[Boogie Man]

Ok, after much deliberation, I think I'm finally set on the BLT. I'll be placing my order next month as soon as I get my W2's and figure out how big of a tax return I have coming from Uncle Sam. I'm torn between the Fox Talas RLC and Vanilla RLC forks. I test rode a BLT with a Vanilla fork on it, and I was really impressed with how plush and smooth it felt. I also had no problems climbing up a steep embankment with the Vanilla on the front, but it would have been nice to try it out on an extended climb. The difference in weight between the Vanilla and Talas isn't much, but the Talas is quite a bit more expensive, and I can pimp out some other components if I opt for the Vanilla. I'm wondering if the travel adjustment on the Talas is really all that necessary on the BLT? For the people that have the Talas forks, do you find yourself using it much during climbs, or do you not even bother to lower the fork?

 

[A MAN CALLED HORSE]

I have the Vanilla on my BLT and it suits the bike very well- perfectly even. I had a TALAS in the past and although it was very plush it doesn't ramp up like the vanilla- instead i found that it would blow through it's travel too readily. The travel adjust i think is mainly so that you can tailor the fork to different bikes and i never adjusted the travel down for climbing- these forks are not tall anyway. I had a 36 TALAS on my Moment and have since changed that to the Vanilla version- sooo much better, so i guess you can tell what my advice is- i wouldn't buy another air fork. Consider it a bargain- a cheaper fork that is also a better performer.

 

[Boogie Man]

Yet again, thanks for the input Horse. I thought that the BLT seemed well balanced with the Vanilla on it, and it really motored up the river embankment the few times that I climbed it to get a feel for it's handling on steep technical climbs. It also soaked up bumps smoothly, and did a decent job rolling over logs/roots too (not quite as well as the Nomad, with the Talas RC2, but that seemed to be more a product of the head tube angle than anything). The Talas option struck me as an unnecessary gimmick for the bike after having ridden one with a Vanilla fork, but without having ridden a BLT with a Talas, it was nothing more than a hunch. Having the benefits of a coil fork at a minor weight penalty, and significant cost savings appeals to me as well.