Mountain Biking - shox

Are shocks pretty much universal or do you need a special bike for a special shock, i have crappy rst 281's and want something better, how much would a good shock cost me?

I had the same problem. I have the same shock as you, those cheaply made RST's..........mine bottomed out soo much it broke through the bottom part.....

I bought myself a Manitou Magnum R for $90......check e-bay, they should have it....

They are pretty much universal, but you need to watch out that you don't get a fork with too much travel on your bike. If you have to much travel, it can raise the front end enough to upset the geometry. While this shouldn't ruin the bike or anything, it could make steering or jumping very awkward and potentially dangerous. You should look at the travel your fork has now, and not go much higher or lower than what it has now. It sounds like you might have around 80mm, maybe a little less than that. I would stay around that length of travel. If you are having the same bottoming out problem that the other forum member is having, look for a fork with more adjustment for how quickly the fork goes through travel. You might also want to look for a fork that you can make ramp up when it gets near the end of the travel. This will also help with bottoming out. Good luck.

Hey guys, I too had the RST 281 on my '00 IronHorse Hillbilly. Just recently replaced it with an oldschool RockShox Judy XC model I found at my bike shop I work at. It's a '97 model I believe and it is 100 times better than that POS rst 281 that was on there. I weigh 215lbs and that RST would bottom out on EVERYTHING and hardly even respond to small bumps/rocks. I would look into some of the new RockShox they have out there, with 80-100mm of travel depending on how your bike is set up, dont want to go with too much travel for reasons mentioned above. Look for a shock that allows you to adjust it. That was one of the many reason that made me hate that RST 281, wasn't adjustable. Here's my bike with the Judy XC on it. Clashes nicely don't you think? haha SO, after saying that, anybody want to buy my RST 281 I have in the "for sale" section?? hahahaha

http://tellico.off-road.com/wwwthreads_uploads/794507-IronHorse.jpg

hi guys i have a 2000 Rock Shox Jett 65mm travel on my 19inch KHS alite 1000 frame (the bike is no longer 1000 parts just the frame) can i safely upgrade to a marzocchi bomber or equivalent with 100mm of travel

Hey RyanC, how long have you been riding with that judy xc? I just bought one on a sale table recently that didn't have any information with it. I was just really hoping it would fit my bike. I bought a raleigh crest back when shocks weren't that big yet. I'm just getting back into the sport and wanted to try a shock but didn't know really what to do. Everybody told me it would be very expensive to upgrade since I had an old threaded fork etc, etc. Anyway, I found that exact same judy xc that you have on your bike for a reasonable price (was threaded and seamed to be the same size as my old fork) so I went for it, put it on, and seams to be working great. I've only been out on the trail once, since then, but man was it a great ride. I'm just hoping it holds up for me until I can aford a new bike. Anyway, sorry to go on, but I've been looking for info on this judy xc and was suprized to see it right there. My bike is grey, so I've also got a great look going on, being that my shock is same color as yours.

I put the Judy on about a week ago. I've gone on two rides, no trails yet but i've hit some massive drops off concrete walls and stuff like that. So far so good man, I love it. Huge improvement over the RST I just took off. So you got it for pretty cheap huh? How does $14.99 sound ;) Well I know thats not a fair comparison seeing that I do work in the bike shop and get a few discounts here and there! But yeah, the main thing I have noticed about this shock is that it compresses about 1/2"-1" for ride height when you get on, so every little bump it can either compress or lengthen that much which makes for a smooth ride. I would've liked a little more travel, but for what I do with my bike it is perfect. I can hit a 4ft drop and it wont bottom out when I have it adjusted right. With my RST I'd hit the same drop and it would feel like my wrists would snap in half when I would land. Don't know much else about it. Was in the same boat you were in. Was diggin through some backstock we had and found it in an old box. No paperwork or anything. Was originally $399.99 So I snagged it for $385 off. good deal eh? haha i'll search tomorrow through some old bike manuals and stuff I have layin around and see if I can dig up the paperwork on the judy xc.

That would be cool if you could find any paper work on it. 14.99 kind of makes me feel sick. I paid quite a bit more than that, but was still reasonable I think. The sticker price was 399.99 on the one I bought also and paid almost 100 for it never ridden. This is my first experience with a front shock so too me it did great. I haven't hit any big drops but gone over pretty rough terrain. Going to ride a trail called northshore in DFW area on Saterday that is very rocky so I'm looking forward to seeing how it does there. Thanks for the reply.

D:\photos\bike.jpg

D:\photos\bike2.jpg

Trying to post a pic for first time, sorry if it doesn't work. Best I could take with a web cam.

hehe

<img height=150 width=150 src= "D:\photos\bike.jpg" >
<img height=150 width=150 src= "D:\photos\bike2.jpg" >

last try for now. sorry

d:\photos\bike2.jpg