suspension forks-which are good/bad heeeeelp!

[Dave7]

I'm getting ready to buy my first mountain bike and I find that e.g. TREK 4 or 6 series will have the same frame with maybe 15 options depending on gears & forks -the price variation is some £600.
For gears I have more or less settled on Shimano Deore (or maybe the one up) but am struggling on fork choice (or even understanding what is what)

I'm 65 so won't be jumping off rocks......it will be for penine way/Delamere forrest and see how I progress from there........maybe get into Wales etc-but nothing too serious.
I understand Rockshock to be good but they seem to have various models (Reba/Recon) and they in turn are broken down (silver/gold & RL etc.)
Is there a list so I can work out what is iffy/middle of road/better than I need etc.
Thanks

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Since nobody else answered I will try, but unfortunately afaik there isn't a single site/document that will answer your very reasonable question comprehensively.

Regarding what is what, perhaps this will help a little.

With rapid/frequent change in product lines, I think the only way to find out the relative features of different fork models and their variants is to go straight to the manufacturers' websites, e.g. this for Rockshox.

Imho, for recreational riders all modern forks over say £200 from the big 4 (Rockshox, Fox, Manitou, Marzocchi) are generally decent. Within the same class the cheaper forks are typically heavier and with less adjustability.

 

[Dave7]

perhaps this will help a little.
to go straight to the manufacturers' websites, e.g. this for Rockshox.
quote]

Very helpful -thanks.
Problem is I'm buying a new bike and the blurb will just say e.g. Joe Bloggs forks.....which doesn't give me any idea of where in the hierarchy they come.

 

[Cubist]

Dave7, you sound like you want a reasonable cost XC bike. Deore gears are a great start point, and will feature across several ranges as you point out. However, they tend to be on the "entry-level" bikes of many brands, creeping into some £600-700 bikes where other components feature. As you again point out, the fork will make a difference to the overall cost of the bike. You don't say what your budget is, and this would help with some suggestions, but as a rule of thumb the Rockshox range these days start with Dart, Dart 2 or Dart 3. These are an OK sort of fork and are fine on a towpath or bridleway bike, but lack much in the way of damping adjustment (though they do have lockout). The next step is the Tora, and this comes in two basic variants, coil and air sprung. Don't worry about the sub-variants (302, U-turn, Motion Control etc etc) as they tend to vary as OEM kit anyway. Tora are good entry level forks, but the Solo-Air tends to feature poorly in reviews compared with the Coil version.

Next is Recon. Newish spec, capable forks, still at entry level. Fitted to a large number of current bikes, probably starting to replace Tora .

Revelation are a trail/all mountain long travel fork, not likely to feature in the sort of bike you're looking for.

Reba is the first serious competition style fork and features on £800 plus bikes. Fantastic, dual air sprung, very adjustable, reasonably lightweight.

SID are the dog's danglies of the Rockshox XC range, light, excellent performance, but seen on £1.5K whippets.


As far as recommendations are concerned, your budget determines what you will buy. Virtually every brand increases in quality at £100-150 step changes, and as the price goes up, so the weight of the overall build will diminish. The fork, drivetrain and wheels are the factors which most affect this formula. Can I make an assumption that at 65 you can probably afford to pay for a little deserved comfort? If so, you can start looking at Deore or SLX builds with Tora or Reba Forks. Fox forks enter at about Reba level in spec and pricing, and are excellent in terms of quality and performance. A Fox forked bike with a mix of SLX and XT gearing like the Cube Ltd Race will cost just under a grand.