Review of my RST Capa T10 suspension fork for 20" wheel

[zombiess]

Finally got this fork on to my race bike. Setup is I think Kent Hyper 20" wheel full suspension kids MTB, all steel all kick ass. Rear shock is an ebay special I got for $65 shipped that has adjustable rebound and an 850lb spring, pretty darn nice piece. Stock front suspension fork on this bike was made out of on half about to fail and one half I'm going to die so I ordered up the only 20" fork I could really find. It comes without any steerer which is nice because it give you options of lenghts, threaded, threadless, 1", 1 1/8", etc. The steerers are sold seperately for about $20 and are clamp on style and once clamped in with crown race installed they feel very sturdy. This fork also provides mounts for a disc brake which is excellent because it's very hard to find a fork for a 20" wheel that supports disc brakes. The fork itself retails for about $90 and is a no frills shock. It has 50mm travel and adjustable preload.

Now for the bad, this shock is mainly for kids bikes so eve with the preload set to max it's pretty easy to bottom out by standing up in the saddle (I'm 175lbs) which I thought was going to be a problem at first. The good news is that during my rides I haven't found this to be an issue and it has helped to smooth out the ride quite a bit. I have managed to bottom it out once on purpose by hitting a sharp drainage dip at 40+ mph to see how it would behave and it took it OK. I do get a noticeable amount of nose dive on heavy braking, but I've noticed that even on my 4" travel full size MTB.

If this fork had 3" of travel or the ability to add more preload it would just about perfect for street riding, but as it is now I'm going to give it a 7/10. Too bad there aren't many options out there for 20" susp forks. I might give a 26" fork with 4" travel a go, but have to see how the bike will handle the geometry change. Once I have my 20" wheel with disc hub in hand I'll have a lot more options to try out.

 

[chvidgov.bc.ca]

Thanks for the review. I have several 20" small wheel bikes, and I've been interested in this fork, which is one of the few suspension forks available which could be right for a recumbent or a folder. Appreciated.

 

[wdwrkr51]

Thanks for this review. Upon reading it, I sidelined my BMX Urban Bike build with RST Capa T10 front fork for the time being. I weigh in at about 195 lbs butt nekkid, and if it bottoms for you so easily, it will surely bottom for me TOO easily. I switched the Amped Bike/9C 2807 motor over to an aluminum (26") MTB frame with DART2 front fork - tried and true, very nice for street riding - and started over. This will give me a more comfortable ride due to several factors, and allow disc brakes front and rear.

Anybody want a good buy on a Mongoose Craig Reynolds BMX frame with rear fork widened to 135mm? Includes new RST Capa T10 front fork and steerer, new sealed bearings, etc...... Will likely make a killer rear drive e-bike for someone closer to 150 pounds.

wdwrkr51

 

[zombiess]

I've already got a new shock to replace this one for my little pocket rocket. The only issue is it's 80mm taller than the 20 RST Capa T10 which has a 400mm axle to crown height. Good news is the new one has 100mm of travel, preload adjustment, hydraulic lock out, hydraulic compression adjustment (through the lockout knob) and is also and RST so I can reuse my steerer New shock is a RST Omega TNL for a 26" bike so using a disc brake is mandatory for a 20" wheel. I'll be transferring my 203mm Avid Juicy Five setup over to this one. To compensate for the taller crown height which will make the bike wheelie even easier, I'm having the rear swing arm extended by 8 inches This thing is gonna be really sweet. I'm going from a bike with 37" of axle to axle wheel base to one that will be 46" (8" addition to swing arm + extra length of the 26" fork). I can't wait to get it together so I can turn up the power some more. I looked really goofy riding this bike at the Grange race event because the wheel base is sooo short, but this bike is a ton of fun. I'll either sell the other RST or hold onto it for another build that I'll do for my girlfriend... but then again, that's how this bike started, just a mild small bike build for the GF who is waiting on her Visa to come to the USA, then my power addiction took over and I now have a full blown race bike :lol: Truth is I just want it running ASAP so I can ride it to work again, it's so much more fun than my 26" bike.

 

[Hillhater]

Diggler use this White bro's fork on their 20" wheel scooters..
Spendy at $650, but with 100mm travel etc
http://www.digglerstore.com/store_all_products.html

 

[zombiess]

Diggler use this White bro's fork on their 20" wheel scooters..
Spendy at $650, but with 100mm travel etc
http://www.digglerstore.com/store_all_products.html

Dang, $650. But you are getting what you pay for, 4" travel is good on a 20" wheel as long as they didn't get crazy with the axle to crown height and made it like 26" fork.

I had someone PM me and tell me to pull the caps and shim the springs with 3-4 washers and it makes the RST fork almost perfect for adults. I haven't tried it yet, but once my new motor from Croatia gets here I'll probably swap the 2806 9C into my other kids MTB frame and either sell it or give it to my wife when she gets here so we can ride together. She's only 95lbs though so it would only need 1-2 washers at most for her, but the preload is adjustable, just not much range.

 

[The Mighty Volt]

How does one go about fitting a steerer tube to those RST forks?? Can it be done at home or is a specialized tool needed? Thanks.