Mountain Biking - ok question about forks.

As I have previously stated I am just starting out into the sport after a 12 year absence, and alot has changed since I used to ride.

I just put my down payment on a Kona Hoss and I read in Mountain bike Magazine that the fork supplied, which is a Marzochi MZ Comp 100 mm of travel doesn't really cut it for heavy riders. I am currently 275, part of the reason I decided to get into biking again was to lose some weight. My question is what sort of fork should i be looking at for my weight.

The main use of this bike will be to bike obn pavement back and forth to work, and some mild off road trails until I lose some weight and get reaccustomed to riding when I will begin to beat it up a little.

I have read from some that air really won't cut because with my weight I would have to pump it up to high which would just wear it out faster.

So what do you all think I should be looking at shock wise. Believce me I am reading as much as I can about components, but it is all greek to me until I understand the differences between setups and stuff, so little pushes in the right direction are greatly appreciated.

Derick

Ok...here is how I look at it. Do you want to buy the fork to last and thats it. 1 fork for good. Thats an easy one. Get the Marzocchi z1 fr qr20. At your weight this thing will support you no problem. You will no notice the weight and as you get better you will appreciate how brilliant this fork is (I am in the same boat btw, around the same weight but now becoming a much more aggresive rider). Its a bit of cash but well worth it.

If you want something to last until you become a better rider THAN buy something. Stick with what you have and buy extra stiff springs. Ride the fork until you have outgrown it THAN get a z1 (I love z1's ;))...

Don't get air...feels like crap imo. I love the plush feeling of springs. The have developed catridges that support ryno riders but I haven't heard much from the actual big riders themselves :)

Good luck

Thanks for the info. You have been quite a help in my short time here.

My position right now is that I will hang with the setup for a couple years. Or until I trim 75 pounds and become a better rider, as I want to get into the really dirty stuff so will probably opt for a dual suspension in the future. I just want to make sure I have a fork that will handle my weight for the next couple years, and provide me with a good stable ride.

A cheap upgrade that you will notice woud be a Marzocchi djer. Due to your size you will flex forks pretty badly once you get moving. Get a djer which has similar damping (how you forks responds in rapid bump situations) but is cheap (I think the low end one is 300cdn)...for a bit more cash the djer with a qr20 would be better. QR20 is the axle size in a hub. Standard is 9mm, qr20 is 20mm. Quite a bit stiff and stronger and VERY noticable at your size. (the djer 3 is the cheap one)...the djer is signifigantly strong and better than the one you currently have...

Its a lot of info to take in but the industry has kindof exploded technology wise.

If your shop is decent, they should give you some credit for the stock fork and front wheel if you get it at time of purchase and go with a fork with a QR-20 fitted fork, as Mael mentioned.

I too am a Rhyno Rider, I'm hitting about 255 these days. (Down from a MAX around 285-Dang!)

The Extra-stiff springs are a necessity! Plus, the through (thru) axle hub will made the front end much more responsive.

I like Kona products, and I admire them for the HOSS, but they missed the mark by specing it without a QR-20 front hub and without stiffer springs. (My humble opinion!) Granted, they were fighting to keep the cost down, but the MZ-Comp fork is worthless for anyone over 175 lbs. with the stock set-up. If they promote the bike to be for big guys, get a big guy fork on it!

BTW, I also have a Z1 w/QR-20 and will most likely not ever go back to a standard hub unless I drop 100 lbs. (not likely). I did have a Rock Shox Psylo with the 20 front and that was a nice fork, but the Z1 is the top of it's class!

L8R

i love riding air forks, they work good for me because im 130.
but anyways i think the Z1 w/QR-20 for u is a great choice. dont worry about not being able to understand things u read, half the time i cant. when i break sumthing on my bike, i bring it into the shop -- they explain to me what they did and how i broke it, and thats how i learn things. bike shops dumb it down a lot, and dont use technical terms.

anyways, i think another good fork for u wud be the rockshox psylo sl. ive seen a lot of heavier riders with them and they tell me they like the psylo sl. and besides, its a cool red color :-p. im not sure but i think the psylo's are a little cheaper then the z1? if anyone knows post it.

EDIT: Im editing cuz i found out the z1 is more expensive. but it is also a lot better then the pyslo. go with the z1 if your looking for quality.