Pre-teen dirtbag (11) is starting to hit the downhills a bit harder on his hand me down 2022 XS Marlin 27.5. I’ve put DHF/DHR tyres on it, wondering about upgrading the stock Suntour XCT fork which is definitely going to start holding him back. Obviously don’t want to spend more than the bike’s worth, especially as he’ll only be on it a couple of years. So ££ is a constraint. Other constraints: QR axle I don’t really want to change if I can avoid it, and straight headset. Already down with the idea I might need to buy a tapered headset adapter as apart from the Judy it’s really hard to find any straight steerer forks these days. Don’t mind going second hand, even early/mid 2000s if necessary. Any recommendations of things I could consider?
Having been down this wormhole of upgrading kids bikes with some 'out of date' standards, I found it was cheaper and easier to find a complete new bike (second hand)...
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Honestly I wouldn't bother, as MOAA says.
You'll spend ages finding something that'll need servicing.
Or find something with bolt through requiring a new wheel.
Or, the fork will be a 180 disc whereas the old one is 160 = new disc and adapter.
Or the fork will be longer so needs a new front hose.
Then the little blighter will suddenly grow and you'll have to junk the whole lot anyway.
Just get a new bike and trade up.
I had the same dilemma and bought a cheap 100mm Judy Silver that is a billion times better than the original Suntour when the seals went. It's actually a pretty nice fork, and a lot lighter and more tuneable, so was worth it for our XC outings.
Figured that my daughter is unlikely to progress beyond a small sized frame (going by her Mum) so might just find her a bigger frame when she outgrows the XS and carry on with the 27.5/deore/judy build until she's ready for a proper spendy bike - you can always space down the steerer in a more modern frame.
I had the same dilemma and bought a cheap 100mm Judy Silver that is a billion times better than the original Suntour when the seals went. It's actually a pretty nice fork, and a lot lighter and more tuneable, so was worth it for our XC outings.
Figured that my daughter is unlikely to progress beyond a small sized frame (going by her Mum) so might just find her a bigger frame when she outgrows the XS and carry on with the 27.5/deore/judy build until she's ready for a proper spendy bike - you can always space down the steerer in a more modern frame.
I have the same bike for my son (small size). I did think about upgrading the forks too but realized this was just what I'd do if it were my bike and actually he loves riding it and doesn't seem to mind. I did add a dropper.
I'll just get him something fancier when he outgrows it.
Thanks for the thoughts. Agree it’s a bit of a dead end, certainly don’t want to invest a ton. Next bike is maybe the good one.
A small part of the problem is he reads the magazines - “why can’t I put a Fox 34 on it?” 😆 So he’s learning a bit but also turning into a bit of a shiny-gear fan.
I’ve found a Judy coil fork online pretty cheap. Never used a Judy before, as a low end RS fork is it likely to be much better than an XCT?
Maybe I just go for that. If it performs a bit better and has the right stickers it might do him a couple of years until he grows out of the bike.
I had the same for my kids and put a Manitou air fork with an upgraded front wheel and a qr adapter plus a dropper. It transformed the bike because the fork was 1.1kg lighter and actually worked!
It worked for two boys and then I sold it to another family.
I think that the Judy Gold RL can be had with a straight steerer & QR and 80, 100 or 120mm travel if you can find someone selling the combination you want.
It has an air spring and motion control damping and is probably quite a decent fork, but you'll be paying £250-£300+ new.
https://winstanleysbikes.co.uk/rockshox-judy-gold-rl-2021-fork
