Hi,

Newbie here trying to choose a 100mm 29er fork in 1-18″ straight fitting. Models being considered (but open to others) are Rockshox Solo Air, Manitou Tower, and X-Fusion Slide. Budget around 300 pounds.

Does anyone have any experience of these or any recommendations?

Second question – I want a fork with VERY low maintenance long-term. Would I be better off with a coil instead of air?

It would be for a Surly Ogre.

Thanks.

Low maintenance = marzocchi

Their XC forks are lube oil in the lowers and a seperate damper like everyone else, but they get the same 3 year, no servicing, warrenty as the open bath forks. They still recomend changeing the oil in lowers every 25hours or so and the damping oil every year, but it’s not a condition of the warrenty.

Coil/air rarely makes a difference to reliability these days, epepecialy fixed travel models (air sprung travel adjust on the other hand seems difficult to get right).

Thanks, but going on their website:

http://www.marzocchi.com/Template/listProdotti.asp?LN=UK&idC=1629&IdFolder=113&uf=WD&idWD=56730

I don’t see that they make any 29er forks in 1-1/8″ fittings, or am I missing something?

Hmmm, didn’t think of that, I’ve not had any reliability issues with Rock Shox forks so they’d be my 2nd choice, and the ones I’ve had have been easy to service/rebuild (no experience of the new RCT3 dampers though).

If you want reliable, have you considdered rigid forks like salsa cromotos?

The bike comes with rigid forks, but for offroad use I don’t think my bum will stand them, so looking for front suspension. I’m just a bit concerned about having to change the oil every 25hrs etc on air shocks, is the ongoing maintenance like this much less with coil shocks or the same? Thanks.

X-fusion?

It’s not the air chamber that needs changeing (although it might need a top up on a similar timescale), it’s the lowers and will be the same for anything not open bath (which appart from aminority of marzocchi forks, is everything), regardless of coil or air sprung.

I’ve had rigid forks for the last 3 years and whilst they’re sometimes harder work, it wasn’t as uncomfortable or uncontrolable as I thought it would be. It certainly makes you concentrate on line choice though!

Slide.

Rockshox or X-Fusion would get my vote. Topping up oil in the lowers is quick and easy after the first time and you really don’t need to do it every 25 hours (or anything like). However, it’s not unknown for new forks to come with very little oil in the lowers and once thy run dry they destroy themselves in no time, so check them after the first few rides.

Manitou Tower Pros fitted to my friends bike and mine for the last three years.

No servicing on either of them (but I suppose they must be about due) and they’ve both been faultless. (And they’ve both seen a lot of action)

They use a combination of air and coil to provide a very plush ride.

Would buy another pair tomorrow, if I was building a new bike.

Save yourself 100 squids and get some Manitou Towers from CRC. I’ve had mine a week or so and am very impressed for the money. Mine are tapered but there are straight steerered ones too.

Great review here
http://twentynineinches.com/2012/06/24/2012-manitou-tower-pro-29er-steppin-up-the-game/

Edit: beaten to it because of my fancy Dan attempts to provide a link 🙂

Wow – if you need qr15mm, then these are an absolute no-brainer!

I’m thinking more and not sure I want to deal with the hassle of servicing/maintaining an air fork, but equally I won’t be happy with a rigid on the trails. If I do go the coil way, what would be the best coil fork one can (still) get in this configuration (100mm, 1-1/8)? I’ve read mentioned these two: RockShox XC 32 TK Coil, Rock Shox Recon Silver TK Coil.