[Jisch]

I currently ride a 3.5 year old Fox Float R on my HH100x. Its pretty beat (though it still works pretty well!) and its time for a new one. I'd like to get something that is adjustable up to 130mm, just to experiment with and in case I end up getting a bigger hit bike down the road.

I was looking at the TALAS, but dang those things are expensive. Any suggestions for adjustable travel forks that do the trick and don't break the bank? I ride technical terrain, a lot of rocks and roots, some jumping and drops here and there, though I'm no huckster.

Thanks,
John

 

[VT Mike]

I currently ride a 3.5 year old Fox Float R on my HH100x. Its pretty beat (though it still works pretty well!) and its time for a new one. I'd like to get something that is adjustable up to 130mm, just to experiment with and in case I end up getting a bigger hit bike down the road.

I was looking at the TALAS, but dang those things are expensive. Any suggestions for adjustable travel forks that do the trick and don't break the bank? I ride technical terrain, a lot of rocks and roots, some jumping and drops here and there, though I'm no huckster.

Thanks,
John

I've had a Reba on my HH100X for the last 8 months, and can't say enough good things about it. Travel is 85-115, but RS now has the Revelation, which is basically a 100-130 version of the Reba. I'm talking about the U-Turn models of these forks, not the ones that travel adjust with spacers. Don't bother with pop-lock, it's a waste of money and weight. I haven't used any Fox Forx so I can't comment on them, but others have had good things to say about the Reba compared to the Talas. I believe PUSH will be working on RS product in the near future, so Fox doesn't really have that advantage anymore.

 

[Homebrew]

I would also go with the Revelation. It will feel better out of the box than a TALAS and cost a lot less. The PUSH makes it a good long term option as well.

 

[dulyebr]

right here

 

[Jisch]

for Real?

right here

Can that be for real? Even with the $52 of shipping, its still $150 less than other shops - anyone ever buy from these guys? You know what they say - if it seems to good to be true it probably is.

John

 

[dulyebr]

They have 99.9% positive feedback. And they've been around a while. If this is the fork you really want I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

[Jisch]

Marz Marathon XC?

Jenson has a good deal o nthe Marzocchi Marathon XC, which gets excellent reviews here at MTBR - anyone have experience with this fork?

John

 

[Jisch]

I bought it...

After losing out on that fire damaged TALAS on Ebay BY $0.20!!! I went ahead and bought the Marz Marathon XC from Jenson for $369. Seems like a good deal. I'll let you know how I like it.

John

 

[Jisch]

New Marz seems great...

Let me apologize up front, I'm not very good at doing comparisons, I guess I'm just not attentive enough to small changes.

So I got the Marz Marathon XC for my HH100x. Its 120mm travel, air/coil. It has adjustable travel, however, you have to release the air from the shock before making the adjustment - so its not really "field" adjustable. It has 5 different settings for various "terrains" which is basically a sensitivity setting. It also has ETA, which is a knob that instantly drops the fork from 5" to 3" of travel, theoretically for going up hills - enacting the ETA makes the travel noticably stiffer.

Removing the crown race from my Fox fork was a bit of a hassle, but ultimately not that big of a deal. I cut the steerer 3/4" longer on the Marz, just to try that out as well.

Out of the box the fork is a bit heavier than the Fox Float, on the bike, I don't really notice it. I really like the handlebars up a bit more with the longer steerer - I'm definitely going to leave it long. Overall I really like this fork, its smoother than the Fox, especially on the small hits/stutters. I really like having 5" of travel, I noticed that mostly when going down steep rollers, I felt less likely to get pitched over the front.

ETA works great for climbing non-technical stuff, stinks on the technical stuff. I did an A/B comparison on a very technical climb yesterday and found it was easier than it used to be with ETA off (which was a bit surprising), almost impossible with ETA turned on. I did like the ETA on the few fire road climbs I did yesterday.

Probably the biggest difference I felt was in the air. I was going higher than I normally do and the front was floating up nicely. I attribute that to the fact that the front is starting higher up. I will have to get used to it or I'm going to end up going over backwards.

I'll know better after a few more rides, but my initial impression is very favorable. I was really concerned being that I was starting with what I have long considered the "best" fork, no cognitive dissonance here.

John

 

[MightySchmoePong]

Do you find it to be flexy?

I went from a Vanilla on my XCE to a Marathon XC, and while I like most things about it, it does seem significantly flexier than the vanilla with both in 100mm mode.

Dave

 

[Jisch]

Huh...

I went from a Vanilla on my XCE to a Marathon XC, and while I like most things about it, it does seem significantly flexier than the vanilla with both in 100mm mode.

Dave

It seemed less flexy than my Fox Float, but honestly, I didn't really notice one way or the other. I'll have to concentrate on it next time (or maybe I don't want to!).

John