Hello just musing whilst bored at work....

currently i have some cheapy rst(??) forks on my mtb so within the next 6 months i'd like to upgrade.

i'll mainly be doing xc around the peak.
im 5'3 and 9 3/4 st (3/4 is v important) so i was thinking air forks and about 100mm max?

what do you suggest and what have you got? any no no's?
bf said perhaps some rock shox sid's ???

Ads

Hi there - I have got rock shox reba on my Giant XTC and they are fab. They are 100mm and have a pop lock function which locks the forks which i find useful for riding up hills, especially on roads.

I rode Fox F100s last summer, and was v impressed. 100mm of travel, and felt great - happily coped with roots, very rocky terrain and smallish drops. I'd def recommend them for a XC bike - I had them on a Santa Cruz Juliana. I've always gone for air forks as I found coil sprung were generally set up for someone heavier, however you can get light springs now so am trying coil sprung now - bf swears by it.

Upgrading forks can make such a difference - it's def worth it! You could try borrowing from bf or friends to try a few out?

ahh was wondering what that pop lock function meant....
thats a must then. will look at the rebas as well then.

do you think 100mm is right for my weight and size?

ps. sara - theres no chance the bf will let me near his stumpy!(his pride and joy!) i'll have to bribe him or something next time were out to let me have a quick go.

what does this mean

Uncut V-Brake/Disc compared to ie. 210mm Steerer or uncut?????

Sids are not so good, they are a bit flexy as they are so light.

Try Fox forks - a bit pricey but take a look on the bay. I got a pair of 100mm travel forks for £150 - they are £350 new.

Ads, I have some 100mm Fox forks, which I bought cos I was going to build up a new full sus bike and then I changed my mind and bought a full bike instead.

They are brand new (though off ebay) so I would want a bit more than 150 quid for them (sorry would have to have a think how much), but if you are interested let me know.

I also love Fox forks, have them on both full sus and hardtail. Half the people I night ride with seem to have Rebas and they seem very pleased with them as well.

The fox forks I have do not have poploc equivalent, but you can lock them out manually by reaching down to the forks, which is fine, you can do it easily on the move if you are on fireroad or road.

Hi Ads - you can get forks that have V Brake fittings or ones that can only be used with Disc brakes so it depends what brakes you have got. My Reba SL forks have got the v brake fittings but can take either - I have disc brakes and they are fine. The cut/ uncut is about the length or your steerer tube - if you are replacing forks then you need them cut to the same length as your current forks or you could buy them uncut and either cut them yourself or take them into a bike shop and ask them to fit them for you.

In case you were wondering I only bought my Rebas a couple of months ago for approx £200 - I think they were from Merlin Cycles as they were doing a special offer on them.

thanks bike scooby. will cross off the sids from the list.

ok so rebas or fox ( if cheap enough! as seem to be quite pricey ) 100mm max seems right then.

claire t - mail me what model etc etc when you get a chance please :)
i am interested but not 100% sure if have the £ at the moment as am just buying a house so this is just me getting excited to upgrade but not until 6m time when have some £££. don't be put off though cause i am def going to be upgrading....

ps. i have disc brakes.
thanks ros - i think i understand it all now. was being thick!
hopefully meet you soon on a peak ride, am off out with treehugger next weekend :)

Second what bikescooby says about the SIDs. I used to have a pair a couple of years ago and they were apalling on rocky descents ( of the type that you get loads of in the peak), and wouldn't hold a line at all, it wasn't until I changed to a set of Pace forks that would stay in the direction I pointed them that I realised it wasn't me being useless after all.

REBAs are rated very highly and reasonably priced, I have the longer travel version (Revelations) on my hardtail and I'm a similar weight and height to you and I think they are as good as my Fox but half the price. They are infinitely adjustable which is great if you or someone you know understands what all the twiddly bits do as it makes a big difference to how they perform.

The steerer tube is the bit that goes through the headtube of the bike that your stem then clamps on to. The length of the steerer is important as if its too short you won't be able to have your handlebars at an optimum height. If its uncut its not a problem as it'll be stupidly long. Because you are small, it is likely that the head tube on your bike is quite short (I know mine are) therefore on an uncut steerer you will probably have to remove a sizeable chunk of it to get it to a sensible length, i.e not poking you in the eye whilst riding. When someone quotes the length of the steerer they have been through this process. I would have thought 210mm would be fine if you've got a small headtube. Its a nervewracking process watching the steerer on your £600 forks being cut (is it the right length, what if I want it longer really). The BF always leaves a bit extra on for future adjustment and to give as long a steerer as possible to make the forks easier to sell on if I want to.

Any of the forks mentioned above will be miles better than your RST things.

you guys are awesome! feels so much nicer to ask you lot questions than blokes! :)

thanks a million.

ps. good ridence to the rst's i say julbags :)

Ads, will e-mail you tonight when i have checked!