[InfXXIV40-60]

I haven't heard definitive support or criticism of the Reba 29er fork. I'm about to purchase either the WB 1.0 air or the Rock Shox in 100mm..what's the scoop?

 

[InfXXIV40-60]

Anyone, Bueller...

...Anyone??

 

[BruceBrown]

...Anyone??

It probably wouldn't hurt to search the forum for all the discussions that have taken place with regard to the REBA fork. I don't own one (yet), but recall having read quite a bit of review and commentary on the fork. I did demo one on a 2005 Fisher 293 and certainly give it the thumbs up from my short and non-definitive test. However, dialing it in and how it performs day in and day out on the trails is the information you need to search for on this forum. Just plug in REBA in the search function and go from there...

BB

 

[Super E]

I haven't heard definitive support or criticism of the Reba 29er fork. I'm about to purchase either the WB 1.0 air or the Rock Shox in 100mm..what's the scoop?

OK I'll say something. I have plenty of miles on several forks -- 2 Rebas (1 on Fisher Rig and 1 on Fisher X-Cal that was previously on a Supercal), a WB1.0 (on a Fisher 292) and a Marz Marathon (currently sitting in the corner). I have at about 1500 miles on the Rebas and must say I am very impressed with their performance. I like air forks for their plush performance, quick adjustability, and smooth/fast rebound. I find that coil/oil forks tend to "load-up" on long bumpy sections whereas the air forks do not.

I love the gate valve and how it works - during my last race I forgot to "unlock" the compression before descending a very bumpy downhill section...the fork went through it blowing off as it is supposed to when taking hits locked out. Actually I did not even know that I was still locked out until I was on a flat past the bottom and noticed the stiffness of the lockout. Now that was impressive I thought! I love my WB1.0 but it is not that forgiving when locked out (so I never lock it down all the way). One of my Rebas is equipped with the remote PopLoc feature and I can say that it is a great feature (IMO) even though it adds weight. The nice part about the remote is that it keeps your both of your hands on the bars at all times (where they should be) for that all important control and it allows you to concentrate on the trail instead of reaching down to flip a lever. The flip lever on my other Reba is nice in its own way since I can adjust the compression quicker to the exact point that I like it for certain terrain (whereas the PopLoc is adjustable at the handlebar, but much more of a pain to use). With the PopLoc I usually have it either full off or locked out. Different riders have different preferences on these things, but I see positives and negative for each quite clearly for my riding style. The Reba is very close in stiffness to the WB. It tracks well through corners and only flexes a little with hard braking (I think my WB is a bit stiffer during hard braking, but it is not an issue for the Reba). The Marz is a wet noodle compared to the stiffness of the Reba or the WB (other than stiffness the Marz is a fine performing fork though).

Overall I am very impressed and supportive of the Reba - it's well worth the price.

 

[TomP]

So far, so good

I have about 6 mos experience with the Marzocchi (the red one that came stock on the '02 supercal29), about 8 mos experience with the BW.8, and now just a few months on a Reba Race.

The Marzocchi has some good qualities (if you can't say something nice...) but I would not bother with it again unless stiffened and updated.

The BW.8 is a wonderful fork. I'd go back to one of those happily.

I had a good opportunity to get a Reba, I was impressed by how they looked on the shop floor, and I was dying of curiosity about whether SRAM had helped Rock Shox pull it's head out of ... a long slide in quality.

I am still VERY interested in how robust the shock will turn out to be in the long run. But initial indications are very good. I've run the thing through some really nasty wet conditions already this year, and it's still just as slick and active as the first day. So I'm hoping that it is going to continue to be relatively low-maintenance. I think it's just as stiff feeling as the White, which is NICE and stiff. The damping and the tunability of the fork is at least as good as the White.

The real test will be 1) will the fork hold up, and 2) if there are problems, will RS be anywhere near the joy that White is to work with on service issues?

...I love the gate valve and how it works - during my last race I forgot to "unlock" the compression before descending a very bumpy downhill section...the fork went through it blowing off as it is supposed to when taking hits locked out. Actually I did not even know that I was still locked out until I was on a flat past the bottom and noticed the stiffness of the lockout.

I've done this experiment with every fork I've owned that has a lockout. During the grind of the climb, it always seems like a good idea to lock out a fork that has the feature. But I'm really bad about remembering to unlock, especially in a competitive situation.

With the Marzocchi, it was really easy to be reminded. That fork locks out rock hard and low. When climbing, that lockout was the most satisfying, but forgetting to unlock was bad business. And with that fork, getting it to unlock on the fly was the hardest of the three.

With the White, the lever on the top of the right fork leg is relatively easy to actuate when you are already starting to pick up speed. But you still have to take a hand off the bar.

Pop-lock is way cool. Having the extra big loop of cable housing sticking out the front of the bar is not, but as soon as I remember that I forgot to unlock the fork, I can unlock it easily without having to slow down or wait for a smooth patch. And the way I have my fork tuned, the shock can work while locked out. Just in like 30mm mode. I did a couple of miles of bumpy technical as fast as I could go (keeping up with a fast feller) last week while locked out. Then I realized, hit the pop-lock and went even faster

So, given that I haven't got even most of a season on the Reba yet, I hesitate to give it the ringing endorsement I give for the White. But it sure seems like a good fork so far. YMMV.

 

[willtsmith_nwi]

Weight limitations ???

I have about 6 mos experience with the Marzocchi (the red one that came stock on the '02 supercal29), about 8 mos experience with the BW.8, and now just a few months on a Reba Race.

The Marzocchi has some good qualities (if you can't say something nice...) but I would not bother with it again unless stiffened and updated.

The BW.8 is a wonderful fork. I'd go back to one of those happily.

I had a good opportunity to get a Reba, I was impressed by how they looked on the shop floor, and I was dying of curiosity about whether SRAM had helped Rock Shox pull it's head out of ... a long slide in quality.

I am still VERY interested in how robust the shock will turn out to be in the long run. But initial indications are very good. I've run the thing through some really nasty wet conditions already this year, and it's still just as slick and active as the first day. So I'm hoping that it is going to continue to be relatively low-maintenance. I think it's just as stiff feeling as the White, which is NICE and stiff. The damping and the tunability of the fork is at least as good as the White.

The real test will be 1) will the fork hold up, and 2) if there are problems, will RS be anywhere near the joy that White is to work with on service issues?

I've done this experiment with every fork I've owned that has a lockout. During the grind of the climb, it always seems like a good idea to lock out a fork that has the feature. But I'm really bad about remembering to unlock, especially in a competitive situation.

With the Marzocchi, it was really easy to be reminded. That fork locks out rock hard and low. When climbing, that lockout was the most satisfying, but forgetting to unlock was bad business. And with that fork, getting it to unlock on the fly was the hardest of the three.

With the White, the lever on the top of the right fork leg is relatively easy to actuate when you are already starting to pick up speed. But you still have to take a hand off the bar.

Pop-lock is way cool. Having the extra big loop of cable housing sticking out the front of the bar is not, but as soon as I remember that I forgot to unlock the fork, I can unlock it easily without having to slow down or wait for a smooth patch. And the way I have my fork tuned, the shock can work while locked out. Just in like 30mm mode. I did a couple of miles of bumpy technical as fast as I could go (keeping up with a fast feller) last week while locked out. Then I realized, hit the pop-lock and went even faster

So, given that I haven't got even most of a season on the Reba yet, I hesitate to give it the ringing endorsement I give for the White. But it sure seems like a good fork so far. YMMV.

Any idea if this fork is limited to light-medium weight riders. Or can big guys ride it too without popping air seals??

 

[DSR]

I don't think there are any weight issues. The regular 26er Reba is considered a solid trail fork sitting between the racey SID and freeride-ish Pike.

I've got the Reba. Don't have many rides in out it yet, but so far so good. And I did have an issue with it out of the box that RS/SRAM took care of quickly and free of charge. And even switched it from 80 to 100mm in the process.

Also - for anyone interested - I've got the whole PopLoc set up (including the required PL damper) in the classifieds for $20 shipped. Brandnew. See here...

http://classifieds.mtbr.com/cgi-bin...sults_format=long&db_id=86537&query=retrieval

I took it off because of downtube clearance issues. Anyway, the lockout does work great on the Reba. I have it on a singlespeed, so I just have the lockout cranked down with no real blow-off. I really don't use the gate.

Anyway, those are some more thoughts. S

 

[InfXXIV40-60]

Thanks!!!

I'm convinced. I'll try the Reba. I appreciate the insights.

 

[SlowSSer]

so, anyone know how to change the travel from a stock 80 to 100?
and anyone done any extensive playing with the gate thing?

 

[Super E]

so, anyone know how to change the travel from a stock 80 to 100?
and anyone done any extensive playing with the gate thing?

Got a friend that said it was easy to change from 80-100 with instructions he found on the RS website. I messed with the gate valve quite a bit when I first got the fork. Once I found the right spot for my riding style I have not touched it. I still test it once in a while by forgettng to unlock it going down hill or taking a hit climbing - I love the way it works.

 

[Padre]

I'm on my 3rd WB and my 1st Reba.
I'm VERY impressed w/ the Reba thus far.
The WB is great if weight/stiffness is the greatest priority.

 

[DSR]

It's a PIA to switch from 80 to 100. For people who like to completely disassembe their forks, change oil, etc then no problem.

As far as the gate, I agree that it's mostly a set and forget feature. External or remote adjustment seems overkill. Internal (just a hex bolt under a dust cap) seems just fine, especially since it's a lower height and there less of a down tube clearance risk. S