[Cameronryan]

Hey,

I'm currently in the process of building up a new bike and I'm looking for some forks and a shock I want to get away from Marzocchi, Fox, Rockshox, Cane Creek, Kowa etc

I want to find something really different, something that will perform as good or better than the usual offerings, any suggestions?

Want something to be 203mm or 8" of travel, no crazy inverted 20" travel forks please, want something dedicated to racing, something light and plush.

Thanks,

 

[norbar]

Want something to be 203mm or 8" of travel, no crazy inverted 20" travel forks please, want something dedicated to racing, something light and plush.

Thanks,

All that is actualy only offered by the mentioned companies. You can always try one of them with the avy kit.

If not you can try getting your hands on one of those tech-in japanese forks. Ive heard some good rumors about them but not really much info is available as they are sold only in japan if I get it right. White still makes forks but you have to chose between crazy light and not really performing well (the 2.3kg dc fork) or the 3.9kg monster.


Though going for bos or the new dorado if you want something only a bit more orginal wouldnt probably kill you if you got the cash

 

[trib]

Any reason why? if it's just to be different then why not get a proven fork from fox, RS, marz etc and give it a fancy lick of paint or an avalanche cartridge. Being different just for the sake of being different doesn't make sense to me.

 

[jekyll991]

I've read good things about kowa forks. Limited adjustability but they supposedly perform well enough without needing to tune it.

 

[supercow]

BOS Idylle front, BOS stoy in the rear

 

[xxFRESHxx]

how about a boxxer with CR1 internals?
http://cr1engineering.com/

they're offering tuning kits for shocks also.

 

[jonKranked]

Any reason why? if it's just to be different then why not get a proven fork from fox, RS, marz etc and give it a fancy lick of paint or an avalanche cartridge. Being different just for the sake of being different doesn't make sense to me.

my biggest hesitation in regards to more boutique/rare forks would be the potential for issues sourcing replacement parts and/or getting it serviced if something were to go wrong.

 

[norbar]

how about a boxxer with CR1 internals?
http://cr1engineering.com/

they're offering tuning kits for shocks also.

Have you tried it? Any reviews?

 

[xxFRESHxx]

no, unfortunately not. that's why i want to talk someone into buying it

 

[xy9ine]

how about a boxxer with CR1 internals?

for $600 it better be amazing.

 

[xxFRESHxx]

yeah, but $999 for the complete fork isn't that bad. it's actually less than a regular team.

 

[norbar]

yeah, but $999 for the complete fork isn't that bad. it's actually less than a regular team.

Do I miss something? What complete fork?

 

[DirtyMike]

Do I miss something? What complete fork?

 

[LOOnatic]

Do I miss something? What complete fork?

CR1 sells a 2010 Boxxer Race that they gut and install their cart. Since the cart costs $600, u would then be getting the fork for $399.
Not bad but i'm going to go with the AVY cart ($299) since i already have the fork.

 

[PepperJester]

Thats a pretty sweet deal considering stock Boxxer Race forks are going for around 700-800 online. Heck it's competitive with the Team forks too.

Might have to keep this in mind when it's new fork time later this summer.

 

[Cameronryan]

the reason I want to go with something unique is because I'm building a unique bike and I want to try something different, I've tried boxxers, 40s and Marzocchi and I wasn't happy with the performance,

 

[Kevin]

When you say "some forks", how many forks are we talking about?

 

[norbar]

the reason I want to go with something unique is because I'm building a unique bike and I want to try something different, I've tried boxxers, 40s and Marzocchi and I wasn't happy with the performance,

Not happy with them? How high are your expecations? My 2010 boxxer wc rocks. but if you really have high expectations get a bos rare and forget about the rest.

 

[mullet_dew]

When you say "some forks", how many forks are we talking about?

The 2 on the right will offer the best performance IMO.

 

[FCLinder]

I would highly suggest a Manitou Dorado!!!!! One of the best forks I have ever ridden!!!

Good luck,
Cecil

 

[4130biker]

I am partial to Rebound forks.
Trust me, you will be the only dude rockin' these bad boys!

But seriously- what about x-fusion, or Elka?

 

[bullcrew]

Avalanche cartridge in your fork chassis and a woodie.... A really matched pair as well as If I remember Craig makes stuff for CR1 suspension .....

 

[Tiago79]

BOS Idylle front, BOS stoy in the rear

What he said. If you have the extra cash go with the RaRe. They give up a little weight to the Boxxer's but the performance is worth it plus they have the longest service intervals than any other fork I know(seals every 2 years/oil change once a year). If you want something high end boutique BOS is the way to go. Plus your in Australia so you should have no issues with service and parts(Rouler Imports will take care of you).

 

[Uncle Cliffy]

 

[JohnnyC]

Marzocchi are different to Rockshox, so they are my favourite

 

[daisycutter]

http://www.whitebrotherscycling.com/26dual.shtml

 

[Udi]

the reason I want to go with something unique is because I'm building a unique bike and I want to try something different, I've tried boxxers, 40s and Marzocchi and I wasn't happy with the performance,

You're not happy with the performance of the three forks that have been topping the WC podium for the last 5 years?

I'd suggest that the problem might not be the fork.

 

[Hougham]

These are all forks you may not see so often these days but are all good forks in my eyes. Foes F1,
White Brothers Groove, Avalanche DHF, Kowa DH, Showa ( works Honda ) and the absolutely brilliant Tech-in invert forks from Japan.

I also see occasional see people riding RST Sigma very competitively so they cant be all that bad. Over in Poland a bumped in to some very fast guys on DNM USD. They look a cheap fork and apparently weigh a tone but a good rider appears to still be able to get them to work well. I even still see old on Risse Trixxxy and Chap forks doing very well.

I had a set of X fusion Delta 9 up until last year. They would have been brilliant possibly even one of the best forks out there apart from the damping. I you are a person who likes to tinker and has the engineering skills I think they have some real potential.

Edit: forgot to mention Brunn forks. Don't know anything about them but have seen then a few time.

 

[HardtailHack]

I'm with everyone else(for once) just buy a normal fork, I've had Pace 150mm carbon forks, they cracked, two sets of 09 Kowas, neither work and the only weird fork I have used that worked is my Magura Wotan. The Magura is starting to die now but it is an 07 model and has survived a year racing DH and has had a hard life for what was supposed to be an Enduro fork.

I have a 2010 Totem now and it is pretty good, it works, I can get parts for it and there is no false claims unlike all of the weird forks I have owned, I know they aren't DH forks but I still learned my lesson.
If you can afford a backup set of forks go for the crazy brands but I almost gaurantee you'll need the backup set in no time at all.

 

[Hougham]

I'm with everyone else(for once) just buy a normal fork, I've had Pace 150mm carbon forks, they cracked, two sets of 09 Kowas, neither work and the only weird fork I have used that worked is my Magura Wotan.

Horses for courses though. The Pace RC40 and RC41 are just long travel XC forks and where never intended for DH, Freeride, 4X, Jumping or any sort of extreme riding. There not really forks you can compare with the likes of the Totem or even the Wotan. Where as something like the Avalanche DHF forks is designed from the ground up to be a big hit fork and works great as such. Interesting to hear you snapped two sets of Kowas though what model where they and what did you think of the factory support?

 

[Sandwich]

In the US, your options are Avy, White Bros, or Foes/Curnutt for extreme brotardedness. Of those, the only one that offers a significant performance advantage seems to be Avy, and that will add 4 lbs to the front of your fork.

If I could have any fancy shmancy stuff, it would be a 10 boxxer (good chassis, easily available parts, maybe not the most reliable though) with an avy or push or cr1 cart...whatever tickles your fancy.

 

[no skid marks]

Interesting to hear you snapped two sets of Kowas though what model where they and what did you think of the factory support?

He didn't snap the Kowas(I'm pretty sure), the bushes just kept failing on him I think. He's a fairly big fella DHing pretty competitivly on a raked out hardtail. Both Kowas are fairly tall forks for a hardtail. Kowa have new bushes coming. Hopefully they'll be up to the task.
Are Foes still doing forks?

 

[HardtailHack]

Horses for courses though. The Pace RC40 and RC41 are just long travel XC forks and where never intended for DH, Freeride, 4X, Jumping or any sort of extreme riding. There not really forks you can compare with the likes of the Totem or even the Wotan. Where as something like the Avalanche DHF forks is designed from the ground up to be a big hit fork and works great as such. Interesting to hear you snapped two sets of Kowas though what model where they and what did you think of the factory support?

I had the Pace forks on an all mountain hardtail, I did a three foot drop and blew the damper and then Pace blamed me for it, the forks were a week old. After that they would fade after quick successive hits, at about a month of use the lowers cracked and spewed oil out. I just list these forks as evidence strange brands are rarely a good option.

No I've never snapped a Kowa fork, most of my dramas has been bushings however now that the third gen bushing is out so I may soon have more working forks than bikes.

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

to the OP this idea really isnt that smart of one...

The big guys are the big guys for a reason, they have the $ to do tons of R&D and make things work well. In your initial post you singled out basically anything that is a top level fork...Is this bike for riding? Or hanging on your wall?

 

[norbar]

These are all forks you may not see so often these days but are all good forks in my eyes. Foes F1,
White Brothers Groove, Avalanche DHF, Kowa DH, Showa ( works Honda ) and the absolutely brilliant Tech-in invert forks from Japan.

I also see occasional see people riding RST Sigma very competitively so they cant be all that bad. Over in Poland a bumped in to some very fast guys on DNM USD. They look a cheap fork and apparently weigh a tone but a good rider appears to still be able to get them to work well. I even still see old on Risse Trixxxy and Chap forks doing very well.

I had a set of X fusion Delta 9 up until last year. They would have been brilliant possibly even one of the best forks out there apart from the damping. I you are a person who likes to tinker and has the engineering skills I think they have some real potential.

Edit: forgot to mention Brunn forks. Don't know anything about them but have seen then a few time.

I used to have a DNM USD and I am in Poland(yet not so fast ) though mine was a bit off from stock and it was loong time ago though I remember it warmly. The 4.3kg weight was kinda a problem though.

 

[dante]

Wanting something different for the sake of being different is a FAR different question than wanting something different for superior performance. Fork castings are expensive, and so that's the only reason the big guys are able to get stiff, light performance out of their forks. They have to amortize the tooling over different models and multiple years. There's no way a small guy can get the mag castings for small runs and expect it to be anywhere near cost effective.

So if you want to be different just to be different, then by all means go ahead and get any fork that you see that's *not* being piloted by WC guys. Just don't expect the performance to surpass them.

Now, if you want to be different for superior performance, that's a different question. Right now the suspension gurus have figured out that if major players are going to invest in the chassis, they might as well work on internals. So you now have a choice of CR1, BOS, Avy, etc internals that will work well with a night, lightweight fork chassis. True, you might not have that "OMFG, what fork is that on your bike", but there's always trade-offs.

 

[IH8Rice]

still my all time favorite fork is my Foes F1 6.5". i still have it and want to use it, but the seals are leaking like a sieve.
i wish i had gotten the XL 8" version when it was available and really hope the release their new fork ive been seeing more of.

the new Curnutt XTD fork feels great but weighs a ton and your turning circle is huge.

 

[Trekrules]

Why do most inverted forks have to be so heavy compaired to most of the light forks that aren't inverted?.

 

[Sandwich]

machined aluminum vs. cast magnesium

most large manufacturers don't use inverted designs. Small ones can't afford casts to whip up large quantities of lightweight lowers.....so it's easier for a small manufacturer to make inverted designs, but it's more difficult to make an inverted fork light and stiff.

Manitou has seemed to buck that trend, even though they aren't making huge numbers of forks...maybe they're doing it right?