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RST Suspension unvieled new 2013 CHAMP Prototype as viable Aftermarket option?

A-NON-A

A-NON-A

Chimp
May 4, 2010
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Inland Empire, Ca
This is a company with a rep found on entry level O.E. equipment and some mostly failed past attempts at the aftermarket. I got a hands on with their prototype while I was at Sea Otter and it was pretty impressive just based on apparent build quality and weight. The 120mm 26inch version weighs only 3.3lbs.

Anyone have past RST experience? It seems promising but most people dont want to be a guinea pig when it comes to spending money... lol

2013 RST CHAMP PROTOTYPE
 
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kidwithbike

kidwithbike

Monkey
Apr 16, 2007
466
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Hoboken, NJ
A-NON-A said:
This is a company with a rep found on entry level O.E. equipment and some mostly failed past attempts at the aftermarket. I got a hands on with their prototype while I was at Sea Otter and it was pretty impressive just based on apparent build quality and weight. The 120mm 26inch version weighs only 3.3lbs.

Anyone have past RST experience? It seems promising but most people dont want to be a guinea pig when it comes to spending money... lol

2013 RST CHAMP PROTOTYPE
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WOW! thanks, really appreciate your contribution.
 
Jeremy R

Jeremy R

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Yo so I continued to A-NON-A Beachfront Ave
Girls were hot wearing less than bikinis
Rock man lovers driving Lamborghini
Jealous 'cause I'm out getting mine
Shay with a gauge and Vanilla with a nine
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

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May 23, 2002
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Champ is a bad name choice...

It's sad to me that making a good fork is realistically a simple endeavor. Make it right, make it last. If you can't QC a good set of fitting lowers, don't sell your fork. If you can't prevent internal leaks, don't sell your fork. If you can't keep oil from leaking out, don't sell your fork. It is amazing to me what suspension manufacturers get away with. If RST wants to sell forks, it shouldn't be too hard.
 
IH8Rice

IH8Rice

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Aug 2, 2008
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Sandwich said:
If you can't QC a good set of fitting lowers, don't sell your fork. If you can't prevent internal leaks, don't sell your fork. If you can't keep oil from leaking out, don't sell your fork. It is amazing to me what suspension manufacturers get away with.
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dont forget about actually putting oil in your fork
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

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Nov 10, 2005
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Sandwich said:
Champ is a bad name choice...

It's sad to me that making a good fork is realistically a simple endeavor. Make it right, make it last. If you can't QC a good set of fitting lowers, don't sell your fork. If you can't prevent internal leaks, don't sell your fork. If you can't keep oil from leaking out, don't sell your fork. It is amazing to me what suspension manufacturers get away with. If RST wants to sell forks, it shouldn't be too hard.
Click to expand...
if you don't know jack sh*t about 6sig or SPC, don't call out manufacturers from your armchair.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

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jonKranked said:
if you don't know jack sh*t about 6sig or SPC, don't call out manufacturers from your armchair.
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I've taken courses on six sigma and statistical analysis.

but i suppose I should go back to riding my Reba that leaks, or my 66 that wobbles, both of which I got after selling my Float that weeped from the seals.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

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jonKranked said:
i took courses in art history, i ain't no art historian.

when did you get your green belt?
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I'm not saying I'm an expert, and I'm not trying to be one, but if your tolerances are +/- 2mm, you're gonna have a bad time. Somebody somewhere has to know how to use a simple plug gauge.
 
buildyourown

buildyourown

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Feb 9, 2004
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Sandwich said:


I'm not saying I'm an expert, and I'm not trying to be one, but if your tolerances are +/- 2mm, you're gonna have a bad time. Somebody somewhere has to know how to use a simple plug gauge.
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"gage" is the correct spelling in this app.
And they are measured with bore gages, not plugs.

I took apart my Shiver and did a little measuring. The differences between the 2 sides were shocking. I can't remember the numbers but it was huge from a machining standpoint. I fixed them with scotch tape.

And they are actually pretty hard to manufacture when you consider how cheap they are. Look at what a company has to sell one for to a distributor. It's 30-40% of retail.
On something like an airplane, you can 100% inspect every dimension. On a car, you can lower costs beacuse volumes are so high. On a fork, you have low volumes and precision tolerances and not enough money to cover the labor required to inspect them.
 
baca262

baca262

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Aug 16, 2011
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this is all true but - can't they pay ONE person to check if the assembled fork is too sticky, if the adjusters work, is there any bushing play and similar easily checked stuff? i have a feeling no one even bothers to do that.

we really need a moto company to get in this business with an oem contract for some mastodon like trek and/or specialized.
 
DirtyMike

DirtyMike

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Aug 8, 2005
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baca262 said:
this is all true but - can't they pay ONE person to check if the assembled fork is too sticky, if the adjusters work, is there any bushing play and similar easily checked stuff? i have a feeling no one even bothers to do that.

we really need a moto company to get in this business with an oem contract for some mastodon like trek and/or specialized.
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You mean like Fox does with both of them? and still have the same problems even though they have the OE contract..... rear shocks, forks, Fox does them for both of those companies and you still see the same crap.

Build your own has a huge point on these matters, its about controlling cost. One person will not be able to cover the inspections needed, having every single item inspected will take quite a few people on the payroll. There is no company I know of in the bicycle industry that inspects every item sold...... as far as I know, they randomly select from the batch and test the out..... Even the big companies such as trek and speccy with their frames just do a random check out of the lot and hope for the best on the entire lot.
 
Jeremy R

Jeremy R

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Ha, 2012 Fox forks kick ass, but I am sure a few of you guys who "took a course" can get together and do better and rule the fork market for years to come!
You can name the company Community College Suspension.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

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Jeremy R said:
Ha, 2012 Fox forks kick ass, but I am sure a few of you guys who "took a course" can get together and do better and rule the fork market for years to come!
You can name the company Community College Suspension.
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I will call my company "Ridemonkey E-Suspension"
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

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Jeremy R said:
Ha, 2012 Fox forks kick ass, but I am sure a few of you guys who "took a course" can get together and do better and rule the fork market for years to come!
You can name the company Community College Suspension.
Click to expand...
Look I know you're really cool and fox un-rustles your jimmies, but it shouldn't be quite so difficult to release a fork to the market that doesn't ****ing suck or fail in the first 1000 miles. My point is simply that rst can "win" by not committing the same mistakes that rock shox did with the 2010 boxer, or Marz with all their forks in 2009, or some of the early fox forks. That's all. I don't know more than fork designers, or you seem to think you do, or anything. I just know that as a consumer, I speak with my wallet, and Im not spending **** on crap coming out of Taiwan for bottom dollar.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

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Sandwich said:
Look I know you're really cool and fox un-rustles your jimmies, but it shouldn't be quite so difficult to release a fork to the market that doesn't ****ing suck or fail in the first 1000 miles. My point is simply that rst can "win" by not committing the same mistakes that rock shox did with the 2010 boxer, or Marz with all their forks in 2009, or some of the early fox forks. That's all. I don't know more than fork designers, or you seem to think you do, or anything. I just know that as a consumer, I speak with my wallet, and Im not spending **** on crap coming out of Taiwan for bottom dollar.
Click to expand...
If its so easy then you go build a fork, jew fro
 
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