Mountain Biking - used forks

you i got cut off when i was posting this, it said the server was too busy.

so back to what i was trying to post. i want a 600+ dollar fork without the price tag. and i can snag one off ebay for around 300. but are used forks a good idea. i know alot of people warrenty forks. and i will not have the ability to do that with a used fork. and also the wear and tear on it is always a downfall. i am leaning towards lower priced new fork. what do you think? and for a new fork what do you think i should put on my bike?

its a kona kikapu.

In general, I'd be wary of used forks. I've seen too many friends get burned. They may not be dangerous, but they could be just worn out. Biggest problems I've seen is slop from worn bushings and screwed up damping from people who didn't know what they were doing taking things apart.

You'd be ahead to look for blowout-priced closeouts of year-or-two-old (but unused) forks from the big onlines. Universal Cycles (http://www.universalcycles.com)has some real good deals occasionally.

Jason 222? Somebody's calling you.....................

I bought my new fork on pinkbike. Z1 Fr 3. It was in almost perfect condition, the previous owner only used it 4 times on his fully, and then swapped it out for a dual crown fork. I got it for 215 USD + 10 bucks shipping.

I broke mine 6 months later. It was my fault, and it probably would have happened even if it were not used. I'd recommend ebay over pinkbike though.

I can't get it warrenteed because I'm the second owner of it. So, what I'll probably do is stop doing trials on my bruiser, and use it morely for a freeride/DH/All mountain hardtail and buy an actual trials bike. Once I get a job, I'm going to buy another used fork on ebay, preferably a Z150 (2004).

I think if I were to buy a used fork, I would have it rebuilt somewhere. It would still be cheaper than buy the fork new.

That depends on the quality of the fork you bought used.

how much is it to rebuild a fork?

i read about a rebuild that push does on fx forks and it was 180, that is kinda pricey.

Well, I know at least new lowers cost 275 + tax :p

I just blew out my Rock Shox Judy SL that I got in 2001. It's locked out now and the Bike Machanic thought I blew the cartridge. He said to look up " hippitech suspension.com " as they bought out Rock Shox. It was on an Ibis Mojo that only had 150 miles on it so everything was still almost new. Really pisses me off as I just started riding again after taking several years off and now I'm faced with this crap. Someone above said $275 to rebuild a fork. That's redickulous as I can find a 2005 model for that price if I google forks.

Jason222 above said $275 to rebuild a fork. That's redickulous as I can find a 2005 model for that price if I google forks.
No, I said it's 275 for new lowers. And, those are the lowers for a Marzocchi Freeride fork with 20 mm through axle dropouts.

I just blew out my Rock Shox Judy SL that I got in 2001. It's locked out now and the Bike Machanic thought I blew the cartridge. He said to look up " hippitech suspension.com " as they bought out Rock Shox. It was on an Ibis Mojo that only had 150 miles on it so everything was still almost new. Really pisses me off as I just started riding again after taking several years off and now I'm faced with this crap. Someone above said $275 to rebuild a fork. That's redickulous as I can find a 2005 model for that price if I google forks.
You are referring to Hippie-Tech Suspension - http://www.hippiesuspension.com/hippietechsuspension/. They did not buy out RockShox; SRAM did. But they are RockShox specialists. And yes, you would probably spend as much or more on rebuilding your Judy as buying a new fork. It's time anyway.

That depends on the quality of the fork you bought used.
agree. with forks, often times if it is not broke, don't look for something to fix. i wouldn't rebuild until it leaked oil or had excessive play.

i agree it wouldn't hurt to open it up and make sure the correct oil level is there. God knows what some goofball could have done before you.

I just blew out my Rock Shox Judy SL that I got in 2001. It's locked out now and the Bike Machanic thought I blew the cartridge.
He said to look up " hippitech suspension.com " as they bought out Rock Shox.
they did?

It was on an Ibis Mojo that only had 150 miles on it so everything was still almost new. Really pisses me off as I just started riding again after taking several years off and now I'm faced with this crap. Someone above said $275 to rebuild a fork. That's redickulous as I can find a 2005 model for that price if I google forks.
yeah, it is not worth putting much money into that fork unless you do your own servicing

I just tried taking the Fork apart and oil was dripping out all over. Someone suggested I get a Englund Total Air Cartridge/Damper at www.ekosport.com but that's $125 and I found a 2005 Marzocchi MX Pro ETA Fork 120MM for $220 online. A 120mm travel seems like a lot but I can buy a kit to shrink that to 100 if I want.

I unscrewed the top adjusters on the fork and pulled out the 7inch springs. But now I cannot figure out how to get the oil cartridges out from the bottom of the fork?

I just tried taking the Fork apart and oil was dripping out all over. Someone suggested I get a Englund Total Air Cartridge/Damper at www.ekosport.com but that's $125 and I found a 2005 Marzocchi MX Pro ETA Fork 120MM for $220 online. A 120mm travel seems like a lot but I can buy a kit to shrink that to 100 if I want.

I unscrewed the top adjusters on the fork and pulled out the 7inch springs. But now I cannot figure out how to get the oil cartridges out from the bottom of the fork?
my guess would be that there is a hex bolt of sorts on the bottom of the fork legs holding the dampener on the inside...no?? if you undo those bolts on the bottom, i would think the lowers could be separated from the uppers and you can see more of what is going on regarding the oil units inside.

I bought a used '06 reba team fork on ebay for about $300 and it's been perfect for the 2 or 3 months I've had it. I think someone tried it and didn't like it or something because it looked new when I got it. There's always a risk when you're trying to save money

Ya you can easily get a 6 hundo fork for 3 hundo. Last year i bought a 04 Z150 fr for $350 and it retailed for $650 new. It must of had less than 5 rides on it cuz it was not even broken in yet. So all in all just buy a used one but just make sure its in good condition.

And jason for sure get a Z150 fr, they are the sex!!!!!

I'm selling two Z1's, a Shiver and a Psylo.

And jason for sure get a Z150 fr, they are the sex!!!!!
Haha! I probably will.