How much difference in forks in the last 8 years?

big_southern_jesse

Evening all!

Starting to get some proper time in the saddle again after spending the last few years being distracted by other stuff - wedding, house, starting a company, etc - and now find myself hugely out of date with everything!

I'm riding a 1999 Giant ATX 840, with which I'm hugely happy. I can't chuck too much money at my bike so this was a good base to start with back then. Problem is, I just don't think the forks are doing their job; especially compared to what's available these days!

They're a pair of SR Suntour 81's, and I measured them to find huge ( :? ) 30mm of travel as a maximum. I don't know how much, if any, of that is used actually on the trail.

I could probably find a hundred pounds or so, for a pair of entry level Rock shox or Marzzochis. I was wondering if they were worth it?

I was horrified to see that £440 (what I spent in 1999) of Giant bike these days comes with Rock Shox, and hydraulic disks as standard, so a huge step up from the spec I've got.

I'm not technically that proficient, but I'm hoping to be able to get out most weekends over the winter, and whenever it isn't windy (windsurfing time! ) through the summer , and midweek sometimes too. So the bike gets reasonable use, although the worst terrain it's seen so far is the orange run through Queen Elisabeth Country Park at Petersfield, so it's pretty tame compared to most.

Be interested to see how people rate the cheaper end of the market. As I say, last time I was up to date with current stuff, the fork of choice was Mag 30's I think!

Cheers all, Jess.

papasmurf.

If you're riding it now and its not an issue then keep riding it over winter build up your skill (having little or no travel will do that better then loads!!), then come spring, up the fork budget a bit and get a new bike, as you said 440 gives you a huge step up..but you can get decentish bikes from 350 and theres always deals.


and yes forks have come a long way...

supersonic

Forks and bikes have got a little heavier in the budget market - but a whole lot more performance. You can get hydraulically damped forks for 50 quid now from RockShox!

capoz77

Save up for some RS Pikes I got mine for £230.

dirtbiker100

For £100 like you said you could afford go for some Rockshox Tora's (in some variety)

jacktheoc

have a look for some toras or mx....also you should really get your bike a full service if it hasnt been used in a while

supersonic

capoz77 wrote:

Save up for some RS Pikes I got mine for £230.

And a new wheel for them ;-).

Ciaran500

And disk brakes :P

big_southern_jesse

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions. But you've added to my shopping list - forks, hydraulic discs, wheels etc. :?

The bike's pretty well looked after because it's had regular use, just nearly all of it on roads. Even managed to drag it round the London to Brighton last year, although I'm definitely getting a pair of slick tyres if I do that again!

I'd been looking at the Tora's in their various forms, and amazed at the differences to my elastomer bumpers! Do you really get 80 or 100mm of travel on these things, or is that a quoted figure that doesn't really happen in real life?

Yes, hydraulic disks would be nice, to upgrade from my one mechanical, and one v-brake set up, as would clipless pedals, and the new forks as above...

But yesterday I went out with a couple of friends and had a fantastic time round QECP, we obviously learnt quite a lot last time, as the hills were that much easier to climb, the tree roots and lumps that much easier to negotiate, or jump off , and the down hills were just fab. Forgotten how much fun this was! :P

Thanks again, Jess.

supersonic

Toras are excellent forks. I have two pairs of them, a 302 and a 318 solo air and am very happy.

big_southern_jesse

A follow on thought:

Am I right in thinking that a pair of forks with 100mm of travel, or even just 80mm of travel will have a much longer length than the froks I've got at the moment?

And this will screw up the whole frame geometry won't it?

Oh well. I'll keep bouncing on what I've got. Maybe clipless pedals will satisfy my urge to upgrade something! :P

supersonic

80mm will be just fine

BlackSpur

Big Southern Jesse wrote:

I'd been looking at the Tora's in their various forms, and amazed at the differences to my elastomer bumpers! Do you really get 80 or 100mm of travel on these things, or is that a quoted figure that doesn't really happen in real life?

Nope, that figure is totally real. In fact, 80mm is about the minimum travel for a standard fork these days.
If you look at downhill forks, you can get some with up to 200 mm of travel.

big_southern_jesse

Ace, thanks all!

zero303

For the love of god don't get RS Pikes for your bike!!

Toras are a great fit-and-forget, budget, great performing fork. I've got an old Orange P7 of a similar age to your giant and Toras are exactyl what I'm putting on it...

dmr-kev

good to hear from someone else who rides QE.
If you're interested I've just taken some fox vanillas 100mm travel forks off my bike along with some shimano M540 clipless pedals.
The forks are 2 years old, have been serviced and are lovely and smooth, the pedals are 6 months old and the left pedal is slightly scratched from a "spd moment".
If you are interested let me know.