Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • How are those RS 35 Golds?
  • eulach
    Full Member

    I need some 150mm trail forks and I haven’t got 800 quid for fancy stuff. Or money for a new boost front wheel. What do you lose out on with entry level forks?

    AlexSimon
    Full Member

    There just don’t seem to be reviews out there, which is weird as they’ve been available a year now.
    Marzocchi Z2s get the best reviews (and I’ve just bought a set for my son), but unfortunately, even though they seem to be on retail bikes at around the same price as 35 Golds, they don’t seem to be available aftermarket at the same price 🙁

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    Not sure what wheel size you’re after but these are a bargain.

    https://www.wiggle.co.uk/suntour-aion-forks/

    Given rs’ previous budget number series forks I wouldn’t be in a hurry to go down their list that low, those rs stickers were expensive on the woeful 32s, 28s etc.

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    simonhuscroft
    Free Member

    I have just managed to pick some up second hand. Not built the bike up so can’t really say how they are but they should be reasonable.

    I had some 2019 Sektor that as far as I can tell are very much the same other than being 32mm. Same air spring, same motion control damping. They were surprisingly good other than being a bit flexy at 32mm, nice and smooth and fairly well controlled.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    I’ve got them on my Scandal.

      Pro’s:

    Despite the simple damping, they work really quite well. A bit less air than recommended, rebound was spot on, one click of compression form full open (there’s only 6 between open and “lockout”). If they had more adjustments I’d probably like less pedal bob, but it’s not all that bad. And you probably could find some better settings for more extreme tracks but TBH they’re good enough that I struggle to actually criticize them without something to compare them back to back with.

    Lockout works well, and if you forget then the motion control damper still opens up on big hits.

    They’re Stiff too. Really stiff. Possibly even more direct than my old 26″ lyriks.

      Cons’s

    They’re not light, but unless you want/have a light bike then will you really notice 1/2lb in the fork? Like the damping I’ve not been riding around thinking “I wish my fork was 250g lighter”. In fact the Scandal wheelies better than any bike I’ve had previously, no real idea why, maybe because I’ve had rigid bikes for so long suspension is just making things easy.

    There’s some stiction. But that might just mean they need bedding in a bit more, I’ve only had chance to ride ~100 miless with them so far. I checked and there is oil in the lowers when I got them, but the foam rings were quite dry so I soaked those which made a big difference.

    I’ve not managed to get full travel yet whilst riding, which is weird because the air spring chamber is massive. Looking in the top of the fork you question how there can be any progression at all! Not entirely a bad thing, I’d rather have 120mm of controlled travel than 130mm that jarringly bottoms out.

      Conclusions

    TBH looking at the spec sheet the Z2 looks like the better fork. The 35 is adequate unless you’ve got money to burn or princess and the pea sensitivity to spring rates and damping.

    Is it disappointing, no. Would I be disappointed if I paid £400 for a pair and then found Revelations/Pikes for £450, yes.

    n.b. I think both the 35 and Z2, and every other new fork are boost so you’ll need adapters/new hub/wheel anyway.

    z1ppy
    Full Member

    I’d be looking to spend extra for some Rev’s instead (ppl where dumping there OEM fork for around £200 not long ago) but 35 Gold is a 35mm stantion fork so stiffer than the majority of the cheaper options.

    julians
    Free Member

    I needed some cheapish 160mm forks for my spare bike/wife’s bike, and ended up going for some suntour auron rc2’s.

    They’re surprisingly good, sensitive on the small stuff,not flexible/bendy, adjustment wise they have rebound, and high and low speed compression damping adjustments.

    On small chatter they’re pretty good, comparable to my fox 36 rc2, but they show their limitations on repeated chunkier stuff, they don’t quite soak up the rapid hits as well as a more expensive fork, and I found myself having to slow down a little whereas on my 36 I’d have kept pushing on. I suspect I can tweak the damping a little more to improve things further though,but they won’t be as good as the 36 whatever you do I suspect

    They can have the travel reduced to 150mm using an internal spacer.

    P20
    Full Member
    munrobiker
    Free Member

    If you are after 29er forks I bought these a fortnight ago. They’re rebadged for 2020 as the Pike Select and are a hell of a lot lighter than 35s and have the fancy charger damper. They worked out as £325.

    https://www.actionsports.de/en/rock-shox-revelation-debon-air-rc-29-140mm/51mm-offset-boost-31115

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    If you are after 29er forks I bought these a fortnight ago. They’re rebadged for 2020 as the Pike Select and are a hell of a lot lighter than 35s and have the fancy charger damper. They worked out as £325.

    That’s still the motion control damper*, there is a version with a different charger damper (RC rather than RC2) but that’s not it, IIRC it was OEM only.

    *not interchangeable with the 35, but the same principle.

    munrobiker
    Free Member

    It’s definitely a charger fork, it says Charger on the compression damping dial on my fork while my other bike with MoCo Revelations doesn’t.

    joebristol
    Full Member

    Probably a revelation charger rc you have got them – but that’s not what’s advertised on the link above. It specifically says moco damper.

    Iirc the revelation charger isn’t a bladder damper like the full charger in a Pike But it’s better than moco.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Have you got the right link then? The description definitely says Motion Control. Sounds like a bargain if they are.

    eulach
    Full Member

    Thanks to all who posted, particularly P20 – Pikes ordered. (I bought my first pair of Revs from Merlin somewhen in the noughties).

    munrobiker
    Free Member

    Yep, I ordered from that link and some Charger RC Revs turned up. It was a nice surprise.

    Out of interest, 140mm is the longest travel marked on the sag indicator on the stanchions- does that mean I can’t fit a 150mm air shaft?

    akira
    Full Member

    Hmmm food for thought, been looking at forks for possible build.

    HoratioHufnagel
    Free Member
    1timmy1
    Free Member

    Yep, I ordered from that link and some Charger RC Revs turned up. It was a nice surprise.

    Out of interest, 140mm is the longest travel marked on the sag indicator on the stanchions- does that mean I can’t fit a 150mm air shaft?

    I think you probably can. I’ve just put a 150mm air shaft into a 130mm pike. You will just have to get the ruler out to work out your sag. I’m guessing it will be 160mm maximum like the pike.

Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)

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