i love that one also for differeent reasons) junior t | | Bike Setup: | this fork is on my xc bike | | Bottom Line: | i love it. it took me three rides of playin with knobs to find the settings i liked. worth the effort! this thing is one of the best riding forks ive ridden so far. i love the talas for long steep climbs, just crank down the travel and my bike instantly becomes a climbing machine. lock it out with the threshhold on low, and its like a stable platform fork. I LOVE IT!
it is exspensive though. look for a user on ebay named DOWNTUBE1. he always seems to have these forks. if you get lucky you might score one cheap, since he posts them with no reserve.
BUY IT! I LOVE IT! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Frank Daugherty
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntington Beach CA
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | San Juan | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$585.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Stiffness, precision steering, plushness and rising rate big bump absorption | | Weaknesses: | High $$, but you get what you pay for. Adding to one reviewer, they do seem to fall into the works great from the start and don't work at all from the start. Wierd. | | Similar Products Used: | Psylo '02 | | Bike Setup: | '02 Tracer w/Fox Float RL | | Bottom Line: | Had to think about this for awhile. My '98 Z-1 was an amazing fork. Completely tunable, oil wt. and volume changes, factory progressive springs etc. Took about 3 months and a damaged shoulder from a factory underfill to get it right. With the factory tools, seals are easy to change, oil changes take 5 minutes, etc. The TALAS is WAY better. Climbing is a breeze, as you'd expect. Big hit bumps are better with the rising rate you get from air. (Yes, I know if you have 8-9 inches of downhill fork, springs are really nice.) This is much stiffer and more precise than the Z-1. Now that it's broken in, it's really plush. As plush as the Z-1, no. That thing would suck up stutter bumps like nothing else. Compared to the Z-1 ECC I bought to lock down for climbing, this is a jewel. That was crap. It didn't do anything right except climb fire roads. Yes, this is expensive, no it isn't as plush as the best springers, no it isn't even as plush as the non-travel-change Floats, but for a do it all, do it all really well, (cross your fingers you get a good one) this this is just the best. I've sold two of them letting friends ride my bike. I bought an R model to put on my no-name ti hardtail to replace a Psylo Race (do you think I really like travel adjustments??) Wrote a separate review on that. For the money, probably buy an RL, I don't use the compression adjustment that much. Bottom line, save up the beer money and buy one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Big Worm
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Good ride. | | Weaknesses: | Broken out of the box. Talas system doesn't extend after it has been compressed. At least not without getting off your bike and pushing down as hard as you can on the brake arch. Only about 115 of actual travel. I only have 122mm of stantion tube showing. | | Bottom Line: | This seems to be a problem with these forks. Too bad they don't test these things a little before they sell. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Allen
a Cross Country Rider
from France
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Esterel Nat. Park, France | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | It's all been said! | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | Manitou | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Enduro Pro | | Bottom Line: | One of the main reasons for buying this bike, along with the great value for money group set.
Has not disappointed at all. Great adjustability, rock solid, smooth as you like.
I've had no problems with oil leakage this far. Holds the air pressure well (1 top-up in 6 months).
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay
a Cross Country Rider
from Milwaukee, WI
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Plush Ride. Adjustability. | | Weaknesses: | Pumps more oil than Jed Clampett's back yard | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi Z-1 Bam | | Bike Setup: | Stock Liquid 30 | | Bottom Line: | I would give this fork the best review if grading only performance and would look no further. However, this little issue of pumping oil all over everything takes some of the fun out of owning $700 forks. On my last ride, (temp. approx. 25 degrees) my riding buddies actually watched as a little bubble formed around the right fork seal while oil oozed out creating a pipeline to the ground. Fox states this is "normal" and to just wipe them off and ride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Wethersfield, Ct, USA
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Seven Wonders | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$629.00 | | Purchased At: | Santa Clause | | Strengths: | Very Nice Fork! Pretty light for what I expected compared to my old fork. Has adjustable travel of 80-125 mm so they say. Nice recoil, lockout, and compression damping. The recoil and compression damping offer a number of different configurations. Nice lock-out with a threshold adjuster. This thing is built like a tank with very nice elements (magnesium, aluminum, etc...). So far is a great fork. | | Weaknesses: | Air pump valve is a little tricky to take off. Lock out swith interferes with the compression damping. I had some slight oil residue around the bottom of the lockout when I first bought the fork. It was probably not properly cleaned when the fork was put together. For such an expensive fork you would think that the stickers would be a little bit more eye catching. Also, for such and expensive fork you would like to try to protect your investment with some boots of stanchion guards. It's hard to find a guard for such an irregular traveling fork. | | Similar Products Used: | Fox float r rear shox. | | Bottom Line: | This is a very nice fork. The best trail riding fork on the market. If you want toughness, durability, and being able to have a large combination of adjustability this is the fork for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marcus75
a Weekend Warrior
from LA, CALI
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Local Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Adjustable, durable and fairly light. | | Weaknesses: | None as far as performance but can be expensive if you buy this by itself. | | Similar Products Used: | This is my first REAL fork on a REAL bike. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Enduro Pro w/ Time Z Pedals, Answer Protaper Carbon Handlebar and continential survivial pro tire for the rear. | | Bottom Line: | I got this stock with my Enduro Pro. It was one of the major reason I got the Enduro Pro. All the reviews are correct on this fork THIS IS ONE AWESOME FORK! This fork can withstand any punishment. The construction is very solid and is very light for a freeride type fork. The ride is very plush, I don't feel that this ride like a coil like some other riders. Maybe they should adjust the rebound? I love to adjust the travel, for the long climb, I adjust it to 100mm and for downhill I adjust it to 130mm so I can blast down!
This is a must for anyone who goes "all mountain" or very rough terrains. As far as value, this is pretty expensive but you get one of the best quality forks out there. 5 Chills all around! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob Engelhorn
a Weekend Warrior
from Kirkland, WA
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | barn burner | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | Downhill Zone | | Strengths: | Fairly light, stiff, looks cool, adjustments actually work | | Weaknesses: | Does not get as much travel as advertised, it's still an air fork | | Similar Products Used: | Everything, Fox vanilla, Z-1, Z-1SL, Firefly | | Bike Setup: | Titus Switchblade, XTR, Chris King, Thomson post and stem, Maxm bar | | Bottom Line: | I bought this fork to go with the Switchblade that I recently purchased. Don't get me wrong, this is a nice fork, but for those people who insist that it feels just like a coil fork, GET REAL. I've got a Sherman Firefly on a second Switchblade that I own and the Firefly is waaay more supple than the Fox. The Firefly is a half pound heavier, but for real trail riding, I much prefer the Firefly. Both forks are nice and stiff and I don't know of anyone that could call either fork flexy. The Fox is highly adjustable and the knobs actually work, but there is no doubt when I ride this thing that it is an air fork. There is a slight notchy feeling at the very top of the stroke. Once the fork is into its travel, it is very smooth, but again, I wouldn't confuse it with a good coil fork. One sore point is the claim of 125mm of travel. There isn't even 125mm of stantion showing above the seals. With the TALAS max'd out, my fork shows about 120mm of stantion, which means that I might get 115mm of travel if I really slam the fork. In addition, if I used the recommended air pressue, the fork would be a good candidate for the junk heap. At recommended air pressure, you can dirt jump the thing, case the landing and maybe get 100mm of travel. I thought I bought a five inch fork, not a four inch fork. In any case, the TALAS is a nice fork, but if you don't mind a little extra weight, get a Firefly or a Z-1. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Forrest
a Downhiller
from Pleasant Hill Ca
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Palos | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Strength is right! Adjustability, Weight, Feel!!! Everything. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Marz, Rockshox | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Enduro, Jericho Hardtail, Ellsworth Joker | | Bottom Line: | Can you really have a better all mountain fork? An air fork that feels like a coil without the extra weight? Adjustable from 3-5 inches! I mean come on... I've had my first Talas for just over 1 year now and the thing has yet to fail me. Never had a problem with it! It's just as smooth at the first day I rode on it. I've put well over 2000 all mountain miles on it. I've since added a few more Talas forks to my collection of bikes. Did I say adjustability? Man, every single adjustment on this fork works like a charm... I really don't use the compression adjustment all that much but rebound is another story. I use the rebound all the time and it has just the right amount of adjustment... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
c dussault
a Weekend Warrior
from Vermont
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Kingdom Trails | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | adjustaibility, lateral rigidity, it's beautiful! | | Weaknesses: | it is pricey...but worth it | | Similar Products Used: | Mag 21, '99 SID, 2001 X-fly, 2002 Marzocchi Marathon | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Blur, anodized Blue, XT Disc brakes, King/Mavic Tubeless wheels, Talas, XTR mechs, Race Face Cranks, Thomson and monkeylite tubes. | | Bottom Line: | Wow! This is air? I've always ridden air, but never a fork that felyt like this. It makes everything else- EVERYTHING- feel like a toy. I've not experienced the problems that others have, so I may just be lucky, but I am quite pleased.
I rarely use the travel adjust, usually just leave it @ 100mm and forget it. I might change it if there's a LONG stretch of trail that demands it.
As for the adjustability, (RLC) I probably could have gotten the R version and been perfectly happy...I tend to set and forget anyway. If you are fretting the steep price, get the R version. If you don't think you need to adjust travel, and you're happy with 4", get the FLOAT R. It has the same feel as the Talas, but not the over-the-top adjustability.
Still, I think this fork delivers for the $. Like everyone says, the adjustments make a very discernable difference, and the TALAS feature does work. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean C
a Cross Country Rider
from Reno, NV
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Anything in Tahoe | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | -Holds up under the worse conditions
-On the fly travel adjustment is fun
-Tracks excellent
-Love the blowout adjustment | | Weaknesses: | -Takes a while to get dialed in
-Hard to adjust rebounds and lockout when in a hurry without interfering with one another
-A little pricey for some people
-Not easily serviceable | | Similar Products Used: | RockShox SID SL, Cannondale Left | | Bike Setup: | Ironhorse Hollowpoint Team with Conti Vertical Pro's | | Bottom Line: | The fork has been excellent so far. I have not encountered a single one of the problems mentioned by the other reviewers outside of the dials getting moved when I try to lockout the shock. I've known a lot of people with a lot of different shocks and there always seems to be bad ones for every brand, so bad quality control maybe? The Talus has held up under very hard riding and hasn't let me down once. It takes big hits and does just as well on the little stuff. The adjustable blowout has been great. For long uphill climbs with occasional big jolts this is a great feature. You can lock it out but still absorb the occasional drop offs or big rocks without having to unlock the shock. The shock has saved me more than once on jumps and drop offs that would have eaten my SID alive. I weigh 180 pounds and have had no problems with flexing or bottoming out. The shock is a little bit expensive but for those who ride all sorts of terrain with a lot of varying conditions I really recommend it. I have put 350 miles on it so far and it has performed flawlessly and given me nothing but a big smile. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Bow cycle | | Weaknesses: | Having to send the fork back to fox for service | | Bottom Line: | This is a second follow up. Instead of my fork going to Cycle Works in Edmonton it had to be shipped back to Fox in the states. Its been gone almost a month and no word on its return. That is just not acceptable. It should not have developed a leak so soon and this long delay for service stinks. I have missed several rides and a couple of races because I don't have a good fork to ride. A couple more weeks and then I ask for a refund. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Cape Cod, MA
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Trail of Tears | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson USA | | Strengths: | Plush, Smooth, STIFF, Light, Versitile, Strong, Quality | | Weaknesses: | using the lock out can change the compression settings (especially when wearing gloves) | | Similar Products Used: | Noleen Mega Air, RS Indy, Judy, Manitou Magnum, Skarab | | Bike Setup: | 2000 K2 Zed-X, Thomson, XTR, Avid Mech disc, Magura hydrolic disk, Selle Italia, Vuelta Exalibur FR | | Bottom Line: | These forks are absolutely sweet! I ride everything from cross country to free ride to urban assault and these forks take it all. Travel adjustment takes only a matter of seconds even on the fly, from tight quick singletrack to a flight of stairs in a twist. All the nobs are quality machined alluminum (no cheap plastics) and I found them to be very exact and easy to use. I have yet to come accross any problems in three mounths of frequent, hard riding. Sounds like quality control may be an issue from previous reviews. The lock out and blow-off work beautifull and, when the blow-off is set to the lowest setting, can actually act as a stable platform fork. If your not carefull, you can turn the compression nob with your finger at the same as engaging/disengaging lockout, but i never found this to be an issue. 32mm stanchions means stiff as hell. They soak up everything from small roots and inconsistancies in trail to large drops (limited only by my hardtail). The perfect fork for all-mountain or one-bike-does-all applications. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary Alberta Canada
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Prarie View | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Bow cycle | | Weaknesses: | This is a follow up to my previous post. Although I remain quite happy with the fork, it is now on its way to Edmonton for service. The seal on the damping side is leaking in a very noticable way. This started during the 24Hours of Adrenalin in Canmore. The leak is getting worse and the damping is getting really soft. You can't service it yourself nor can the shop do it, so I am looking at being without the fork for at least two weeks. It has to be sent to the nearest service centre, which is in Edmonton. | | Similar Products Used: | Marzzochi MXC | | Bike Setup: | Spec Enduro with Axiom Tele seat post, Power tools stem, Time ATAC pedals. | | Bottom Line: | I bought the fork based on the Fox reputation for durability. I have not ridden enough to be seeing this kind of a problem already. The fork works well but if it can't hold up to normal riding then its not of much use. Fox should put out a TALAS specific service manual and let owners or at least shops have the knowledge to service the thing. If it requires special tools, as implied by the owner's manual, those tools should be available with the manual. I am looking at having to train for an upcoming 80K race on my old fork. I will be really mad if I have to race on it. Good thing I kept my Marzzochi that was the OEM fork.
Its worth less than half of what I payed for the TALAS but at least it hold oil. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sen
a Cross Country Rider
from singapore
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Lighweight for a tough fork
Performs way better than sid
Plushness
Colour
Finishing
long travel
price got it super cheap for fisrt hand | | Weaknesses: | The travel adjuster is totally crap , 15 clicks and 3mm each from 85 to 125 , lets count 15 X 3 = 45 , 45 + 85 = 130mm , this fork had me a hardtime adjusting to 100mm, | | Similar Products Used: | Sid Race, Sid team , Duke u turn sl 45 , fox float rl/rlc , pilot , judy | | Bike Setup: | 1 metal piece of junk | | Bottom Line: | This fork is the fork that i have been searcing for which can take the trashing of off road every week , While i was cycling in the trail , i felt abit weird as my old duke did not use to suck up as much bumps as fox , the duke made my handvibrate while going down , but its totally different from the fox u can feel different , it sucks up everything, "CHEERS TO FOX" | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Fahey
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane Australia
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Bicentenial Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | oe fitment on Trek Liquid 30 | | Strengths: | holding onto front wheel
place to hang disc brake
paper weight | | Weaknesses: | didn't hold air pressure from new
adjuster hard to rotate then just gave up completely in 2 hours | | Similar Products Used: | rock shox psylo | | Bike Setup: | Standard Trek Liquid 30
Rear shock just as useless | | Bottom Line: | Pay a truckload of money for a topline bike with top of the range forks and shock you would expect them to actually work from new. Even if you happen to have a problem you should get them fixed promptly. 3 weeks and counting. Wouldn't like them to do this on the way to Cape York 1000K's from civilisation. The flaming chili rating doesn't go low enough | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joyce Noordover
a Cross Country Rider
from Leiden, Netherlands
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Limburg-Netherlands | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$669.00 | | Purchased At: | www.Jensonusa.com | | Strengths: | - looks very nice and cool
- you can tune the fork very precisely and on your weight
- long travel
- very plush | | Weaknesses: | - expensive
- when activating lock out, compression setting changes when you don't do this carefully | | Similar Products Used: | - Rock Shox Judy TT....... | | Bike Setup: | - Scott Expert Racing
- Magura HS 33 red
- Components: Chris King, Woodman | | Bottom Line: | It is a expensive fork but you get very much for that price! It is worth it!!! It is a fork for people who are between crosscountry and freeride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ash
a Weekend Warrior
from Pacific NW
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Preston | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$595.00 | | Purchased At: | www.mtnhighcyclery.com | | Strengths: | Plush! It really does feel like a coil. Adjustments are amazing and work how they were designed. On the fly travel extension works well. Looks and feels beefy for a lightweight fork. Seems to be very stiff! Handles the chop and anything else you throw at it. | | Weaknesses: | Price! However I guess you get what you pay for, and I have to admit, it is a very well built piece of hardware. I wont call it a weakness, however the annoyance that you have read in every review about the compression dial turning, when lockout is engaged is true....however not as bad as it seems. You just have to be careful and precise and it works. Its not that big of a deal at all. Not user serviceable! However the fork is supposed to run 18 months until you have to send it in. I bet by that time, it will be easily shop serviceable. | | Similar Products Used: | Well, its not similar in any way, however my old fork was an 02 Marzocchi Bomber comp. Absolutely no comparison (taking nothing away from Marzocchi) | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Enduro. TALAS 125RLC, Kujo DH 2.5 up front. | | Bottom Line: | This really is a great fork. I have been riding it for less than a month, however I was very amazed at how plush it was out of the box.
I was fork shopping for 2 weeks, prior to purchasing this fork. The Z1 FR, was my other choice, and probably would have been on the front of my bike right now, if it was not for the TALAS's adjustability. 90% of my riding is XC with the other 10% being spent up at Whistler coming down any of their exciting trails. I wanted a fork that would hold up to the punishment of Whistler, 7 or 8 days a year. The Z1 probably would have been a better fork for that purpose, however since the other 90% of my time is spent XC, I could not look past the TALAS. Especially with all the good reviews.
The adjustability is amazing and easy. The travel adjustment is by far the best feature, and it really is that easy to adjust. When they say on the fly, they really mean it. It was very easy to raise or lower the travel while I was pedaling. I tend to run it at 100mm, however if I know there is a stretch of DH approaching, I will turn the dial 7 click to the left and presto, I am now riding at 125mm. If you are a good enough rider to really notice the difference, it is worth it.
The compression and rebound dials work as they should. It is a little harder to adjust these on the fly, however for the first couple of rides, I generally have left them in the middle. However you can certainly feel the difference when either of them is dialed 1 or 2 clicks in either direction.
The performance of this fork, is almost too good to be true, for an air fork. It does soak up everything in its path, from small studder bumps to larger tree roots. If you roll very slowly up to a gutter, you will easily roll up it, without any trouble. Yes, it is that plush! On faster downhill sections, it does soak up the chop very effectively and efficiently, to the point where you fell like you have total control over the bike. I have to say, on certain faster sections, I can almost go twice as fast, with twich as much control over my last fork. I have ridden my friends bike, equiped with a Z1, and I have to say the fox is as plush. Congrats to Marzocchi, for making such a nice fork, and congrats to fox for equaling that feat in an air fork. I am not going to rant on marzocchi, and say that the fox is way better (kind of like how the Marzocchi reviews rant on Fox). All I am going to say is you pay for what you get. You spend a little more with the fox fork, and you can easily tell why. The fork components look tough, yet refined...excellent craftsmanship. It really is a excellent fork, superplush, with effortless travel. I think I have bottom'd out the fork once or twice, however you dont even notice, if it is set up correctly. The travel seems endless.
It is alot to pay for a fork, however like the rest of the reviews mention, you will not be sorry. I was a little skeptical purchasing an air fork, considering I weigh 200 pounds, however I truely believe this fork was built with the heavier riders in mind.
Well done fox, on making such a great fork, and keeping the technological edge over your competitors. Like I said earlier, Marzocchi makes a great fork, however fox has outdone themselves with the TALAS. It is an exceptional ride!
4.5 for value, as it is a touch expensive, however maybe I have not seen the best of the fork yet!
If I could give a 6, for the overall rating I would. However I guess we have to settle with a 5. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sunny
a
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | Bow Cycle | | Strengths: | Beefy construction, Adjustable Travel | | Weaknesses: | (lack of) reliability in the TALAS assemably, harsh damper action for my weight (135lb), even with 5wt oil. | | Similar Products Used: | Pyslo Race | | Bike Setup: | Truth w/disc | | Bottom Line: | This is an update on my earlier review. In March, the TALAS adjuster died after two weeks (won't return from 85mm setting). After 4 weeks, the fork was repaired and worked for a few hundred kilometers before the TALAS system died again! This time it won't adjust down. Right about the same time, the damper leg also developed play in the bushing(s).
That was it, not more of this crap. I took the fork back to the shop for a refund and picked up another fork.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a
from Westminster, CA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Chutes | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$595.00 | | Purchased At: | mtnhighcyclerly | | Strengths: | Very stiff, travel adjustment, lightweight for 5" travel fork. | | Weaknesses: | Harshness for lighter riders. This is an update post, read below. Price....ouch! | | Similar Products Used: | Marz Z3, Psylo XC, JR.T | | Bike Setup: | Foes FXR, Talas RLC, Thomson, CK, XTR...etc. | | Bottom Line: | This is an update, I've had the fork since April now and have made some changes due to the harshness of the high speed dampening for my light weight (155#). A lot of people have complained about this and I've finally gotten the fork to where I am happy with it's performance under high speed compression dampening. Fox will not modify the dampener in the Talas, so the only choice was to run less air pressure and switch to thinner oil. I first switched to 5wt oil and only noticed a very minor improvement. Then I switched to some Spectro Golden 85/150 (2.5wt) oil. This really transformed the fork, it reacts much quicker to bumps both at low and high speeds. You can hear the fork working through the travel now, and it feels much more plush. I am running right about 50 psi, and am getting correct sag. I also didn't add the full 160cc's of oil that Fox recommends, I added about 145cc's and am now getting full travel from the fork.
For those of you lightweights out there who are struggling with this fork or who are considering a different fork, try the 2.5wt oil! It has made a night and day difference for me. The fork has worked flawlessly, it's very stiff and the steering is very precise. Travel adjustment is easy and a must in my opinion for trail riding. This fork is pretty damn expensive, but it's all worth it. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a very versatile fork....get it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lloyd
a Weekend Warrior
from Malibu
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Sycamore Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$599.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Plush travel, adjustable, Weight | | Weaknesses: | Price | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi Marathon S | | Bike Setup: | Intense tracer, xtr, float rl rear shock | | Bottom Line: | Great travel with a great feel on the trail | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg TheTurtlenator
a Cross Country Rider
from Mountain View, CA
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Tahoe Rim Trail - Tahoe City | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$585.00 | | Purchased At: | Internet | | Strengths: | Stiff, Tuneable, Relatively lightweight for suspension fork with 125 mm of travel. Fox headquarters is 45 minutes from my house. | |
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