Bike Forums - View Single Post - Best downhill fork?

11-09-05 | 07:57 AM

#12

dirtbikedude

Gravity Is Yer Friend

Joined: May 2002

Posts: 2,961

Likes: 0

From: "Over the Hill" and going down fast in the 805.

Bikes: Scott Gambler, Scott Ransom, Kona Bear, Bianchi 928 Carbon/Chorus, C'Dale Rize4

I would say there are three great DH specific forks, the FOX 40, Marzocchi 888 and the Manitou Dorado
For me personaly I would choose the FOX out of those three because it works the best with my fat a$$ on it and is very tuneable.

The Dorado is the perfect DH fork if you are a bit lighter then I am and are very good at fine tunning suspensions. It is a pain in the a$$ but once dialed in I would say it handles the hits on a DH course better then the other two. The biggest problems with the Dorado is its price, it has more flex (do to the inverted tubes) and the fact it is a carbon fork so it does not handle being slammed aginst a bolder as well as the others. Manitou has discontinued it and replace it with a conventional fork, the Travis, but I have not ridden it yet nor do I know of anyone with one. Since it is a new model I will have to see how it does.

The Triple8 is also a good DH fork. Very stiff and adjustable. It is much easier to finetune then the Dorado or the 40 so it would be a good choice for a rider/racer who is not the best of tuners. The 888 and the 40 both absorb slow and high speed hits very nicely but I find the 40 to do the job just a tad better.

One thing to consider though is terrain. Riding the soft, deep sand like what they have a BigBear (although you can nolonger DH there) is going to require a totally different set-up then say Whistler, BlueMtn, Bootleg Cyn or Mammoth Mtn all of which would call for a different set up. All three of the forks mentioned can be set up for any terrain, it just depends on how much time you want to put into the set up.

DBD

p.s. I am strickly speaking in terms of DH racing were you set the fork up for each individual course. If was just for recreation or freeriding then I would pick the 40.

__________________
My HOOKiT Page
S.R.C. Racing
IMBA
C.O.R.B.A.

Heart of a Champion

Reply

0