Rock Rider 540 new forks - suspension or rigid? Price around £250 max

[xzenonuk]

hey guys, i am considering replacing the fork for my old model 540 https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-540-mountain-bike-id_8293149.html

really have no idea what im looking for much except i would be fine with the same 100mm travel and its looking like a mine field when i look at forks, not even sure what steerer size or any thing.

around 250 would be the max i would want to spend, the current forks keep acting wierd and not really responsive its like theres not much rebound, especially after my second last ride in the rain they really need serviced again.

just looking for something that performs a bit better and is more weather resistant as i don't really do actual mountain biking, even considering a rigid fork as well.

any help is much appreciated

thanks for the thread move

 

[Shaun]

just looking for something that performs a bit better and is more weather resistant as i don't really do actual mountain biking, even considering a rigid fork as well.

Do you do anything with it that would require a suspension fork or is it pretty much dirt track / cycle path / road riding? Just thinking that a rigid fork might be better if you are concerned about weather resistance (just make sure it has the mounts for disc brakes).

 

[xzenonuk]

Do you do anything with it that would require a suspension fork or is it pretty much dirt track / cycle path / road riding? Just thinking that a rigid fork might be better if you are concerned about weather resistance (just make sure it has the mounts for disc brakes).

not really, the most i do is cycle tracks and towpaths or some muddy places but nothing serious and a lot of my time is spent on roads, got a road bike recently as well so im used to no suspension as well and not getting much out of the current fork any way, thinking of using the mtb with its new thick tyres as a winter bike and a rigid fork would be zero maintenance and cheaper and weigh less i think

still no idea what size of steerer or other stuff i need to keep in mind when buying one though or even a good one to buy, the cheaper the better if rigid.

thanks for the input im kinda swaying to rigid

 

[Shaun]

What year is your 540? The current model has a Suntour XCR 100 fork - detailed info here: http://www.srsuntour-cycling.com/components/fork/XCR-26-5612.html

 

[xzenonuk]

i bought it about 3 years ago for 480 quid

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-540-mountain-bike-id_8293149.html
theres a link to the exact one just before they stopped selling it

edit: it is a suntour fork but different from the new ones.

edit: must be coming on 4 years now since i got it.

edit again : i didn't join this site till a few months after i got it so 2014

 

[BSOh]

I put a rigid fork on my mtb. For the riding I did which was gravel and cycle paths it was fantastic. As it replaced a really cheap sus fork it saved me about 2kg as well . I put 1.75 tyres on (did have 2.2) and it was better on roads too.

 

[xzenonuk]

I put a rigid fork on my mtb. For the riding I did which was gravel and cycle paths it was fantastic. As it replaced a really cheap sus fork it saved me about 2kg as well . I put 1.75 tyres on (did have 2.2) and it was better on roads too.

hehe kool i actually just took 1.75 tyres of my mtb, it came with 2.10 currently got new 2.0 ones on it, figured i don't wanna sprain my ankle like i did this time last year, but recently got a road bike as well triban 500se so sorted for less icy days with 23mm slicks

glad to hear you went rigid and liked it, any recomendations? im so drunk at the moment but im edging more to a rigid fork even more now

 

[BSOh]

I went for an eXotic rigid alloy fork they're at www.carboncycles.cc. I think they are on amazon as well.They do carbon also. They are suspension corrected so supposedly don't mess up the geometry when swapping from sus to rigid. I'm no expert and did loads of reading. I was still confused this ended up being a bit of an educated punt. Luckily it worked out.

No doubt an expert will come along and explain the technicalities shortly good luck.

 

[xzenonuk]

I went for an eXotic rigid alloy fork they're at www.carboncycles.cc. I think they are on amazon as well.They do carbon also. They are suspension corrected so supposedly don't mess up the geometry when swapping from sus to rigid. I'm no expert and did loads of reading. I was still confused this ended up being a bit of an educated punt. Luckily it worked out.

No doubt an expert will come along and explain the technicalities shortly good luck.

cheers, glad it worked for you ill have a look at them, im confused as hell and getting drunker lol

 

[Spiderweb]

It's definately worth looking at rigid forks if you are riding mostly on the road, they would be lighter and a lot less expensive. I bought an old Trek 6500 a couple of years ago which the previous owner had fitted with some On One rigid carbon forks and its a lot of fun both on and off road ( bridleways & farm tracks) with some cross tyres.
If you choose front suspension then look at one with a lock out option and avoid Suntour.

 

[xzenonuk]

cheers all much appreciated, got a lot to think about now, might pop in decathlon once i lose this cold and ask if they know what sizes my current one is or try and get a spec sheet with the dimensions from them

if i went rigid whats the pros and cons between alluminium and steel, or even cro-mo?

dang your bike is looking slick with they forks and tyres spiderweb

 

[xzenonuk]

hey guys cheers for all the info, on a whim i ordered a fork from decathlon i only went in to buy rubber glue, they had to order it from france to their hermiston gate store and there was only about 12 or 14 left in europe (looked at the guys screen and stock levels)

got me one of these https://www.decathlon.co.uk/manitou-r7-fork-id_8138754.html the sticker on the fork says pro so it is actually the manitou r7 pro i have for 200 quid, good bargains for 26 inch wheels and it only cost 15 quid to get fitted instead of 30 as i bought it from them

well happy with it and i have not touched my road bike since i got it, the guy that fitted it was very nice and helpful as well

i think the bike is looking pretty good for well over 3000 miles on it's clock, on it,s 3rd chain and a new cassette last autum and i bought and replaced the wheel hub bearings that autamn as well, for some reason i still have the original brake pads, they do not seem to run out lol

 

[Jody]

I swapped FOX for some Manitou on my Anthem and they are really plush forks when set up correctly. I would say I probably rate them over the FOX that came standard.