Which Suspension Fork? Three Options... Advice Needed!

luketorroni

I'm looking for a suspension fork with v brake bosses to go on a build I'm putting together. I have found three options but not sure which is best for my needs...

I will be riding mainly cross country and occasionally some rougher trails.

I don't know what the pros and cons of spring vs air are (apart from weight)? Maintenance not a problem for me but I guess durability is important if riding away from home?

Here are the options (all have canti / brake bosses)...


1) Rock Shox Tora 302 Coil UTurn Forks 2011 80-130mm (Readily available)

2) Rock Shox Recon Race 26 Solo Air Forks 2009 80/100mm (If I can find one!)

3) RockShox SID Team 80/100mm (Bit over budget)


Let me know what you think??

supersonic

What type of bike is it, and how much do you weigh?

luketorroni

Im looking at the Pro-Lite Aosta as it has rear v brake bosses. Not many frames still have them!

And weight is 62Kg.

leaflite

IIrc, the 302 toras have turnkey damping, so go for the recons or sids instead.
Sids are more advanced, lighter and tunable, but they are obviously more expensive than recons, so go with what you can afford.

kenan

I'd go for the air versions as you an tune the shock to your weight/style which makes it work better for you.

luketorroni

Ok I can't get to the bottom of all these fork options, it's driving me crazy!!

I've decided the SID's are probably too expensive for my budget so now my options are reduced to the following (unless you have another idea?). Again all with brake bosses...

Is there anything better (or lighter) I can get for my money (an older model perhaps?)

1) Tora 302 UTurn - 2011
2) Tora 318 UTurn (Unknown Year)
3) Tora 318 Solo Air Forks (Unknown Year)

supersonic

Go for the 318 solo air if you can.

luketorroni

Found another... is it better than Tora 318?

4) Recon Silver TK Solo Air - 2011

leaflite

The tora has better damping

Clark3y

do you want canti bosses or not? Ribble have tora 318 solo air with bosses. MoCo damper and SoloAir spring is a winning combination.

luketorroni

Yes I need the canti bosses for my v brakes!

Yes I did notice the older model Tora 318 seems to have a better spec with the motion control damping.

Do you think 318 coil or air is the better option there?

luketorroni

Ahhh... only the 318 Air is available with canti bosses so I guess that means no coil.

Clark3y

air is a better option anyway, lighter and you can tune the spring rate to your weight and riding style.
FWIW that's the fork i'm running and it's great, mega bargain at that price.

luketorroni

Thanks for the info Clark.

Ribble says the Tora 318 26 Solo Air is 120mm... would this be correct? The pro-lite frame I'm looking at recommends 100mm but maybe this would still be ok? This does look to be the best fork I can get without spending lots more cash on some SIDs. Also is there a lock-out option on this fork? I read somewhere it's only possible with the pop-loc fitted?

The other I have seen on Merlin is the Rockshox Recon Gold RL. It's 100mm travel but doesn't say if it's motion control or not?

This might be a stupid question but... in the event of a seal blowing on an air fork can you still ride the bike in limp-home-mode or will that damage the forks. Just thinking in terms of repairability. Similar to cables vs hydraulic argument... a cable can always be replaced easily anywhere!

Sorry for the many questions, but it's really helpful!!

Jackmyster001

Tbh I would go for a pair of rockshox rebas. Is just bought a pair off merlin cycles.com check on there. I got a 2010 model of rebas sl for just £230. Well worth the money, they are one up from the recon...

luketorroni

Hi Jack... the Reba isn't available with v brake bosses so no good for me!

leaflite

You would probably be ok with 120mm forks, but the only way to be sure is to speak to the frame manafacturer.
If the tora doesnt have a remote lockout, you can still lock it out, but via a lever on the fork crown.
I cant be totally sure, but iirc recon golds do not have the motion control damper. Rebas are the best, but if you are on a budget the toras will be a close second.

bobgfish

I recently went through the same issue. I ended up with the Recon from Merlin. They are 100mmm and have V brakes.

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop/Frame++Forks/Forks++Shocks/Rockshox+Suspension+Forks/Rockshox+Recon+Gold+RL+Forks+-+Disc++V-Brake_RS-RECON-GOLD-RL.htm

I've not fitted them but TF tuned shox recommended them to me over the others. I would have preferred Air for more tunability but have always run coil anyway. I've not seen these cheaper anywhere else and you should get them for under £200.

My MTB is still going strong after 12 years and started with 80mm forks. Went to 80-130mm adjustable and now back to 100mm (Once fitted). Most frames can handle any fork but it will change how it rides. I used to always run at 130mm even though the frame was built for 80mm forks. It was better down then up...

luketorroni

@bobgyfish

Why did TF recommend the Recon Coil above the 318 Tora Air? What did they say about the two forks?

Clark3y

the 318's do come at 120mm but it's a simple job to lower it if you want, mine are at 100mm.

I've got no idea what happens if the air seals blow, I've had air sprung forks for years and never had it happen, can't see why it would.

The ones from ribble have the remote compression dial but doesn't come with the poploc remote. Just as well really, they are crap, only give you the option of fully open or fully locked, might as well not have a nice MoCo damper. The Poploc adjust is a faff too, the compression adjust simply limits how open it goes when not fully locked. I use a retro style 5spd thumb shifter for the compression adjust and it works perfectly, can set the compression to whatever setting whenever I want without any messing around.

bobgfish

I actually went to them and said please recommend me a fork for 80-130mm for XC/AM riding that has v brakes. Whats left and what do you consider really good. They came back with the Recon. I was more interested in their thoughts on the SID's and there comment was "High maintenance. Too light. Too spendy.". I looked at the Tora and considered them to be a but further down the foodchain than the Recon.

As I've said I've not actually fitted the Recon yet so hopfully someone else can give better feedback on both the forks for you to decide.

luketorroni

@ bobgfish

Do your Recons also have disc mount in case I want to upgrade at any stage?

bobgfish

Yes

luketorroni

@ Clark3y

I see what you're saying about the PopLoc, especially with motion control. Is it just a bad design then?

Can you lock out the 318 air forks without a remote? Ie. If I'm riding any pavement/road.

luketorroni

@ bobgfish

Ok sounds good. I read on another forum that the 318 Air from Ribble doesn't have disc mount, only v brake but I'm not sure how accurate that is without contacting them myself. You can't actually see in the product photo. Just something else to consider re upgrading!

bobgfish

Its listed on the Merlin cycles web site that it has a post mount and the one in the box in the garage has one too.

That is the Recon of couse !!!

Clark3y

You can;t lock it out without a remote, not unless you do the spring removal mod to the MoCo stack which can be seen in the FAQ section.
It has I.S. disc brake mount and is rated for up to 210mm rotor, if that is your thing.

luketorroni

I think I might actually go for the Recon Gold RL Coil 100mm.

I like the idea of not having to mess about with air pressures... the spring rate will never vary, hot or cold and no worries of blowing seals or requiring a shock pump.

The general consensus seems to be that the coil gives a 'plusher' ride (whatever that means?) smoother I believe!

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the weight difference is that great either between the Tora 318 Air and Recon Coil so I shouldn't really worry on that front. A worthwhile weight saving would have to come from a much more expensive fork.