Advice on front suspension on a budget!

JayKingFunk

Hey, i recently got an GT Aggressor 3.0 in excellent condition for a very good price and i'm looking firstly to upgrade the forks.

I am by no means a pro but i used to ride all the time until i turned 18 and discovered beer! I'm now 24 and fairly unfit but i really want to get back into riding! I'll mainly be using the bike for on road and cross country riding.

I'm not really up on all the terminology either so explanations would be really appreciated! I'm looking for something that is fairly stiff so i won't feel loads of resistance on the road and I'm not too fussed about them being really light wait because the forks i have at the minuet are 'too' light, they feel very cheap and unstable plus i've never heard of the make!

As i mentioned I'm on a budget so will probably be buying from ebay, something that is sort of beginner/intermediate quality wise and preferably good value for money!

The only ones i've seen so far that look any good for my budget are Rock Shox Judy XC, i've read a lot of mixed reviews though but as long as I don't want to go jumping or extreme downhill racing they seem OK?!

Cheers in advance, J

supersonic

Buying second hand can be a lottery, and there are many versions of the Judy XC. Do you know how to fit one? CRC have the RS Tora for only 90 quid.

JayKingFunk

I've never fitted any before but i reckon i could, i used to be able to look after my old Claud Butler full sus that is now dieing in my garage! Or if i got stuck i could probably find help on the net. When you say its a lottery thats what worry's me a bit because i have no clue if the guy I'm buying from has used them for jump riding for 5 years or whatever. Do you reckon that the RS Tora are good for what i want then?

supersonic

For less than a ton the Tora is unbeatable! I can 100% recommend this fork. Just ensure it has the correct mounts for whatever brake system you are using. You willl have to trim the steerer tube, fit a star nut and swap the crown race off your old forks - good guide to fitting on Park Tools.

JayKingFunk

Just read about the 'rebound damping' is that something to do with the forks extending back out after impact? Is that like when you get suspension that kind of 'adjusts' itself to the surface your riding on, or am i talking bollox?!

Thanks again

supersonic

Lol, you are sort of right - it controls the rate at which the suspension extends after a hit, improving traction and control (and stops it pogoing). Adjustable rebound helps you tailor it. Your current forks will not have this, and its essential when going off road.

dav1

I got some 08 tora 302 u-turn for £125 on cycle store UK.

they are very good forks, nice and plush and I feel much more confident on the trail knowing they wont try to throw me into the trees every time I hit a root.

If you can afford it I would recommend the toras. If you can push to it I think merlin are doing a very nice deal on rebas atm.

If you don't know how to fit them fitted at an LBS. Cost me £20 to have mine fitted with a new headset whilst the frond end was in bits anyway.

artillerydave

the Tora is a great fork for the price, i you buy off the net to fit yourself you need to factor in to the cost a good metal hacksaw to cut the steerer and a star nut insertion tool (about £10) to fit the star nut properly, with these you will be able to fit the fork easily if you are handy, do not use the old knock the star nut in with a hammer jobby and hope for the best as if it goes wrong you will never get your headset to preload properly and the front of your bike will always feel loose, most decent LBS if you buy the forks over say £100 should put them on for free however, so you pay your money you take your choice!!

dirtbiker100

"a star nut insertion tool"
never knew they even existed. fitted loads of forks and they're all fine. cut the steerer down, use a flathead screwdriver and hammer to knock the bearing race off the old forks and slide onto the new and hit the star nut in as straight as you can. as long as you're careful and don't blindly smack away with a hammer you'd be alright I think.

and yes to the toras. another tora owner here, 2006 302 OEM (came with bike) no lockout or anything fancy but by jove they've done a very fine job so far.

JayKingFunk

Cheers for all your help! Hacksawing through metal is no problem, what the foook is a star nut?!! Also i keep hearing people refer to suspension 'boots' is that just another name for the nasty looking rubber covers that come on the cheaper ones?

Also what do the following abbreviations mean?!!!

XC

LBS

Could anyone tell me where i can find an online manual for my bike? I've been on GT's website but its mostly all shiny new bikes!

Thanks a million, J.

dirtbiker100

xc = cross country
lbs = local bike shop
boots - yes you got it right. there shouldn't really be any on decent new forks. the seals should be high quality so as not to need them.
don't know about amanual for the actual bike but the individual manuals for the parts should be found on each of the manufacturers websites.
the starnut fits inside the fork steerer tube and helps pull the headset together

thats the top cap on top of your stem and that starnut fits inside the steerer.

toasty

XC = Cross country
LBS = Local bike shop

There's quite a few manuals about, I'm shocked you've asked for a manual and nick hasn't instantly appeared to suggest parktools.

Edit: Damn beaten to it

JayKingFunk

Thanks again for help your help! The starnut on mine is the GT one that came with it, i'll let you all know how i get on when i've bought the forks, i'll be after a decent set of wheels after christmas too!
Cheers, J.

patchy

I was about to ask the same question for upgrading the plain forks on the dawes shuniah carcass that's currently sat in my shed... muchas gracias.

Steve_b77

I'm about to upgrade to forks on my Aggressor 2.0XC and thses here Toras look ideal,

Would they be pretty much in the same league as a Marzocchi MX Pro Lo?

supersonic

Its a tougher, stiffer fork than the MX - and the lockout on the MX is mechanical which is crap. Some Toras are heavier, others lighter - IMHO the tora is the better fork.

Steve_b77

Cheers ears

petestew

as jaykingfunk sayd, "The starnut on mine is the GT one that came with it" id like to say that wenever changing forks it is important that you use a new star nut, as u cannot re-use an old one, also star nuts are messured by size not bike,