[rryyddeerr]

Alright, so Im feeling long winded this morning. I would rather spin away some time doing this than start my trainer ride...
I am going to purchase a L DNer when the 06 jobs come out. Ive been looking at fork options. Im not particularly excited about the WB, as I had a 97 incarnation with the Englund cartridges and it seemed like it rode great for a month and then a number of things went wrong at once. It left a bad taste in my mouth. I also have had a reliable friend tell me to steer away from them after he broke his after four months and had trouble dealing with WB. I dont know the specifics.
There is the REBA. This is a viable option. Still not excited about a Rock Shox. Ive heard they are hard to service and I like doing all my own work.
Then, there is this Maverick fork. It has 5 inches of travel? Isnt that way too much for the Salsa? I have seen pics of this combo on this site and got really excited about spending hundreds more on fork and front hubs, but then I hit a stumbling block with that plan.
I tore down my stumpy to sell the frame and fork. I built up my old rigid-front cannondale with the fox fork from the stumpy thinking that I could ride that till Feb-ish when the Salsa came in. At first glance this build looked cool. Beefier than the old WB I had on this bike before. When I rode it on a really rocky techy trail, I HATED it. The HT angle had been thrown way off.
So, wont putting the Mav on the Salsa do the same thing? Just thought I would ask before spending a ton of cash. (eric, dont email me and say "I told you so") I know you did. The reason Ive lived such a colorful life and made bad grades in school is cause Ive always had to learn things myself. Its hard for me to take advice sometimes.
Thanks in advance. You guys have all been really helpful and entertaining.

 

[Debaser]

mgersib has that setup. He seems to be really stoked on it. I'm anxious to see it in person.

 

[el-cid]

I've been running a White Brothers BW.8 all summer and love it. It broke in fast, and hasn't needed any more attention than any other suspension fork I've ever had, my 2 cents. There are two Maverick forks out there, with different travel and different axle-to-crown measurements. The DUC 32 is the Dual Crown version that has a little less than 5" travel once 29er-ized and has an a-c measurement about the same as any other 100mm 29er suspension fork, around 470mm, I think. The SC 32 is the Single Crown version that has a bit less than 4" once 29-erized and, if memory serves, actually has a bit shorter a-c measurement. The SC is probably the better match for the Dos-Niner and should be well within the a-c measurement the frame was designed around.

 

[Soupboy]

Strongly consider the Reba. They're not hard to work on and work well. Perfect match for the Dos9 and far cheaper with better performing guts than the WB.

WB does make nice stiff forks though and have been at it for a while. Note, they do have disc hub compatibility issues - I had issues with CKs and Hopes clearing their lowers. WB has been supporting 29ers for a long time and now have the new fork guts.

I'd think the DUC may be overkill for anything other than FS 29ers. The SC is a better match weight/travel-wise but also a flexy, twisting, proprietary hub requiring, expensive POS (to me, based on what I've seen first hand).

 

[rryyddeerr]

yeah, i found out what i needed to know.

the maverick fork would work, but im going to use the reba.
i tell you what, buying complete bikes can allow a guy to remain pretty ignorant about his purchase. ive learned a bunch about geometry and bike design since i started thinking about this project. thanks again everybody for all the help.

 

[29inch]

The SC is a better match weight/travel-wise but also a flexy, twisting, proprietary hub requiring, expensive POS (to me, based on what I've seen first hand).

I thought we had better get some other opinions in here before you get scared off from the best 29er fork currently available.

Nearly every owner of a SC32 that I've ever read a review from, including Chris of Speedgoat, says the SC32 feels like a fox fork, with the possible excpetion of it being stiffer. It is a myth that it's not stiff. It has a HUUGE 24mm thru-axle front, making it ultra stiff. It's downside appears to be that it's price prohibitive, and requires you to build a front wheel that isn't interchangeable with other forks. But it sure rocks to have as much or more travel than a REBA in 100mm configuration, with more stiffness, and buttery Fox-like fork action. Plus, it looks cool as hell.

Paging MTBNATE....

I'm having to go with REBA, my 2nd choice, as my new wheelset isn't offered in a 24mm thru-axle configuration.

 

[MtotheF]

myth??

well, i guess that 'mythical" lack of stiffness was all in my imagination...

both the DUC and the SC forks can feel real floppy and flexy if the thumb-releases aren't tightened down enough. and the difference in thumb pressure between sloppy steering and stiff goodness doesn't need to be very much. maverick are very specific about closure pressure with these forks, but exact torque settings are pretty damn hard to find when using a pair of thumb levers. too loose, they are most definitely flexy. the huge axle and those teeny alloy clamps are the only thing keeping the fork pointed where you need it.

I thought we had better get some other opinions in here before you get scared off from the best 29er fork currently available.

Nearly every owner of a SC32 that I've ever read a review from, including Chris of Speedgoat, says the SC32 feels like a fox fork, with the possible excpetion of it being stiffer. It is a myth that it's not stiff. It has a HUUGE 24mm thru-axle front, making it ultra stiff. It's downside appears to be that it's price prohibitive, and requires you to build a front wheel that isn't interchangeable with other forks. But it sure rocks to have as much or more travel than a REBA in 100mm configuration, with more stiffness, and buttery Fox-like fork action. Plus, it looks cool as hell.

Paging MTBNATE....

I'm having to go with REBA, my 2nd choice, as my new wheelset isn't offered in a 24mm thru-axle configuration.

 

[MTBNate]

I love the Maverick!!! Plush and NOT flexy (I used to have a Sid on my old Stumpie).

 

[rryyddeerr]

AAAAGGGHHH!!! Were all DOOOMED!

well, i guess that 'mythical" lack of stiffness was all in my imagination...

both the DUC and the SC forks can feel real floppy and flexy if the thumb-releases aren't tightened down enough. and the difference in thumb pressure between sloppy steering and stiff goodness doesn't need to be very much. maverick are very specific about closure pressure with these forks, but exact torque settings are pretty damn hard to find when using a pair of thumb levers. too loose, they are most definitely flexy. the huge axle and those teeny alloy clamps are the only thing keeping the fork pointed where you need it.

YEAH!! Geez. and those flimsy little rotor things are the only thing stopping me when I dont put my foot down! you can bend those things with your hand!
I wont even get started on the little needle like things bridging the gap between my hubs and rims. I mean, if you sqeez those things on one side, the whole friggin WHEEL moves! WTF!!!

 

[MtotheF]

whatever...

YEAH!! Geez. and those flimsy little rotor things are the only thing stopping me when I dont put my foot down! you can bend those things with your hand!
I wont even get started on the little needle like things bridging the gap between my hubs and rims. I mean, if you sqeez those things on one side, the whole friggin WHEEL moves! WTF!!!

look, i was just stating what i had noticed, over the course of several months spent testing both the DUC and SC forks. if you disagree, that's cool. but being facetious about it doesn't really do a hell of a lot to help. maybe i'm being thin skinned here, but you were the one asking advice about running these forks, and i got the impression from your post that you had not ridden them. soooo.... flame on, i guess.

 

[shiggy]

YEAH!! Geez. and those flimsy little rotor things are the only thing stopping me when I dont put my foot down! you can bend those things with your hand!
I wont even get started on the little needle like things bridging the gap between my hubs and rims. I mean, if you sqeez those things on one side, the whole friggin WHEEL moves! WTF!!!

Not to mention that bikes FALL OVER ALL BY THEMSELVES when you stop and do not to put your foot down or get off!

LOL!

 

[shiggy]

look, i was just stating what i had noticed, over the course of several months spent testing both the DUC and SC forks. if you disagree, that's cool. but being facetious about it doesn't really do a hell of a lot to help. maybe i'm being thin skinned here, but you were the one asking advice about running these forks, and i got the impression from your post that you had not ridden them. soooo.... flame on, i guess.

Point is if you do not adjust it right, it will not work right. You could make similar statements about any type of hub fixing method.

 

[MTBNate]

I've ridden my Maverick equiped Asylum a considerable amount since Labor Day (3.5 months) and I can report that the fork is quite stable and has more stiffness than the old Sid I used to ride with.

Yeah, there are those nay-sayers who say the Maverick is as rigid as a "full boiled raman noodle" but so far none of them have actually ridden with the fork. Those that have, almost always comment on how smooooooooooth it is and how solid it feels. Even those who are on Rebas comment so.

I am no expert but I have actually ridden with the fork quite a bit. I've learned that there are some quirks to taking the front wheel on and off and I've had to learn how to adjust the forks and the axel when putting the wheel on. It's not hard, just different. Perhaps it is a thinking man's fork...?

 

[rryyddeerr]

OK what gives?

I've ridden my Maverick equiped Asylum a considerable amount since Labor Day (3.5 months) and I can report that the fork is quite stable and has more stiffness than the old Sid I used to ride with.

Yeah, there are those nay-sayers who say the Maverick is as rigid as a "full boiled raman noodle" but so far none of them have actually ridden with the fork. Those that have, almost always comment on how smooooooooooth it is and how solid it feels. Even those who are on Rebas comment so.

I am no expert but I have actually ridden with the fork quite a bit. I've learned that there are some quirks to taking the front wheel on and off and I've had to learn how to adjust the forks and the axel when putting the wheel on. It's not hard, just different. Perhaps it is a thinking man's fork...?

if there are people saying it, then what is that based on? were they crappy back in the day? are some of em sqirmy and some not? are people gettin paid to say it? what gives?

 

[MtotheF]

depends

if there are people saying it, then what is that based on? were they crappy back in the day? are some of em sqirmy and some not? are people gettin paid to say it? what gives?

compared to a SID, just about anything is an improvement in torsional stiffness.

they take, as nate said, some getting used to. the release thumbies are a little quirky, and as i already mentioned, somewhat sensitive.

don't get me wrong, i'm not here to bag on maverick forks. i have a DUC on one of my bikes. they are easy to work on, simple, and intelligently designed. my experience with them goes back a couple years, and it is my experience (me, mine, not anyone else, so i can't speak for them, okay?) that the quality of the forks has markedly improved lately, and that the weepy seals and weepy damper cartridges and leaking air cartridges that have been noticed with earlier models are become less and less common, and that they are decent forks.

but, all that said, you're getting a reba, right? also a damn fine fork.

 

[AOK]

I can't comment on the SC32 directly, but I do have both a Reba and a DUC32.

The Maverick suspension action is WAAAAAAYYY smoother than the Reba. And I don't find the DUC32 to be flexy at all.

The only disadvantage to the Maverick forks vs. the Reba is cost/wheel compatibility, IMO.

Not that the Reba is bad, just not nearly as smooth as the Maverick.

 

[MTBNate]

if there are people saying it, then what is that based on? were they crappy back in the day? are some of em sqirmy and some not? are people gettin paid to say it? what gives?

Seems to be largly based on the appearence of the fork. People freak out that there is no fork brace and the fact that it's a single crown. Perhaps the concept of the 24mm thru axle scares otherwise educated XC folk??

It's a great fork, not cheap in cost and but light in weight at 1588 grams.

 

[Plum]

SC32 Flex ??'s

I was in a shop the other day and ran across an SC32 on a 26" bike. I was very interested in checking it out for my new 29er, but was really dissapointed when I performed the obligatory front wheel between the legs-twist-test, and was shocked at the apparent lack of stiffness. I was comparing (unfairly) to a TA Fox 36, but it just seemed really bad.

I am interested to hear that ride impressions of this fork are much better than this, as I would like to have this on my bike, but given the flex I noted on the shop floor, I don't know if I can justify the cost. Is it worth going back to the shop to see if the front wheel is tight, or is this floor-percieved flex not a practical test? I'm looking for advise on this, might have a bonus coming that has Maverick all over it...

Thanks

Plum

 

[MTBNate]

I was in a shop the other day and ran across an SC32 on a 26" bike. I was very interested in checking it out for my new 29er, but was really dissapointed when I performed the obligatory front wheel between the legs-twist-test, and was shocked at the apparent lack of stiffness. I was comparing (unfairly) to a TA Fox 36, but it just seemed really bad.

I am interested to hear that ride impressions of this fork are much better than this, as I would like to have this on my bike, but given the flex I noted on the shop floor, I don't know if I can justify the cost. Is it worth going back to the shop to see if the front wheel is tight, or is this floor-percieved flex not a practical test? I'm looking for advise on this, might have a bonus coming that has Maverick all over it...

Thanks

Plum

Good info: http://www.leelikesbikes.com/maverick-sc32-fork.html

 

[PattD]

Have SC32 on my Niner

IMO, it's the best combo if you want travel. Actually, the 29" kit drops the travel to a tad less than 4.5 inches. I think it's 4.9 normally and the kit drops it just under 1/2 and inch.

I love it, and had the Reba first and didn't really like it. I have the SC32 on several of my bikes. It's a great fork.