Hardrock Pro - Dart 3 forks help

petemadoc
petemadoc Posts: 2,331
edited February 2011 in MTB general
I've been riding a hardrock pr disc for the last few months, it's this one

specialized-hardrock-pro-disc-2010-mountain-bike.jpg

Thing is I feel that the forks (rockshox dart 3) are a bit pants

I'm only 65Kg so maybe that's got something to do with it, they just don't feel squashy enough and there's no sag when I sit on the bike. I've adjusted the spring to be on it's squashiest setting but it makes little or no difference.

Can I buy a different spring, do I need a new fork, would an air fork be better or should I go and eat lots of burgers
:?:

Comments

  • mac_man
    mac_man Posts: 918
    They're not the best forks around that's for sure. My lad's rockhopper was fitted with a set.

    I've just recently replaced them with the 289 Toras of my bike and the difference is huge.

    So yes... do it... get some new forks. The classifieds always seem to have something that would be an upgrade. Recons or Rebas would be my choice.

    checkout Merlin Cycles and On One as they often have cracking deals on new stuff.
    Cool, retro and sometimes downright rude MTB and cycling themed T shirts. Just MTFU.

    By day: http://www.mtfu.co.uk
  • stuisnew
    stuisnew Posts: 366
    I have a Kona fire mountain deluxe with the same forks. Replaced them with some Rebas for just over £200 from Merlin - the difference is amazing. Transformed the whole bike and made it around 2.5lbs lighter as well.

    Go for an upgrade if you can afford it. :D
  • submityournentries
    submityournentries Posts: 912
    ebven getting toras on the spec would be a huuuuuuuuge improvement. my freidns got a ahrdrock deuluxe and ive got my cuom ragley with revelations, and i also had the toras before them, and i can honestly say spending money on forks is the bst thing you can do for your bike. at the very least look for toras, then recons or rebas. whatever your budget will stretch too :)
    Ragley Blue Pig
  • TowerRider
    TowerRider Posts: 430
    How long have you been riding? Three months as well? If so I would ignore advice and set the fork correctly. Sure I have that and it is fine and certainly does sag.
  • submityournentries
    submityournentries Posts: 912
    TowerRider wrote:
    How long have you been riding? Three months as well? If so I would ignore advice and set the fork correctly. Sure I have that and it is fine and certainly does sag.

    i wouldnt be too confident. i worked in a bike shop for a couple of years, and even new darts outta the box were not up to much to be honest, ive never found a great deal of adjustment on them.

    honestly, the step up to toras will be one you wont regret.
    Ragley Blue Pig
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    TowerRider wrote:
    How long have you been riding? Three months as well? If so I would ignore advice and set the fork correctly. Sure I have that and it is fine and certainly does sag.

    How can I set the fork correctly? It's on the lowest setting already. I can't seem to find new springs on sale anywhere which if I understand right is the only way to make the forks bouncier. I don't want to buy a new spring if it won't make any difference tho.
  • mac_man
    mac_man Posts: 918
    Not much you can set on the dart... rebound and compression. Set the compression to lowest setting to give it a bit more bounce. Rebound probably in the middle

    I gave the Darts on my lads bike a good service and they did improve noticeably, although they were VERY sticky before the service.
    Cool, retro and sometimes downright rude MTB and cycling themed T shirts. Just MTFU.

    By day: http://www.mtfu.co.uk
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Darts don't have adjustable comp damping though, the TK system should be set either on for locked, or off.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • mac_man
    mac_man Posts: 918
    supersonic wrote:
    Darts don't have adjustable comp damping though, the TK system should be set either on for locked, or off.

    What's the feature that enables you to set the spring length... that's what I was meaning... there's a dial that winds/unwinds the length of the spring inside the lower leg.
    Cool, retro and sometimes downright rude MTB and cycling themed T shirts. Just MTFU.

    By day: http://www.mtfu.co.uk
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Ah, the preload adjuster. This sets the force needed to activate the suspension, so is used to set sag. While it doesn't change the actual spring rate, it can give the feel of a more compliant ride, especially when compressing the fork from unweighted.

    I agree that they can feel very stickies, tolerances are not too good on this fork [are not actually made by RS, but Spinner]. Servicing them is definitely recommended.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • shoddy
    shoddy Posts: 63
    I have the same forks and have had the same problem as you (im lighter than you are).
    Apparently there are 3 springs - soft, medium and hard. I got the medium replaced with the soft one (it cost £17 fitted) and it has make a big difference.

    Still have a few issues with the forks being sticky and inconsistant but as others have said the only way to fully address this is to replace them with more expensive ones.
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    shoddy wrote:
    I have the same forks and have had the same problem as you (im lighter than you are).
    Apparently there are 3 springs - soft, medium and hard. I got the medium replaced with the soft one (it cost £17 fitted) and it has make a big difference.

    Still have a few issues with the forks being sticky and inconsistant but as others have said the only way to fully address this is to replace them with more expensive ones.

    Hi Shoddy

    Thanks for the reply, where did you get the soft spring from? I think it's worth a try at £17 rather than forking out £200 on new forks.
  • TowerRider
    TowerRider Posts: 430
    Wow that reminds me, my pre load adjuster was knackered when I came to set the sag originally (after lots of reading on here) and nothing was happening when turning the 'bolt'. I managed to fix it and never touched it since.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    A good lube of the stanchion/bearing interface helps most cheap forks no end, if they run dry the amount of 'sticktion' means beggting them moving is difficult and makes them even choppier than they should be.

    If they are plain spring forks with no real internals I would recommend red rubber grease (stickiest grease easily available) as being the best, have it on the daughters cheapy forks, they still arn't nice but are a LOT better.

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • cavegiant
    cavegiant Posts: 1,546
    Just reiterating the above, this is one of the worst forks out there, but as you are a light rider you might get away with the main weakness of these flex and twist badly when riding.

    Getting a new spring, relubing the seals with propper grease like slick honey and looking after them well will all help.

    You cannot however polish shit.....but you can roll it in glitter.

    A long term project of getting a higher end Recon or Reba would be a better match for your frame and help out your riding a lot. Tora is a huge jump up as well, but as you are light you might appreciate the lighter recon/reba
    Why would I care about 150g of bike weight, I just ate 400g of cookies while reading this?
  • shoddy
    shoddy Posts: 63
    I got the spring changed by leisure lakes (preston) which is the shop i bought the bike from and they do servicing for me. The forks were still under warrently so maybe it was so cheap becuase they only charged me for the spring. I found it made a big difference for me.
    They have also stripped the forks down a few times for me and every time it improves the sticky action.

    I can understand why people are saying that the forks are rubbish and you should buy better ones but for me its only £20 and thats much cheaper than even second hand rebas etc.
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    Just found these guys selling fork springs

    http://www.tftunedshox.com/Catalogue/Sh ... rk-Springs

    and thought this might be the one

    Tora Spring & Spacer, 80/100mm, Soft £20.99

    Combined with a good service this is worth a shot

Categories