[Closed] Which second hand forks please ?

Avoid the Fox's. The potential for internal damage is just too high. You can retro fit 20mm lowers to the RS forks, but you won't get much change out of £200, so it's just not cost effective. Unfortunately you can't just change the axle.

What you can do is buy some Marzocchi forks and F&F (fit and forget). Now, not the new ones, go for really old stuff. Original Z1 for 100mm or Z150 for more. My Z150 are 20mm bolt-thru, never missed a bit, took everything in their stride. Email me if you want them cheaply 😉

Sent you and e-mail for info hairychested. Got my eye on a few e-bay things , but keeping an open mind. Don't know much about these forks though.

From what you describe Pikes. Theres a service guide step-by-step in one of this months mags as well (mbr?). I wouldnt got for old Fox's if they been used fully they will need various parts replacing by now. Keep an eye on here - Pikes go for 140/250ish.

Ps. caution if you buy from classifieds- there can the the odd dodgy types hidden amongst the good sellers

cant go too wrong with coil pikes. pretty tough fork and dead easy to service.

Just bought a set of coil Pikes myself. They are awesome! Really tough fork and the rebound ajustment and lock out actually work unlike some other forks i've had. You should be able to get some for around £170 from ebay. Would defo recommend them 😀

Thanks. Reckon it might have to be Pikes. I love the way they look too, which is a plus. Was a bit worried about weight on the front end though. But be good to have something bombproof in case I want to ride harder.

quote]Avoid the Fox's. The potential for internal damage is just too high

Totally agree; had my fingers burnt before doing any research. Ended up replacing lowers ( S/Hand with good bushes) and lowering travel so worse of stantion wear was below top bush! There are probably some good ones out there, but you should insist on seeing them stripped?

blog [url= http://halfarsedfoxf100overhaul.blogspot.com/ ]here[/url][

NB I have also bought old Marz bombers in the past; looked like the owner had never put air in let alone serviced them. Put a new seal kit in and they were as good as new 🙂

I bought some 06 Fox32RL's off ebay, they were fine.

On the same topic of second hand forks. Would you buy a pair of forks with wear to the stanchions? Not scratches exactly, but looks more like rubbing? Very small marks, couple mm or so.

Would you buy a pair of forks with wear to the stanchions?

I wouldn't, especially if they're Fox. If you're after something bombproof and low maintenance keep an eye out for Z1s from 2004-2006, especially something like the Freerides. Don't expect the ETA to still work though, that was the one weak spot. Doesn't affect other aspects of the fork though.

biker66 no. Those stanchions- at somepoint you'd need to factor in circa £100 to replace them. You most certainly couldnt sell them on like that either without dropping £100 ontop of the sell price if you were selling them secondhand.

My only bad experience with Bombers is the Doppio Air system in older models. But Bombers made in Italy and with coil spring like my old MX Comps are bombproof. Easy to service, open bath damping, just some forks have internally adjustable damping. I was also very happy with a set of Manitou Black Platinums I had. Always go for newer ones with evil genius seals rather than the mini boot ones that weren't that good in keeping muck out. RTWD worked fine ad it was nice to shorten the travel for long steep climbs. My mate has Manitou Nixons Super 145 with Intrinsic damping. Manitou black stanchions coating is wearing off pretty quickly (Marzocchi coating on the uppers hold well and my mates 07 XC500 still has perfect black uppers) They work amazing for an air fork and the damping and adjustments are great.

Now have a pair of Rebas and for the first time I can't really think of a reason why I would like to change them for something else 🙂 RS does make some really nice forks.

I personally wouldn't buy forks with wear to the uppers, lowers can have some scratches/chips but not uppers. Your budget should be enough to get You a nice fork, and if You look hard for a nice Marzocchi Z1 or and All Mountain series, You should even have some spare cash left as tidy examples used to go for around the £140 mark.

MX Pro, 2003, when Marz forks were built to last, 105mm travel, 190mm steerer. Not perfect cosmetically, no decals, but in full working order with no wear on the stanchions. Bargain at £75 posted.
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Rockshox Tora 318s are a pretty good shout- lots of steel in them for cheapness but it makes them pretty sturdy, and the 318 has good damping. Plus, they're cheap new and cheaper used.

I've had 4 mazz forks. 3 went off for warranty work. The 4th will be my 05 Z1 FRII's for a fettle up. Going to resurrect them for my hardtail build 8)

I wouldnt honestly faff with anything else- Pikes. If I was a teenager again I'd get them. Theres the easy self-service guide available as well. Job done. Saying that if I was a teenager again I wouldnt be ridin but ****ing anything that moves again 😀

Thanks for all the great advice and suggestions. Hey, Reluctant, those forks look pretty cool. I don't like stickers too much anyway, but I think the problem with those old forks is they have the brake mounts sticking out which are pretty ugly.
When I'm not riding my bike I do enjoy looking at it. 🙂

I was looking at the Tora's. Either the cheap and cheerful 100mm coil, or the more expensive ones with travel. Travel adjust seems like a good option for fine tuning geometry. ( but don't know if that's right)

But it's great. I narrowed it down to second hand pikes or revelations. Some Tora's, or some old bombers if I can find some without the brake mounts. I think whatever I get should be in black though.

Just got my 18 inch Orange Summer season ordered yesterday. It's gonna be a slow, bargain build.