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Upgrading my HT, What front forks are best for da big boys?

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Skywalker29

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
hi every one. I'm 6'2, 265 lbs. I have a 2019 salsa timberjack and I am thinking of upgrading from this rockschox recon to a fox 36 with a 130mm air shaft. I love the bike. But I definitely need more stiffness. Any other fork recs or combos you've used? I would say I am a little - to moderately aggressive. Will hit some jumps when I can get off ground but no gaps or sick stuff. Ride mostly in VA, MD

Also what brake rotors go with this?

Any other upgrade recs?
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Discussion starter · #4 ·
Than
jeremy3220 said:
I have a 130mm Pike on my Tallboy. It's certainly rideable but I do think a 36 or equivalent would be ideal in the 130-150mm travel range. It's a bit hard to answer because it depends on how heavy or aggressive you are.

The 36 comes with mounts designed for 180mm rotors.
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Thanks I'm not an aggressive rider and weigh about 260lbs. (I'll edit)
 
#6 ·
For a 130? Yea, a 34 or a Pike, or
jeremy3220 said:
I have a 130mm Pike on my Tallboy. It's certainly rideable but I do think a 36 or equivalent would be ideal in the 130-150mm travel range. It's a bit hard to answer because it depends on how heavy or aggressive you are.

The 36 comes with mounts designed for 180mm rotors.
Click to expand...
isn't a pike a 36 equivalent? I've got a pike on my paradox, with a 140 air spring.
 
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#8 ·
The Manitou Mezzer Pro has 37mm stanchions, and an official supported travel range of 140-180mm. Unofficially you can bring it down farther (just by adding more travel spacers on the airshaft), which a few on the forums have done IIRC. It is stiffer than the Lyrik and Fox36 (but not sure how it compares to the Zeb/Fox38).

The just released Maintou Mattoc reportedly is adjustable from 110mm to 150mm in travel, and about the same stiffness as the Fox 36. Although since it covers the XC range, it comes with 160mm PM brake mounts for some reason, so even a normal 203mm rotor will require a +43mm adapter.

Beyond that I might be looking at a Pike at 130mm.
 
#10 ·
You're getting good advice on the fork, but just to chime in, get a 203mm front rotor. With a 2.4+ tire, you'll have enough grip to make it worth your while to go that big.
 
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#11 ·
Skywalker29 said:
Than

Thanks I'm not an aggressive rider and weigh about 260lbs. (I'll edit)
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I'd think 36 would be the way to go then.

dysfunction said:
isn't a pike a 36 equivalent? I've got a pike on my paradox, with a 140 air spring.
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In my experience, no. My Pike at 130mm feels less stiff than the 36 at 150mm on my Hightower. It's a noticeable difference but earth shatteringly different. I would think at the same travel though it would be even more significant. I was thinking more like Lyrik or Mezzer as equivalents.
 
#12 ·
jeremy3220 said:
In my experience, no. My Pike at 130mm feels less stiff than the 36 at 150mm on my Hightower. It's a noticeable difference but earth shatteringly different. I would think at the same travel though it would be even more significant. I was thinking more like Lyrik or Mezzer as equivalents.
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I suppose that's true. I was probably thinking about the 34. It's been a long time now since I've ridden a Fox fork 🤷‍♂️
 
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#13 ·
FYI my 36 factory (at 160mm so take that for what it's worth) isn't super stiff, and I'm only 175lbs. I hear Lyriks are supposed to be pretty stiff, as are the rhythm fox 36s/bomber z1 forks. The mezzer is also supposed to be an excellent fork.
 
#14 ·
I’ve currently run a Pike 130, Lyric 160, Mezzer Expert 150 and Mezzer Pro 160 (recently replaced Fox 36s as well).

They are all really good forks. For the record the Pike and Lyric have 35mm stanchions but the Lyric is definitely stiffer. My guess is that it depends on budget and future plans.

The Mezzers are awesome and would be my first recommendation given that your weight and style means you’d probably better served by having extra stiffness PLUS the ease of travel adjustment in a big range makes them ideal for experimenting or moving to other bikes/set-ups.

The Mezz Expert was just on sale for like $600 at Hayes which has to be one of the greatest deals you can get on a heavy duty fork.

Unless you’re sure you WILL want all the adjustability of the top end versions, no reason to buy the Ultimate or Pro versions of any of these.

The FOX 36 is a great fork too. That said, I much prefer the Mezzers for bigger forks and the Pike for a lighter one.

I’m 200 geared so not you but not light. I have stuck with 180 rotors and they are perfectly fine, but I swap wheel sets all the time so having some 180 and some 203s would be a hassle. If I used fewer configurations I would go for the 203.

Have fun! Big forked hardtails are AWESOME!
 
#18 ·
275 lbs here, I run a 160mm Fox 38 and 200mm HS2 Rotors front and rear on my Hardtail (SC Chameleon). Bike rides awesome, perfect setup for me. I had a 34 on it before it was ok for semi smooth flow type trails and small jumps. It flexed a lot in the corners. I was torn between the 36 and the 38 and decided on the beefier 38 because of my riding style and weight.
 
#19 ·
So picking a fork really comes down to adjustability. If you don't like messing around with all knobs you can go for Pike Select or some Fox 34, though you can also choose Marzocchi Bomber Z1 which is just Fox 34 with a different lowers. I wouldn't go for cane creek and anything fancy though, cause it's hard to setup those to make it work as it should.
 
#20 ·
If you're on a budget I'd suggest cruising the pinkbike listings for a lightly used 36 or Lyrik. I upgraded from a 150mm Pike to a 160mm Lyrik on my hardtail and it is considerably stiffer. Maybe not for a light guy but at 200lbs+ I could definitely feel the improvement.
 
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