ackie, when you bought your forks from CRC did they include any extra springs in the box?

depending on whether you currently have 6 bolt or centre lock discs you can get a 32h, 20mm specific hub from CRC for around £30 to £35 and have it laced to your existing rim. Most LBS’s will rebuild the wheel for around £30. (My LBS built my wheels from scratch for £30 a piece including DT Swiss spokes and brass nipples)

I tip the scales at around 17st (I’m mostly big-boned, I swear :lol: ) My main concern is whether the ‘firm’ spring is going to be enough to give them a decent feel without maxing out the air pressure… (sorry for the slight hijack)

I’m also ready to pull the trigger on a 120mm set of these, will probably also need the firm spring, what weight range are you in lipseal if you don’t mind me asking?

Thanks for all the kind words…particularly ‘the creative log work’ comment… (I just grabbed whatever I could to prop it up for the photo but thanks :-)) The more I ride this thing the more I love it… altough the cold weather could change that soon enough (why did I wait until winter to build a new bike?? :? ) The front mech clearance really is a minor issue, after converting it to top pull and lopping off the down pull arm with the dremel the mud falls away nicely. On to the next project now…build another 29er for the wife… :wink:

Cheers big_scot, there don’t see to be too many around. I tried to order one through Si but due to lack of stock (and my impatience) I ended up sourcing one from Australia…will post pics soon… apologies for the hijack… how do you hide the receipts from the wife redted? :-)

Love it! Definitely need to see it with some mud on it though :-). I recently built up a chumba hx2. No more 26er for me…. Where did you source the forks from if you don’t mind me asking?..

Nevermind…it turns out you need He-man’s right arm and a special tool to get them in(I botched something together from other bit and pieces)…I’m not looking forward to getting these out again on the next service 8O

I'll keep an eye on them, they've still got a way to go so something else will probably come up in the meantime..there's also a set of marzocchi 44 tst2 forks on there but I've read so many bad things about the tst2 failing (among other issues) I'm very reluctant…

were they still ok when you sold them?

I guess that's that then, thanks keavo :-) Forks will probably be some used Tora 318s at 100mm, failing that probably some drakes (or minutes if I can liquidate some other assets in time). Other finishing kit is coming across from my 26er…I'm having a set of wheels built, the rear is going to be a 36 spoke hope pro 2 with steel freehub laced to a halo freedom disc rim. The front will be a pro 2 32 spoke laced to the same rim. Anyone running a similar setup?

I contacted Sam today, he got straight back to me offering a deal on a swift without the forks, £350 delivered, what do you think? I've got a strange feeling I'll be ordering one on monday…I must admit the swift wasn't love at first sight for me but the more I look at it the more I like it, I'm guessing it looks much nicer in the flesh too. I still like the look of the Paradox frame but even if they stay at the discounted £459 it might be stretching the budget a tad too far and I'll want to wrap it in cotton wool rather than ride it. Can someone just make this decision for me? It's too hard! 8O

thanks keavo, I'm concerned that I might share your views on the reba/tora debate, I'm a bit fussy as well and once I get something in my head I know I'll never be happy with the 'lesser' option. (and the more weight I lose the nicer my 26er rebas feel). Surely the 2010 Minutes will have to be marked down to clear soon if the 2011s are on the way? CRC are offering a whopping 5% off the 20mm axle version at the moment :?

MrTall, I might be coming up midlands way in the next month or two for work, not sure if I'll have time but wouldn't mind even a quick peak at your bikes if the offer still stands. That's if the seatposts can be lowered enough to accomodate my short stature :-)

I phoned Freeborn today, the have no stock of the Paradox (1 medium in the UK apparently) but are expecting more next month.

I also phoned on-one, they put me through to 'Stevo' the frame designer, he was very helpful and described some changes made to the new Inbred 29er. Nothing too major except they're giving the option to use some sort of taper fit bolts instead of the usual tensioner lugs on the rear (he said you can still use the regular lugs if you like). The cabling will be moved from the top tube to the down tube using a split cabling system and the front mech will be bottom pull. They also beefed up the joint between the top tube and the head tube (when I asked his opinion on this frame's suitabily for heavy riders he said the few failures they've had were at this section so they beefed it up a bit on the new model) there's probably more that I don't recall but he said they're posting an article on their site soon and will be taking pre-orders. He said the shipment is on its way and should land in 4-6 weeks.

I saw a post from about 6 months ago where 'Sam' from Singular offered someone a deal on an XL swift frame saying he wanted to move his remaining stock. clubber, did you ask if they could do a deal? The swift looks lovely but the price difference is making me lean towards the Inbred…

Thanks for the info and the kind offer, I'm 6'4 so hopefully tall enough :-) but live in Kent, the next time I'm up your way I'd be very tempted to take you up on your offer. (My 26er is a 22" frame BTW)

I agree about the fork weight, any of the above suggested forks would probably be fine for me, I noticed one major difference between my fox and reba in the small bump performance. The negative air on the reba really makes a difference. I'm not expecting stellar performance for a bargain price but I wanted to get something that wouldn't feel too harsh when pumped up to high psi for my weight. I've read a lot of good reviews on the Tora from 'clydes' so that kind of swayed me that way…

Thanks rootes1, I just saw another thread where Sam commented "Works great with a 100 – 120mm fork. " so I guess my inital concern was unfounded. (This thread: http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/steel-29er-frame-whats-out-there )

If any of you had to pick one bike for regular commuting through bridle paths etc, a bit of trail and single track with the occasional trip to the lakes…which order would you rate the Inbred, Swift and Paradox(each running 100-120mm forks)? (I realise 2 are in a similar price point and one is much cheaper). Or if you have any other suggestions?

Apologies, I didn't mean to hijack this thread… It seems MrTall has used pretty much all the forks I'm considering, it's good to hear first-hand feedback. With my budget I can either get a ~£400 frame and ~£200 forks or vice-versa (the cheaper of the two will be upgraded in the next 6 months or so). I was fairly well set on an Inbred but just spotted the Mythic (Banshee) Paradox frame…very nice! There's far too many options these days 8O I've been regularly checking the big sites like CRC for new models etc…I think there's an error with the spec for the Recon Tk Gold, if you compare it to the SRAM site, they have it specced with Turnkey damping instead of MoCo, basically the spec on the SRAM site looks like the old Tora 302/SL spec will aluminium stanchions. Thanks anyway though.

The weight seems to be the common complaint with the Toras, I've been running reba race and fox 32 talas on my 26er (the forks get swapped between mine and my wifes bike every few months if I'm bored) so I guess even though I'm heavy I'm used to a lighter front end, do you really feel the extra weight of the Toras?

Thanks for the replies…I thought about the Minutes but some negative reviews and lack of discounts put me off them initially, do you have the 20mm axle version or QR? The price offered by biketart makes them look more attractive though… I had overlooked the drakes, they definitely seem worth considering. These are most likely going on a Inbred 29er BTW. On-one said stock is due in about 4-6 weeks so I'm rounding up the extra bits and preparing to strip my 26er in the meantime. It's a shame the Swift is specced for an 80mm fork(I was hoping for something that could take 100-120mm), they have XL in stock at the moment. :| Keavo, what did you replace the Tora with if you don't mind me asking?

I'm currently looking at affordable 29er suspension fork options and just found this thread (nice review BTW). I'm a tad heavier than clubber at just under 18stone, I've been looking at the Epicons and the Toras for a stop-gap solution until I can find a deal on a set of rebas with a 20mm maxle. There's an offer on 2010 Tora SL for just under £200 new and slightly older Tora 318s seem to be going on ebay for under £100 (I've read about the difference in performance between the non motion control damped SL and the 318 with MoCo, if I get the SL I would also get a MoCo cartridge to upgrade it). Has anyone here had both of these forks? Any comparisons? Are the Suntours still holding up OK?