Quantcast

Best Fork For a big aggressive rider...

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
So a close friend of mine has just made the transfer from BMX to mtb and the kid goes extremely big. (used to be a push regular here in pittsburgh)...So if you know the spot you know the kind of rider im talking about.

He was on a budget and ended up picking up a GT chucker with a junk Marzochi dj3 from years past on it. Basically he blew it up in about 2 sessions. Put the fork back on and blew it up again.

The guy is about 245 lbs of muscle and rides like an ox, im trying to figure out what fork would be best for him. Keep in mind he will be riding some bike park stuff at diablo/snowshoe on this so i dont want to go completely park. Prob looking for around a 100mm fork...

What do you big guys out there ride? How do you set it up? I really dont know this market that well since i almost never break a fork...My new 08 dj1 is really nice i was thinking about pointing him that way...

Here's him riding...



 

pancho64

Monkey
Jul 28, 2007
210
0
nem pro tuned marz 66. i have one with 90mm of travel. its amazingly bombproof. im 200lbs for reference
 

pHeller

Monkey
Nov 5, 2007
106
0
Whoa, that dude is built like me.

I'd say a steel-steerer Pike would do him well as far as versatility goes.

The problem with going with a 66 or Z1 is that he'd have to rip apart the internals every time he wanted to change the travel.
 

redtaco

Chimp
Feb 12, 2008
44
0
What about the RS Domain 318? A dude built like that would hardly notice the weight and you run it anywhere from 115mm to 160mm. It also has steel steerer and stanchion tubes.
 

pancho64

Monkey
Jul 28, 2007
210
0
ive heard nothing but bad things about the rst space fork. i say stay away but if you fancy another broken fork, by all means....
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
What about the RS Domain 318? A dude built like that would hardly notice the weight and you run it anywhere from 115mm to 160mm. It also has steel steerer and stanchion tubes.
This is a very viable option, i am trying to keep the price down a bit for him but he will spend a few bucks if he has to.

A nem tuned z.1 sounds cool but he definately needs a fork he can up the travel a bit to ride bike parks over the summer. I guess he is just sick of breaking stuff (as i would be to)...

Rigid isnt an option:disgust1:
 

ebrider510

Monkey
Dec 7, 2006
410
0
Bay Area, CA
marz DJ 1 or 2 would be the ideal fork for him in my mind. i don't really know much about lowering or modding forks but a 66 lowered to 4-4.5" would be great for him probably. The Domain also sounds like money, but i'd want a fork that would go lower then 115mm for street/park use.
 

ballr

Monkey
Apr 7, 2002
165
0
colorado
I go 6'2" and 215# and have been using a 20mm thru axle Manitou Gold Label. Never had any probs with em. I've still got one (used, nothing wrong with it) that I'd sell cheap. PM if interested.
 

pancho64

Monkey
Jul 28, 2007
210
0
i'll sell you my nem-pro tuned 66. its too much fork for me. i cant even get it to flex. let me know if interested
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
Matt i'll get back to you later today, i am just trying to get ahold of this guy to see what he wants to do...

So what are the thoughts on a gold label for this rider?
 
May 12, 2005
977
0
roanoke va
I wouldn't. if he's blown through a DJ3 in 2 rides, a gold label would be doomed. in my experience, manitous aren't the most reliable/ bomb-proof fork out there. if you want something to last, a lowered 7-8 inch SC sounds like the way to go.
 

A Grove

Monkey
Nov 20, 2007
497
0
State College, PA
There have been cases of GL's lowers not holding... But those guys were going huge - but it doesnt sound as if this guy is much of a smooth rider himself... I would go for a nempro 66. that thing will be bombproof.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
bump on this anyone have something laying around? Or ideas i think the 66 nem fork would be perfect but a bit $$$ for him...

I think at this point the dj 1 will be the fork to go with...no?
 

seth505

Monkey
Jun 9, 2006
519
0
CA
I've had really good luck with my gold labels and I go big on the thing. I just got an 08 and it feels great, before that I had a 1.5 gold label that is even stronger. Cracked lowers once in a great while for the most part but put new ones on and the fork kept going great.