Mountain Biking - New or "new" fork tradeoffs

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Halebopp
05-05-08, 03:19 PM
I'm casually looking at forks to upgrade my xc bike. After looking at ebay and online retailers, I have a question. Would it be better to get something like a used SID, something like a newer used Reba or something like a new Tora?

I ask this because obviously the SID (or Vanilla, etc) is a much better fork, but when do the technological advances made in the last few years outweigh (older) high quality?

I guess I'm asking how old is too old for a used fork, and what I should look for.

Halebopp
05-06-08, 10:12 AM
Anyone?
251
05-06-08, 10:58 AM
I've destroyed a couple SIDs, and I definitely would not buy a used one. I'm currently riding an '07 SID Race on my M2 singlespeed and have an '08 Reba Race for a geared XC bike (Eriksen) I'm building.

The SID is a great fork, but you can't abuse it. I've already rebuilt the '07 SID once... However, the '09 SID is supposed to have 32mm upper tubes (as opposed to the 28 mm uppers on the '08 and older). The '07 SID is acceptably stiff; my old '01 SID seemed a little flexy, but that could have been the bushings.

The Reba came highly recommended (surprisingly more so than the Fox F100), but I haven't ridden it yet. Keep in mind that the Reba is a 100 mm fork while the SID is 80 mm. A 100 mm fork may be too much (depending on the age/geometry of your frame).

ed
05-06-08, 11:20 AM
I'm casually looking at forks to upgrade my xc bike. After looking at ebay and online retailers, I have a question. Would it be better to get something like a used SID, something like a newer used Reba or something like a new Tora?

I ask this because obviously the SID (or Vanilla, etc) is a much better fork, but when do the technological advances made in the last few years outweigh (older) high quality?

I guess I'm asking how old is too old for a used fork, and what I should look for.

Who said the SID is better than Reba? I believe it to be an inferior fork. What does your reference to the Vanilla have to do with your post? It is a great fork, but not for XC racing unless you're an equipment destroyer like myself.

The SID is like a disposable razor.
The Reba is a great fork.
The Tora is a great fork for the $$$ but prob. heavier than you will prefer for racing.