What aspects of performance are you hoping to improve?

 

Overall the shock does a decent job, but it is somewhat flexy and it can get somewhat rough on down hill. Also, I don't think that the Judy has the options for bottomless tokens. I have to set the air pressure somewhat low to get good performance, but it has a tenancy to bottom out easily.

 

So has anyone ridden the Judy gold and Reba that can provide some feedback?

 

I've got an older Reba and an older Fox 32. No Judy, but I do have a couple of 30mm Dukes...

My take is going from a Judy to a Reba is going to be mostly the upgrade from 30 to 32mm stanchions. I think the Reba is a little better damped, but still a Motion Control variation.

IMO, it's not enough upgrade to be worth the expense. The Fox damper is IMO a better upgrade.

Have you considered 34mm options, if stiffness and downhill capability is important?

 

I have looked at the Fox 34 but the shortest travel is 120mm. My fork is 100mm and not sure if I want to make the change in geometry. Does your Fox or Reba ride more plush?

 

You can always run a 120mm fork with a bigger sag to compensate for the geometry change. 20mm of change shouldn't be a dealbreaker IMHO.

A Fox 34 is definitely more plush and less flexy than a Reba in my opinion. I've never liked Rebas as I feel they're a bit harsh. Not saying they're bad forks though (they aren't).

The only issue I see with Fox is that they're too expensive for what they are. I have one only because it came with the bike I happened to like.

 

Thanks for the feedback. One thing that I noticed about the Reba fork is that the damper and air shock can be upgraded to match the SID. Would that perform more closely to the Fox 32 with the upgraded damper?

 

You are talking about the Charger cartridge damper in the Reba?

Are you thinking as a future upgrade? How does the price compare?

New 35mm SID would be nice, huh?

I really have no idea what the answer to your question is, but more replies to your thread may generate more interest?

 

Yes I am refering to the CHARGER RLC upgrade for the Reba and the DebonAir Sealhead upgrade. I have found some good deals on like new or new Reba forks that I could replace my Judy Gold with and then potentially upgrade it to the Charger RLC damper in the future. It would still make the cost lower than a SID after the upgrade. I was hoping the Reba would be stiffer than the Judy and I could ride it for a while and then upgrade and turn it into a SID SL. I don't have a lot of issues with the Judy damper, the fork just feels very flexy. I would love to get a Fox 34, but it is hard to spend $800-1000 on a fork vs the lower cost of a Reba or SID SL.

 

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update. I got a good deal on a new "Take off" Reba 100mm fork to replace my Judy gold. My overall first impression when unboxing it is that the Reba is an overall more refined fork than the Judy. The sanctions have sag indicators on them, the rebound adjust is much smoother to adjust, fit and finish are just slightly nicer than the Judy, and it just feels more sturdy. Not saying that the Judy is not nice fit and finish, but you can tell that the Reba is a step up. After installing the fork and riding around my yard I was able to tell a much bigger difference that I though I would. I set the sag the same as it was on my Judy, but I notice that the Reba stays a little higher in its travel than the Judy. Set at 20% sag the Judy will blow through its travel much quicker than the Reba, and the Reba felt slight more progressive. The most noticeable difference was how much less flex the Reba seems to have compared to the Judy. Standing over the bike the Judy would flex quite a bit more (left to right) than the Reba. I could also tell a difference when riding on the Reba, it overall feels more snappy and precise when turning than the Judy did. I have not had the chance to test the fork out on the trails yet, but my first impression that the Reba is a noticeable upgrade in stiffness than the Judy Gold. Dampening and motion control was only a slight upgrade. I do have to add that I might not have been as happy with the Reba if I had to pay full price ($500) for the upgrade, but I got a very good deal that makes me feel it was worth the money. I also like that the Reba has upgrade options for the future (Charger RLC damper & DebonAir spring) which will basically make it the same as the Sid SL. The Reba can also accept bottomless tokens where the Judy could not. Hopefully the trail conditions will improve soon so I can give a better update on performance.

 

hey man, I'm in the same boat, only that I ve the Judy silver that came with my bike. I'm considering the upgrade to the Reba or spending a couple bucks more and go directly to the SID 35. Any more feedback on your upgrade will be much appreciated.

 

I have not got a chance to ride the Reba on the trails yet, but just riding around the yard I can tell a big improvement over the Judy gold. The fork has a lot less flex than the Judy, which makes the bike feel a lot more stable and responsive. The Reba does sit higher in the travel and does not feel quite as plush as the Judy, but I expected that when getting a stiffer 100mm fork. I think that part of the Judy's plushness was the fork flexing. I have never road a SID before, but with the Chisel being a little more flexey bike and designed more for cross country I don't know how much you would benefit from the 35mm sanctions of the SID. What you will get with the SID is a better damper, which I have read give more small bump compliance. I do like that the i can install bottomless tokens on the Reba (which allow me to run lower pressure and give better small bump compliance), and when I am ready I can upgrade to the charge race day damper, which would make the fork the same basically the same as the SID SL. It really boils down to how much you want to invest in a fork. If I were buying the fork new I would probably look at the SID SL because it is only $100 more than the Reba. But if you look around you can usually find new "Take off" Reba RL forks for a little over 1/2 the price of new. Hopefully this help some. I will post an update once I get a chance to ride the fork on the trails.

 

The other thing that I would note if you get a reba or sid the recommended air pressure setting from Rockshox is very high. I am 155 lbs and according to RockShox the Judy gold air pressure should be set at 81 lbs (Which felt good), but the Reba says it should be 101 lbs. If I run the Reba at 101 lbs it feels like a ridged fork with no small bump sensitivity, but when I run it around 80lbs it feels a lot more plush and I can get around 15-20% sag. I have read that many other people have also found that the Reba & SID air pressure recommendations is too high. I am running 1 bottomless token which keeps me from bottoming out at the lower pressure. And I also prefer a more trail bike feel vs a race bike. If I was racing the Reba I would run the pressure much higher.

 

Thanks for your reply. I will wait for your experience riding in trails, I'm thinking that maybe the SID is a bit overkill for an aluminium frame, but I'm also a heavy guy (205lbs) so the 35mm stanchions could be a nice bonus.

 

So I got a few trail ride with the Reba fork and overall I am still very pleased with the fork. Compared to the Judy Gold the fork feels a lot stiffer and more responsive in the turns. I guess I did not notice how much the Judy was flexing until I put the Reba on my bike. I did have to lower the recommended pressure in the Reba by about 13 lbs to get some small bump sensitivity similar to what the Judy had, but I have read that is fairly common. I think that Rockshox pressure chart on the Reba is aimed more toward racing than general trail riding. I am 150 lbs and the recommended pressure is 98 lbs and I am running 85. I also noticed that the Reba rides a lot higher in the travel than the Judy did, probably due to the DebonAir spring. For the price I could not be happier with the fork and it has made my Specialized Chisel a fun & fast bike on the trails. I did consider the SID when I upgraded, but not sure it would be worth the extra $$ over the Reba unless you plan on racing the bike, especially if you can find a new "Take off" reba for a good price. Also, if you buy the Reba you can always upgrade the damper to the Charger and it will basically be the same as a SID Select.

 

Another Chisel owner here and I just posted this RockShox SID Select vs Reba RL (2021-22) - Weight Weenies ; also leaning towards Reba RL as an upgrade, with OneLoc remote lockout.

How is compression damping adjusted on the Reba? Is there a separate adjustment on the left leg or same as the Judy (top of right leg)?