Fox vs rockshox

[DieselnDust]

6 hours ago, Jono said:

Fox 34 or Pike 

I found the sid ultimate (with 35mm stanchions) less rigid than a Fox 34. Whether it was in my mind or not, I'm not sure, but it definitely felt that way.

Maybe Fox 34 SC vs Sid Ultimate?

Your sid ultimate probably developed bushing play. 

[Jbr]

6 hours ago, droo said:

Fox, mostly for spares availability. RS are great while they work, but the assemblies you need to replace when they go wrong are bigger and will cost more.

Also with the Fox you'll have the option of ditching the remote lockout.

Whatever droo says 😅

[MTBRIDER1234]

I can't speak for their xc forks, but for enduro, trail etc. I prefer rockshox because I find the charger 2.1 damper to ride higher in its travel and it is easier to tune. Fox look nice but rockshox have superior performance and are better value IMO

But choose one and be a d*ck about it to the end haha

[DieselnDust]

Once the dampers get more complicated RS does get easier to Live with. 
it also appears to me that RS is tuned more for riders who are more aggressive /faster/ take more risks on the trail and the low speed compression seems more effective and tuned toward faster riders. 
 

that said for a more middle ground option and possibly easier to tune why not Manitou?

[OVERDRIVE]

Only RockShox exists. 

[Jono]

3 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Your sid ultimate probably developed bushing play. 

I had it looked at and apparently that wasn’t the case 

[eala]

Fox 34 stepcast or elite are great .Also have an Ohlins 34 .All are 120mm travel .Ohlins is heavier and half the price but any time as good as fox and can be tuned better than fox imo 

[Shaheedalex]

4 hours ago, michaelbiker said:

I ride a Fox 34SC 120mm with Fit4 damper. I miss my Lefty... 😅

I have never riden a Lefty...are they really that good? 

[MTBRIDER1234]

7 minutes ago, Shaheedalex said:

I have never riden a Lefty...are they really that good? 

I have heard they are pretty good but I think servicing is quite expensive. Also apparently the smallbump is better due to it having less seals etc. 

But my dad who is an ex-pro xc rider has gone from a lefty to a rockshox revelation and says the difference isn't that much. I guess a lot is marketing.

[thebob]

Most riders don't even experiment with their suspension settings to get an optimal setup nor do they service them as required to keep them running smoothly. In those cases you may as well ride a rigid bike 🤷🏼‍♂️

Edited August 19, 2022 by thebob

[DieselnDust]

3 hours ago, Shaheedalex said:

I have never riden a Lefty...are they really that good? 

yes

[michaelbiker]

5 hours ago, Shaheedalex said:

I have never riden a Lefty...are they really that good? 

Like all forks depends how it’s setup but I felt the small bump compliance was a lot better and the fork just felt smoother overall. I put it down to the needle bearing design. I also had installed a compression adapter in my Lefty 2.0. Servicing wasn’t any more expensive, just a pain because you had to send the fork away. 
 

Full disclosure: I went from a 100mm Scalpel to a 120mm BMC and I find the BMC overall a more capable and fun bike. 

[DieselnDust]

5 hours ago, michaelbiker said:

Like all forks depends how it’s setup but I felt the small bump compliance was a lot better and the fork just felt smoother overall. I put it down to the needle bearing design. I also had installed a compression adapter in my Lefty 2.0. Servicing wasn’t any more expensive, just a pain because you had to send the fork away. 
 

Full disclosure: I went from a 100mm Scalpel to a 120mm BMC and I find the BMC overall a more capable and fun bike. 

I figured there was more travel involved since the majority of Lefty's out there are 100mm.

If your basing your performance off a 2.0 then I'd say that if the Fox or Revelation was no diffrence then the Ocho will suspend your disbelief

[droo]

16 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Your sid ultimate probably developed bushing play. 

80% chance...

[dave303e]

11 hours ago, Shaheedalex said:

I have never riden a Lefty...are they really that good? 

Consider this, in your development team working alongside each other you have a specialist front end developer and a specialist back end developer. Or would you prefer one senior jack of all trades trying to do the whole job?

Most major front suspension on bikes moved or is moving to separate function forks, where one fork does rebound and the other compression- 2 specialists. Away from each fork doing both. You can see this across major suspension specialist companies- fox, WP, Ohlins, KYB, showa... With a lefty the fork has to do both compression and rebound on it's own. 

Where a Lefty used to have a distinct advantage- was that the mounting/clamp it had what was similar to a motorbike triple clamp. So the fork was attached both above and below the headset which gives massive lateral rigidity. Traditional forks flex hard at that point below the headset. The newer lefty's seem to not have that design. My guess is that a 2.35 mtb tyre at 1,5bar flexes long before the crown of the fork will anyway.

I think the lefty, much like a diamond engagement ring. Was a great marketing scheme, it is distinct in that not only do you know Canondale but you know why it is special in it's suspension. No matter what- people will be talking about it... So well played to them.