Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Suspension forks that will last but are inexpensive?

I'm 6'2", around 210 lbs. I have a Trek 3900 with a Spinner Grind 1 that's completely dead. I bike on Boston/Cambridge, MA streets, so I'd like to have a suspension fork that actually works (the bad pavement is hell on my arms/wrists); this is complicated by my weight and the fact that I mostly ride when it's less than 60 degrees out, so the cheap forks just freeze up (I have a Spinner SWK that I've swapped on and works great for a couple hours, then loses all semblance of suspension function until you let it warm up inside). An additional complication is that I am a college student on a low budget, so I don't really want to spend more than $200, and would prefer to spend considerably less than that.

Any suggestions on cheap, reliable forks that will work in the cold and hold up to 210 lbs of abuse?

Well IMHO your NOT really much over weight ! Iam no expert on this subject forsure but IF you can find a spring loaded fork that should not freeze up but Iam sure some of the real experts a chime in here soon ... Good luck

I have a Giant Cypress I am going to be switching the suspension front end out for a rigid front end later this month. It says it has a InSync 320 fork with 75mm travel. It is non adjustable. If you wanted a really cheap fix I would be willing to let you have it for postage and a couple bucks to cover packaging it. The Cypress is a 2006 model but the bike has only been ridden around 20-30 miles and is like new. Let me know if you are interested. Here is a picture of the front end and bike. I will be keeping the brakes.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/FK405A11-Rock+Shox+Tora+302+Coil+U-Turn+Fork+07.aspx?sc=FRGL

Tora and above are where it starts to get good...you can probably get a better price elsewhere, but they are normally about 200. I specificaly went up to a trek 6500 to get this fork :) . I have never had an issue with freezing, but i don't normally get it wet and cold. for me it is an either or situation.

I am 6' 225lbs...you adjust the airpressure for your body weight (at least the non-U-turn, but i believe it is both)

Just so there was no confusion, my solution was just the cheapest, it is by no means the best solution. :innocent:

w00die -- I appreciate the offer, but my bike takes forks with 1 1/8" threadless steer tubes.

heckler -- I'm reading a number of reviews that say the Tora 302 leaks oil after very little use. I'm not sure I'd want to take that risk...

heckler -- I'm reading a number of reviews that say the Tora 302 leaks oil after very little use. I'm not sure I'd want to take that risk...

I own a RockShox Revelation 426 Air U-turn fork. It failed on the first ride... out of the driveway. I did the repairs myself and have two things to say: 1) RockShox customer service is absolutely, positively the worst I have ever encountered, 2) Having seen the internals of the fork, I would not be surprised if RockShox has problems with leaking. After telling my buddy, an ASE-certified mechanic, about the design he said he was surprised that they aren't all leaking :D

Still, for $200 you're not going to get much. Heck a good rigid chro-moly fork costs $60-70! My advice, should you decide to go with RockShox, is to buy from a local dealer. Make sure they're a good one: if you have problems with a RockShox fork, the dealer is your only hope of getting warranty service or parts.

Bump. Does anyone else have any input?

The oldest and cheapest solution for suspension is FAT tyres and low airpreassure. Also make sure your riding position is right. A lot of peopel get problems with arms / upper body becouse of wrong bars or wrong riding position.

If you stand up right and let your arms and hands hang down totally relaxed. Then look down and you can see the the position your hands is in when most relaxed. Is this the position they are in when you are on your bike?

Is your saddel ok or are you "hanging on your arms" becouse of wrong saddel or too stretched out ridingposition or too low bars. Are you using a flat bar?

The roads you describe I would ride with fat low preassure tyres, sprung saddle and Trekking or Northroad type bars depending on the geometry of the bike to get a more upright ridingposition.

Get yourself a good steel fork and a fat low pressure tire for the front.

If you're poo-pooing the 302, you're probably not going to be happy with anything. Best to be unhappy in an extremely reliable and low cost manner. :D

So do you think the 302 is reliable enough? I'm just wary about expensive things breaking. I've been perfectly happy with my current forks when they've been working, so if it works I'll be happy.

I have it in my head that a coil-spring fork sounds more trouble-free than a air-spring fork, but I have no idea how correct that is in reality.

The oldest and cheapest solution for suspension is FAT tyres and low airpreassure. Also make sure your riding position is right. A lot of peopel get problems with arms / upper body becouse of wrong bars or wrong riding position.

If you stand up right and let your arms and hands hang down totally relaxed. Then look down and you can see the the position your hands is in when most relaxed. Is this the position they are in when you are on your bike?

Is your saddel ok or are you "hanging on your arms" becouse of wrong saddel or too stretched out ridingposition or too low bars. Are you using a flat bar?

The roads you describe I would ride with fat low preassure tyres, sprung saddle and Trekking or Northroad type bars depending on the geometry of the bike to get a more upright ridingposition.

This is exactly what I was thinking. THere should not be so much pressure on your hands that bumps in the road cause discomfort. Quite often the angle of the seat will cause excess pressure on the hands.

A rigid fork and a medium width tire (like 26X 1.75" or so) will be plenty comfortable for most. Also, rigid forks cost ~$50 (for a nice one) so you have planty of money left for racoon skin coats, hats with propellers on top, gin, or whatever it is you college students spend your money on these days. :D

I have it in my head that a coil-spring fork sounds more trouble-free than a air-spring fork, but I have no idea how correct that is in reality.

Coil springs have the advantage that you don't have to constantly fiddle with the air-pressure in the fork. Depending on the fork, this may or may not be a big deal. With my RockShox Revelation, I check the pressure every time I ride the bike but I don't have to adjust the pressure that often.

The disadvantage to coil-spring forks is that there are usually only 2 or 3 springs available. Some forks include all different springs when you purchase the forks, other require that you purchase additional springs if the included one doesn't work for you. If your weight works well with one of the available springs, then things are great. If you happen to be at an "in between" weight, then the fork might not work so well. In addition, coil-spring forks tend to weigh noticeably more than air-spring forks.

hers is an inexpensive repalcement fork (http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_187385_-1_200457_200299_200457)

http://www.nashbar.com/images/nashbar/products/medium/RS-DART2-NCL-ANGLE.jpg

So do you think the 302 is reliable enough? I'm just wary about expensive things breaking. I've been perfectly happy with my current forks when they've been working, so if it works I'll be happy.

Ride it hard enough and anything will break. The Internet is filled with stories of people having problems with RockShox forks. But it's also filled with stories of people having problems with Fox forks, Cannondale forks, SunTour forks, etc. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about warranty and customer service. Chances are the Tora 302 is just as reliable as any other suspension fork. The thing you want to know is: if you do have a problem with the fork, how difficult will it be to get it fixed?

In my case, I had a problem with my brand-new RockShox fork and found that getting it fixed was a huge pain in the butt! I bought the fork on the Internet, which was part of the problem. RockShox will only handle warranty claims through your RockShox dealer. I had my fork disassembled, knew the exact problem, and exactly which $3 part was needed to fix the fork but they would not send it to me, they would not sell it to me, and they would not send the part to my local dealer with my name on it. The only way to get parts was to have the local dealer call and request them. My closest RockShox dealer told me that the only way they would be willing to order parts was if they did an $80 tear-down and diagnosis on the fork. I'd have been happy to pay for the $3 part, but the only way to obtain it, aside from a warranty repair, was to order a much larger assembly that cost $40-50. I ended up going to the hardware store and jury-rigging something that seems to be holding... for the moment.

Needless to say, my next fork will not be a RockShox fork. I'll probably go with Fox, though I'm not sure they're any better than RockShox when it comes to service and support. The only advantage is that they're in my neighborhood, so I can always drive down to the factory and yell at them in person if worse comes to worst...

I have it in my head that a coil-spring fork sounds more trouble-free than a air-spring fork, but I have no idea how correct that is in reality.

I had the same idea but you run into a problem. Most coil forks come with a spring that recommends maximum rider weight around 170 lbs. I know the RockShox recommend a different spring for larger weight (the "red" spring). You can buy the spring for something like $20-30, but I don't know how to install it, it might cost more for the shop to do (I don't have a mountain bike yet).

So do you think the 302 is reliable enough? I'm just wary about expensive things breaking. I've been perfectly happy with my current forks when they've been working, so if it works I'll be happy.

I've been happy beating the crap out mine with no indications of impending failure. Still, given all the problems I see with suspension components- I wouldn't trust anything past the warranty period, no matter the price. Of course, I've never used it much in the cold, so it still might give you grief then.

Another option to consider is repair- I'm betting your two forks are elastomer forks. Nearly everything in the sub $200 range is also an elastomer fork.

Basically, the only damping comes from a rubber or plastic chunk stuck inside the spring. This probably loses all flexibility in the cold and eliminates your suspension travel. You may be able to replace this with something else or just eliminate it.

I had the same idea but you run into a problem. Most coil forks come with a spring that recommends maximum rider weight around 170 lbs. I know the RockShox recommend a different spring for larger weight (the "red" spring). You can buy the spring for something like $20-30, but I don't know how to install it, it might cost more for the shop to do (I don't have a mountain bike yet).

I just changed the stock springs on an old Judy SL. The Plastic caps on top of the fork legs unscrew, pull out the old springs and drop in the new ones. I needed help getting the caps started back in due to spring tension. You can find the SL's on ebay fairly cheap and the springs were around $30.