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Home | Product Reviews | 2007 Forks | Fox Racing Shox 32 Talas RLC | ||||
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Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from Columbia, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: 10/2/2007 5:55:39 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $650 |
| Purchased At: | Competitive Cyclist |
| Strengths: | Great feel. Very plush. No maintenance problems so far. |
| Weaknesses: | None so far. |
| Bike Setup: | Epiphany, Juicy 7's(185 up front & 160 in the back), Deus XC Lowriser 31.8, X9 Trigger shifters and rear derailleur, Thomson stem and seatpost, XTR front derailleur, WTB Rocket V Team, Crank Brother Candy's, Stylo 3.3 team, 990 cassette, Crossmax ST's, Intense System 4 2.25 up front and Panaracer Fire XC Pro 2.1 in the back |
| Bottom Line: | I haven't owned a lot of forks so it is hard for me to compare performance. I ride technical trails(rooty, rocky, with some small drops between 2-3 feet). I ride aggressively. It's the 2007 model. No maintenance issues so far which is very important to me. I don't want a component that I have to fiddle around with a lot. I scratched the stanchion a little but was able to deburr it with some sandpaper and haven't had any problem with the scratches affecting the seals. |
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Submitted by
Doug Gangi
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: 9/20/2007 8:34:10 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Any one I am riding on... |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Purchased At: | Came with bike |
| Strengths: | Stiff, easy adjustments, looks great, durable |
| Weaknesses: | Not as plush as my F80RLT (but still pretty comfy), no remote lockout or switch for travel |
| Similar Products Tried: | Various Fox and RockShox |
| Bike Setup: | 2007 Titus Motolite |
| Bottom Line: | The TALAS is the perfect fork for my Motolite. The adjustable travel is wonderful -- I switch it to 100mm on climbs, 140mm on downhills, and 120mm everywhere else. The detents on the travel adjustment knob are fairly easy to find. It would be nice to have a remote switch for this feature, though. I've had this fork on my bike for 6+ months and over a thousand miles in dust...mud...muck...and it's been 100% reliable. Travel isn't quite as plush as the F80RLT on my racer bike, but it's still nice and comfy. The 32mm stanchions are plenty strong and stiff for a lightweight rider such as myself. If you are a heavy guy, then the 36mm version might be better suited for you. A fork should work without worry...and this one does just that. 5 solid chilies for a truly great product. 4 chilies for the value -- this fork came on my bike, but if I had to buy it aftermarket, I would choke on the price. |
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Submitted by
Todd
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Gatos, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: 9/8/2007 6:03:56 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Braille Trail in Demonstration Forest |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Strengths: | Stiff, plush, progressive. State of the art fork and compression technology |
| Weaknesses: | travel adjust is unreliable |
| Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Epiphany, mavic wheelset, XTR everything |
| Bottom Line: | As a 140mm travel fork the Talas is very good. For the Ellsworth to work well in a climb (100mm) and fast twisty singletrack(120mm) and steep downhill(140mm), a reliable adjustable fork (and adjustable rear shock for the climbs) is needed. Unfortunately the Talals adjustable feature has failed me TWICE. The first time it failed after about 20 rides. Shop couldn't fix it so they sent it to Fox for factory replacement parts. Worked well when I got it back, but now after 5 or so more rides it failed again. It is permanently at 140mm. We are sending it back to Fox again. Maybe I got a lemon. I'll give them one more shot at fixing it right and then I will become a difficult customer. |
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Submitted by
Alonso Castro
a Weekend Warrior
from San José, Costa Rica
Date Reviewed: 8/22/2007 1:08:25 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Purchased At: | OEM on my bike |
| Strengths: | Everything you read in the other reviews. The fork is very sweet and sexy. |
| Weaknesses: | I read several users complain about the travel adjustment, so I think I'll give my 2-cents. My LBS (Ciclo Güilly, in Santa Ana, Costa Rica. Da bomb!) told me they have had to repair several Talas forks in the left-leg travel adjust, apparently due to a factory defect of some sort. In my case, the maximum travel it provided was 130 mm (instead of 140), and stepped down to about 125 and then 110 (instead of 120 and 100). It was even more obvious when going back, as the first jump did not increase travel at all. Also, it was actually pretty hard to decrease the travel -after moving the knob, I had to push really hard on the fork a couple times to get it to stick. Anyway, they replaced whatever needed replacing for about $20, and now the adjustment works flawlessly. Now I move the knob down, and the legs sink almost by themselves like a U-Turn, plus I'm getting the full 100-120-140 range. Couldn't be happier! |
| Bike Setup: | '07 Santa Cruz Blur LT, SPX setup. |
| Bottom Line: | Judging from my own experience and some of the comments here, it seems to me that many Talas RLC forks have a manufacturing defect that affects the travel adjust(which is precisely the point of the T-ravel A-djust L-inear A-ir S-pring!). However, it's not too hard to fix. Now, for the price I think FOX should get its act together and make their products flawless out the door. |
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Submitted by
David Meisner
a Weekend Warrior
from Eugene, Oregon
Date Reviewed: 8/13/2007 6:54:21 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | All of them |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $700 |
| Purchased At: | Paul's Bike Shop |
| Strengths: | Adjustable travel for steep climbs, plush and coilclose feel, lotza fun dials to impress the girls with. |
| Weaknesses: | Busted after 2nd ride though after being repaired works like a charm. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Rode my RLC 125 for years and this fork is as good and with the travel adjust much, much better. |
| Bike Setup: | Blur LT with all the goodies. |
| Bottom Line: | If you climb steep single track this is the fork to have cause of the travel adjust and sweet smooth adjustable suspension. My travel adjust busted after a couple rides though 3 weeks later I was rolling with it again. I've been riding for years and thus have a second of every part I need to keep rollin. With todays high tech deal it seems this, and a second bike, is the way to stay on the trail in full anamation. Would give it a top 5 rating if it weren't for the busted fork and the fact that Fox never e-mailed or called back with requests for how to manage my problem. They need to put some more money into customer service though who wants to ship this out to India instead of paying the high cost of American labor. Bummer though. |
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Submitted by
Russell Norman
a Weekend Warrior
from Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Date Reviewed: 7/14/2007 9:36:07 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Strengths: | Looks great, STIFF, Every adjusment you'll ever need, yet still simple to use, Weight, Feels like a coil fork, Looks great! |
| Weaknesses: | Not the cheapest but certainly with the money! |
| Similar Products Tried: | Various Manitou, Rock Shox, Marzocchi, RST |
| Bike Setup: | Morewood Shova |
| Bottom Line: | These forks have really transformed my ride. They're great for trail use, can keep up with the xc guys easily, and can handle some heavier stuff too (within reason) They're really stiff, provide a plush ride without diving under hard braking and are just very well made. What other fork is as good as them? As far as I know, nothing! Did I say how great they look?! |
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Submitted by
Graham
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth, Western Australia
Date Reviewed: 5/21/2007 10:19:37 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | All of them! |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Purchased At: | Dirt Works |
| Strengths: | Weight, adjustability, coil-like performance, build quality, torsional stiffness and cute cable guide. |
| Weaknesses: | None as yet |
| Similar Products Tried: | 32 Talas RL |
| Bike Setup: | 575, RP23, XO, DT/Mavic, King, Easton, Ritchey etc. |
| Bottom Line: | After three months I remain very impressed with this fork. I rode a Vanilla 125RL set @ 100mm travel on my last frame. This is an exceedingly plush fork yet I find the performance of the Talas as good! Travel adjust is brilliant - no more wasted energy, trying to keep the front end down on climbs. Rebound and compression knobs make significant differences to feel. To anyone with an old style Talas on their bike, trade it in for one of these - they are infinitely better. |
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Submitted by
Dirtdiva
a Cross Country Rider
from SoCal
Date Reviewed: 4/17/2007 2:31:28 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Techy, rocky |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $600 |
| Purchased At: | The Bike Palace |
| Strengths: | Amount of travel, quick travel settings in a light package |
| Weaknesses: | Seals SUCK! |
| Similar Products Tried: | Marzochhi forks |
| Bike Setup: | Intense 5.5, XTR |
| Bottom Line: | Used the fork for three weeks. I had the air pressure recommended for my weight (130 lbs). Wasn't getting full travel, so I figured it just needed break in. While on a ride at the Kokopelli trail, noticed the oil was BLEEDING out of both stanchions. Got back from the trip and contacted Fox. Don't know if I got shoddy treatment 'cause I'm a chick or thei guy assumed I was a novice rider, but this is what I got back, "It is perfectly normal to see a coating of oil on your stanchions after a ride. Your owner’s manual recommends cleaning your stanchions with a rag after a ride to prevent a buildup of dirt sticking to the oil that can overtime damage your seals." Then went on about proper air pressure...owner's manual, etc. So, I tell their guy "Nick" that my buddy has one and it doesn't BLEED oil onto the ground when I lay my bike down for a moment rest. Then I get this back, "Your fork should not drip oil. Make sure that your seals are not damaged. If you have an accumulation or dirt on your seals this can prevent a proper oil seal. Also inspect your stanchion tubes. If there is any scratching, rock chips, or wear on your tubes your seals can be damaged prematurely. You can request replacement seals or set up an RA for factory service by calling 1-800-369-7469 ext 6550." Wow, way to place blame on the customer. So, I had it sent in for warranty, but they couldn't do it in 48 hours, as their web suggests, because of the Sea Otter. So they promised 7 days. 8 days later, it's still not back. Dang, that's a long time to replace the "blown seals." I hope it works better than new when I get it back. I'm really impressed with the features on this fork and would like to have it working as it should. I shouldn't have to PUSH a brand new fork. A $700 fork should function as advertised and not have blown seals after 3 weeks of use by a 130lb chick that rides cross-country. When that happens, customer service should take it back (apologetically) and send it back in the amount of time promised. I'll post another review when I get it back and put more miles on it. |
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Submitted by
Peter Gill
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: 4/16/2007 1:45:52 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | High Street, Lake District |
| Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only |
| Price Paid: | $600 |
| Purchased At: | On Yer Bike |
| Strengths: | Buttery Smooth action, Super stiff with very precise steering. 140mm travel at under 4 pounds, a very versatile fork. I have used this for cross country races and will be taking it to the alps this summer for freeride. |
| Weaknesses: | Look after this fork and you should have no problems that aren't covered under warranty. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Manitou Black super |
| Bike Setup: | Genius MC30 frame 2005, XT groupset, Hope/Mavic wheels, Mono minis, hope headset, Fox Talas RLC 2007. |
| Bottom Line: | Just upgraded from a Manitou Black super 2005, basically a much cheaper version of the Talas. The difference is difficult to express in words, bascially I am now able to ride downhill and corner with so much more confidence and enjoyment. If you are a serious trail rider and are hitting bigger trails but like to sprint up those hills, this is the fork for you, its fantastic. |
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Submitted by
ben
from san jose, ca
Date Reviewed: 3/12/2007 12:01:57 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Strengths: | Talas RLC is a very good fork. It takes bigger hits pretty good. Tracks well. Adjustablity to almost every tweak possible. Light for a 140mm travel fork. Pretty stiff. Solid cross country fork that can take some trail type hits. |
| Weaknesses: | Plushness. It doesnt suck up small clatter type bumps very well. Expensive. |
| Similar Products Tried: | marzocchi mx, rock shox sid, manitou minute 2.0, fox vanilla. |
| Bike Setup: | santa cruz blur lt with fox float rear, fox vanilla front, dt swiss wheels w/ onyx hubs, xt everything, avid juicy 7's, etc.... |
| Bottom Line: | It is a great fork for cross country and some trail hits. Adjustablity to tweak in every way. Fox quality. |
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Submitted by
Christopher
a Cross Country Rider
from Evergreen
Date Reviewed: 3/8/2007 7:51:44 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Colorado Trail |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $378 |
| Purchased At: | Fox |
| Strengths: | Adjustability, handling, smooth suspension |
| Weaknesses: | Inconsistant travel settings, No handlebar lockout. Fox customer service that's an oxymoron |
| Similar Products Tried: | Fox 100RLC, Zokes Bomber 2001, 2004, AMP |
| Bike Setup: | Titus Ti Motolite, Industry 9 wheels, 07 XTR, RaceFace, Avid Ultimates, Crank Bros twin-ti, King headset |
| Bottom Line: | Satisfied but not thrilled. Perhaps the poor customer service has me jaded. The fork handles great and can be infinately tuned. Actual travel increments are inconsistant between clockwise and counterclockwide adjustments. So, middle setting from counterclockwise adjustment is 130mm but middle setting from a clockwide adjustment is 120mm, Go figure. |
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Submitted by
Graham Mitchell
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth, Australia
Date Reviewed: 2/1/2007 8:12:27 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only |
| Strengths: | Light, highly adjustable, coil-like performance, 140mm travel |
| Weaknesses: | None yet. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Vanilla 125RL (for 4 years) |
| Bike Setup: | Scott Genius (test bike) |
| Bottom Line: | I was very surprised at the supple, buttery, coil-like feel of this fork. I could not detect ANY significant difference in the compression stroke of this air sprung model and my coil sprung Vanilla. It rode so well that it convinced me to fit one to the 575 which I am building up. Now in reference to a previous reviewer who complained that his fork broke on a 30 foot drop and so did not deliver what he expected, did he land on his head while NOT wearing a helmet? And was he maybe 'intellectually challenged' to start with? Let's give the poor soul the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you should try sky-diving, mate... |
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Submitted by
Richard Gomez
a Downhiller
from Philippines
Date Reviewed: 2/1/2007 5:24:17 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | into the woods via rice terraces |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $700 |
| Purchased At: | Ninakaw ko lang |
| Strengths: | I don't know broke the stanchions after jumping from a 30 foot building. |
| Weaknesses: | too expensive yet does not diliver what I expected |
| Similar Products Tried: | fox vanilla rl 05 |
| Bike Setup: | trail |
| Bottom Line: | good for not so agrressive rider just don't do what I did. because you will ruin the fork if you are as agressive as I am. |
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Submitted by
chan
a Cross Country Rider
from Malaysia
Date Reviewed: 1/3/2007 12:42:54 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | kiara |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Strengths: | the fork is plush, absorbs small bumbs. |
| Weaknesses: | oil leakage from the dirt seal at the stanchion. few of my friends experience this problem aswell. |
| Bottom Line: | the fork performs very well but the quality doesn. |
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Submitted by
Ty
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin
Date Reviewed: 11/11/2006 12:47:21 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $699 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | Versatility |
| Weaknesses: | No bar remote |
| Similar Products Tried: | Rock Shox |
| Bike Setup: | NRS1 |
| Bottom Line: | Nice Shock. A liitle to much travel for NRS frame and I am therefore getting anew frame because I wanna keep fork. Once you get it set up to your liking it's good to go. |
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Submitted by
Sean
a Weekend Warrior
from Charlotte NC
Date Reviewed: 11/8/2006 2:49:51 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | My trail- Sherman Branch |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $699 |
| Purchased At: | Speedgoat.com |
| Strengths: | Stiff Plush tunable rapid travel actual rebound and compresion awsome lock-out etc etc...Bonus my order came with a Chris King no THreadset |
| Weaknesses: | price but that isnt a weakness just a barrier |
| Similar Products Tried: | Manitu Elite |
| Bike Setup: | Fox 32rlc talas Thomson post XT / Lx Mavic 117 Basically Marin East peak 'cept for what I have broken |
| Bottom Line: | See strengths... Compliant, finally I understand what that means in biking. Tracks great over the roots rocks etc...will update if anything changes but you get all 5 chilies for both |
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Submitted by
galbyripper
from bellingham, wa
Date Reviewed: 10/25/2006 9:58:32 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | 911 |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $690 |
| Purchased At: | dropnzone.com |
| Strengths: | stiffer than the old talas and more plush. for real...it is a different fork than the 05 talas |
| Weaknesses: | no thru axel for the price...but hey, i didn't have to buy a new bike tray for my truck! |
| Similar Products Tried: | fox vanilla and talas 125-130s, other brands whose names i can't spell..both start with m's... |
| Bike Setup: | 5 spot built with things that last over things that are light |
| Bottom Line: | great fork for 5.5. it makes a bike "all mountain" without busting the scales past 32 lbs...the fork is stiff and i am heavier rider at 185 lbs. a much better produce than the old forks, and that is saying a lot...the old forks were bomber for me. if you can pony up the cash you will like enjoy this fork, but it is not the 36... |
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Submitted by
Scuba Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Wagga, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: 10/23/2006 3:27:00 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $799 |
| Purchased At: | Wagga Cycle Centre |
| Strengths: | Very stiff...Plush...Very easy to use adjustment knobs...adjustments DO make a difference...Light weight...Smart travel adjustment...Coil feel...Tunable without having to be a tech head. |
| Weaknesses: | Are you kidding?... |
| Similar Products Tried: | Manitou Nixon (thru axle), Phylos, |
| Bike Setup: | Giant Reign, XT drive train, crossmax XL wheels, swinger rear shock |
| Bottom Line: | These forks are stiff...Forget other brands with a thru axle, you dont need it...Travel system is easy to use and sets up air pressure at lower travel settings nicely...Forks take a couple of hours for bushings to break in (not a problem)...They have an amazing feel, plush, whilst being able to adjust nose-dive (with compression dial)...Never before has a fork had the dual use as a XC weapon and true all-mountain aggessive weapon...I am heavy (220 lbs) and this fork does it for me, so it will do it for you. |
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Submitted by
I am dangerous
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange County
Date Reviewed: 10/17/2006 12:10:48 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $699 |
| Purchased At: | Surf City Cyclery |
| Strengths: | Travel adjust is absolutely amazing. It's blazingly quick. There's only a 90 degree sweep to extend from 100mm to 120mm to 140mm. I used it all the time! Whenever I come up to a steep hill, I reach down and twist the lever 90 degrees and the front of the bike drops to 100mm and climbing is as easy as my Fox Float RL 80! Then on the downhills, I extend it out and it just soaks up the terrain! I go so fast that I scare myself when the turns come up lol. The fork leaves oil residue on the stanchions but Fox believes in replacement seals over poor ride. I agree. |
| Weaknesses: | Forget trying to set your sag. Just rely on air pressure. I'd need to be at 35 psi to get 25% sag. Realistically, I'm 190lbs and with 90psi, I get great response and fantastic travel. Anything below 80psi and the fork sags from just the weight of the bike. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Fox Float RL 80 on a '06 Trek 8500 hardtail. |
| Bike Setup: | '07 Intense 5.5 w/'07 Juicy 7's 185mm front 160mm rear, '07 SRAM X9 triggers, LX FD, X0 RD, '07 Fox RP23 shock, Race Face Atlas crank, Mavic 717 wheels, Thomson stem and post, Easton Monkey Lite XC composite bar |
| Bottom Line: | Last year's Talas was my dream fork. I loved it's ability to XC and climb as well as it's ample travel for AM downhills. The 2007 Talas RLC is better than I could've ever dreamed. The instant travel adjust makes it a realistic climber. The extra 10mm of travel for the full 140mm is enough to be a serious all mountain fork. And believe me, the extra 10mm helps ;) The rebound and compression controls are so precise it reminds me of my motorcycle controls. The lockout is easy to turn on and off or anywhere in between. And the lockout blow out adjust is outstanding incase you forget to release the lockout or just too busy to do so. This is an outstanding fork. There's seriously nothing they can do to make it better next year. Buy this fork now! It'll be the last fork you ever buy. |
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