For me at least, the Ribbon has been the most intriguing fork on the market (after Manitou much awaited Mezzer.) Mind you, I've never ridden one, so all of my observations are from reviews and numbers only.
I'm continually impressed with its low weight (even with coil) and stiffness compared to the 36 and Lyrik, despite it's weight being more in line with the Pike and 34.
I'm not a huge fan of its looks, but I'm willing to overlook that - literally because its on the front of the bike and I rarely stare at my fork - and because it's made in the USA.
The most troubling thing about the Ribbon is that it's got the most mixed reviews of anything since the original Charger damper equipped Pike hit the market (a fork I loved btw). People whom I trust to be objective in their ownership and review of the Ribbon have told me it was among one of the worst forks they've owned. Others say it was finicky, sometimes awesome, sometimes not. Others, despite time on Charger 2.1 and GRIP2, say it's the best fork they've ridden - although in some cases they didn't actually own the fork and were only riding it for a few days during a test. I suppose any product can be that way, but when your spending $900 on a fork, you hope the reviews are generally positive, and the Ribbon seems to be a mixed bag.
For owners or riders of the Ribbon who were initially critical of the fork, have you tried it with the new "Chocolux" internals, and if so, have they made a substantial difference in the consistency of performance?
I'm continually impressed with its low weight (even with coil) and stiffness compared to the 36 and Lyrik, despite it's weight being more in line with the Pike and 34.
I'm not a huge fan of its looks, but I'm willing to overlook that - literally because its on the front of the bike and I rarely stare at my fork - and because it's made in the USA.
The most troubling thing about the Ribbon is that it's got the most mixed reviews of anything since the original Charger damper equipped Pike hit the market (a fork I loved btw). People whom I trust to be objective in their ownership and review of the Ribbon have told me it was among one of the worst forks they've owned. Others say it was finicky, sometimes awesome, sometimes not. Others, despite time on Charger 2.1 and GRIP2, say it's the best fork they've ridden - although in some cases they didn't actually own the fork and were only riding it for a few days during a test. I suppose any product can be that way, but when your spending $900 on a fork, you hope the reviews are generally positive, and the Ribbon seems to be a mixed bag.
For owners or riders of the Ribbon who were initially critical of the fork, have you tried it with the new "Chocolux" internals, and if so, have they made a substantial difference in the consistency of performance?
