Submitted by
Alex
a Cross Country Rider
from Bath, Uk Date Reviewed: February 25, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Cwmcarn
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
Came with the bike Lots to adjust Lockout good for road riding and climbing
Weaknesses:
Its basically a rock , hence the name, rock shox, it come from the fact it really takes a hefty rock to make it move
Similar Products Used:
n/a
Bike Setup:
Saracen mantra 3, stock apart from new upgrade marzocchi forks
Bottom Line:
I got this fork on my first bike with real mountain ability and found the fork incredibly solid, excellent for bouncing, but no good for riding slow bumpy singletrack. The Preload adjust also broke when in the middle of a mountain track, maybe i overwound it, but now it just clicks and does nothing.
These forks look nice and perform well for a stock fork, but i wouldnt advise anyone buys this as an aftermarket fork, its just too rigid and tempramental
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Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Jefferson, GA Date Reviewed: July 13, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Fezzari Bikes
Strengths:
Looks good, Inexpensive
Weaknesses:
Very weak, Plastic threaded onto metal never holds up, especially when under alot of pressure.
Bike Setup:
Stock Fezzari Wiki Peak
Bottom Line:
After only three 10 mile mostly leisure rides. I was messing around in my driveway, and did a 10 inch bunny hop, just to see if I still could, and the Spring along with every other component in the left tube shot out of the fork, at an ungodly speed. A U.F.O. struck me in the abdominal area with the velocity of high speed paintball gun, and 4 seconds later the spring landed in the bed of my truck 10 feet away. After looking at it harder, we found that the preload adjustment cap for the fork, which would be the piece that holds all of these components in this steel tube with a tension of probablly 400 pounds, is made of plastic. The tube being steel stood strong, while the cap being plastic, folded like oragami, stripping the threads of the cap, and damn near taking one of my eyes out. The only damage done was to my lower left abdominal area where there is a small bruise, and to my saturday morning ride which I was looking forward to. Rock Shox now became Rock Suux, in my book. I give this 1 chili only because that is the lowest rating. In fact the fork probablly owes me a couple, can you sue for chili's?
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Submitted by
Lyndon
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: June 4, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Rebound adjust. Preload adjust. Lockout. Quick Single Track.
Weaknesses:
Spring stiffness. Travel length. Compression on slow rides, small bumps.
This fork came with the bike. So far I rode to work for one winter with the bike. Since the end of winter I've continued riding to work and have gone trail riding about 4 times 4hrs each time. I weigh around 240lbs and it does flex when cutting side to side because I hear the rotor ping against the pads when doing so. Like others have said the fork doesn't seem to soak up the little stuff, especially at slower speeds. The springs are whatever comes in them by default and are too stiff. To get full travel I have to get over the handle bars and throw all my weight up and down compressing the fork over and over till it loosens up a bit, not that this would help while riding. I set the sag as per directions and my rebound adjust is in the middle of the range. It works great on fast single track, soaking up roots and rocks. The lockout really saves me when riding to and from the trail up and down paved roads. Took a hard fast hit into a big root and got worried after hearing the noise it made but its still holding up and no oil leaks. If you can get a great deal on this fork its good for its intended use and I would say buy it. If I was shopping retail I would not buy this fork though.
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Submitted by
Sherm
a Weekend Warrior
from SoCal Date Reviewed: May 28, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Pirate or Fall Line at Big Bear
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Inexpensive, light, lockout, rebound, great on small stuff. With all the abuse I've put it though, it's never leaked one drop. Stood up to some serious crashes and keeps going. Very resposive on quick single tracs. Doesn't bob much on big climbs even with the lockout turned off.
Weaknesses:
Waaayyyyy tooo stiff. I have the 125mm J3 and I weigh 210lbs. I've taken 4 foot drops onto flat and have never been able to get beyond 75% travel. I've even taken it on a DH race and didn't get over 50% travel out of it. Turned the preload 1/2 a turn from the lower limit, but still too stiff.
Similar Products Used:
SR Duro 100
Bike Setup:
Ironhorse Warrior SE
Bottom Line:
Definately a midrange XC fork. Great for those chill trails and it climbs really well. When things get crazy, the fork holds up enough so you don't kill yourself. I'm not sure if it's my weight or the 28mm stanchions, but I can really feel it and bend on those tight techincal single tracks.
The spring is just way too stiff. I'm on the medium spring when I should be on a heavy, but it won't let me use all the travel. Great for chill/mid XC/race XC but not AM/FR/DH.
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Submitted by
BT
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Collins, CO Date Reviewed: May 21, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Performance
Strengths:
takes the hits, great lockout
Weaknesses:
bad rebound adjusting
Bike Setup:
Ironhorse full suspension
Bottom Line:
I bought the 125mm model, which is good for me, but I would have rather had more travel. Great amateur fork. Cheap, will hold me for a while. Great if you're just getting into freeride, easy downhill. If you're more advanced, like the big stuff, skip it and go right to Totem, Boxxer, 888, etc.
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Submitted by
Chris Higgins
a Cross Country Rider
from Scotland Date Reviewed: May 17, 2007
Favorite Trail:
7 Stanes
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$64.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Does its job
Weaknesses:
The locout and rebound doesnt work
Similar Products Used:
SR Suntour
Bike Setup:
Claud Butler Ravana front hydralic disc sram shiffter and Shimano Deore rear derailer
Bottom Line:
Good forks shame about the lockout and rebound
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
james gunter
a Cross Country Rider
from wenatchee WA. USA Date Reviewed: May 15, 2007
Favorite Trail:
to work and back/ highway
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Great options for fine tuning to fit my needs (at first)
Weaknesses:
everything. forks crapped out after 1 year of mostly highway riding. no big jumps or anything!
Similar Products Used:
manitou 6 ( had 2 years & no problems)
Bike Setup:
GT avalanche 1.0, hayes sole hyd disc, lx rear derailer
Bottom Line:
obviously they had to put a cheap fork on a relatively nice bike. I kept thinking when I bought the bike, why is this such a good deal? now I know.
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Submitted by
Adam
a
from Columbia, SC, USA Date Reviewed: April 28, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Any Harbison
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Cycle Center
Strengths:
Good adjustments. Allowed me to ride home on a broken spring (see Product Weaknesses).
Weaknesses:
The spring popped out and launched about 100 yards into the air (just an inch from my face) when I hit a bump hard. Weak lockout.
Bike Setup:
2006 Rockhopper.
Bottom Line:
It was good until it almost killed me. I ride all over the city and trails and this lasted a year of urban assault and a few trips out to Harbison Nat'l Forrest. It took a couple months to break it in and find the correct tuning. I'm not a fan of exploding shocks. Time to upgrade.
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Submitted by
B P
a Cross Country Rider
from England Date Reviewed: March 29, 2007
Favorite Trail:
picos mountains spain 45mph
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
merlin cycles
Strengths:
Does exactly what meant to. Absorbs the bumps. Good adjustmant. Easily takes the odd drop off or more regular crash. Very smooth
Weaknesses:
nothing other than Shiny silver stanchions
Similar Products Used:
Judy XC Manitou Stance Fox Talas
Bike Setup:
Diamondback X-link sport. Alex rims on deores. FSA cranks + BB with shimano drivetrain.
Bottom Line:
Can't be beaten for price but don't buy if ur fat and do lots of jumps. Its a bloody xc fork.
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Submitted by
zeno
a Racer
from Romania Date Reviewed: March 24, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$110.00
Bottom Line:
still no problems an the rebound and lockout. no oil leaks. after riding in the rain gains softness. succesfully used at urban and rokkie dj-ing
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Till Till
a Cross Country Rider
from UK Date Reviewed: March 7, 2007
Favorite Trail:
TPE
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
part fof original bike
Strengths:
lockout.
Weaknesses:
None as yet
Similar Products Used:
None, unless you count my suntours on my old Raleigh (I dont)
Bike Setup:
GT Avelanch 1.0 - standard except new freewhel and pedals changes for flatties
Bottom Line:
no probs as yet. I dont know why everyone cant get travel on them. I weigh 185lb and have got 80mil easy with out doing any big drops. Good for general riding. would upgrade if stepped up to comp racing, jumping
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Submitted by
lone rider
a Weekend Warrior
from lancashire Date Reviewed: January 25, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Pennines
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Adjustability
Weaknesses:
Failed twice in 8 months
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Mag 21
Bike Setup:
Giant VT
Bottom Line:
I posted here in May about them losing damping ability. The were fixed under warranty really fast and continued to work for a while after that. Now they've messed up again though they've hardly done many miles since and have been used only for the occassional potter around the countryside, no jumping/etc. The lockout function doesn't work anymore regardless of lever position and they now lock out when they feel like it. When they do lock out on their own and I depress them one of the wipers *pops* up the stanction and spits oil about the place. They don't seem to have much travel anymore either... *sigh*.
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Submitted by
DJ Ponte
a Weekend Warrior
from SparkS, NV, USA Date Reviewed: October 16, 2006
Favorite Trail:
shock treatment at mammoth
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
came on giant pistol 2 from mammoh
Strengths:
Hard spring and good for dirt jumping130mm
Weaknesses:
you don't get the full 130mm of tracel becuase the fork is too hard even with the softest sprinng in
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi mz comp, rockshox tora 302 solo air
Bike Setup:
Hopped up giabt pistol 2 w/ avid juicy and sramx7
Bottom Line:
too hard for a freerider or xc rider because it doesnt respond to little bump or jumps well ok DJ fork
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pete Baughman
a
from Bend, Oregon, USA Date Reviewed: October 14, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Edison Lava trail/Kwohl Butte & McKenzie River
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$165.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Poploc feature great for uphills on relatively smoooth surfaces
Weaknesses:
Not lots of travel for anything more than moderate downhill runs
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox Judy
Bike Setup:
2001 GTI iDrive, Fox Float RC shock, vbrakes & Shimano mid/low end shifters
Bottom Line:
Put this fork on the bike to give it a bit more suspension and hold me over until I bought a more advanced bike. Did a few rides here locally, then went to Moab for the first time beg of October. Fork blew oil during the first ride. Although the compression suspension still works ok, the fork 'tops out' - the stanchion bangs internally when I pull up. Rebound & lockout don't function any more. I guess I've outgrown forks like this, and perhaps I just overworked it. I would possibly purchase this (or J4) again, but only if I were going to be riding less severe terrain. Definitely would NOT take a fork like this to Moab again, nor would I use it for any of the moderate-hard uphill & downhills that I regularly do now (although I didn't do any jumps/dropoffs higher than 2' with this bike, even in Moab). I'm going to return it thru Jenson for repair now, we'll see how long Rock Shox takes to fix & send back....
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Racer
from Nashville, TN. USA Date Reviewed: October 9, 2006
Favorite Trail:
urban
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Smooth (at first). Price.
Weaknesses:
Weak components.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Judy TT
Bike Setup:
Spec. Rockhopper, Magure Luise disc.`
Bottom Line:
Came with bike and I thought they would be fine at first. Noticed significant oil leak after about 4-5 months around the lockout knob. Shock eventually went totally flat and sloppy. Judy TT was a better fork eventhough it doesn't rate higher. I'm a heavier rider (about 210) and I think my weight was just too much for it. Definitely not for hard riding. Disappointed...will go with Fox next time.
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Submitted by
Peter Knight
a Weekend Warrior
from Aberystwyth, UK Date Reviewed: September 25, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Nant-Yr-Arian
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Chain Reaction Cycles
Strengths:
Lockout, travel, looks.
Weaknesses:
None.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi bomber air equiv, rockshox Pike 426, suntour equiv.
Bike Setup:
Carrera fury - extreme XC build.
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork for the money. I paied around £90 and it soaks up the hits on the trail without any probs and then thwack the lockout on and it does the climbs without any complaints.
The guy that said there was movement in the legs - maybe there is a little - but it's barely noticable and i've never had any probs.
The guy who was trying to use it for 5ft drops is abusing the fork - it's not a DH/jump fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joe Kim
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle Date Reviewed: August 25, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Tiger Mountain
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Greggs GreenLake Cycle
Strengths:
Lockout is nice. Seems to soak up any hits I take. Mounts both V and Disc.
Weaknesses:
Preload doesn't seem to do much. What the heck does the rebound thing on the bottom do?
Similar Products Used:
RockShox JeTT, Marzocchi Mx Comp
Bike Setup:
Specialized RockHopper '06
Bottom Line:
I only weigh 140 lbs so it seems to take anything that I throw at it. Not that I ride all that hard, but it gets the job done. Lockout doesn't lock-out the fork entirely, but enough to keep you from bobbing when slugging it out uphill. Great Beginners XC fork. Only 4/4 'cause it's not an air-fork :)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Broken Arrow Date Reviewed: August 21, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Turkey Mountain
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Rebound adjustment, Lockout, Smooth
Weaknesses:
None yet, Not using for 4 foot dropoffs yet.
Similar Products Used:
RST, Giant brand forks? Manitou
Bike Setup:
2006 Rockhopper
Bottom Line:
I appreciate the ability to adjust the damping and the lockout feature for climbing. I am not the guy doing the 5 foot drops but love the singletrack and trail riding. I think this fork is smooth and a great value for the money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellevue, WA, USA Date Reviewed: June 14, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Performance bikes
Strengths:
lock-out, smooth for dropping small sets of stairs and such
Weaknesses:
can't take any drops over about 4 ft
Similar Products Used:
Big-5 bikes
Bike Setup:
2006 Ironhorse Warrior, Fox Vanilla R rear, USED TO HAVE a rock shox J3 but it gave out
Bottom Line:
the fork is only good for conservative cross country rides. took the bike off a 5ft drop with the suspension tightened all the way up and when i landed the spring came shooting out of the fork. totally blew the fork while the rear suspension was plush. guess u get what you pay for. fork would be perfect for single track but is a no go for freerides on local trails with any sort of decent size drops.
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Submitted by
matt
a Weekend Warrior
from mississauga Date Reviewed: June 8, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Bottom Line:
This came stock on my avalanche 1.0, im very happy with the shock, its a little on the heavy side but it has some decent tuning capability and soaks up a decent amount of bumps.
This is a general all purpose shock, definitly suited to a singletrack guy that likes to do the little jumps, find a few new trails and do some all mountain riding.
The lockout is a bonus ive never had with any previous shocks, its great. There is much better out there, both in weight and in tuning, but value is great.
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Submitted by
Pascale
a Cross Country Rider
from Sweden Date Reviewed: May 19, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Strengths:
Rebound adjustement Lock out
Weaknesses:
Not very stiff, the fork is flexy comparing to my former Marzocchi with 30mm innerlegs.
Gary Fisher Paragon with full XT, Time Atac Carbon, Hutchinson Python Air light, Selle Italia Flite
Bottom Line:
I ride normally three times/week, mostly at gravel roads and small technical trails in a hilly terrain. The Juy J3 fork is far better than the Marzocchi MZ (with coil/elastomer only and no adjustements at all). I like the rebound adjustement and you can tune it from no rebound at all to very fast rebound. I have tuned the rebound as fast as possible without "topping out" the fork (somewhere in the middle of the adjustement span). The lock out is also good. It is not completely locked out (travel 1/2 cm) and have a blow out mechanism in case of big impacts. On gravel roads you can have the fork locked becase the fork travels a little, which saves your wrists. I can recommend this fork if you want a functional fork for small amounts of money and train 2-4 times/week.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pascale
a Cross Country Rider
from Sweden Date Reviewed: May 18, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Strengths:
Good dampening adjustement, plush feeling, good lock out w/ blow out mechanism
Weaknesses:
Not very stiff. My former Marzocchi with 30 mm innerlegs was stiffer.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Judy Race (good fork, almost the same function as Judy j3 minus lock out), Marzocchi MZ Comp (very bad fork with coil/elastomer and no adjustements at all)
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Paragon w/xt, time atac pedals, Hutchinson Python air light.
Bottom Line:
Good fork for the money. The adjustability of the dampening is very good from no damping att all to very slow return. It is NOT a undamped fork. The lock out is good because the fork is not completely locked, it moves but only half a centimeter. The lock out have also a blow out mechanism in case of big impacts. I will recommend this fork if you ride normal xc 2 to 4 times per week and do some marathon races per year. For this price i will say that you get a well functional fork with all the functions you need from a fork.
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Submitted by
lone rider
a Weekend Warrior
from lancashire Date Reviewed: May 9, 2006
Damping completely failed after less than 2 months of moderate off-road riding. Lock-out doesn't fully lock things out.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox MAG21
Bike Setup:
Forks were included with a Saracen Dirttrax 4.
Bottom Line:
The J3 shocks have failed after less than 2 months although they haven't been crashed or experienced any heavy drop-offs, etc. Yet to discover the reason the damping has failed (being returned soon) though I suspect loss of oil as after around a month I started to notice small amounts of oil appearing on and around the damping adjuster on the bottom right leg.
Afraid I can't rate them higher than a 1 here for overall rating as to rate them a 2 would suggest they are a 'fair' pair of forks, which given their age I cannot agree with. :/
$
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