SIDs, DT or Float 32s?

Dandy Dan 69
Dandy Dan 69 Posts: 45
edited November 2013 in MTB buying advice
Hi All

I'm in the process of upgrading my suspension forks and was after a bit of advice. Haven't had to think about forks for a few years so I'm a bit out of touch. I've got a 2008 Giant Trance 3 with the Rock Shox Toras it came with. I've been upgrading different parts over the years and I'm just getting round to the forks.

Been looking for the last couple of weeks and I think it's between some SIDs and a variation of Float 32s. My Tora's have 100mm of travel so I was assuming for the sake of not wanting to play about with the bike's geometry that sticking with that would be the best thing. Or would 120mm not make that much difference? I enjoy climbing as much as descending so I wouldn't want to compromise that.

Budget. £300-£400. Ideally looking for a heavily discounted model from the 2012/13 range. Since my bike is a few years old now there's not much need to be bang up to date. Rather be closer to £300 but I can go to £400 if it's worth it.

I'm running QR but I believe my hubs convert to 15mm. They're Hope Pro 2s and they came with some metal cups I believe are convertors. Is this something I should seriously consider?

Riding style. 50/50 split between trail centres and going off into the wilds. If I'm at a trail centre I'd ride the red routes but I don't go crazy when attacking jumps. In fact I often just avoid them.

Ideally I'd like a fork which is going to shed a bit of weight off the bike and be a bit smoother. My LBS has a 2012 pair of SIDs going for £400 fitted. Not quite sure which model but they've got the remote lockout.

Quite like the look of these Fox shox and the idea of CTD.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fox- ... -prod81930

Any real difference between the ranges? I've read a few things suggesting fox forks are a bit more high maintenance and need to be serviced every year. Never had my Toras serviced and the last time I had my bike in a shop (about 18 months ago) the mechanic said they were working pretty well. I just clean and lube them after every ride and put air in so I want something that can handle a bit of neglect. Across the year I probably average a decent ride once a fortnight so they don't get huge amounts of use. Got a road bike as well see.

Also. What about DT forks? Any cop? Some large discounts on some of these models.

http://www.rczbikeshop.com/anglais/mtb1 ... cturer=126

Finally, I think, am I going to need to get a new head set with a tapered steerer? My present stem fits 1 1/8. No idea if my Toras are tapered from 1.5.

Oh. They need to be white!

Cheers in advance.
Giant Trance 3 '08
Kona Lava Dome '96
Giant Alliance '08

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