Rockshoc Tora 318 - two sales, two prices?

MarkDon

Hi all, i'm just busy adding loads of stuff to my CRC basket, and fancy these forks, heard good things about them, only downside is they are a bit pricey, they appear to be alot cheaper on Wiggle, but they have slightly different names, and colours, are they the same?

CRC:

Rock Shox Tora 318 Coil U-Turn Forks - Poploc 2010
£210.00

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=29886

Wiggle:

RockShox Tora 318 OE 2009 Suspension Forks
£135

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Sale/26/RockS ... 360045722/

Are they the same? should i just order them from Wiggle to get the best deal? I've found everything else i need though CRC & prefer to put one lump order in?

Opinions please

nicklouse

two very different forks.

one is black and the other is not.

the internals may be different due to the years and one states that it does come with the poploc lever.

MarkDon

Ah censored . Didnt even notice the year on them, and i quoted them! censored !

Are they good for 210quid? Or should i consider something else for that price range?

supersonic

The 135 quid one should be fine. Poploc on Motion Control forks renders the compression adjuster useless.

nicklouse

supersonic wrote:

Poploc on Motion Control forks renders the compression adjuster useless.

not quite true, as you can play with the clamping position to give some compression control and locked out.

but yes the adjustable one is better. But the friction top of fork gives better control.

podgeorge

I have recently just bought the White 2009 318's from Wiggle, and fitted them yesterday, they are absolutely fantastic, and it's the best £135 i've spent in a long time. Fantastic value for money, and they're not far off as good as my other pair of Fox 32 Float R's Which are easily 3-4 times the price!
Hope that helped

MarkDon

Cool, i've been looking online, and i've got a few options, i'm new to this whole scene, so i need a bit of input, could someone have a look at these & advise me what would be my best option?

Right, here we go....

Marzocchi 44 RLO Forks 2010
£199.99
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=42267

Rock Shox Recon SL Lockout Forks 2010
£185.00
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=41565

Manitou Drake Comp Forks - Disc Only 2009
£224.99
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=36028

Manitou Drake Comp Forks 2009
£175.00
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=46564

Rock Shox Tora SL Solo Air Forks - Turnkey 2010
£175.00
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=40911

Rock Shox Recon SL Lockout Forks 2010
£185.00
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=41565

Rock Shox Tora 318 Coil U-Turn Forks - Poploc 2010
£210.00
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=29886

Now, i understand thats a stupidly long list, but i dont know how to narrow it down any further? I've basically went for 100mm travel & in my price range (the sales help this, around £200, if its less, all the better)

I'm mainly using the bike for forrest trails, looking to get into a bit more technical, its for a 09 Kona Blast Deluxe, i'm putting it on a bit of a diet, not massive, as my budget isnt huge.

Any help would be appreciated.

Mark.

Northwind

They're damn good, just heavy. Poploc's not worth paying money for IMO, the fork-top adjuster can be operated while riding anyway so it's just an extra cable and more censored on the bars and one more thing to break. IMO The only time it's good is if you screw up and ride into a lumpy section with the fork locked, because you wouldn't want to operate the fork dial in that case, but the solution there isn't hardware, it's software

blister pus

if you get a 318 with a poploc can you disable it / not use it and have a regular 318 without poploc?

supersonic

Do you need travel adjust and up to 130mm of travel? If not I'd discount the 318 Uturn.

The 318 Air is lighter, and still features the motion control damper which puts it a league above any of the other forks you mention, and as the cheapest, is the one I'd get.

MarkDon

See, i have no idea what i need :oops: is the 318 Air the ones from Wiggle?

Sorry, still getting used to the termonology!

supersonic

Sorry, this one:

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/?fn=produ ... egoryId=18

You can remove the poploc if you remove a spring from inside the damper (easy).

MarkDon

Whats the deal with the poploc? is it a bad thing to have?

Do they perform better without it fitted?

Just for peace of mine, of the ones i posted, what would you say would be the best suited for me? Just so i know what i should have been looking for?

Thanks for the help again

xtreem

Here's a good fork:
Rock Shox Recon Race 2009
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/RockS ... 360045719/

100mm of travel, Motion Control without poploc, Solo Air and as light as you can get for the money.

thel33ter

I would go for the Recons, either SL or Race they are quite a bit lighter than the Toras, Recon SL's came standard on my kona and they are great, light and stiff.

MarkDon

Think i'll go for the recon sl or tora sl, opinions? Fancy staying with crc and using the buy now, pay later option.

supersonic

Neither have motion control - and this is worth getting. Recon Race, Tora Race and Tora 318 alll have it.

Weights (2009):

Recon SL Air - 4.09lbs
Recon SL coil - 4.41lbs
Recon Race air - 4.03lbs

Tora SL air - 4.40lbs
Tora SL coil - 4.76lbs
Tora Race - 4.26lbs
Tora 318 air - 4.50lbs

The 318 has longer stanchions and stiffer crown. The weights are different for 2010.

MarkDon

Arg!

Pick me some forks from crc for under 250 that have motion control and whatever else i need please!

supersonic

Tora 318 Uturn if you want a burly fork with more travel that you can travel adjust.

captainfly

Is poploc the same as motion control as in the remote lever thing on the 318 U turns? As the wiggle 09 OEM that I got this week have it.

clwydian_rider92

Poploc costs around another £90 (on its own). In my opinion it isn't worth it, and id go for the simple lockout.

MarkDon

So for the money, the Tora 318 Coil U-Turn forks...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=29886

Are my best bet?

The motion control, what exactly does this do, and poploc, is this just a system that locks the fork up so theres no movement? does it effect how the fork works?

Cheers.

xtreem

Now that you mentioned £250 for your budget I have to post this one
Rock Shox Reba SL 2010
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/marzocchi ... -2010.html

Sorry if you're even more confused. :oops:

MarkDon

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=40001

They the same ones?

i want to stick with crc if i can, as i'm planning on using the buy now, pay later option, and paying it off over the 12 months at 0%.

If they are worth extending the budget a bit, then i'm all ears. But are they a bit too advanced for a novice such as myself? or will it be a case of growing into them?

How hard will they be to set up, being air controlled? i need a pump to pressurise them?

Cheers for the suggestion, and yes, i am even more confused But i'm learning.

Also, unless i find one, i'm looking for a guide to fitting forks? what tools will i need, and do i need a star nut / race / headset upgrade?

Thanks again.

mark.

supersonic

A lot of this stuff is on this site, just search the forums and workshops.

Motion Control is a compression damper. RS site explains it.

MarkDon

Yeh, just finding my feet at the moment, search terms are tripping me up at the moment.

Will have a look a bit more.

What do you recon to the Reba SL Dual Air forks? Worth the investment?

Cheers.

supersonic

Lighter, more adjustable, but not as tough as the Tora (depends how you ride, it seems from other threads you want tougher parts)

MarkDon

I don't do anything extreme, no big air or anything like that.

When you say not as tough, are they weak, or just not up to big jumps and hard falls?

How tricky are they to set up / maintain?

My searching skills really do suck, i can't find anything on here :oops:

Sorry for all the q's, but appreciate the help matey 8)

supersonic

Rebas aren't weak, but Toras will last longer if thrashed.

All are easy to service and maintain, the manuals are good.

Thiink about your riding. Your other post in the beginner's section is genrally at odds with some ideas here. Forks and wheels usually the best upgrades. Don't fit heavy tough components if ypu plan to ride an XC fork.

MarkDon

I think in the other thread when i was saying tougher parts, i think i just meant stuff that would last longer, or take more of a beating, i think i'm getting a better idea now, and i think i'll stretch for these...

Rock Shox Recon Race Solo Air Forks 2010
£275.00
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=40913

Unless you think one of the other options would be better? I've chosen those as they are solo air, which will be less hassle for me, only 4.14lbs, motion control, but i'm not sure if they have the external poploc lever? can't seem to find it, so thats something else as i would have removed it from the other ones. Seem to get decent reviews aswell.

Cheers.

MarkDon

Though i've just noticed from reading some reviews that they still have the V brake boss on these forks, outdated much?