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2014 forks

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
Just out of interest I wanted to read what the general consensus was about all these new forks coming out. Say its the end of 2013, your wallet is loaded and you wanna buy or try a brand new 2014 fork, which one would it be and why?

RS Boxxer
Fox Float 40 Rad
Manitou Dorado
Marzocchi 380
Suntour RUX
X-Fusion
DVO Emerald
Boss
RST
 
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Mo(n)arch

Turbo Monkey
Dec 27, 2010
4,441
1,422
Italy/south Tyrol
If had to choose, a Marzocchi or Idylle rare air from BOS would come on my new bike.
Yes I have a 888evo on my old bike.
Yes I have a Bos on my new one.

The BOS is right out of the box as smooth and compliant like the 888, which I serviced regularly :rolleyes:
If she holds up, I am a happy man. Service intervals on each fork is a year.
To get the service is a PITA, but possible in our region.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
If had to choose, a Marzocchi or Idylle rare air from BOS would come on my new bike.
Yes I have a 888evo on my old bike.
Yes I have a Bos on my new one.

The BOS is right out of the box as smooth and compliant like the 888, which I serviced regularly :rolleyes:
If she holds up, I am a happy man. Service intervals on each fork is a year.
To get the service is a PITA, but possible in our region.
i took the punt and went with the Idylle RaRes, feel great so far. I also came from the 888s(fork of 2012 +13IMO).
You can drop the lowers and change oil and lube seals easy enough on them.

I predict 3 of those forks will make it.
I think I'd be happy with at least 5 of those forks and Boxxer isn't one of them.

I have the Dorado now and I love it. It's better made then a boxer and feels more plush them my 2011 fox 40.
Id have loved to have tried the Dorado. I guess it would be a fair debate about my 888 fork of 2012/13 comment, but I've never tried them.
Buyers market at the moment. I guess it comes down more to price, availability, parts supply and serviceability in your area.
ID happily buy the the 380,40,Bos,Dildo and I'd take a gamble on the 3 new dark horses DVO, X Fusion, or Rux. Can't wait until some real info gets out on them all. Probably not much more gamble than the much changed 888/380s and air 40.
I'm stoked on my Bos purchase but am really curious about all the others now. Rock Shox have their work cut out.
Ride reports on any ASAP please.
 
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tabletop84

Monkey
Nov 12, 2011
891
15
Totally pointless until real world experiences by riders are out there in the case of the new stuff.
 

time-bomb

Monkey
May 2, 2008
957
21
right here -> .
I really want to try a dorito, I hear they are smooooth.
They are......like hot butta on a summer day.

I'll play, here's my list:
- Dorito: I own one now and love it. It is reliable and works better than any previous dual crown I have owned, there is no risk w/this purchase.
- Rux: If I were on a budget, this would be my top choice and should be simple to maintain
- EVO: It is pretty and I am curious.
- Rad: Simply because I want to be like Minaar.....well, more like Peaty since I am his age.
 

DMdh

Monkey
Oct 26, 2011
131
6
Galicia
I need advice on this topic because my 2010 boxxer race decided to snap in half last weekend in the middle of my race run....
What fork should be the best with to buy, new or used, with 700€??
 

4gnegative

Chimp
Sep 10, 2010
99
0
Orange Curtain
I like a lot of the new forks but I am gonna stick with last years 888 for at least one more season. I like new stuff as long as the design has been proven to be somewhat reliable. For a component as expensive as a DH fork, I want to see some long term feedback... if had to choose one of the new forks, I think I'd go with the 40 RAD.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
I need advice on this topic because my 2010 boxxer race decided to snap in half last weekend in the middle of my race run....
What fork should be the best with to buy, new or used, with 700€??
Lowers or uppers snapped?

I'm going to sell my 2012 Zoke Evo Ti with an Avy cartridge that I built up and used once if you're interested.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
International shipping is no problem. Usually about $50-60 through USPS. Retailers will usually charge a ton more than that though.
 

Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,508
821
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
Isn't the boxxer still lighter?
I'm coming off 9 years of 888s. The Boxxer doesn't meet my sealing, maintanence interval, and smoothness standards. I used to feel the same way about Fox stuff but can say SKF and Kashima brought it up to snuff. The 40's new weight and air spring now puts it on my radar. Tough call among it, DVO, and Dorado but that nearly 1lb difference is attractive when it's going on a light bike.

For the sake of assuming I'll guess:
The Dorado and DVO are equally slightly better than the Fox in the stictionless/long maintenance interval catagory.
The DVO is stiffer than the Dorado, their weight is identical.
The springs and damping of the 3 are so close that I could adjust any of them to feel just the way I want.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
Smooth sliding action will be one of the major selling points of the DVO fork, I can tell you that for sure.
 

Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,508
821
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
You already rode the dvo?
Before stating those comparisons I said, "For the sake of assuming."
I think they're fairly safe assumptions though.

Smooth sliding action will be one of the major selling points of the DVO fork, I can tell you that for sure.
Inverted forks almost always have a buttery feel and long maintenance intervals. They have gravity on their side pulling dirt away from the seal and holding oil against it. Also they usually have a greater distance between bushings. However, without going to 1 piece carbon legs/lower crown/steerer it doesn't look like they'll touch the light weights of right side up forks.
 
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Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
With all the options available in the coming year, if weight is actually the deciding factor over anything else performance-related...buy something else besides a downhill bike.
 

Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,508
821
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
With all the options available in the coming year, if weight is actually the deciding factor over anything else performance-related...buy something else besides a downhill bike.
Are you saying you think the DVO and/or Dorado have some significant performance or durability advantages over the 40? I'd expect them to have slightly less stiction and longer oil change intervals but my experience with a '11 36 180 and '12 40 were positive enough that I think the 40 will be pretty good in those departments. Do you think the dampers or springs are significantly better in one of these forks than the others for an average size rider? Do you think a 1lb weight difference is a very minor consideration that should be the last factor considered or should not figure in at all?

I'm assuming the feel of these forks after tuning will be very similar so differences in durability, looks, weight, or minor features will have to be my deciding factors. I'll have to make this decision without a ride on any of them and before the public gets any real time on the DVO and Fox so I'm digging for as much information and opinion as I can get. Sh!t, release date could even be the final deciding factor for me.
 

tabletop84

Monkey
Nov 12, 2011
891
15
The strongest point for the dvo is the easy tuneability. Think of just switching to another shimstack between runs without any oil-hassle.
 

trib

not worthy of a Rux.
Jun 22, 2009
1,456
388
I love how people are debating and recommending the DVO fork, despite no one riding it.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
Wait am I missing something - 1 year service period on an air spring fork? That can't be good for the air spring.
 

Udi

RM Chief Ornithologist
Mar 14, 2005
4,915
1,200
my experience with a '11 36 180 and '12 40 were positive enough that I think the 40 will be pretty good in those departments.
I'd question the objectivity of his opinions given he works for DVO (I think), and posts like this.

In my eyes Fox were a cut above previous competition for two reasons - damper design / valving and chassis stiffness. Service intervals could definitely be longer, however I've found it hard to get matching performance elsewhere.

Factory valving is excellent (at least on on '10+ shocks and '11+ forks), with carefully tuned rebound / compression curves, higher consistency over long runs thanks to complete air/oil separation and nice touches like bottom out cones that work. Of current MTB suspension brands, I think only Manitou regularly displays an equivalent level of valving expertise, with many popular brands falling short of the mark.

Before spending a significant amount of time on one, I thought a 40mm conventional chassis was overkill, but after riding it for three years now, I've found a noticeable increase in confidence on rough / steep terrain, particularly under hard cornering in these conditions. Going back to less stiff forks I can now notice a two-fold delay: a) steering input to ground, and b) ground feedback to rider. The important thing I noticed about b) was when chassis flex increases, there's a noticeable torsional spring effect as the fork sees twisting loads, and then unwanted feedback as the fork resumes its unloaded torsional geometry.

Before the motocross argument surfaces, those forks have the benefit of larger axles and clamping mechanisms, as well as far less restriction on weight. DH also involves significantly more rapid direction changes and requires greater precision, which I believe makes flex - particularly in torsion - a bigger issue.

I have no experience with the new DVO products, they seem to be carefully thought out and well designed. However I do believe it's difficult to make an inverted fork nearly as stiff as a conventional item within a reasonable weight range (even with the additional bracing), and would be surprised if the chassis does not exhibit some of the negative behaviors I described earlier. I'll reserve judgement until I try one, but Marzocchi have proved that you don't need an inverted chassis to have good sliding performance and sufficiently long bushing / seal life, and personally I'll be looking forward to a right way up DVO in the future.

Manitou fall into the same boat for me for the same reasons - nice dampers but a chassis I have no interest in. Marzocchi had an excellent chassis but a crude rebound damper compounded by volume-based ramp up (increasing shaft speed on return) which made for less than perfect rebound response from deeper impacts - but the new 380 appears to address that, and I'd happily try one - assuming there are no hiccups from the change of factory.
 

Ithnu

Monkey
Jul 16, 2007
961
0
Denver
I love how people are debating and recommending the DVO fork, despite no one riding it.
I guess this makes it to the top of the list for what people want to try out.

That and the new 40 would be on my list.
 

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
why does marz still continue to use chrome stanctions? that alone is enough for me not to buy their fork..

someone please explain to me what i am missing..?


id really like to try the 40 RAD, but once i saw the x fusions MSRP, i was intrigued by that one as well (i just want my bike to be done ASAP). i really liked my velvet on my dj, and have herd good things about the vengeance.