[kail]

Hey folks,

I'm getting a 2012 Specialized SX Trail this Spring, which comes with a Fox 36 R (180mm travel). The fork feels fine to me, but since I do a lot of climbing I was thinking I might sell that fork and either get a Talus (with the same amount of travel; I want to stick with around 180 mm of travel), or I was also looking at the Rock Shox Totem. Basically, I'm just looking for a burly single crown that will compliment the bike but has the ability to lower the height 2" or so to make steep, technical climbing easier.

I haven't purchased a new bike for quite a few years, and am a long-time Marzocchi fan. I'm distrustful of Rock Shox, as back in the days when I worked in a shop they couldn't make anything of notable quality. Now Marzocchi is like that, lol. However RS has seemed to step up their game in the last few years. I'm also concerned about a Talus fork not delivering the performance I get out of my current fork, an 06 Marz 66RC2x. Matter of fact, I'm not sure ANY new fork could compare to that one...

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

dont buy a totem.
i´ve had it.... the coil is ok, but the travel adjustable one sucks BALLS.
i had one, and it was nothing but trouble.

go with a 180 talas.

 

[kail]

^^Cool, thanks. Was it just unreliable or did it perform like poo? You'd think for the prices they charge nowadays for forks they would be flawless, sheesh. I'm thinking I'm gonna miss my 66 when I finally sell it...

Anyway, I'm gonna at least climb once or twice with the 36R that comes with my bike, it really just depends how the bike interacts with the fork, considering it has a 65.5* head angle. If it climbs okay, I might just keep it as is. I'm not expecting XC-race bike climbing, by the way.

 

[4130biker]

Mine climbed fairly well without a travel adjust, on the same frame/fork setup. You might be suprised!

If you do change, I think Talas, or have a look at one of the travel adjust Lyriks (170mm). I've always been a huge fan of coil u-turn, but can't speak to the reliability of the current two position air, or whatever the hell it's now called.

 

[kail]

Thanks for the replies guys. It's looking more and more like Fox is the answer.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

^^Cool, thanks. Was it just unreliable or did it perform like poo? You'd think for the prices they charge nowadays for forks they would be flawless, sheesh. I'm thinking I'm gonna miss my 66 when I finally sell it...

Anyway, I'm gonna at least climb once or twice with the 36R that comes with my bike, it really just depends how the bike interacts with the fork, considering it has a 65.5* head angle. If it climbs okay, I might just keep it as is. I'm not expecting XC-race bike climbing, by the way.

both.
the 2-step had BIG reliability issues. it would get stuck down every other ride, requiring some dissasembly to purge the negative side.

the performance was nothing to write home about. the 2-step air spring was very progressive. it didnt like braking bumps, and every 3 rides, on long rides it would crap the bed (you would bottom it out, just by putting your weight on the handlebars), only to be back to normal a few hours later.
i´d venture to guess wild variations on air spring K were heat-related.
and then, my lowers developed some noticeable play after like 5-6 rides. after a few months, my LSC dial stopped working. i´d always have the same LSC, regardless of how many clicks i had on it.

the coil is a much better fork, from a performance POV (my friend had one).... but considering the quality issues, inherent to the chasis, I wouldnt drop money on one.

 

[voltaren]

How is the Fox 36 Fit 180mm compared to the Talas 180/140?Performance, and reliability wise..