jyl

I have long been fascinated by the Rock Shox Paris-Roubaix SL, of Belgian cobbles hard men fame. It just seems like the sort of weird, inspired, and gloriously dead-end bike tech that a certain type of C&V'er loves. Like delta brakes, lugged carbon, electronic shifting (oh wait . . . ).



So far, I have struggled to find even a thin rationale to justify building a bike around one. Our pavement is pretty good in Portland, and there are only a few blocks of bricked streets downtown, and even a "soft man" like me can manage to survive a dayride on a non-suspended roadbike.

Can I ask you guys and gals to exercise your imaginations? Help me find a reason to increment n.

If you had a SL fork in hand, what bike would you build around it, and why? Road bike? Cross bike? Or, would you warn me away from the idea?

Bianchigirll 

I don't need the rationale I just need the fork!

If I had one of those fancy SL forks I would first try it on my '99 Mega Pro Ti, but it would likely end up on one of my MAX frames.

I sort of missed out a full suspension Bianchi Roubaix bike on the bay a few yers ago. The seller was iff on if and how good the suspenion worked (I mean mechanically) and was not sure where to source spares.

Here is a flicker link to an '03 Bainchi Roubaix. https://www.flickr.com/photos/closing...n/photostream/

ColonelJLloyd 

I bought a bike with a Rock Shox Ruby 700c fork. I removed it and sold it on eBay. It didn't strike me as anything I would want on my bike.

Drakonchik

KHS CX 100 makes a killer build with this fork. The axle to to crown race distance is the crucial spec in swapping in this fork. In the case of the KHS CX 100, with this swap-in, the handling actually is virtually perfect with a head angle that's road-perfect at something like 74 degrees IIRC. Perfect urban-guerilla road bike or light duty cyclo-cross (if the latter makes any sense). On standing starts and sprints it can pogo and/or frame-shimmy a little even when locked out, and saps some energy on extended climbs so you develop a habit of staying in the saddle rather than standing much. The positives hugely over-whelm the negatives if you use it in urban assault mode hopping curbs and bad roads and medial strips and grass patches etc etc.

No doubt other cyclocross and maybe some few touring frames could make an equally good build, depending on the head-angle/axle-to-crown issue.

But do get the lock-out version.

that_guy_zach

Try a Cannondale Silktour?

Drakonchik

KHS CX 100 with Rockshox Ruby SL upgrade fork.

Bianchigirll 

What is all that mess on the handlebars? A stereo?

Drakonchik

Home made lighting system using Princton Tec headlamps upgraded with EverLED cyan 1 watt bulbs X 4. Mounted such that there's no interference with hands on the dropbars nor with the handlebar bag.

ColonelJLloyd 

Is that why the handlebars are angled so as to make the hood position useless for a normal human?

Drakonchik

No actually. The ERGOs are a little low in that photo and have since been tilted up a fair bit. Not that I'm normal; I have freakishly long legs, which partly defines the angles.

Somewhat hilariously, that frame is the "XL" Extra Large.

On another technical note, I since did the Shimergo mod, running an Ultegra rear triple D with alternate cable routing and a SRAM 8 speed cassette. This all but eliminates any auto-shifting which was a bit of a problem when it was all Campy-9 running on rough ground. Also I modded the cable mod by welding a small dog-tooth onto the cable clamp plate rather than running the cable around the plate in the orthodox Shimergo fashion.

jyl

If you're fast, you don't use the hoods :-)

It does seem a bit aggressive? I have my hoods angled to be "flat", I don't like them pointing skyward. Depends on your wrists and flexibility I guess.

I didn't know there were different versions (lockout vs not) and am not clear on the difference between the P-R SL and the Ruby SL models. If anyone wanted to give a short lecture on the taxonomy of the Rock Shox road forks, I for one would appreciate it.

Also, can canti brakes be mounted to the fork brace mounts? For cross bike builds?

Are parts still available for these? Any weak points in terms of reliability? I have an old Mag-21 on my MB-0 that only needs air once every couple years, so my impression is that this era of Rock Shox fork is pretty reliable.

Drakonchik

In my book the lockout is essential since the pointless pogo gets annoying on good road. Even when locked out there's still some give, by design, and this helps when you hit an unexpected root, curb or pothole. Otherwise the two editions (I own both) seem identical.

700c x 26mm is the max tire size and it won't take 27".

Reliabitity has been 100% over the 12 years I've been riding mine.

Bianchigirll 

That is the "Preying Mantis" fit.

vjp

I have a NOS Ruby Sl fork that I was planning to build a "P/R" ride with.... maybe one day....

oldskoolwrench

I've had a Ti SL mounted on my Salsa Alá Cárte since '96. Why? At the time I had just broken my collarbone, and the road vibration coming through the SR aluminum fork was just too harsh. We had a Ti SL around, so I took the plunge and installed it.

Suffice to say, it made riding much more comfortable, not to mention the 'wow' factor in seeing a road bike with a suspension fork. I still ride the Salsa to this day, and it gets the same kinds of looks. BTW... 10wt oil, stock levels, set at 44psi.

jyl - Unfortunately, the Fork Brace doesn't have a cable stop or brake bosses for a 'cross application. You bolt the front brake caliper directly to the fork brace, using a VERY short, modified pivot bolt. As long as the seals and the air valves are good, the fork should still be OK. I deflate the fork when the bike is static, then inflate the fork when I'm ready to ride. It'll hold air for at least 3-4 months before I have to top the pressure out.

The Ruby was a half hearted attempt to make a 700c suspension fork with 'updated' internals; too bad they used Quadra 10 technology instead of 1G Judy internals for the design. By that time, suspension for road bikes went back to stems and frame materials/geometry to dampen the ride.

Still... seeing Tchmil grinding in the '94 PR in all that mud was so... DOPE!

Puget Pounder

This was posted on the Paceline a while back. I think it's pretty awesome:

cyclotoine

I just don't understand why they wouldn't use cantilever brakes! Still this is a cool dead end. I remember there was a page at the back of Mountain Bike magazine on cool road bikes at the time and it featured bikes like DEAN titanium and the bianchi paris roubaix.

Italuminium

LOL. And a very nice bike, Alan.

jyl

Looking at how the fork brace attaches . . . I was thinking you could use a longer bolt in the fork brace, plus a bushing around the bolt to act as the boss. Not sure if the existing bolts are positioned correctly to serve as brake bosses.

So there was a lockout and non-lockout version, and a Ti version as well? I assume they came in both 1" and 1 1/8".

Eeeeeentereeesting.

Bianchigirll 

Actually if I really wanted to do this could I use a highend MTB fork with a disc brake? I could either use a 700c wheel and put up with the extra height and handling penality or usea 650c wheel and get about the same height and geomentry right?

Italuminium

get a 29" (silly name for 700c) specific fork and don't suffer any handling penalties at all!

non-fixie 

Same here. Subscribing to the brilliant thoughts that will undoubtedly find their way here, as usual.

contango 

I rather like the idea of a mongrel bike, built around a lightweight FSR frame with a suspension fork, drop handlebars, cable actuated disk brakes (so they work with brifters). Then you just need two wheelsets to shift between a road machine (with suspension locked out) and mudbaths. Or at a push you could just fit it with 700x35 Marathon Extreme tyres which roll pretty well on the road and work in moderate amounts of mud.

It wouldn't be as fast on the road as something not carrying the weight of the suspension but for me that's not an issue.

Italuminium

Nice pice of kit

I'd totally put this on a "boulevard of broken dreams" build with all kinds of failed tech. Modolo krono brakes, those wonky crank arms with springs in them, Biopace rings, Osgear, berillium frame. You know, all the stuff a crazy bike billionaire would do!

non-fixie 

Like I said, brilliant thoughts ...