DJBiker said:Because as of 2002 ALL of the Enduro line, even the Entry-Level bikes come/came with AIR Forks!
How do you explain that one?
(A. Someone put a different fork on YOUR bike and that's not the way Specialized specified the bike to be sold)
(B. You don't really have an Enduro Pro, you have a Comp or just a "plain old" Enduro, which would be specified with lesser components to meet marketing/price-point goals)
(C. Specialized put a bunch of different forks on bikes in 00' and 01' because that is what they were able to get from their vendors)
Again, MOST, not all, but most Upper-Level bikes are spec with Air/Air, or Coil/Coil, you might just be the "odd man out"
and, no I don't think it makes a bike handle "Real" strange, but if you put a miss-matched set of springs on a race car or high performance sports car it might handle "strange." It will still go down the road, just not the best handling machine on the track . . .
Example: If Dick Trickle doesn't get his Spring package right, he won't win the race, his car will still go around the track, but he won't win.
Are you starting to catch on here? If you set up a bike coil/air or visa-versa it will still ride "OK" just not as good as it could or should. Any reasonably good bike "reviewer" would notice the difference.
Not all air or coil forks are automatically progressive or linear. I've got an Xvert Super fork(coil/mcu) on a HT, and it seems to be a fairly progressive fork (at least I think so) so it should match pretty well with an air rear shock. AFAIK Xverts weren't produced after '01, so pting's enduro might have come with one OEM Xvert if it's an '01.
As I'm sure you're aware, the design of the rear suspension can be rising or falling rate, so a progressive shock doesn't necessarily mean it won't match with a coil fork, if it's on a falling rate frame it might match well. Some shocks (Cane Creek, Fox AVA) are getting more linear too. My fsr frame seems to be rising rate, with a small Float shock, it's definitely a very progressive combination (impossible to get full travel using proper sag), and matches pretty well to the Noleen fork I've got on it now (plush fork but still progressive, because of the small air spring chamber). My point is, how progressive the combination of shock and suspension design is, gives the progressive or linear action you want to match the fork to, not just the fact you might have an air shock.