[Closed] Kashima - is it worth it?

It is more awesumz to the power of rad x10^(gnar)

...seriously, no. It doesn't make any difference, but you will [i]feel[/i] like it does.... For about the first few rides anyway.

Then you will realise it makes no difference.

But it does look nice.

I tried a Kashima Gyro before i bought mine. The upgrade cost was £200 but it wasn't worth it. IMO its cosmetic. I have also seen loads of worn Kashima stantions.

My Kashima is plusher than all the plushness in Plushville.
Edit,but not worth £600.

fad, gimmick, cash cow, fashion.

I don't think I am a good enough rider to need the difference or notice it.

Just go for it, they look awesome !!! And are very plush

I think it does make a little difference (I did a straight swap of shocks) but it's a pretty trivial one, I wouldn't pay more than a few quid for it.

But is that the only difference? Fox don't have a FIT CTD Performance on their website so it's hard to tell but older Performance models have lacked adjustment and been a fair bit heavier.

Spend yer pennies on a tune.

Did a Kashima(didn't specifically want it, but standard csu out of stock) and FIT upgrade at the same time, and put the improvement down to the damping, however, I recently put the old damper back in (albeit with fresh oil)whilst the FIT was being serviced, and the fork felt far better than I remember it being (bearing in mind that memory does have a habit of playing tricks.)

I'm not convinced about Kashima from what I've heard as no one has said - yeah its worth it. It's not like a dropper post in terms of impact it will have on riding.

There are other differences such as Sram X0 drivetrain versus XT (I prefer XT which is on the cheaper bike) and a difference in wheels. But I'm not sure there is £600 of difference.

It's the Canyon Spectral I'm looking at between these two models:

[url= https://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3251 ]Spectral AL 9.0 SL[/url]

[url= https://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=3252 ]Spectral AL 8.0[/url]

Won't most of the money be in the difference between Performance and Factory? I thought Factory forks had far better internals? If that's the case and bearing in mind people say Kashima is 'a bit' better then the more expensive ones could be a fair bit plusher. Maybe not £600 plusher though although if you've got the money get the best you can. You know you'll always wish you did if you don't. 😉

Plus I'm thinking of swapping the forks anyway for Pikes eventually...

I think I've made my mind up... Cheapers over Blinger.

Is the £600 of Kashima going to make the bike better than another £600 spent on other upgrades. Good dropper post, 1 x 10 set up, a selection of tyres for different conditions etc.

Totally agree - already looking at swapping the Avid brakes to Shimano XTs or similar and getting some tyres...

Bushwacked, I've also been comparing those two Spectrals and decided the 8.0 was a better choice. The difference between the shock & fork isn't just the Kashima, the internals are also different between the Factory and Performance levels. But I decided that and a few other spec changes weren't worth the extra £600.
Interesting that you also discounted the 9.0EX - the 1x11 put me off

£600 spent on other upgrades. 1 x 10 set up.

Since when was getting rid of gears an upgrade? Why would you spend some of the £600 doing that on a brand new bike? 2x10 I could see at a push but 1x10?

I used to work for a Fox dealer/service centre so ridden all shapes and sizes of Fox forks and I can't tell the difference between Kashima and non-Kashima if that's the only difference in spec.

Fenwicks Fork Juice on the other hand comes highly recommended. Use it to wet your seals before every ride and it extends the gap between lower services.

sqn23 - I agree on the difference not being worth £600... That 1x11 cassette is around £400 each so if I keep the bike for 3 years I'll probably get through 2 cassettes which adds £800 to the bike!! At that cost I'd probably only ride it on the road.

Since when was getting rid of gears an upgrade?

Since about 2010.

That 1x11 cassette is around £400 each

Hardly. They're [url= http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a102745/cassette-xg-1195-10-42t-11-speed.html?lg=en&cr=GBP&cn=gb&gclid=CO7zydG66boCFQkOwwodTT8ATQ ]£208[/url], you need a new freehub body too mind.

Kashima rear shock came as standard with my frame, if I could have saved more than £200 by not having it I would. I am in the camp that says £1000 for front forks is a waste of money given my riding. So if it where me I'd save the £600.

Tis Fools Gold, so it is.

Since about 2010.

Come on then clever clogs, why is it an 'upgrade'? A different system with pro's and con's I can accept but an 'upgrade'? And we're not talking about s****y 11sp cassettes here, you said 1x10.

It does look nice, but I'd rather spend money on something else (brakes, beer spring to mind).

Won't stop your stanchions scoring !

Beer does spring to mind...

Highly doubt you'll notice the difference.. Money could be spent much more effectively to improve a bike elsewhere.