looking to get our collective oppinion on what are some good value for money (XC) forks that I would not regret buying and replace within a few months.
Some background:
While I had an MTB in the past for commuting 5-10 years ago (Cube Analog), I wasn’t really into bikes back then. Since then things have escalated, but I’ve ridden mostly road and gravel and own several bikes in both categories. However, I will be a dad in a few days and we are planning on using the new shotgun seat next year, for which the position on my dropbar bikes will not allow. My wife already bought a Chisel HT and I have stumbled upon a great deal on a Trek Procaliber frame (2nd gen model), which I plan to build up over the winter time.
I know the Procaliber is probably overkill for my use case, but I know myself well enough that if I go for the “sensible” option now, this will just lead to me buying a nicer bike within the next 1-2 years (as it has happened with my road and gravel bikes). Since the deal for the Procaliber was so good and the frame looks fantastic, I’ve decided to just skip that step this time around (and of course that will work really well, as we all know ).
Since this is quite a nice frame, I am now looking for forks that skip the cheap/basic /stock spec level and which I would actually have fun with - basically the 105/Rival of forks, if you get what I mean. Good enough that I don’t need anything better, as long as I don’t start going all in on trails, etc..
While I consider myself quite tech-savy on the road/gravel side, I am completely new to MTB tech. Therefore, I have no idea what to look for and the choice seems to be quite overwhelming with lots of models with slightly varying names, etc..
What I want:
1 1/8 - 1.5” tapered
29” wheel compatible
Remote lock-out possible
100 - 120 mm travel (acc. to Trek manual)
What would be nice:
Not too heavy
Ideally not too expensive (<500€) / often on sale or readily available to buy used
What I will ride:
For now: mostly asphalt, gravel, muddy fields and maybe a few forest paths, but nothing super technical (all ridden on my gravel before)
Maybe some (easy) MTB trails in the future
Therefore, I would grateful for any recommendations of either specific models and/or what I need to take into consideration (offset? modes of adjustment? … like I said, this is all new to me).
I would steer clear of Fox 32 SC, as they are very flexible.
Fox 34 Performance can be found in 120mm version (I just bought one).
Fox 34 SC is a bit lighter than straight Fox 34.
Rockshox Revlations are fantastic value (35mm stations, very plush, seemingly quite low stack height so 130mm might be ok).
Rockshox Reba can be found at pretty good, low prices, if unsophisticated.
Rockshox SID Select+ a stiffer and slightly more up to date Reba alternative, although check for thoughts elsewhere as I think I’ve heard the damping on those isn’t great (but the damping cartridge can be upgraded, I could be wrong about the one they come with).
Marzochi Z2 could be another option (Fox in drag).
Double check the offset that’s recommended for the frame. Forks with 44 or 46 seem to be easy to find and appear to be kind of the standard now (and basically the same geo wise) but 51 is still a thing, and I think there might be another one too. You will notice the difference if trying back to back, and defo worth trying to get the offset the frame was designed for, but they would all work ok.
Bigger offset number means snappier handling, less stability, while smaller offset means slower handling but greater stability.
I actually managed to pick up a Rockshox Sid SL Ultimate 3P new for only 330€ (was already quite on sale for 499€, one-day discount brought it to 415€ and I got 80€ back since it was the crown lock-out instead of the handlebar remote version that was advertised) so I will try that out for now. If I really miss a handlebar remote, I will have to switch out the complete damper unit, but since the price was so good I think it is worth a try. The roadie in me was of course really attracted to the low weight of this one.
However, I will consider all your other options for my wife’s bike (she wants to upgrade the Judy Silver on her Chisel HT for something lighter) - the mentioned Fox 34 SC Performance 120mm was actually also on our radar as it was on sale but seems to be gone now. I wonder if you bought that one @JC1979 (was it from hibike)?
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