Lightweight XC Forks: Anything Below US$300?
- Thread starter rtsy
- Start date
Sounds like you should take a serious look at used equipment. Ebay often has one or two year old forks for VERY reasonable prices. The Rock Shocks tend to be pretty flexy and not as predictable as the Manitou and Marzocchi offerings. The ole' Rocksh%ts are light though. Put some effort into finding used ones and your money will go a lot further. Take care and have fun.
K.
K.
Personally, I wouldn't buy a used fork. Because forks have moving parts, and they often get muddy, they wear out quickly. Usually this time of year, places put forks on clearance. Why not try that out. I have used supergo, performance, and jensonusa. All of them run pretty good deals. I personally have been riding Manitous for a few years, and I plan on continuing the trend. You just have to try out different shocks to see which make you the fastest 
Good luck.
-percious
Good luck.-percious
They do have moving parts and they do get dirty and grimy(is that a word?), however EVERY fork made in the last few years is pretty easily serviced by the average garage mechanic. A new lightweight fork that's worth a damn start around $500 (or a lot more). A used light/race Marzocchi or Manitou can be had for $200-$325. A new set of seals/oil(if that applys)/tune-up can be done for $25-$50 in less than an hour. Not many of us that work on our own bikes make $150-$200+ per hour. I know I sure don't. Folks can get what they get of course, however getting used forks can be OK. You just have to be cautious and know what you are doing. If you don't know how to do the work yourself it gets more than a little pricey though for sure. Enjoy the riding!
K.
K.
Originally posted by percious
Personally, I wouldn't buy a used fork. Because forks have moving parts, and they often get muddy, they wear out quickly. Usually this time of year, places put forks on clearance. Why not try that out. I have used supergo, performance, and jensonusa. All of them run pretty good deals. I personally have been riding Manitous for a few years, and I plan on continuing the trend. You just have to try out different shocks to see which make you the fastest
-percious
I mostly ride my MTB on paved roads. When I ride, I go out at least 20km and on several occassions hit 60km. I'm planning to do 100km this month.
The stock fork in my Giant NRS3 is a Rock Shox Judy. Something lighter and even slightly less travel would do.
Thanks for all the pointers!
I've heard that the Magura forks should start selling in the U.S. this year. I have an older Magura fork, the Quake S (currently known as the 2-stroke) which weighs about 3.3 pounds and has 75-80mm travel. I'm not sure what the retail will be, but you might think about keeping your eyes out for these to appear in the next few months. They've been selling in Europe for several years.
From the type of riding you just described, I would consider shaving some weight off of your existing form by converting to air/oil. Check out EKO's website to see if a kit is available for your year and model at http://www.ekosport.com/ta_intro.shtml. If this isn't an option, I think your price range puts you in a 3 to 4 lb air/oil fork. To find an internet deal try http://server7.bestwebbuys.com/bikes. Another option worth considering would be to go with a suspension corrected rigid fork. Good luck!
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