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White Bros. 180mm Groove Race 5.5lb fork ?

RD3

Monkey
Nov 30, 2003
661
14
PA
Have you ridden one of the new inverted groove forks?

My old WB was zoke smooth and you could work on every part of the thing yourself. The ONLY reason I sold it was because the 888s are stiffer. I'm guessing these new ones are pretty close.
If you liked the old wb inverted forks, you will really like the new ones. Same smooth feel, but they have added more overlap and bushings to make them stiffer. They are really great forks, not as light as a boxxer wc, but on the same terms as a 888. The machining is some of the best, both inside and out.
I haven't ridden the grove race (the non-inverted one), but hope to soon.
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
yeah ive been eye-****ing that groove race fork, either that or an 66 sl1 ata (yes i know they are very different fork stfu). Lets get some first hand experience before i risk my cash!!
 

trailhacker

Turbo Monkey
Jan 6, 2003
1,233
0
In the hills around Seattle
...not as light as a boxxer wc, but on the same terms as a 888.
What is the claimed weight of the Boxxer WC? Seems like the claimed weight of 5.5 #'s should comparable to any lightweight DH fork.***Edit - Rockshox site claims 6.1 #'s so if this weight is correct it is lighter. Marz doesn't list the weight of the WC, but the SL is listed at 6.5.

From looking at the WB site it seems like they are a little behind the times. The race fork is 7.1" compared to any of the top manufacturers (Marz, RS, Manitou, FOX) DH race forks at 8". Looking at their other offerings the "long" travel fork with a 20mm is only 130mm. Seems like everybody elses offerings with 20mm are at least 160mm.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
If you liked the old wb inverted forks, you will really like the new ones. Same smooth feel, but they have added more overlap and bushings to make them stiffer. They are really great forks, not as light as a boxxer wc, but on the same terms as a 888. The machining is some of the best, both inside and out.
I haven't ridden the grove race (the non-inverted one), but hope to soon.
How does the leg/wheel twisty test compare to a fox40 or 888?*

*to those who scoff, yes it's fvcking relevant;)
 

Fulton

Monkey
Nov 9, 2001
825
0
What is the claimed weight of the Boxxer WC? Seems like the claimed weight of 5.5 #'s should comparable to any lightweight DH fork.***Edit - Rockshox site claims 6.1 #'s so if this weight is correct it is lighter. Marz doesn't list the weight of the WC, but the SL is listed at 6.5.

From looking at the WB site it seems like they are a little behind the times. The race fork is 7.1" compared to any of the top manufacturers (Marz, RS, Manitou, FOX) DH race forks at 8". Looking at their other offerings the "long" travel fork with a 20mm is only 130mm. Seems like everybody elses offerings with 20mm are at least 160mm.

ok, when he said that it was not as light as a boxxer WC, he was reffering to the inverted dh forks, not the grove race. That fork happens to have 8" or travel aswell, just like...
 

bdamschen

Turbo Monkey
Nov 28, 2005
3,378
157
Spreckels, CA
They've got a 200mm inverted fork.

Can't seem to find the groove race on their shop online section though, I'd be interested to see how much they go for.


What's up with the 100 mm dual crown fork?
 

dropmachine

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
2,922
10
Your face.
Looking at their other offerings the "long" travel fork with a 20mm is only 130mm. Seems like everybody elses offerings with 20mm are at least 160mm.

So I guess COmmencal is off the back too since thier DH bike is only 7 inches?


Or maybe, just maybe, people are starting to realize that there is another way down a hill thats just as fast as plowing, but is much lighter on bike and body. ;)
 

bdamschen

Turbo Monkey
Nov 28, 2005
3,378
157
Spreckels, CA
Desert racing and offroading, I had always been told it wasn't the quantity of the travel, but the quality.

Not that I know anything about the quality of travel on these new forks, but I know my 170mm has been pretty much all I've needed so far.
 

RD3

Monkey
Nov 30, 2003
661
14
PA
They've got a 200mm inverted fork.

Can't seem to find the groove race on their shop online section though, I'd be interested to see how much they go for.
Retail for the groove race is $1,150.00 for the fork, flat crown is $88.50 and the drop crown is $125.00.
 

RD3

Monkey
Nov 30, 2003
661
14
PA
How does the leg/wheel twisty test compare to a fox40 or 888?*

*to those who scoff, yes it's fvcking relevant;)
They are definately stiffer than the old DH2 - DH3 models. I am used to feel of inverted forks (usually on an avy) so its hard to compare them. The 888 would still be stiffer, just by its design.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
They are definately stiffer than the old DH2 - DH3 models. I am used to feel of inverted forks (usually on an avy) so its hard to compare them. The 888 would still be stiffer, just by its design.
You remember curb hucker/violent volant who used to post here?

He came out to ride northstar like 2 summers ago and had one of the pre-production ones. It was equally as stiff as my 888 which is why I'm curious about what the production ones ended up like. It was heavy but it didn't twist.
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
You remember curb hucker/violent volant who used to post here?

He came out to ride northstar like 2 summers ago and had one of the pre-production ones. It was equally as stiff as my 888 which is why I'm curious about what the production ones ended up like. It was heavy but it didn't twist.
curb hucker lives down the street from me. That fork was ORGASMIC. Super stiff and super plush. I think they are kind of tall though. Though he always seemed to be working on it. I think that's just cause he was obsessive about it. Plus inverted fork just look badass, and WB is a pretty bling name. So no one has race groove ride time?
 
Sep 20, 2007
443
0
Champaign, IL
I know its a different animal, but I am on an '08 Magic100 100mm XC fork. That review seems about spot on with my fork. There is a lot of initial stiction that is just now *starting* to go away. (This after about 25-30 hours on the fork I would say, maybe more.) When I set it up to what I think is proper sag, I end up bottoming. It is hard to get the sag dialed in with the stiction. White Brothers told me to lube up the legs to help break in. There is only so much tri-flow I am going to dump on a fork...

Overall, when I am racing, it feels alright. However, if I hop on a Fox or other race fork, I can really feel a difference. I am likely going to switch to a new Sid in the upcoming months. I wish there were a way to do away with all of the stiction.
 
Sep 20, 2007
443
0
Champaign, IL
I'm waiting to see if someone chimes in with some tips to reduce stiction. I am sure there has to be at least a few people riding them that have them feeling great.... I think there's potential.
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
I'm waiting to see if someone chimes in with some tips to reduce stiction. I am sure there has to be at least a few people riding them that have them feeling great.... I think there's potential.
My UD-150 back in the day had a break in time of 100hrs.....I never understood why they took so long to break in.
 
Sep 20, 2007
443
0
Champaign, IL
Well hopefully it is still on its way to the sweet spot then. Now the real question..... How long did the seals last before they needed replacing? And why does White Brothers say it will be broken in after about 10 hours of riding?