I picked up a Balfa Belair today, and threw on a few modern parts on it that I had lying around. The bike is awesome…..but the fork is a steaming pile of Iguana poo*.

Despite the bike being from 2003, it’s pretty well new, but the fork suffers from a significant knocking sensation and what could almost be described as a rattle at the top of its travel. Almost like the 20mm axle is loose.

Were these forks just useless? I know they didn’t have the best of repuation, but this feels pretty dire for what is pretty well a new fork. I’m planning on stripping it down and bleeding the Pure damper but I’m not convinced that this is the problem as the lockout works fine.

*As an aside, do cold blooded animals have cold turds? I’ve never thought about this before…

They weren’t awful forks by the standards of the time but they were plagued with loose bushings from new in the early ones. TF Tuned used to do replacement ones which made them much more pleasant.
As usual with RS of that era the same chassis was used with many different internals. The higher end stuff had reasonable damping but the TT and several oem versions were very basic inside. XC wasn’t as bad, basic oil damping and the SL was a little lighter and a bit more refined.
They are definately outclassed by modern stuff though.
Interesting frame btw. Reminds me of the Boulder Starship…

Warm poo I reckon. They have to warm up to get active, so I presume their poop is body temp.

Loved my TF tuned Sls back in the day, a huge step up from the Psylo XC before them.

+1 for loose bushings. I stupidly spent a fortune on a set once, having them overhauled by TFT. They came back still rocking like status quo (ie. badly)

Thing is, parts for em are like hen’s teeth these days, so to try and fix em up is going to cost a bomb (and they’ll never be great)
You’d be better off putting that money towards a more modern set of forks.

*Edit* Nice bike, by the way. I always loved Balfa Bikes.

Arghhhh man, by the time I made my mind up I wanted a bel air from Jamie at balfa, he had sold out.

🙁

Oh and in answer to your Q, steve peat used to ride them in the sense of the word 😆

I would highly recommend staying retro’ish and getting some Z1 Duals in golden yellow.

would sure look the dogs…

oooopps look what I just unearthed for you…

duh du daaaaaaaaaaa!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marzocchi-Z1-Dual-20mm-Bolt-Through-Retro-Rare-100mm-Travel-Suspension-Forks-/221854473801?hash=item33a78e9e49

You can thank me later once you have fitted them.

I think iguanas (marine at any rate) are unusual in reptiles in that they can generate some endothermic heat to prolong the periods they can spend in the water although still have to rely on ambient heat to some extent.

So would the Iguana find it easier to poop in the middle of the hot day, rather than when it wakes?

Could you do a close-up video of that rear shock in action… Just curious, like.

Will,
I had a pair of Psylo XCs and remember them being fairly pap. As above SC Bombers would be great, or even some Shiver SCs, now that would be ace.

It’s just a normal shock, half hidden in a tube.

The gold Psylos looked good. That was their main plus point – the negatives have been well covered…

I’m no help with the fork I’m afraid but thats one of the frames on my bucketlist.

I remember oggling them on the Balfa website. IIRC they cleared the last few for not a huge amount of money but more money than my poverty stricken stoooodent self could muster at the time 🙁

As a side the Boulder Starship is also on my list!

half hidden in a tube.

Which, of course, is completely normal 😉

I still have a pair of Psylo Xc’s knocking about in a cupboard somewhere, TFT did some work on them to make them a bit better. I only took them off one my bikes a couple of years ago.

I’ve still got a pair of Psylo Races in gold on my ’99 Kona Chute. Just waiting for a cheap pair of wheels to build it up and it’ll be my pub/commuter bike.

I thought the Races were ok tbh, although I did blow up the (plastic) internals riding ‘street’ (jumping down the stairs outside Chester magistrate’s court). TFT sorted some non-cheese internals and they still ride OK 🙂

I’m wrong about the endothermic bit apparently but they do have special glands in which they can store warmed blood for use when swimming. Ingenious. So in summary i’d say tepid.

I’ve still got a pair of Psylo Races in gold

Likewise but mine are still attached to a 2001 Attack Trail. In my mind they were never that bad but I imagine they would be (obviously) over shadowed by recent offerings. Might do a back to back with the Reba’s sometime…

Thanks all. It could be the bushings but holding the front wheel between my legs and rocking the bike forwards and backwards with a finger stuff between the back of the brace and the stanchion doesn’t reveal too much in the way of play.

If I press down on the fork and then quickly push up and down on the fork slightly while it’s still compressed, the knocking sound is pretty evident. I’ll pull it apart when I’m at work but I’m already on the hunt for something else.

That old Dual fork is certainly rad. I’ll need something with an axle to crown around 500mm in order to not steepen the geometry any more though. Shiver SC…..hmmmm.

As SamB says, TF told me years ago that the damper units are all plastic and pretty much all tended to seize up as one part or other swells (or something like that)

I suppose that means that even if you sorted the bushes the damping might be ****

Until this thread I’d forgotten I owned a set of Psylo XC’s! They were obviously not that memorable. Only owned a set for about six-months and am now reminded that they blew through their travel and did have a massive top out knock.