New fork for 05 Saracen Rufftrax - advice please?

TheWildHaggis
TheWildHaggis Posts: 143
edited September 2009 in MTB buying advice
Folks,

The forks on my beloved Rufftrax are now starting to fail, so its time to replace them. Currently the forks are original Sunotur M3000. I have not found much info on the net about these, some sites say that they are 1" steerer width while others say 1" 1/8.

Does anybody know which size the steerer tube is, and the max travel that i can put on the forks?

Cheers
BeOne Frame, RockShox Recon, Mavic 719 XT Hubs, Elixr R brakes, floating rotor, SLX Drivetrain.
Webdesign project http://www.nfpc.org.uk

Comments

  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Not sure - most likely the latter.

    Measure the diameter.
  • Seems to be 1 1/8 of an inch. Currently looking at some Dirt Jumpers 2.
    BeOne Frame, RockShox Recon, Mavic 719 XT Hubs, Elixr R brakes, floating rotor, SLX Drivetrain.
    Webdesign project http://www.nfpc.org.uk
  • The diameter is def 1" 1/8, so now my next question is. Are all forks the same length? I ask because I dont want to screw up the geometry of the frame in putting in large travel forks like the RS Recons.

    Any advice?
    BeOne Frame, RockShox Recon, Mavic 719 XT Hubs, Elixr R brakes, floating rotor, SLX Drivetrain.
    Webdesign project http://www.nfpc.org.uk
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Dirt Jumpers are not a good match for that type of bike unless you are about 25 stone lol.

    You need about 80-100mm of suspension travel, and correct mounts for your brakes ie V brakes I assume.
  • Thats a quick reply. Thanks,

    Im only 11.5 stone so yhea I think the DJ may be a bit over kill and seem to a bit on the heavy side, currently have v-brakes but they are to be replaced by some hayes hydrolics on the front.

    Planning on replacing the frame in the middle of next year, I have slowly been upgrading the bike as and when things break/funds allow.

    I notice merlin have some decent deals on forks at the moment. considering

    2009 Rockshox Tora SL£129
    2010 Rockshox Recon SL £180

    Thanks for your time supersonic.
    BeOne Frame, RockShox Recon, Mavic 719 XT Hubs, Elixr R brakes, floating rotor, SLX Drivetrain.
    Webdesign project http://www.nfpc.org.uk
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Both good forks - the Recon being a bit lighter.

    Of course you need disc hubs for disc brakes - and if your shifters are attatched to the brake levers, new shifters too!

    So looking at say 150 for the fork, 100 for the wheels and 150 for the brakes. Let's say 400 in total.

    New bike?! Worth considering!
  • Already upgraded the wheels a while back to set of Element XSD3 which are disk ready, the shifters and brake leavers are already separate as i am running sram x9 on the rear and deore on the front with the relevant shifters, so really it is only the forks and the brakes that i would be buying.

    I am tending towards the Toras as the 300g weight diff does not justify the £50 difference.
    BeOne Frame, RockShox Recon, Mavic 719 XT Hubs, Elixr R brakes, floating rotor, SLX Drivetrain.
    Webdesign project http://www.nfpc.org.uk
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I have those wheels lol. Or similar ones.

    50 quid for 300g is pretty good I'd say! On a set of wheels it can cost hundreds to do that! But it depends on you and your bike really.
  • TheWildHaggis
    TheWildHaggis Posts: 143
    edited September 2009
    I know what you mean weight wise. Thanks for your time supersonic.
    Is heir any other forks in the sub £200 price range that you would recommend?
    BeOne Frame, RockShox Recon, Mavic 719 XT Hubs, Elixr R brakes, floating rotor, SLX Drivetrain.
    Webdesign project http://www.nfpc.org.uk
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    No probs.

    Good wheels ;-)