XC Forks for Transwales 2010. Budget Vs Perfomance

brady10

Hi i've entered the trans wales 2010, i ride a customised hardtail, bought it as a budget bike with shitty parts for 200quid. Aluminium frame, have upgraded most bits, so am now running avid juicy hyd brakes, shimano XT derailleurs, new crank, Carbonfiber bars. and some cool white steve peaty grips that look the sexx

But basically, what kinda forks do i want for transwales, which combines xc , dh, singletrack. ?

supersonic

What travel can it take? I would say a Uturn Tora 318.

brady10

100mm travel would be fine, with some adjustement available to the rider. No need for them too look flashy, they'll be mud covered in no time;) and i've noticed with my default forks, when i apple front brake pressure (avid juicy hyd, 203mm rotor), the forks bend if you like, so the new forks would have to be pretty tough=)

supersonic

Toras then - maybe the 318 solo air to save some weight.

brady10

oops and i meant to say "apply" not "apple" :oops:

Ah cheers, thanks for the advice

njee20

Second hand Reba/SID?

supersonic

Not as stiff or sturdy as a Tora.

njee20

But half the weight!

This is the Trans Wales, not the Megavalanche!

supersonic

4.5lbs is not double the weight of a Reba!

njee20

Tongue in cheek.

It's not double the weight of anything except a German A Kilo!

Be where my money would go.

joshtp

dep on budjet, either a Tora 318 uturn or a new 2010 recon of some sort, or a reba team for £250 from on-one

brady10

What kinda prices would ya be looking at for new and 2nd hand Reba/SIDs? Ive looked at the 318's, and they do seem like a good bet, my 18th soon, so i reckon i can get the parents to chip in

joshtp

i wouldnt go for sids, as befor 09 they were very, very flexy and not very strong, and, agin, the reba was (formerly) a pretty puny fork, if the budget alows, i would go for a 09 Reba team. if not a 318, an older reba wouldnt be worth the hastle it is likely to cause with its puny-ness.

supersonic

Depends, maybe £130 if you are lucky for an old model. The SID is very much a racers XC fork though, not designed to be thrashed. Forget the older pre 2008 models. Rebas are sturdier, Tora sturdier still.

I'd get this:

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

Good price, full warranty, strong and stiff.

brady10

Yeaaaa the 318's look and sound awesome, although never heard of a Poploc remote lock ?? What the hell is it lol? :oops:

WIll look at the 09 Reba Team forks pronto

njee20

The pre 2009 SID was certainly a very whippet-like XC race only fork, but the 100mm 2009 onward model is essentially a redesigned version of the older Reba, in fact they're stiffer.

Again, we're talking a glorified XC race here! Suggest you'd be looking at £200+ for SIDs though, you're not gonna go wrong with the Toras in SSs link if you're not looking to spend as much.

supersonic

Aye, but he is using big rotors and flexing forks, in which case the steel uppers and stouter crown of a Tora could be handy.

If not I'd agree with a Reba, and still might be a good choice. Not a SID, they can only take 185mm rotor max due to the hollow lower leg design.

brady10

Max rotor size for Reba's?

supersonic

Reba 210 for the 2009 plus. You can get them new for £250. Second hand will save money, but no back up or warranty.

brady10

And whats a poplock? NEver come across this before :?

supersonic

A bar mounted lockout lever.

clwydian_rider92

My friend picked some 318 Toras off ebay for £60. However not air. Ive sen some good deals on Recons recently, (in between Tora and Reba). I think the Recon SL Air fork would be a good fork if you could get it 2nd hand.

supersonic

This is where the overlap confuses - the Tora Race is a better fork than the Recon SL.

allthegearnoidea

one of the guys that rides with us did it last year on a pair of new sid's, had no issues with them at all, on a merida HT, (20lb ish bike! ) very nice!
you can get a pair of sid's/reba's last years model for around 180 on ebay, same for rev's, (been watching them for a while to get an idea fo prices!!)

brady10

Ah okay cool. How did he find the event?

ilovedirt

brady10 wrote:

And whats a poplock? NEver come across this before :?

allows you to lock out the forks (so they're rigid near enough) from the handlebars, better for some climbs/road etc

what's your budget? if you can afford better than a tora, go for the recon, better damping etc

supersonic

Not always - the Tora 318 has a better damper than a Recon 327.

brady10

Budget's about 300ish max. And sorry to change the subject, but know of any good frnt derailleurs by shimano?

Cheers guys

supersonic

300 quid will get you a Reba or Revelation.

Shimano - all their front mechs are good!

uk_mr_brownstone

supersonic wrote:

Shimano - all their front mechs are good!

... and work about the same, so don't bother spending too much!

allthegearnoidea

apparently was impressed with the overall event, organisation, food etc all good, think he came in 7th??(pairs i think it was) great event and i beleive he's doing it again this year,

xt front mechs are about the best (excluding xtr but most peeps wouldnt be able to spot the difference between the two) from what i have seen on bikes, Xt seems to be the hardest working groupset of all, good value and good weight without getting to silly xtr prices!! all IMO ofcourse!