List of requirements:

Coil-
180mm-
Adjustable- HSC – LSC + rebound (both ways preferably)

I’m happy to:
Set it up properly:
Tinker with springs/damper settings.
Mix aftermarket dampers, coils kits, smashpots etc:

Don’t need:
Light weight-

… and I don’t want to pay £1000

Moon on a stick?

If you’re after something to play around with aftermarket bits on a 180 Yari would be a good starting point, they’re cheap enough and there’s loads of fancy bits for them including coil conversions and a couple of aftermarket dampers.

That’s one of my thoughts so far- but was not sure if aftermarket dampers?

There are several coil kits with bottom out protection (although with the right HSC I’m not sure if the need) but I’m not up to date on the damper upgrades.

Which were you thinking?

I’m currently running Ohlins coil forks on the 29er trail bike, and 170mm Marzocchi 55rc3’s on the Alps/park bike. It’s this bike I’m wanting to change out.

Why is single crown important in this spec? Interested as you don’t mind the weight

Funnily enough I’m selling a 180mm 36 RC2 Factory, with MRP Ramp Control cartridge and extras right now. Non boost 27.5″, so all you’d need is a Smashpot kit if you definitely went down the coil route.

Comes with both 15mm and 20mm axles.

Here’s a link to where I have it on eBay, just for total ease & speed of showing you – PM me if you want to know more 👍

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F323687725960

If you can make do with air, Suntour Durolux R2C2-

https://www.google.com/search?q=durolux+r2c2&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB810GB810&oq=durolux+r2c2&aqs=chrome..69i57.2912j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

can be had for ~£600 and they’re ace. I dare bet one of the coil conversion kits could be persuaded into them too.

@ andyrm
That fork does look like it might suit my needs, but TBh I’ve swore I’d never buy a Fox fork again, after rudiculous service intervals and quick wearing Stantions.

So, because I have never looked at Fox, I’m not really up to speed on the in’s and out’s of their performance.

I’m 110kg so need to make the fork work in a specific way, outside of the ‘normal’ middle range settings. I’ll research a little tho and see what I can learn.

@kayla1

Def coil I’m wanting.

Closed damper with a Vorsprung kit is probably the only option. Open bath dampers ramp up too much at the end and will add additional uneeded bottom out support. Don’t bother with a Yari – second hand Fox, new Lyrik or new Fox. In my experience Fox dampers pair better with coils out the box.

@peaslaker-
Single crown because although weight is not the main issue, I still do have to pedal this bike around. It’s not just a DH/uplift bike. It’s more of a long travel enduro beast.

It’s going on a Spesh Rnduro Evo, with wide rims and a CCDB coil on the rear.

@raybanwomble-
That’s good to know, why do the Fox dampers pair better with coils do you think?
Again, Fox stuff is out of my knowledge base.

I felt that my 2015 Pikes with a coil had a platformy feel in the midstroke, you could really feel the high speed circuits opening up suddenly. Fast damper conversion improved on that, but if you wound the high speed off too much it would still lurch into the midstroke. My 36 RC2s have a nicer feeling transition and even if I wind the high speed right off I can’t **** it up enough to make the fork feel like that.

I haven’t spent anytime on new RS forks that have been converted though.

I do think the fangled new adjustable high speed rebound circuit on the grip 2 damper means that you could set the fork up better for a totally linear coil fork without potentially having to reshim the damper as well.

For your weight range Vorsprung recommends a damper tune for the rebound, that would perhaps not be necessary with the Grip 2 damper. Send Vorsprung an email. A damper tune would easily end making the cost of a Lyrik or Fox comparable.

Thanks for that – good to know.

If you can deal with 170mm, X-Fusion Avalanche HLR (2013 new old stock) are available on ebay from Australia for just over £200inc postage. I’ve had mine a few months and they’re brilliant for the money, absolutely amazing value. The HLR damper is excellent. Get a Hope crown expander and bosh you have a tapered steerer. Give them a good service when you receive them, Bob’s your uncle. You won’t regret it, and you can spend some of the spare several hundred quid sending the damper to Avalanche for a revalve, that’s my plan anyway!

Edit, firmer springs are available on ebay (I’m 100kg so needed one)

I’m about to show my ignorance here but…

Given that length of travel on the fork, would a dual-crown not be better? You want to be able to pedal it and you still could (although tight tight turns won’t be possible, but something that size and with those wheels, you won’t be turning tight tight turns anyway so the dual-crown isn’t going to stop anything (sling bike over further to get round, etc.).

Happy to be told I’m completely ignorant but after watching several slo-mo videos of forks compressing and rebounding, anything over 140mm appear to have some very scary looking flex and a dual-crown would help reduce that in a fork with so much travel.

You’re right about the flex, but the added weight and lack of tight turning could be a little much for me.

Last year in Switzerland, we were doing trials style trackstands to get around some of the 180* turns!

Also, a 170mm fork would be fine too, but I’m not sure about x-fusion tho’.

I had an x-fusion on the bike originally, and wasn’t too impressed. If I’m gonna upgrade internAls, I want to have a little more commonly available aftermarket add-ons. I guess that makes it Fox or Rockshox then.

I have a perfectly good 160 air fork which could go in there already, but I’m looking to up the performance level a bit.