Groupset and fork - mismatch in performance?

I had the same on my transition scout.

Xt groupset and basic fox performance suspension, i just looked at it as giving most of what i wanted and bit the bullet and upgraded the forks etc

Isn’t it more that no other manufacturers make OEM suspension in the lower mid section of the market?

I’ll admit I like Rockshox suspension over Fox but without sounding too snobby you need to go Pike/Lyrik/Zeb. If your thoughts on Rockshox are because of the Yari you need to try the non MC forks.

I did the EXACT same with my Transition Scout.

I've been looking at new hardtails recently and the cost for a full bike vs just a frame is wild - on the low specced ones there's no way I could make the cost work out cheaper and on the top end ones I've no idea how they're so expensive.

So I just buy the cheap version - sell the parts you I don't like and upgrade it myself

Have you looked at Sonder? You can upgrade the fork to a 'better' Rockshox but keep the same groupset (I did so on my Signal, went for the Deore build but upgraded to the RS Revelation)

Plus they're a B-Corp, if that kind of thing is important to you (it was a plus for me)

Get the deore bike, then sell teh cheapo forks and buy better ones, will cost you a few hundred quid more, but you get the bike you want without going to the expense of the XT level bikes (assumign the XT level bikes cost a lot more than the deore bike + decent fork)

I thought the plan was for Fox to use Marzocchi as their "budget" brand to compete against the lower-end Rockshox stuff but I've seen little evidence of a presence in the OEM market.

Decent forks are so expensive that to put one on a bike takes it up a price class.  Has it not always been so?

I think it's probably always been the same but it's just that RS (and others) offer more models in their line up these days. Rockshox seem to offer a fork for every £200 bike price increment rather than the Judy/budget, Yari, Pike of the past.

It's a good time to buy a Pike/Lyrik in as new condition though after the recent dump of cheap buys so if you can handle RS, it's not expensive to upgrade.

Some decent deals around atm too, if you're after a hard tail Orange have 25% off the P7 (and others) so a Lyrik equipped bike is sub 2k.

I think the biggest issue, is that all Shimano stuff is good, and Deore is as basic as you get which is suitable for a mountain bike

I really like Bird where you can specify the components. I'm sure others do similar (Cotic etc).

We built up my son's AM9 a few years ago and specced good suspension (well, high spec Lyrik and shock) on the bike while saving some money by getting a great-performing Deore groupset.

It lets you spend the money where you'll notice the difference in performance rather than on the shiny XT derailleur or whatever a brand reckons will attract buyers.

Fox Grip damper (aka Marzocchi Sweep) is far, far better than the lower to mid level Rockshox stuff in my experience.

Rhythms are a little bit heavier than the Performance forks, but they perform very very well.

The flipside to that is that the RS forks are much more upgradable so I would consdier researching and pricing in the cost of a damper upgrade to a lower level RS Yari, 35 etc.

difference in price between deore and SLX groupset is £50 at rrp (probably £20 at trade prices). difference between a recon and a sid is £300. You'd be daft as an oem to put a sid on and not bump up the groupset

Keep an eye on the PSAs on here, grab a Pike or whatever cheap - and swap it for the fork on the new bike.

Just pick a manufacturer who let you chose your spec - Bird / Cotic etc - there must be a few others.

Or pick a bike that has a fork you can upgrade - I think lower end pikes can be upgraded to higher end dampers seperately. Yari can pretty much be upgraded to a Lyrik with a charger damper thrown in. I think fox performance forks can be upgraded to a performance elite with the better damper perhaps? Just the rhythm fox forks that have difference (heavier / thicker) stanchions.

Some bargains starting to reveal themselves. Canyon were selling the latest stoic with pike select, 12 speed deore, DT swiss wheels for less than £1400.I'd look for something like the pike select which is upgradable (and pretty decent from the off, certainly better than the 2018 / 19 revs I had on a couple of bikes)

EDIT - link not working but have checked and is still £1,399

I agree with snotrag about Fox forks, even the lower end ones are very good and the Grip damper is very good even with its limited adjustment. I don't think Fox even have a motion control equivalent.

I did what others have already said: sell the cheap fork before use, replace with something with minimum RS Charger damper (oor the Fox/Marz equivalent).

I'm more than happy with a 1x11 Deore groupset but won't tolerate a MoCo damper. The Norco hardtail I bought start of last year had a RS Gold 35 fork and 1x12 Deore - I replaced the fork with a Yari from a PSA on here, thinking that'd be good enough with the MoCo damper and I'd make do. Nope. I ended up replacing the Yari last month with another PSA: a Pike Select+ with the Charger RC damper, a great fork.

I would happily take other brands over Rockshox.

Why? They are way more home serviceable than Fox and you can drop modular stuff in easier.

One of the things I am not happy about on my Marin is the Yari damping

Bung a charger in... the last one I bought was unused/not fitted for £200 but you can get a takeout someone upgraded and service it as well.

I’m more than happy with a 1×11 Deore groupset but won’t tolerate a MoCo damper.

That is exactly where I am at.

Agreed that perhaps looking for a bike from company that allows you to select a fork is ideal - but I was hoping to support LBS having had a few issues mail order over the years.

So I could buy from LBS and whack on a different fork. Hmmmmm.

Why? They are way more home serviceable than Fox and you can drop modular stuff in easier.

In my experience with Rockshox:
a) they can be very hit and miss straight out the factory for issues - we have had three new RS forks in the household, two went back within a fortnight, one had to be replaced completely. The third one, my Yari, I was wise to and so gave a full service to a brand new fork on day 1.
and
b) the damping is not as good unless you are on the 'top tier' of forks and shocks - hence why there seems to be more RS aftermarket dampers out there and regular threads about upgrading....

So I could buy from LBS and whack on a different fork. Hmmmmm.

The Pike Select+ is still available at price I paid (£357.99): https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/rockshox-pike-select-plus-boost-fork. Whack one of those on bike of your choice. That's assuming 29er - I kept finding even better deals on 650bs.

I stuck a Charger 2.1 into the Yari on my big bike years ago. That's another option although the Yari chassis results in a fork that's 250-300g heavier than a Pike.

This is why I really liked the way Ibis specced their Ripmo AF that I've just bought.

Up until recently all models came with the same top end DVO suspension, decent wheels and finishing kit, (i.e, the important stuff) kit with different drivetrain/brake options giving an excellent base.

There's still some cracking deals about if it's the type of bike you're after.