[bluride]

I read bad reviews about this fork for downhill (i play on scottish world cup courses) - but budget restrictions means I will have to consider this over a 888 or boxxer

any positive experiences out there (I am very light and hardly get half travel out of a standard 888 that a friend rides)

??

 

[Kornphlake]

sounds like you need softer springs than your friend uses in his 888 . I'd take a look at the boxxer race, sherman slider or a used/closeout super t, they're all superior forks that fit within the same budget category.

If you're set on a JrT though, they are good forks for people who don't know any better, or don't care. They'll compression spike at speed but that's not something that bothers everybody and they're pretty good forks for hucking but it doesn't sound like that's your thing. Your weight won't make the fork perform any differently though. The way the fork is designed, and I'm sure you could search for a lengthy explantion of this, it will only let so much oil pass through the damper. If the fork is moving fast, like on a downhill run, the damper can't keep up with the velocity of the fork and will in a sense lock out. Again it's not something that everybody will notice, but those who do notice it are pretty annoyed by it.

 

[buildyourown]

The SSV damping in the junior is pretty bad if you want to go fast. If this is just a slow speed play bike, it would be fine.
For a budget race course worthy fork, used Shiver. I've seen these go for $200. They are pretty durable too so buying used isn't that scary.

 

[Zark]

You can always upgrade the SSV damping at a later point and have a Super T.

Cartridges are pricey, but so are forks.