kill.cactus

I've been looking around at bikes and I've heard that different forks can have a "really dramatic affect" on the feel. I understand that they have different travel lengths and require different weights to depress the same amount etc, but what are the biggest makers of front forks, in order from highest quality to lowest quality?

I'm talking like RST, Manitou, RockShox, etc

Thanks

PS - specifically, how much difference would you feel between the fork on a Trek 3900 (RST Gila T7 w/preload, 80mm) and one on a higher model (RockShox Dart 1 w/preload, 100mm). Besides the difference in travel, of course :0

blue_neon

Forks have a huge affect on the feel. There are too many brands to name, but I assume your not looking at forks that are priced at $1500+... RST probably make more forks then any other brands, and mass market them on Kmart bikes, as they are only low end shocks. Biggest manufactures of decent forks would be Fox and Rock Shox.

When you step up the price of a fork, you dont just get a variety of travel options, but also rebound, motion control, lockout, preload adjustment etc, as well as significant weight decreases, and quality parts.


In your examples between the two Treks, you will notice a huge difference between the 80mm and 100mm forks you suggested above, just in the travel. As they are both low end forks thats the only difference you will notice.

If you're tossing up between the Trek 3900 and the "higher model", there is a lot more to the feel of the bike then the fork. The components on Trek bikes increase in quality as you pay more. So it is worth spending a bit extra, as the 3900 is one up from the base model.

Hope this helps

mtnbiker66

Wow...........

harov3

I'm just going to sit here quietly and watch the show.

BLIZZ

Sloppy seconds on watching the show.
But I hope to learn something at the same time as my Fisher needs a new shock before fall.

Captain Crash

RST does make some nice forks, they put out some low end ones for x mart bikes (50>) But thier higher priced forks (500>) ride great, and you can see the quality even with an amateur's eye.

Mostly, it depends on what kind of riding you do. For me, a RST Capa T7 was fine. I am going to upgrade to an SR Suntour XC fork with magnesium lower legs when the RST stops working smoothly.

If it's a quality fork, it's all about what suits you.

-Crash

dminor 

I don't think CC said that. I think CC said "But thier higher priced forks (500>) ride great, and you can see the quality..." (emphasis mine). As many people as there are who try to put words in your mouth, I'd think you'd try to be more careful of that yourself, Pete.

dminor 

I will; just giving you a bad time. It's one of those 'run with scissors,' 'poke a stick in the bee's nest' kinda days.

Captain Crash

Yes, Dminor was right. I was talking about it sort of like this, but abbreviated.

"You can turn one of the more expensive forks over in your hands, and you will see the quality in its construction."

unrooted

In your price range I suggest you only look at Marzocchi forks. They may weigh more, but will definately last longer and are easier to work on. How much do you want to spend? What bike are you wanting to put it on?

Captain Crash

I am referring to one on display at my LBS that the guy took down and let me look over. It was a dual crown, about 140mm travel, with silver upper legs and black lowers. Everything was precision, you could tell. Even my dad thinks so, and he says that the suntour forks are a low quality fork.

Sorry if I confused you, but you REALLY do not need to berate me because my knowledge isn't as great as yours or whatever...

Thank you for at least asking.

Riding- My uncle's Trek has an Omega series RST fork on it, and I understood it to be one of the higher end ones.

But, what do I know? I am just a stupid noob, right?

Of course, if everyone was smart, we would have no fun learning.

mtnbiker66

...and there is the problem. You really don't know squat but you want to give advice. How do you get the smarts you desire? You read more, ask more,advise less.

free_pizza

yikes....

Does he ride a Trek Navigator?

DirtPedalerB

his blackcomb is high end and i guess by the transitive property that RST on the Trek is high end as well.

Captain Crash

No, dirt pedaler, my blackcomb is a peice of sh*t that just gets me by. So what!? Like I said, I can ride the same XC terrain as any of you.

Yes it is a trek, not sure of the type.. He paid around 900 for it, I think it was the omega series.. Just picked the one that looked closest to it.

High end is pretty much any bike over about $1500 by my terms, but for you guys I'm guessing it would be like.. $3000?

Can you just like... Instead of criticizing me, just CORRECT me? I'm not learning anything here...

-Crash

unrooted

Why does what kind of bike a person ride have anything to do with the value of their opinion, or the level at which they ride? Has the a-hole roady syndrome caught on to mountain biking?

When I lived in Turkey I regularly got my a-ss handed to me by kids on sub $200 bikes that were falling apart. I have also met people that didn't know crap about bikes, and have ridden for less than a year and were genetic mutants that can tear it up, and I have talked with bike shop employees that truly believe that rock shox and manitou are just as good as Fox. Leave all the judgment to the butt packing roadies.

Breitling

+1

Have you ever taken about five 3 foot drops at 15 mph Captain Crash? Thats the kind of xc I ride, not all the time, but one of my favorite trails has it.

Breitling

+1 again. Pete, I'm agreeing with about everything you're saying in this thread.


It doesn't necessarily make their opinion more valuable, but most of the time, more experienced riders do have nicer bikes. For example, I've got a friend who has been riding most of his life and is very well-versed, but he refuses to pay more than $1200 for a bike, so his bike wouldn't be considered a really expensive bike. Point made.

BLIZZ

Before I decide whether your advice is any good or not, could you please give me a little more info, like what kind of bike you ride, how long you have been riding, how much you paid for the bike, what color said bike is, do you have a girl friend, what part of the country do you ride or have ridden in,......Ohh and your credit card # please.{dont forget the experation date}

unrooted

This thing is sweet and i got it on sale
Do you need any more info?

Captain Crash

I'm just going to keep my peace. Lol @ unrooted.

Ricardo

Indeed forks have a dramatic effect of overall handling, feel and comfort. Probably the best brands are Fox and Marzocchi. In a close second is Rock Shox and in a fourth, Manitou.

You may choose any, but as a rule of thumb, it is not worth upgrading to a fork with a price tag below 250 bucks unless it is used.

Ricardo

mlh122

Trek 4500
5 yrs?
$460 + about $300 in upgrades over time
Blue
Married
Pacific Northwest
...

Please take my noob knowledge for what it's worth. But it's my understanding that brands make a range of forks. RST in the U.S. mostly makes entry level forks for stock parts on bikes, aftermarket RST forks can be entry level or up to mid level, but no great ones. I've heard RST in Europe has some really nice forks that are difficult to get here in the U.S.. Manitou makes entry level forks that are a little better than the entry level forks, and again up to mid level forks, i don't know what Manitou's high end forks are like. Rock Shox makes forks that start out at the higher end of entry level forks, still entry level but much better than RST's entry level forks. Rock Shox's line has entry level, mid level and high end forks. Fox makes forks that start out in the mid range and go up from there. So you could find an RST fork that beats a Rock Shox fork and a Rock Shox fork that beats a Fox fork and so on.

Since the OP asked what the difference is and i don't think anyone has commented on the feel other than "its better"...
My experience with forks is pretty limited but I've done a lot of reading and talking to LBSs to determine what I need for my riding (XC). I am a noob so take my advice for what it's worth, feel free to flame if it makes you feel better. The lower end forks just have a spring in them, the fork is 0% compressed when in the normal riding position, when a bump is hit, the spring compresses to absorb the bump, and then decompresses back to 0%. the "preload" adjusts how much load is already put on the spring, making it firmer, harder to compress, less preload will make it softer (better at absorbing bumps, but if it's too soft it will bottom out easily-no fun). Since the spring has nothing fighting it when it decompresses, it can bounce back pretty hard, making the bike difficult to control or bucking you off, thus the need for rebound control. rebound is another control that keeps the fork from decompressing too fast, you can control it to make it bounce back quickly or slowly. Too quickly and it can still buck you off, too slowly and many successive bumps can work the fork down and it can still bottom out. My aforementioned trek has a rockshox judy with preload but no rebound, it has never bucked me off though. From what I've read motion control is like rebound control but it makes the bike feel very soft and plush but doesn't compress when it doesn't need to, making it a fairly stable pedaling platform too. The benefit of extra travel is the obvious, extra travel. the shock has farther to compress so it can be softer at the top and firmer at the bottom, with more in between. some forks have adjustable travel too, so you can stretch it out and have a 140mm fork for aggressive terrain, then when you get on long smooth singletrack you can set the fork to 80mm when you don't need it. I saw a Fox fork (Talas?) that lets you basically bottom out the fork so the bike is leaning very far forward, making you basically horizontal when going up steep climbs. Forks are also supposed to have a little sag (~10%) this is where the fork compresses a little just with you sitting on it. (my fork doesn't sag at all, many cheap forks don't). fork sag allows the wheel to move down when it hits a depression in the trail, maintaining contact with the ground and increasing traction. a fork's ability to keep the wheel on the ground in depressions and bumps i believe is called "tracking". A lockout is when you can "turn off" a fork, so it doesn't compress at all. most lockouts have a "lockout limit" so if you have your fork locked out and take a jump the fork will compress instead of crushing its hi-tech innards. some forks have "remote lockout" where you get a button or a knob on the handlebar that controls the firmness or lockout function of the fork on the fly. you can also get a remote lockout on some rear shocks too. also, nicer forks tend to be lighter (if you stay in the same class XC-XC AM-AM) which is great but it can make them weaker, and might not be a good idea if you do a lot of downhill or jumps. ok thats all for now, again, most of this is stuff i've read not seen (except the severely adjustable fox fork) so take it all with salt as I could be wrong.
oh some stuff on types of forks, cheap forks (rst, manitou, rock shox) pretty much just have the spring, as you get into more expensive forks (manitou, rockshocks, marz, fox) they can have elastomers, liquid, or air. i think some cheap ones can have elastomers too.

unrooted

You can't find a rock shox that beats a Fox. Fox starts at high end. Ignore rock shox and manitou unless you don't plan on riding much. Look at Marzocchi, the mxpro gets high marks on MTBR here is the best deal I've found:https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...ro+Eta+07.aspx. If you need to use v-brakes you'll need to buy stud/sleeve kit, I know its stupid but you really don't want to buy rst, rock shox, or manitou.

dminor 

That used to be true; most of the market (OEM and aftermarket) was centered in Europe.

But I'll update this: Since Hayes' acquisition of Answer-Manitou, RST is making a bid for a stronger stateside presence with a new distributorship in Portland, OR - - from which they are also selling product direct-to-the-consumer. Their product line can be seen at:

https://www.rstmtbstore.com/

The only one they are not selling out of the store is the 8" inverted Sigma. Instead they are pumping the 7" right-side-up dual-crown R1 as the (more consumer-acceptable) flagship.