What 100mm travel suspension fork to buy.....?

[auraslip]

Do you think the difference between the xcr(coil) and the epicon (air) will be noticeable and/or worth the extra $100? Sheldon brown doesn't have anything to say about suspension forks, so it's hard for me to find unbiased straight talk about them

 

[dogman dan]

Air shocks definitely worth the money.... When you ride a dirt trail where you do jumps, or ride up and down rock staircases. So much more tunable.

On street, the cheaper ones will be fine, provided you can adjust both rebound and preload. But even ones with just preload adjust are good enough for street use for sure.

 

[markobetti]

heres a litlle help.. Spinner used to make forks for roxshox....
http://www.spinner-usa.com/e/aeris-320-100-rlc.html

 

[Ariane]

Hi,

Thank guys, I'm in the same dilemma and I think that this Epicon Sun Tour will be my next fork for my new ebike.

Good day!
Black Arrow

 

[Kingfish]

I have been running RockShox on my Specialized Rockhopper MtB for 19 years; they are a must-have for both trail and on the road, especially the urban road; a godsend for cracks, ruts, crossing bridges & RR tracks, and small potholes. Mine are on the decline though and leak through the top seals, thus I am pumping them up about once a month. I do not suffer from pedal pogo; the pressure and orientation prevents that. I bought them as an equipment upgrade along with the original purchase for an additional $350, more than ½ of the rest of the bike.

For my next ebike (P1) I originally bought the Marzocchi Bomber 44 RLO. But then after my first 101 Club trip to the top of Snoqualmie Pass and back, I got a first-hand look at how much my RockShox fork was flexing and it disturbed me enough to upgrade to the Marzocchi 888 RC3 EVO DH fork. Why? Because I now travel regularly at speeds greater than 30 mph.

I recognize that both these forks offer greater than 100 mm of travel; my old RockShox have less than that. However the part of this thread that disturbs me is that some here are focused on purchasing cheap components and then entrusting their lives in hopes that the most crucial piece of bicycle framework doesn’t fail.

Visual reminders:
Ouch, but lucky.
Less lucky.

A Word of Caution:
I don’t mean to play the heavy here, but you get what you pay for. At those prices where do you think this stuff is made? What is the quality of the material going to be?

FWIW - I don’t buy used equipment such as forks and rims. My life is more important than saving a few dollars.
Isn’t yours?

I’m just sayin… KF

 

[auraslip]

I agree with everything that you say king fisher.

I just have two points of contention;

1) Your 888 fork cost a grand. I could buy a new motorcycle fork for that much, and I guarantee it will be stronger and out perform your fork. My point is that safe forks shouldn't have to be more than a used car to be safe.

2) This fork will be for on road use only. At most maybe some deep pot holes.


If you'd like to recommend a fork that you feel is safe, but doesn't put my e-bike in the range of a used motorcycle I'd love to here it because that old honda my neighbor offered to sell me for $1500 is looking pretty good right now.

 

[auraslip]

frock it
Maybe I should just take your advice and order the 44 RLO from price point instead of the epicon
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/19775-315_MAR4R0_KIT-43-Brands-214-Marzocchi-Forks/Marzocchi-44-RLO-Fork-2010-offer?utm_source=Googlebase&utm_medium=datafeed&utm_campaign=FTP&offer=IN210GLB.htm&zmam=3075515&zmas=1&zmac=30&zmap=315%20MAR4R0%20KIT
250 + headset!

 

[Kingfish]

AuraSlip: That's a dang good price-quote you got there!

I was about to suggest a RockShox Tora 318 U-Turn Suspension Fork which I initially specc'd out for my system; the price was about $250 8-9 months ago from JensonUSA.

I know my forks cost more; I had to buck-up to that if I wanted a decent DH fork. All I am sayin' is be prepared to spend about 1/2 the cost of your bike frame for a good fork. That's what you are steering with, it takes the brunt of abuse, and you definitely don't want it to fail on ya

My eBike did go off-road; I took it on the roughest road ever on my Road Trip to California and broke spokes on last day - some on the dirt and some on the highway; ended up replacing the whole rim. The thing about FWD is that it is the WRONG configuration for dirt & gravel because the front would hop around trying to get traction and it sucked

Headset: One of mine - forget which Marzocchi it was - came with a headset also. But I couldn't use it with my frame; it's a Felt Compulsion 1 F/S. Take your time & shop around; be fussy

OK, here's the data: The 888 came from BikeBling for $925, and the 44 came from BlueSkyCycling for $259. Both are 2010 models. I R E A L L Y wanted the Titanium 888 but I wasn't ready to part with an organ to do it. I mean - the 888 cost more than my bike frame! But then - I am building a rugged DH ebike/light motorcycle and I really don't want to face-plant at 35 mph or any other speed.

Know what I mean Vern? :wink:
Cheers, KF

PS - Kingfisher is a bird & also a Beer from India; Kingfish was a person in fiction and real life (not counting mine). The beer is ok - kinda watery but fine for hot weather like in India. The bird is colorful. The fictious person was funny. Many folks felt that the real Kingfish was not; he was assasinated. I yam wot I yam, and that's all that I yam. Go make dust!

 

[auraslip]

lolololol

I got the last 44 price point had! And the best part is I priced matched it for $215 from another online store (who were sold out!). I should feel bad for getting a headset and a $250 fork for $220 shipped, but hey it's student financial aide money right? =)

 

[auraslip]

My fork is here but I have a big problem with my build.

I need to put the controller and charger in a battery box hanging from the down tube. Like this:

My concern is the travel of my 120mm suspension fork!
How much travel can I actually expect from the fork? Wheel the wheel actually come up five inches? I don't want the wheel to rub on the lower box!

 

[amberwolf]

Is it an adustable air shock? If so, let the air out and you'll see exactly how far it'll go up.

As for how far up it'll go in use, that depends on the pressure (for an air shock) and what you hit, how hard, and how fast you're going, etc.

 

[veloman]

Does anyone know how to soften a RST Omni 191 CL?

I'm only getting 1" of really hard travel.... it's pathetic.

 

[Kingfish]

My fork is here but I have a big problem with my build.

I need to put the controller and charger in a battery box hanging from the down tube. <snip>

By chance can you mount this assembly above the top-bar or on the rear rack friend?
~KF

 

[Drunkskunk]

How much travel can I actually expect from the fork? Wheel the wheel actually come up five inches? I don't want the wheel to rub on the lower box!

a 120mm fork is going to move up 120mm. the suspension will never sit fully extended with your weight on it. normal tuning means the suspension should sit around 1/3 to 1/2 compressed when your weight is on the bike. So with your weight and the batteries, expect it to sag 40 to 60mm, leaving only 60 to 80mm of travel left. hit a bump 2 inches high, and you'll come close to topping it out.

 

[auraslip]

Kf, that was my first plan....charger and controller above the top tube, but they are too big to fit. Also a waterproof dashboard box is going there

thanks guys!

here is what I am building

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18348&p=320684#p320684


BTW, you can't see it in the picture, but those bomber forks have some gold speckle paint on them....I'm not really sure what bike that would look good on :?
They are heavy and seem reaalllly beefy though.

 

[Mark_A_W]

Be careful about knee clearance with the box that high in the frame.

Make a mockup and test it first!

 

[auraslip]

I just wanted you to all know I completed the build. thread here: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22530


Also I was curious how ya'll set up your suspensions for road use? I have the PSI set to max, and rebound set to the lowest setting.

 

[dogman dan]

My roadbike has mechanical spring forks. But my setup is similar. fairly light rebound, but lots of spring preload which is like psi in an air fork. I like shocks to rebound fast enough for high speeds on pavement. Not too light though, or it gets like a pogo stick shock. I set more rebound on dirt bikes where you really do use all that stroke.

You need to tighten the spring or add air to compensate for the extra weight. With FS, both front and back need to balance. When right, if you bunny hop both front and rear would compress and rebound the same.

 

[auraslip]

I half the air out of my fork. I was surprised how little was in it. All it took was two quick taps on the valve stem. This caused some problems when I braked really hard, the fork bottomed out and hit the controller box. Shit! I thought I gave it enough clearance!

Anyways the damn preload adjuster schrader valve is recessed so that a normal pump head won't fit in it! FUuuuuuuuuuuu Marzochi!Well I'm not the type of person to let a company force me into buying their unnecessary product. ($20 for a shock pump). Instead I bought a valve extender for $2. Works with my normal pump, but not my hand pump.