Cheap forks

[ldrcycles]

getting back to the original topic, cheap newer forks have chronic problems with 'top-out', the best option is to go 2nd hand mid-late 90s forks like RockShox or Manitou, just be sure to check the steerer tube length first, found that out the hard way

Long Live v brakes too, i've always found them much easier to setup than discs, only downside is they are useless in muddy conditions.

[drubie]

Long Live v brakes too, i've always found them much easier to setup than discs, only downside is they are useless in muddy conditions.

I think the hydro brake I ended up with was by far and away the easiest brake I have ever fitted to a bicycle. It took longer to remove the grip from the handlebars than it did to fit the lever and caliper. Cable disks do look a little more challenging though.

In the meantime, I've had three forks through my grubby little hands: an unused RST Omni 191, a well used Rock Shox "Judy" and a nice Manitou Axel Super. The Manitou was clearly superior just playing with it off the bike - smoother action, more adjustments. The Judy was kinda shagged but even it was better than the RST.

I have been playing around with the RST fitted to the bike and while I haven't managed to bottom it, it suffers horribly from pogo stick effect when climbing out of the saddle on the road and you can feel it's uncontrolled rebound over repeating bumpy sections on the dirt. It's better than nothing. I had a Kent BSO dual suspension bike here for a while which was flat-out dangerous due to uncontrolled shock movement / bottoming and the RST is *much* better than that, but I'm hanging out for the Manitou to be looked over before installing it. The Judy went back to it's owner.

[trailgumby]

RS Judy's were actually a half-decent fork for an entry level unit. Damping and spring were well-matched, and for an 85kg bloke (then), the spring preload gave me more than enough adjustment range to get the 25% sag thing happening easily.

I had a set of Judy 2.5's on my first store-bought hardtail in 2006, and what you get on bikes in a similar price range these days is just rubbish.

[drubie]

RS Judy's were actually a half-decent fork for an entry level unit. Damping and spring were well-matched, and for an 85kg bloke (then), the spring preload gave me more than enough adjustment range to get the 25% sag thing happening easily

It did look pretty decent and you could feel it had less rebound than the RST, but the RST just felt "fresher" and I had to make a decision, and the RST offered me a fraction more steerer length to play with.