Thinking about these forks (non-Kashima, think it's a 2012 or 2011 model, brand new) for my lightweight xc build full-sus. They're the right length, but people seem to reckon they're bendy as hell. I tried some and they seemed ok to me, although it was only one ride and didn't involve massive descents. Also, the ones I tried were the open bath ones, but the ones I'm likely to buy are FIT - is there a significant real-world performance/reliability difference? Do the stanchions still wear fast on these if you don't service regularly? Any experiences welcome. Ta.
I've got a pair on my 5 with the FIT cartridge, Can't say I've noticed them being flexible, having said that I've not ridden 34's or 40's to compare. Seem nice plush forks to me that are very capable.