Mountain Biking - New XC Fork

Looking for a new fork for the new Kona. I'm saving a little money on the frame itself, so I've got a good fork budget.

My 2 tops picks so far are the Manitou Scareb Elite and the RS Duke SL.

I've heard the Scareb is pretty stiff for the weight...and I know the Duke is very stout.

A noodle (errr, SID) is out of the question.

Maybe a Fox? Not cheap, but if they're as good as I hear...might be worth it.

Anyone have any experience?

If you have the money, get the fox. The skareb is a chincy piece of crap. I'd snap that thing on the first ride. I dont really have any experience with a duke, but the fox was extremely stiff and felt good. Look into marzocchi forks too, they rule.

That's odd, you're the first person I've heard say the Scareb was flimsy.

It's been getting 5's on mtbr.com and a friend is very happy with his.

Do you have one?

The shop I work at received a specialized epic to use for a few weeks last year, and it had a skareb. First of all it looked like a pos, and that arch looks like it would snap off in a heart beat. We went on a group ride and I had my jamis, but nobody wanted to ride the epic so I took it for the day. After that, we gave it to a few people to use and just before we had to send the bike back, the arch broke. I dont know if it was defected, but it sure looks like a flimsy fork.

Thanks for the heads up!

Fox as a fork is AWESOME. However keep in mind a couple of things many people are saying on all boards.

1 - Fox has no certified techs. If it breaks you have to send it to them to fix. This can be a problem if you know it is something simple.

2 - Customer service blows. The above problem is causing a lot of problems but because of the sudden influx of customers they are slamming busy. It takes forever to get responses from tech (I did try emailing them for details and never received anything back).

Great fork but it is becoming tooo popular too quick. :)

Are you racing or just riding fast :D...You could look at the marzocchi MX series. They are burlier than the average xc fork and have a lockout on them. They aren't very expensive either. :)

http://www.marzocchi.com/eng/spa/products/mtb/catalogs/2003/mx.asp

Originally posted by Maelstrom

Are you racing or just riding fast :D...You could look at the marzocchi MX series. http://www.marzocchi.com/eng/spa/products/mtb/catalogs/2003/mx.asp

Little bit of both. I couldn't find an 80mm Marzocchi? Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong place. Some can be reduced with a kit to 85mm, but that's the best I could find.

So far the Duke is winning out...

The duke isn't bad, I'm using the XC on my bike, so far no problems and it seems to be a bit more robust than some xc susp forks I've seen (i.e. sid)...

but if you have the extra money, fox would most likely be a better choice, I have only heard good things about them.

I have a fox, and ridden for a little the duke.

So far my Fox Float RL has been honestly near perfect. It is really a set and forget fork that never looses air, is very stiff, and the dampening is the best. I haven't had any problems

The duke is a very good fork. It is a simple air spring that works effectively. While it doesn't come close to out performing the Fox, it is definatly a vialble alternative

I'm glad to hear some positive responses on the Duke SL. I ordered one from Supergo $169 for my new-to-me Stumpy. I definately want a cross country fork - getting too old for that free ride stuff. (The fused discs ain't doing me any good there). Bang for the buck, it seemed the way to go. And, to be honest, I like the white pearl color. Anyone else have Duke experience?

You can't go wrong with a Duke SL for 169 bucks. I'm most likely going to go with an SL for my new bike. I've already owned one, and I'd like to stay with what is familiar...

Anyhow, you'll love the Duke. Very stiff! Just point the bike and go.

Thanks for the advice everyone. You guys made me take a closer look at a Fox...but I decided the extra money wasn't worth having the absolute best...I'm cheap :p

But damn this is a purty fork: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.asp?number=17855

Someday...

The Skareb is crap but then again I've never found a Manitou that I've been happy with. I just got a Duke XC U-turn on the new bike (selected for it's strength I'm a Clydesdale) I'll let you know how it goes.

If you are a recreational racer then the duke should work fine. I had one on my wife's bike and it handled every thing well. She even did a little dh on it and it worked fine. For the price it is the best buy.
Have you thought about the Marzocchi MX series?

MX (http://www.marzocchi.com/eng/spa/products/mtb/catalogs/2003/mx.asp)

The lower end one comes in 85mm travel and there are travel kits you can get for the other two to reduce the travel to 85mm.

Slainte:beer: