[Laika]

I'm going to be slowly upgrading my hartail with the aim to eventually get the weight down to around 20lbs. What sort of fork options should I consider with that end weight in mind? At the moment I'm thinking about a SID Race or Skareb Elite but am wondering if there are other options in this price range? (80mm with V's). I'm about 83kg/183lb ready to ride and it’s for XC with a bit of road as well. I've read the SID is a bit flexy, is the Skareb less so? Thoughts?.. Thanks

 

[daverk]

probably too expensive but...

i just put a White Bros xc.8 on my bike. 80mm, 3.2 lbs price was $560...

 

[dirt diggler]

if you can find a Noleen mega air. 32mm stanchion, dual air, very easy to service, 80 to 100mm travel..

i am believer in this fork.

dirt diggler

 

[dennis rides Scott]

This is probably not what you need. I changed my SID in a Pace RC31 rigid fork. I just love it. It weighs about 750gr. I had alot of problems with my SID. I had to replace the lockout 3 times and one time there was something with the rebound.

I must say I have a full suspension for when the terain is too rough.

 

[trekfuelkingston]

You can't get a light fork that isn't flexy. You'll have to decide what you wish to sacrifice more: weight, or rigidity. That being said, I've never had any mechanical problems (other than the flex in the lowers) with SIDs. Just be sure to change the oil and bushings as directed.

 

[macming]

You can't get a light fork that isn't flexy. You'll have to decide what you wish to sacrifice more: weight, or rigidity. That being said, I've never had any mechanical problems (other than the flex in the lowers) with SIDs. Just be sure to change the oil and bushings as directed.

I second the SID option. I have one myself, I only notice the flex when I push down on the fork, and the V-brake pad rubs on the rim a bit when I have it set too close....Otherwise, I can't say I have noticed the flex even on trails...

 

[dovid]

Actually, the SID is the only light fork that is flexy - it's also the lightest.
How does th WB go? I'm interested in those.

 

[Anders]

Why not wait a bit, and see how the weight and the performance is on the Manitou R-seven. I'm getting the Marzocchi Marathon Race for my next bike. The nicest looking XC fork out there at the moment and with great performance.

 

[Laika]

i just put a White Bros xc.8 on my bike. 80mm, 3.2 lbs price was $560...

Price is a little more than I want to pay (SID Race $410 @ Speedgoat) but it looks very tempting and I'll make the stretch if it's worth the extra $$. Looking at the SID manual I'm toward the upper weight settings so I guess I'll notice some flex... I'd be interested to hear ride feedback from Daverk and other xc.8 owners? How long have White Bros been around and what's there reputation like for forks in general? The small amount of reviews I've found all seem very positive. Looks nice too

Thanks for the info so far all.

 

[Anders]

You are around the same weight as me, so I would not recommend the SID for you. It's simply to flexy and you will notice that it wants to go straight out when you are pushing it in corners. The dual air concept is great, as it lets you setup the shock for different feel, but the SID chassis is just not good enough.

 

[daverk]

White Bros xc.8 experience

WB has been around for a while, not sure how long but certainly long enough to be reliable. i haven't had to use their support but i've read that it's excellent. as to the fork, it's very stiff. i ride a lot of rocky here in PA it just eats it up. takes about 10 hours to break in but after that it's all good. does have lockout but i've never used it. i'm very happy with it.

 

[Canuck Doc]

Beg to differ on light forks always being flexy...

Try an AMP F3XC or F4BLT. I know these forks are either loved or hated, but no one can possibly argue against the fact that they are very light (my F3 carbon is well under 2.5 lbs), and very stiff (the tracking is way better than any telescoping fork I've owned, and I've tried many). They aren't the most plush, but they work for XC applications.

 

[buggymancan]

Manitou

I have a Manitou Skarab Fork (80mm) which has beed reiiden only twice that i will sell to you if you are interested. my e-mail is [email protected]. It is a great light XC fork with the RA technology. I also have a AMP B# Carbon fork for sale.

 

[cadence90]

Are there any other reviews/reports on White Brothers fork (XC1.0 and XC0.8)?
I looked on Google and couldn't find much info, and no reports, only a few stores selling them.
I am curious about them.

 

[FoShizzle]

Why not wait a bit, and see how the weight and the performance is on the Manitou R-seven. I'm getting the Marzocchi Marathon Race for my next bike. The nicest looking XC fork out there at the moment and with great performance.

Agreed 100%.

I had a 2005 Marathon Race on the bike I just sold and could not have been more impressed. I weigh about 180 and ride very hard, regardless of what bike I am on. It tracked incredibly well, especially at speed. I attribute much of this to the new TST cartridge technology that Marzocchi employed in 2005 forks (borrowed from motocross air bladder technology as I understand). I noticed the same relative awesome increase in performance when I switched from a Talas to a Marz All Mountain 1 fork on my trailbike (also with a TST cartridge). It was absolutely night and day on the trailbike.

I never noticed any flex in the Marathon and like I said, at speed through the rough, the fork excelled and I felt like I gave up very little in fact to my 6" Marzocchi fork (slight exaggeration but pretty honest on generic singletrack).

Cheers

 

[Speedub.Nate]

Are there any other reviews/reports on White Brothers fork (XC1.0 and XC0.8)?
I looked on Google and couldn't find much info, and no reports, only a few stores selling them.
I am curious about them.

The White brand name has been around for a while and goes back to the late 70's and their motorcross suspensions.

I don't know when they got into the pedal bike biz, but they had some problems as they built up the brand back in the late '90's.

About three years back, Eko Sport bought the WB bike lineup. Eko is the parent company of Englund (Total Air cartridges) and Tamer (Tricky Dick suspension post) and some other bike brands, and that's how I first heard about them (I had a pair of Total Air carts installed in a '96 Judy once the crappy RS damper blew up, and I briefly owned a Tricky Dick post).

Eko's customer service has alway been superb. I needed a cap for a TA cart and they got it out to me no questions asked, and a few years later I needed some adapters to fit my TA carts to new lowers, and again they got them out to me gratis. My understanding is they manufacture and assemble all their forks in Colorado and carry all the parts for them there, too.

I ended up with a White Bros CX-1 fork that came with my 29"er. It was a carry over from the "old" company, and it's a little tricky to tune properly and very sensitive to adjustments, but it's reliable as I could hope for, super stiff, and doesn't leak.

I've been contemplating putting either their XC 1.0 or DT 1.2 on my new bike I'm building up, so took a couple of rides on their BW 1.0 forks this past weekend (Sea Otter) to get a feel for this newer low-pressure air system they use (the BW's are identical to the XC's other than the extra wheel clearance. The 29" guys have been raving about the BW series since they were introduced.

I came away from the rides super impressed. The forks are the same beefy external construction as my CX1. I think they use 32mm stanchions and I don't know if the machined crown and arch helps or hurts the stiffness, but they feel better than my Manitou 26" fork. Suspension compliance is excellent with none of the SPV hocus-pocus I don't get along with so well. The progressive compression adjustment/lockout is pretty straight-forward and linear to the point of lockout. The weight ain't too shabby, either.

I figure if I can grab one of these for my bike I ought to be able to run it for at least 6 or 7 years, unlike with "the other guys" who (so far) seem to run out of parts not long after the next model year hits the website.

 

[1speed_Mike]

I had a WB SC72UL a couple years ago. It was light and very stiff, thanks to those 32mm legs (everyone else was using 28mm legs). The only negatives I could write about the fork was: (1) it required a lot of routine maintenance to keep it running smooth; (2) there's a lot of stiction while the fork breaks-in; and (3) adjustments need to be made internally. I rode the fork for a season and was generally pretty happy with it. I'd consider another WB/Eko fork.

As you eluded to, Eko is an excellent, customer-focused company. I had some minor issues with my Eko cartridges in my SID and they were always there to help and shipped any replacement parts out quickly and free. Eko really knows how to treat their customers....some other companies could learn a thing or two from Eko.

 

[kustomz]

Try an AMP F3XC

Where can you still buy them?

 

[JmZ]

Where can you still buy them?

E-Bay.

They're still popping up there, I've got a watch set for a AMP F-3 1" Threadless. Talk about hard to find.

I've had F-3's and still own a F-4. I really like a linkage fork for a short travel application. They track very nice, and when I bought mine - it's now on it's 3rd bike, it was as good as anything else out there. It still gives most forks a run for their money.

If I hit the mega millions, might see if Amp would be open to a small production run. Maybe a better shock, and a international standard disc mount too.

JmZ

 

[SprSonik]

SID RACE rider

I'm going to be slowly upgrading my hartail with the aim to eventually get the weight down to around 20lbs. What sort of fork options should I consider with that end weight in mind? At the moment I'm thinking about a SID Race or Skareb Elite but am wondering if there are other options in this price range? (80mm with V's). I'm about 83kg/183lb ready to ride and it?s for XC with a bit of road as well. I've read the SID is a bit flexy, is the Skareb less so? Thoughts?.. Thanks

I almost ditched my SID for something stronger when I noticed a huge shudder in the lowers when I was hard on the front brake (V). Switched to Avid mech disc up front and the shudder is gone. Had something to do with the load on the lowers and the "lever arm" being so much longer on a rim brake (13") vs. the disc (3")...physics...yuck!

Currently no shudder, and very light. I weigh 190lbs and ride hard. This fork has been great for me. When my buddies ride the bike they think it is way to firm, but for a light weight XC set up, I really can't complain. I am a very good technical rider, and I have no problems getting the front wheel where it needs to be at any speed. 40 MPH down fire roads and I never think twice about it. Up to 2 foot drops without hesitation, and I have gone as high as 3 as a last ditch effort.

I LOVE IT!!! There is a reason so many top-tier racers use them.