Fork Debate

[love2fly]

On my dual suss mtb for the last 3 years I've been riding a RS 30 Gold set at 120mm travel but recently managed to get a Fox 32 Evolution 100mm. The RS is Quick Release and the Fox thru axle.

 

I ride trails and a mix of flats and climbs and enjoy the faster twisty descents. Im not sure I notice much if any difference between them especially the stanchion diameter so would like some input?

[love2fly]

Weigh 100kg. I just don't feel any major difference. If I give it some thought maybe a little....but just nothing that would make me want to spend money on

[Steady Spin]

If you don’t notice it then nothing anyone is going to say will convince you.

 

On paper it can say anything but on the trail you don’t feel it.

 

For me I didn’t notice a difference going from a 160mm Lyrik to a 140mm Pike.

 

I also don’t notice a single difference when changing compression settings.

[DieselnDust]

On my dual suss mtb for the last 3 years I've been riding a RS 30 Gold set at 120mm travel but recently managed to get a Fox 32 Evolution 100mm. The RS is Quick Release and the Fox thru axle.

 

I ride trails and a mix of flats and climbs and enjoy the faster twisty descents. Im not sure I notice much if any difference between them especially the stanchion diameter so would like some input?

 

 

I'm not really sure what you're asking?

 

The Fox is the more premium product. Whether you can feel a difference is purely subjective

[Psyrax]

The more important factor is, is the Fox set-up perfectly for you? A better fork can feel the same or even worse than a cheaper fork if not set up correctly.

[Super Sywurm]

The more important factor is, is the Fox set-up perfectly for you? A better fork can feel the same or even worse than a cheaper fork if not set up correctly.

This is exaclty the problem I have. I had a cheap(er) Manitou Markhor fork, really liked it. Then I upgraded to a RS Reba. Just not the same and I blame the setup. I can't find the sweet spot.

 

This is my second Reba, the first one was fine, not much better than the Manitou. I am actually considering a Markhor again. Don't think I would actually do it, but maybe.

[Rigardt@Scott]

Weigh 100kg. I just don't feel any major difference. If I give it some thought maybe a little....but just nothing that would make me want to spend money on

At your weight both of those forks must feel like sloppy noodles under you.... do yourself a favour and demo a 34, or a Pike.

 

Personally I won't ride anything less than a Lyrik or 36 again, even on a short travel bike. Everything else just feels shyte in comparison.

[Steady Spin]

Lyrik has thicker stanchions than the pike and slightly more burly lowers

 

 

But lowering the pike 20mm gave you more bushing overlap and that would account for the difference in stiffness

On paper. I don’t notice it on the trail.

[love2fly]

I'm not really sure what you're asking?

 

The Fox is the more premium product. Whether you can feel a difference is purely subjective

[love2fly]

My point is I don't feel a major difference. Whether Fox is premium I doubt very much. I think it's up to personal taste. 2 family members have had repeated qc issues on shocks and forks on 2 brand new Trek Top Fuels...

 

 

I'm not really sure what you're asking?

 

The Fox is the more premium product. Whether you can feel a difference is purely subjective

[love2fly]

I'm very pernickety on setup and have played with sag and rebound quite a lot. Interestingly I like the Fox a bit softer than the base psi recommended for my weight

The more important factor is, is the Fox set-up perfectly for you? A better fork can feel the same or even worse than a cheaper fork if not set up correctly.

[love2fly]

Wouldn't the 34 be more suited to DH or Enduro? Where I ride sadly descending us only a too small part of my ride.

The ongoing issue and I'm hijacking my own thread - is that on looser surfaces I don't have huge confidence in the front end... And that's despite having infinitely played with setup and Tyre pressure. 2.35 Ardent Race....

 

At your weight both of those forks must feel like sloppy noodles under you.... do yourself a favour and demo a 34, or a Pike.

 

Personally I won't ride anything less than a Lyrik or 36 again, even on a short travel bike. Everything else just feels shyte in comparison.

[love2fly]

Yip. That might be the best advice I've heard for a bit ????????

 

okay but you have A 32 evo , which was notorious for its damper problems so the performance might not be as it should , maybe have it inspected by cogent

[Rock Guy]

Wouldn't the 34 be more suited to DH or Enduro? Where I ride sadly descending us only a too small part of my ride.

The ongoing issue and I'm hijacking my own thread - is that on looser surfaces I don't have huge confidence in the front end... And that's despite having infinitely played with setup and Tyre pressure. 2.35 Ardent Race....

 

 

At your weight the 34 will be a much better fork. the 32 is about weight saving and so it's quite floppy. the damper on the Evo is also not great at all. You'd be surprised how much better a Fit4 or Grip2 damper is. But first, we need more info to really determine where the problem lies.

 

1. When exactly does the fork not feel great? Most people feel this on fast descents, but you don't do much of this. Is it on corrugated dirt road at speed? I don't imaging uphills will be an issue.

 

2. Is it when you are breaking? or when you full gas on a straight?

 

3.Presumably you ride a 29er? What bike is it fitted to?

 

4. Do you know what offset the fork has? (typically either 44mm or 51mm)

 

5. Do you have any volume spacers in the fork? (you really should if possible)

 

FYI. you've changed from a 120mm fork, which has more travel so likely a plusher ride, to a 100mm fork which is likely to be less plush and probably why you prefer to ride it at lower than recommended pressure. The 100mm fork would have steepened your bike's head angle quite a bit, doing this has made your bike's handling feel more sketchy. It's pretty well known that slacker head angles result in more confidence inspiring steering. You've gone the wrong way in this regard.

 

To make matters worse, running the 100mm fork at lower than suggested pressure has made the effective head angle even steeper. (what % is your sag at now?). Throw an Evo damper into this mix and you have a recipe for disaster. It's quite likely that you're not running your rebound fast enough (or that the Evo damper just struggles to keep up) and that you're fork is packing up on successive hits (e.g. corrugation) and you end up riding way to far forward over your front wheel (feeling lank sketchy) with effectively no shock travel left.

[Eddy Gordo]

At your weight both of those forks must feel like sloppy noodles under you.... do yourself a favour and demo a 34, or a Pike.

 

Personally I won't ride anything less than a Lyrik or 36 again, even on a short travel bike. Everything else just feels shyte in comparison.

 

I reckon the OP does not ride many chattery rocky type terrain.

That is where you will feel the main difference. The 32 will flex back and forth easier vs the 34. I suppose you could compare them by standing over you bike grab a handful of front brake and push back and forth. 

 

I agree with grease monkey. I wouldnt run anything less than 35mm stanchions. My personal favorite is 38mm.

[love2fly]

 

Interesting stuff. Out and about. Will reply in more detail later.

At your weight the 34 will be a much better fork. the 32 is about weight saving and so it's quite floppy. the damper on the Evo is also not great at all. You'd be surprised how much better a Fit4 or Grip2 damper is. But first, we need more info to really determine where the problem lies.

 

1. When exactly does the fork not feel great? Most people feel this on fast descents, but you don't do much of this. Is it on corrugated dirt road at speed? I don't imaging uphills will be an issue.

 

2. Is it when you are breaking? or when you full gas on a straight?

 

3.Presumably you ride a 29er? What bike is it fitted to?

 

4. Do you know what offset the fork has? (typically either 44mm or 51mm)

 

5. Do you have any volume spacers in the fork? (you really should if possible)

 

FYI. you've changed from a 120mm fork, which has more travel so likely a plusher ride, to a 100mm fork which is likely to be less plush and probably why you prefer to ride it at lower than recommended pressure. The 100mm fork would have steepened your bike's head angle quite a bit, doing this has made your bike's handling feel more sketchy. It's pretty well known that slacker head angles result in more confidence inspiring steering. You've gone the wrong way in this regard.

 

To make matters worse, running the 100mm fork at lower than suggested pressure has made the effective head angle even steeper. (what % is your sag at now?). Throw an Evo damper into this mix and you have a recipe for disaster. It's quite likely that you're not running your rebound fast enough (or that the Evo damper just struggles to keep up) and that you're fork is packing up on successive hits (e.g. corrugation) and you end up riding way to far forward over your front wheel (feeling lank sketchy) with effectively no shock travel left.