Has anyone had experience of this fork?. Was the quality sorted by 2009?
Thanks
i got this years base model and they are fine
This years are a lot lighter, had a quick go on some RC3's, mind bogglingly plush, but dont think I could live with the weight.
I looked into a set myself and got some good feedback from a number of people including the distributor.
The summary seems to be that they are brilliant if you are within the weight range for the spring that is fitted. All the models, 2009-2010, use a single coil spring with a secondary air spring to tune for rider weight. If you're 'average weight' (not sure what that is but at 110kg I know I am well outside that range), then they are amazingly plush and work brilliantly. But if you're a lot heavier and need a lot of additional support from the air spring, then they work less well as the air spring reduces sensitivity and plushness.
As has been mentioned, the 2010 forks are massively lighter than the 2009 ones. To put the 2009 ones into context, they weigh 6.something LBS, so basically the same as a coil sprung RS Boxxer World Cup. The 2010 version have a Ti spring and other features which brings the weight down to roughly the same as a RS Lyrik.
The dirstributor also told me that there is only one spring for all models, so you can't replace the spring to suit weight. Again, you use the air spring to tune for weight.
mine are the rebound/preload only models. no air
"mine are the rebound/preload only models. no air"
Is that the RV model?
er dunno. mine are the cheapest model. i dont need bells and whistles
black ones @£315 CRC?
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=42273
yeah my lbs got them for me
they are a bargain, even at full RRP.
my 06 Z1 lights are simple coil sprung / air preload (RC2) and are ace!
They may have sorted a few things out for 2009 over the 2008s but that air preload thing was awful. Weakest spring you could imagine topped up with a single air chamber, meaning that if you're heavier than average you have to put so much air in that you're basically riding a very sticky air fork with incredibly crap and very linear travel, once it starts moving. In 2008 they didn't make any aftermarket heavier springs either so you were stuck with tons of air preload or constant bottoming out. Useless on the little bumps, useless on the bigger stuff. I tried really hard to make them work for me but switched to Rockshox and haven't looked back. If its air preload and a crappy spring, avoid them.
Is there really no aftermarket springs for the 55's. I have always needed to switch to light springs in the past.
I have them and as said suited best to ligther riders, im only 10.5 stone kitted out 11 max. i dont need any preload, just a little in the cartridge for the damping. They are really very plush with no pedal bob or brake dive when set up correctly (which takes a while).
I like them especially for the price you can get em for now, there is also no bull**** with warrenty and hourly services.
My girlfriend has some 2009 air ones with travel windyness and they have constantly broken. 3 times windwave have replaces the cartridges, the stantions have play in them and they randomly drop to 0 mm travel without any warning then returned to normal. They got taken to the Marzocchi man at the Mega and he smacked coil internals in as he admitted they ould just keep breaking as each cartridge weakens the other when replaced.