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Looking for a new set of forks for my daughter.
Nothing flash, just something reasonable to replace her suntour ones that were ok, but have died a horrible death.
Seems now there is nothing decent below ~200 quid!
All I want is 80 or 100mm, lightly sprung and with V mounts.
Any good deals around? Really need to keep to below £100.
something like these maybe?
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/54221/RockShox_XC28_MagTK_Coil_2013_Forks
they have suntours as well.
those look ok, but seems that they are the only choice.
wouldn't use suntour's again as the sealing is crap and the bushes wear quickly.
Maybe second hand is the way to go, but always a bit wary of SH forks as it's difficult to see damage and gauge use.
V-mounts make it tricky, not that many forks out there with those any more so it cuts the availability. You can get disc Recons for £125!
but then I'd need to get disc rotor, brake, and new shifter (combined at the moment). A that rate it would be better to get a whole new bike!
Which might not be a bad should as she's growing rapidly...
Can you use a mech disc with combined v brake/shifter?
maybe s/h marocchi's, z3s for example - v brake mount, 80/100mm travel, air
these:
why are forks expensive, because the pound has tanked. Quite simple really.
They were never that cheap just they are now expensive.
[url= http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/search/rst ]http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/search/rst[/url]
They're so expensive because idiots will pay that price for them.....
I must admit how anyone can justify fork prices nowadays. If we are all getting squeezed soo much how come single crown forks are regularly £700+?
Go have a look at 2nd hand forks...
For the purpose you've described I reckon some basic Mid 00's Marz MX comps will do, change the oil, and play with the air pressure, there's no point trying to find a "light sprung" coil fork when a basic air fork has infinate adjustment and less weight and can be adjusted as she grows...
But yeah new forks are a rip off...
The thing that amazes me is that they seem to hold their value reasonably well. Not unusual to see used forks going for £400ish, but full-sus frames of the same age and vintage going for a good bit less.
When you think of the engineering effort, materials and thinking that goes into a frame, it seems a bit odd. Especially as the frame ultimately has more influence on how the bikes rides than the fork...
cookeaa,
I really meant air or coil with the softest spring.
She's started doing some racing, so maybe I should stump up and get her a decent fork.
many of the MX comp are really heavy, if SH would want something with Al steerer and hopefully stantions too.
I blame Fox for the massively expensive forks.
I remember when the 36 first came out...it was loads more expensive than the high end Marzocchis of the time and pepole bought them. So Rock Shocx and co decided they'd have a slic if the action too! I remember the first Pikes being pretty cheap at the time but now RS don't really offer owt that I'd call cheap....none of the big fork manufacturers do. You know it's bad when magazine tests review £500 forks as budget options!
Back in topic, I'd go second hand. I know that the MX Comps are a bit heavy but they're easy to look after and get spares for so in my eyes represent less of a risk.
You answered your own question when you complained about seals and bushings on cheap forks. And don't forget the ever tricky problem of designing reliable tunable damping systems. And tortional stiffness with low weight.
Rockshox Sektors are cheap and good.
As for the OP. Wouldnt secondhand be a good option?
Loads of SIDs on ebay I'd try that.
I'm a Marzocchi fan-boi so I'll always suggest those but There must be other options...
If you're looking for 2nd hand older XC forks with V-bosses lighter than an MX perhaps consider RS: Duke or perhaps the older model SID (28mm stantion) owners of these tended to look after them well.
The trouble is that in recent years most manufacturers have been ditching V brake bosses and skinnier stantions and bumping the prices up and up, would fitting a front disc be a possibility? just to open up your options a bit?
B-L-Y - didn't really answer my own question, I still say that there are not many decent, cheap forks out there.
I got a pair of 2003 MX pro forks for 130 quid, and that was full price then. They are still going strong - ish.
If I was to buy an equivalent quality fork now it would be 300 or so??
think about all other components over the past 10 years- for the same cost the performance has VASTLY improved.
So why have forks gone the other way????
Second hand it will be for me this time
How much for this sort of thing in today's money:
Adjustable travel (63/80/100)
Adjustable spring rate*
Adjustable preload/rebound/compression
3.8lbs (~1.7kg)
*Ok, maybe changing the spring is not what you'd call adjustable.
Gobsmacking when you see Marzocchi 55 pricing. Even the R's etc are getting onto 400.
I wouldn't touch Marzocchi again. Not unless the distributor changed.
I got a pair of 2003 MX pro forks for 130 quid, and that was full price then. They are still going strong - ish.
If I was to buy an equivalent quality fork now it would be 300 or so??think about all other components over the past 10 years- for the same cost the performance has VASTLY improved.
So why have forks gone the other way????
Its a fair question.
Sektor and Recons aren't mega expansive though are they? But yes a reasonable sub £200 forks seems hard to come by
How about these - pretty basic, but 80mm with v-brake mounts?
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FORSRES80/rockshox_recon_silver_tk_coil_80mm_fork_without_poplock
martinhutch - noted - thanks
Chris,
I've got some Rockshox tk32 coil forks Brand new, boxed, but without v mounts. I do also have a ( fairly scruffy) Avid mechanical disk brake (bb7) in fact i'va. pair of bb7's If its of any use my e mail is in my profile.
In answer to your question I think we pay a lot because we will, if you see what I mean. Fox were always expensive forks but they are just stupidly expensive now. They do work well but are a set of Floats really £700 worth? People still pay it though..
I also heard a theory that a weak pound against the dollar doesn't help either!!
Forks are so expensive now that if mine broke beyond economical repair I would go rigid unless I stumbled on something decent 2nd hand.
£500 for a new set of Revs? Yah right.
They do seem very expensive and I wouldn't feel justified in buying a new set but.....
...maybe we've just become accustomed to getting an increasing amount of engineering and manufacturing for next-to-nothing for the past 20 years, with the last 5 years the beginning of some sort of correction and people only now beginning to notice?
To put it into some sort of perspective, these days filling a tank of diesel in a family car from empty costs ~100quid.
forks are expensive because we've all decided that we need forks with 160mm travel, 1600g, tapered steerer, moco/loco/blackbox/FIT damping, dual air, high/low speed compression damping, kashima-coated stanchions.
fork manufacturers are more than happy to sell us this stuff that we *need*
out of curiosity i bought some £130 rockshox xc 32's, with 100mm turnkey damped travel and QR dropouts. They're a bit heavy , and a bit flexy, and a bit pogo-ey.
but really, they're fine for 'just riding around, with a bit of gentle ragging'.
Why not buy a S/H bike from the classifieds with the forks you want then split the rest & sell it on-on ebay, must work out quite close to free 'new' forks?
ahwiles - Memberforks are expensive because we've all decided that we need forks with 160mm travel, 1600g, tapered steerer, moco/loco/blackbox/FIT damping, dual air, high/low speed compression damping, kashima-coated stanchions.
That's because the skill and ability of all weekend warriors has increased massively in-line with the technical developments, of course.
forks are expensive because we've all decided that we need forks with 160mm travel, 1600g, tapered steerer, moco/loco/blackbox/FIT damping, dual air, high/low speed compression damping, kashima-coated stanchions.
+1
Next thing they'll try & convince us different size wheels are a good idea...
PrinceJohn - Member
Next thing they'll try & convince us different size wheels are a good idea...
It's only a matter of time:
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He's even wearing Rapha
Forks are so expensive in so that dropper seatposts don't seem quite so outrageously overpriced. 👿
Actually, just get a decent set of carbon forks. Lighter, cheaper, better than crap suspension forks.
pound tanked/inflation/things cost money/stuff like that
Forks are now stronger lighter tougher and better damped than 5 years ago your other problem is your looking for v brakes....
sorry the STW answer...
Because everything is a rip off/marketing bs/want culture/fat cat bike shops/fat cat suppliers
have a look at the price of a first gen judy sl, then tell me forks are expensive!
I had some early judy sl forks which were £600 aftermarket although mine were OE and part of a £2200 hardtail that I paid only £1000 for new :-). Even witheir late 90's sealing they did 5years virtually untouched before corrosion ate the dropouts.