FoxMulder

Picked up a mountain bike on craigslist recently and it has Suntour XCT fork on it. It seems OK, but I'd like to upgrade it to something more robust/adjustable.

The bike came with v-brakes, but I put a disc brake on the front so I shouldn't have compatibility problems with the nicer forks that are disc only. The fork needs to meet these specs:

*For 26er
*Air
*1 1/8 steerer tube (no taper)
*9mm QR
*80-100mm travel
*Preferably white in color since the current fork is white.

I really don't have a price range. I've been looking online and seen forks from $100 to $800+. I'd like to consider all options at this point and I'll decide how much I want to spend later. I'm not worried about resale value of the bike, nor am I concerned about whether it's cheaper to buy a new bike vs. upgrading this one. I definitely want to keep this one, regardless.

Thanks.

ColinL

I put a Manitou Marvel Pro on my wife's bike. It's 120mm, but the same fork as the 100 you would be interested in. Very good adjustability. A little more stiction than the Fox RLC on my bike, but I'm very impressed for what it cost.

FoxMulder

This looks like a great option. I hadn't seen this fork before, so thanks for the suggestion. I've ordered from Chain Reaction Cycles before and they've always been great. Looks like they'll ship the fork free to the US, too.

Given that it's half the price of the Fox you mentioned, would you pick it over the Fox for your own bike if you were fork shopping?

ColinL

Yes, I would, at that price. Full retail is another matter-- the Fox was $799, the Manitou $689. But the Manitou is an incredible fork at the CRC price.

The decals are a bit over the top, but my wife hasn't asked me to pull them off yet. They wouldn't look bad if your bike already has red accents.

MisterK

Rockshox Recon
Magura TS6
Marzocchi Corsa
X-Fusion Velvet
Can all be found for 500 or less, are quick release and air. I don't know about magura or x-fusion, but the recon is solid I hear and the marz comes in white

cobba

The Minute Pro might be worth looking at too.

https://www.pricepoint.com/Brand/Mani...140mm-Fork.axd

FoxMulder

I did some research on the Minute Pro vs. Marvel Pro. I found this post regarding their differences on mtbr:


Different spring system and compression tuning on the damper. The Marvel has a lighter spring system that gives up some adjustability compared to the Minute Pro. The compression tuning is also setup with a stronger resistance to bobbing throughout most of the adjustment range and a much stronger platform when it's locked out, but it gives up some plushness and small bump sensitivity. You can retune the compression to the Minute Pro settings with a few shims and the Manitou ABS+ tuning guide which I've seen on Google docs somewhere.

So yes, the Marvel is more XC oriented with its lighter weight and stiffer compression damper tuning.


So it looks like the Marvel would probably be the best bet between the two, especially at the CRC price point.

That Marzocchi Corsa looks nice, too.

cobba

Here's some info on adjustments for the ABS+ damper that the Minute's, Marvel Expert, Tower's and a couple of other fork models have.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5mf...TU0/edit?pli=1

https://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspen...ck-687754.html

It a very adjustable damper.

FoxMulder

Interested in opinions on the Marvel Pro vs this Fox: https://www.probikesupply.com/2013-fo...olution-fork/#

ColinL

You do not want a model year 2013 Fox CTD fork. They got the damping and spring rates both horribly wrong and there are big changes in the 2014 forks.

Of course, anyone reading this who is happy with their 2013 CTD, please ignore this comment and continue on being happy.

dminor 

Happy. Would have been happier with the 36/20 but the 32/15 seems fine so far.

FoxMulder

Interesting to know. It doesn't take a lot to talk me away from the Fox since the Manitou is $110 cheaper. That Marvel Pro is what I'm leaning toward most at this point. Another few days and I'll make a final choice.

FoxMulder

So after all this research, someone shoved a cheap Rockshox Recon Gold in my face and I bought it. It's light and seems to work very well--even came with a remote lockout.

gilaasepeda

sr suntour axon travel 100 using 1 year without problem and cost $200

MisterK

Recon gold is a solid fork. Great pick. Enjoy