Anyone ever heard of them or used them? I read about the fork in Decline and looked up the website....http://www.covicracing.com/index.html
Kowa Forks?
- Thread starter weimie
- Start date
That Hydraulic Technology sounds like a winner
that kashima stuff must be pretty super they are shouting it at us KASHIMA
and what they mean by that, is there are no springs in it. its just a hydraulic piston..
adjustable to 0" travel. interesting...
"forged alloy with hole"..........
Plenty of people use Kowa forks in Japan. Suffice is to say they are pretty good products. The only problem is they are a rarity outside of Japan so getting parts might be a problem. Going by the prices in Japan too, you'll be paying a premium for something that is a great fork but not any better than the well known brands you can get at a cheaper price.
I'd like to see some of you translate an ad into Japanese...
Hello Everyone,
I am the US Importer for Kowa forks. The site listed above is my import company website, let me apolgize in advance for its "incompleteness", it is a work in progress and should be finished soon.
I figure since my stuff is being talked about in this thread, I should throw my hat in the ring to answer any questions about Kowa or their forks (rather than respond to flamey comments from people that know nothing about them).
BTW, OGRipper is correct in his assumption that the above posted brochure is just a direct translation from Japanese. These were supplied to me (from Kowa) on the "quick" just to put some info on my site. I am working to remove some of the "Engrish", the updated versions should be available soon.
Thanks,
I am the US Importer for Kowa forks. The site listed above is my import company website, let me apolgize in advance for its "incompleteness", it is a work in progress and should be finished soon.
I figure since my stuff is being talked about in this thread, I should throw my hat in the ring to answer any questions about Kowa or their forks (rather than respond to flamey comments from people that know nothing about them).
BTW, OGRipper is correct in his assumption that the above posted brochure is just a direct translation from Japanese. These were supplied to me (from Kowa) on the "quick" just to put some info on my site. I am working to remove some of the "Engrish", the updated versions should be available soon.
Thanks,
Good to see another company rep on the boards, not to mention near Denver. Welcome, and good luck! I'm looking forward to seeing some of these on the local trails and hearing some reviews.
as long as it is low priced it will be fine, looks still way better than most of the forks on lowlowlow end bikes. and i bet they just copied all the tech from other companies...low quality (maybe?), cheap and not too bad. sounds good to me for the once a month weekend warrior.
that was some of the most flagrant e-speculation i've ever come across. you have no idea how this company engineers their products, what their internals look like, or how they perform. neither do i, but come on. This mystery fork could be anything from a stance blunt to a 36 in terms of quality and performance, and you wont know till we actually get to ride it. As for me, a fork with real infinite travel adjust would be awesome for my hardtail.
In Soviet Russia, hole forge you!
Oh Yakov
In europe these forks are sold under licence by MSC ( star fork).
AFAIK they and there racers have had a lot of input into the current range of forks. Last season their WC team ditched fox40's to run them and have nothing but good things o say about them.
AFAIK they and there racers have had a lot of input into the current range of forks. Last season their WC team ditched fox40's to run them and have nothing but good things o say about them.
I am pretty sure these are the same forks that Haro ran for a year labeled as shimano...
Yeah im sure there was some involvement back along.
That was when they were the same model that became the T.H.E fork,
It has change considerably with the one peice lower casting, and wider diameter stanchions.
That was when they were the same model that became the T.H.E fork,
It has change considerably with the one peice lower casting, and wider diameter stanchions.
Right, but the same basic idea. The damper had an INSANE amount of adjustability to it. You could set rebound so slow the fork woudl barely come back up if you pushed down on it.
sbabuser,
Thanks for the warm welcome, much appreciated!
I am doing my best to get as many of these forks on the local CO trails as possible. I am sponsoring a small (2 man) DH/MX/DS team to race the local MSC, G3 and select Norba events this year. Keep your eyes peeled for our small blue Kowa tent at these events, we plan to have plenty of product around to review and test ride.
And speaking of reviews, Mark Jordan at Decline was kind enough to write a review of the 150ss (160ss AIR for 07) in the May, 07 issue (its also posted on my website under the "reviews" link, check it out.
Thanks,
Don't know if this is a new or old fork by them, but looks nice!!!
humprabbit,
Yes, you are correct these were the T.H.E back like 6-7 years ago. Since then Kowa has completely redesigned every fork in their line. And no so much on the performance side but on the price side. Back when, they could'nt establish a market in the US (regardless of how nice they were) because of the cost (they were roughly twice the cost of everything else out there). Now, their entire line is comparably priced to the mid-high end of the US market.
Thanks,
It's a new fork. That is the 180sf "limited". "Limited" by way of the red and white color scheme only, otherwise its the same as the standard 180sf. All their DH forks come black and gold standard.Don't know if this is a new or old fork by them, but looks nice!!!
If someone can explain to me how to attach pictures, I would be happy to post pics of my team riders' forks. Sorry for being such a newb, kinda new to this forum thing...
Thanks,
Joe
Joe,
Thats exactly what I meant.
These forks are high end products, I know the MSC owner to talk to and have been updated about the redesign of the range over the past 2 seasons. I really am a fan of the range. These are proper Japanese quality Items.
I just hope people give it a chance.
Thats exactly what I meant.
These forks are high end products, I know the MSC owner to talk to and have been updated about the redesign of the range over the past 2 seasons. I really am a fan of the range. These are proper Japanese quality Items.
I just hope people give it a chance.
wait, so this is an updated version of the Toby Henderson Enterprise fork? that thing was supposed to be the jam, tons of adjustability, but took a while to get it dialed (and mad expensive). hmmm now i'm curious... i'd be interested to try one out if you're ever on the east coast.
Do you have the pics hosted somewhere already or just on you computer?
Just on my system...
I would upload them on imageshack and then copy the host link of the picture in the boby of the post. They will show up then. If you have problems doing that feel free to PM me and I will send you my e-mail address to send the pics too and I will put them up for you.
Glad to have you on RM man!!!
FCLinder,I would upload them on imageshack and then copy the host link of the picture in the boby of the post. They will show up then. If you have problems doing that feel free to PM me and I will send you my e-mail address to send the pics too and I will put them up for you.
Glad to have you on RM man!!!
Thanks for the welcome! So far the RM experience has been great!
I will try the imageshack approach (its probably about time I set something like this up anyway). If that doesnt work I will take you up on your offer.
Thanks!
Covic, when will these forks be ready for sale in the US?
They are available now. I have a small quantity on hand, beyond that there is about a 2-3 week lead to import them from Japan.
Team bike pics...
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
L
LFB
Guest
Those T.H.E. versions were horrible...but not as bad as the service and parts availability from T.H.E., but that's no fault of Kowa. T.H.E. was horrible in customer service in general.
Here is a pic from a bike shop in Japan I visited in 2004.
Here is a pic from a bike shop in Japan I visited in 2004.
Attachments
Japanese site but easy enough to navigate.
http://www.ringoroad.com/mtb/index.htm
Looking between 70,000-80,000 yen for the ones there (450-500 Euros)
Claimed weights from Kowa are as follows:
160ssAIR: 2.3kg (5.1lbs)
160ssCoil: 2.6kg (5.7lbs)
180sf and 180ci: 3.4kg (7.5lbs)
PM or email me for a complete pricelist.
joe@covicracing.com
Thanks,
I am well aware of the problems THE had with supplying service and parts to their customers. I do not intend to make the same mistakes and neither does Kowa. So far Kowa has been great at getting both parts and product to me on a timely basis (most off the shelf items arrive within a week, which aint too shabby from Japan).
Make one with a thru axle and 100 mm of travel with a low axle to crown height and I might be interested.