New forks - how much of a difference?

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New forks - how much of a difference?

13 posts & 9 voices | Started 7 months ago by tron | Latest reply from mudmonster

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tron - Member

I've currently got some Marzocchi Bombers (2007 XC600) on my Inbred.

The Bombers have got 32mm stanchions, 100mm of travel, ETA (lockdown with a bit of travel left in reserve) and adjustable Rebound. One leg has a coil spring, both legs have some air assist.

If I dropped say, £100 - £150 on a set of second hand forks, am I likely to notice much difference? I quite fancy a set with adjustable travel so that I've got the option of swapping frames easily.

I often see Rebas recommended as a second hand buy, but to be honest, the number of diferent specs and options mean I've very little idea how they'd be functionally different to the forks I have.

Posted 7 months ago #
large418 - Member

The biggest difference you'll probably see is that you'll be £150 lighter.

Posted 7 months ago #
tron - Member

Bump for the daytime lot!

Posted 7 months ago #
Macavity - Member

"quite fancy a set with adjustable travel so that I've got the option of swapping frames easily"

Have a look at page 14
http://www.sram.com/sites/default/files/techdocs/2011-reba-technical-manual.pdf

not simple.

Posted 7 months ago #
z1ppy - Member

Page 14...
DUAL AIR SPRING REMOVAL/SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS (CONTINUED)
OPTIONAL - ALL TRAVEL CONFIGURATIONS

and?

I have two set of older Reba U-turns, they been great forks, thoughly reliable, user servicebale (as per Macavity's link) & I'd throughly recommend them. The rebound does something when you twiddle the knob, unlike most Marz I've experienced, and they actually weigh what the manufacturer say... unlike Marz's.
M8 has just gone from 06 Marathon to 2010 SID's, much better performance & a huge weight drop (unlike what the Marz site suggests).

Whether the cost is worth it, only you can answer, but IME the post Sram take-over, Rockshox fork hold there value a lot better than old Marz do. That's not to say that Marz forks aren't solid dependable units, my 04 MX's have seen a lot of use & will probably see a lot more...

Posted 7 months ago #
Macavity - Member

The internals of some Rockshox forks feel just a little bit fragile, eg some of the circlips used are not quite as springy or as tough they could be, and therefore do not always stand up to being removed and refitted more than once (or even just once).

Posted 7 months ago #
Herman Shake - Member

Unless the weight bothers you (unlikely as Inbred's aren't feathers) I'd keep them if they work fine.

£150 can be so easy to drop on new parts, but really is a fair amount of cash. Spend it on getting to unridden locations unless there's another area of your bike needing attention.

Posted 7 months ago #
bigthunder - Member

If you up the amount of travel from say 100 - 140 you will notice a difference. Slightly sharper head angle and a bit more forgiving. Look out for steerer tube length and make sure the forks youu buy have the reqd amount. Upgrading forks is an excellant move.

Posted 7 months ago #
bigthunder - Member

And its easy to change out forks as well - just check axle compatability!

Posted 7 months ago #
Ramsey Neil - Member

You could also have issues with disc caliper mounting , your Marzocchis will be IS most modern forks are Post Mount . Not the end of the world but you could end up having to buy an adapter and a new disc .

Posted 7 months ago #
stanfree - Member

Ive got a Inbred and had marz bomber 44's on it , recently bought a set of Rev's from here and its made a world of difference. I also put some lighter panaracers on and Its definately improved what was a heavy slug of a bike. I got my forks for a fair bit less than £150 though.

Posted 7 months ago #
tron - Member

Total thread from the dead:

My Bombers have got PM brakes, so no problems in that regard. As for easier to change frames, what I mean is that if I've got some adjustable travel forks already, I've got a far wider choice of cheap / second hand stuff to look at. If I haven't, I'll find a frame I fancy and need to get forks at the same time.

I could have probably phrased my first post more clearly. The main things I'm wanting to know are-
Can I run U-turn forks at reduced travel on a permanent basis, or is it a hill climbing feature?
What does poploc do?
Is motion control considerably better than the damping in my Bombers?
What forks have decent damping? What's the brand name for it? What's the technology? Are we looking at shim stacks, seperate high and low speed circuits or what?

I've got a rough idea on the technical side of things from reading up on pushbike and car dampers online, but everyone seems to have their own brand name for everything rather than calling a spade a spade. As I don't read the mags much, I've no clue what any of the labels mean...

Posted 7 months ago #

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