Reason why the Focus Black Forest 2009 is so cheap!

LAW4778
LAW4778 Posts: 232
edited June 2009 in MTB buying advice
I think i have susssed why, after looking on the fox website in the archive it seems the fox fork supplied with the focus is the 2008 model, is this still a good fork and a good buy or shall i go with Spec Rockhopper Expert with the Recon SL it seems to have all the same fuctions of the Fox but the bike is nearly 200 quid more, am i better off sticking with the well know Specialized or take a chance on the Focus? Please guys after any advice or opinions of any kind as i really want to order one of these by Tuesday the latest. Cheers.
Trek Fuel EX 7 29er 2014
Specialized FSR XC Pro 2010 (Gone)
Specialized Rockhopper Expert 2009 (Gone)

Comments

  • Andy B
    Andy B Posts: 8,115
    Just because the fork is last years model doesn't mean it's crap. Still a very good fork & much better than the Recon.

    test the bikes out & see which you prefer. Both are decent bikes.
    2385861000_d125abe796_m.jpg
  • GSDog
    GSDog Posts: 129
    I asked Focus about this and they are 2009 OEM forks, made specifically for the Focus Black Forest. The colour was chosen by Focus themselves which is why they are black.
  • gareth84
    gareth84 Posts: 94
    lots of 2008 bikes are much better than their 2009 models. I would not worry about this at all. A fox fork on a £700 bike is a great deal no matter how you spin it.
  • junglist_matty
    junglist_matty Posts: 1,731
    Its not even the fork they've advertised!!! How is it an RL model when IT DOESN'T HAVE AN RL!!!!!!
  • LAW4778
    LAW4778 Posts: 232
    GSDog wrote:
    I asked Focus about this and they are 2009 OEM forks, made specifically for the Focus Black Forest. The colour was chosen by Focus themselves which is why they are black.

    Does your fork have the through axle because if not it is a 2008 model, also please see my earlier post on another thread below,

    From the other thread.
    Are you sure you dont mean the Ltd Race the Ltd Team is £979, im interested in both the Cube Race and Team and the Focus i knew about the Vbrake mounts on the Focus but didn't notice them on the Cube when i went to look at them, i really fancy the Focus but the more i look into the Black Forest i think it is actually a 2008 even though it is being passed off as a 2009 model, it has a 2008 fox fork and if you go on the german focus website and look at the online brochure it shows a symbol as tested by bike magazine which im presuming is french becuse it say 03/08 which i am presuming is when it was tested and says very good 'tres bien' it still seems a good bike but thats probably why its is reduced from £949 to £711 i don't actually think it is the bargin people think it is as it is last years model being passed off as this years.
    Trek Fuel EX 7 29er 2014
    Specialized FSR XC Pro 2010 (Gone)
    Specialized Rockhopper Expert 2009 (Gone)
  • misterdun
    misterdun Posts: 91
    Someone else pointed out the R is for Rebound and L is for Lockout not Remote Lockout.
  • GSDog
    GSDog Posts: 129
    LAW4778 wrote:
    GSDog wrote:
    I asked Focus about this and they are 2009 OEM forks, made specifically for the Focus Black Forest. The colour was chosen by Focus themselves which is why they are black.

    Does your fork have the through axle because if not it is a 2008 model, also please see my earlier post on another thread below,

    From the other thread.
    Are you sure you dont mean the Ltd Race the Ltd Team is £979, im interested in both the Cube Race and Team and the Focus i knew about the Vbrake mounts on the Focus but didn't notice them on the Cube when i went to look at them, i really fancy the Focus but the more i look into the Black Forest i think it is actually a 2008 even though it is being passed off as a 2009 model, it has a 2008 fox fork and if you go on the german focus website and look at the online brochure it shows a symbol as tested by bike magazine which im presuming is french becuse it say 03/08 which i am presuming is when it was tested and says very good 'tres bien' it still seems a good bike but thats probably why its is reduced from £949 to £711 i don't actually think it is the bargin people think it is as it is last years model being passed off as this years.

    Can you give me the link to the Fox website showing me the differences between the 2008 and 2009 models so I know exactly what to look for?

    Even if it is a 2008 fork is doesn't really change anything. AFAIK there is little difference between the '08 and '09 forks and the '08 fork still got excellent reviews.
    Either way they are excellent forks which you rarely see on a sub £1k bike.

    It's not a 2008 bike, this was last years Focus Black Forest (scroll down);
    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/-_-/5360032355/
    misterdun wrote:
    Someone else pointed out the R is for Rebound and L is for Lockout not Remote Lockout.

    That is correct, RL does not mean remote lockout.
    RL means low-speed Rebound and adjustable Lockout.
  • junglist_matty
    junglist_matty Posts: 1,731
    edited June 2009
    All I'm saying is its definatley not the 2009 F100-RL model fork (as stated on the website) because Fox already have this fork marketed as having REMOTE LOCKOUT...

    FOX 32 F100-RL:
    http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Fox-32-F100-RL- ... _19911.htm

    The fork on the black forest is closer to the F100RLC model:

    FOX 32 F100-RLC:
    http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Fox-32-F100-RLC ... _20340.htm


    Wiggle have got it wrong, its just a black F100-RLC, but as you can see, the 2009 model F100-RLC fork is still £550 so at £715, you can't go wrong, its the biggest bargain of the year for a hardtail bike!
  • junglist_matty
    junglist_matty Posts: 1,731
    I'd say Fox have made a bit of a marketing cock-up....

    I just found on eBay someone is selling an OEM Fox F100-RL:

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/08-Fox-F-100-RL-2 ... .m63.l1177


    And this fork has (as said before) rebound / lockout adjustment only.


    Whereas aftermarket F100-RL is Remote Lockout only. I think thats why there is a fair bit of confusion! - Fox have just used the same model name for 2 different variations of the same forks - one with Remote lockout and the other with rebound / lockout adjustment!!! Seems a bit silly to me!
  • LAW4778
    LAW4778 Posts: 232
    GSDog wrote:
    LAW4778 wrote:
    GSDog wrote:
    I asked Focus about this and they are 2009 OEM forks, made specifically for the Focus Black Forest. The colour was chosen by Focus themselves which is why they are black.

    Does your fork have the through axle because if not it is a 2008 model, also please see my earlier post on another thread below,

    From the other thread.
    Are you sure you dont mean the Ltd Race the Ltd Team is £979, im interested in both the Cube Race and Team and the Focus i knew about the Vbrake mounts on the Focus but didn't notice them on the Cube when i went to look at them, i really fancy the Focus but the more i look into the Black Forest i think it is actually a 2008 even though it is being passed off as a 2009 model, it has a 2008 fox fork and if you go on the german focus website and look at the online brochure it shows a symbol as tested by bike magazine which im presuming is french becuse it say 03/08 which i am presuming is when it was tested and says very good 'tres bien' it still seems a good bike but thats probably why its is reduced from £949 to £711 i don't actually think it is the bargin people think it is as it is last years model being passed off as this years.

    Can you give me the link to the Fox website showing me the differences between the 2008 and 2009 models so I know exactly what to look for?

    Even if it is a 2008 fork is doesn't really change anything. AFAIK there is little difference between the '08 and '09 forks and the '08 fork still got excellent reviews.
    Either way they are excellent forks which you rarely see on a sub £1k bike.

    It's not a 2008 bike, this was last years Focus Black Forest (scroll down);
    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/-_-/5360032355/
    misterdun wrote:
    Someone else pointed out the R is for Rebound and L is for Lockout not Remote Lockout.

    That is correct, RL does not mean remote lockout.
    RL means low-speed Rebound and adjustable Lockout.

    The link for 2009

    http://www.foxracingshox.com/bike/09/fo ... SERIES/RLC

    The link for 2008

    http://www.foxracingshox.com/specials/b ... _forks.htm

    If you look on the 2008 F series it says the RL is for OE only and not aftermarket, i think the easiest way to tell is if your fork has the through axle it might be the 2009 RLC but i ve seen on your pictures its badged as the RL if it doesnt have the through axle it might be the 2009 RL but without the remote lever, but i think its more than likely the 2008 RL.
    Trek Fuel EX 7 29er 2014
    Specialized FSR XC Pro 2010 (Gone)
    Specialized Rockhopper Expert 2009 (Gone)
  • supermonkey
    supermonkey Posts: 315
    Fox have just used the same model name for 2 different variations of the same forks - one with Remote lockout and the other with rebound / lockout adjustment!!! Seems a bit silly to me!

    Both forks have Rebound adjust and Lockout. That's where the RL comes from. Some RL forks also have a remote lockout but this isn't mentioned in the name of the fork. It's the same with Rockshox forks: You can get 2 Rebas exactly the same, one with pop lock and one without.
  • GSDog
    GSDog Posts: 129
    Wiggle have got it wrong, its just a black F100-RLC, but as you can see, the 2009 model F100-RLC fork is still £550 so at £715, you can't go wrong, its the biggest bargain of the year for a hardtail bike!

    It's definitely not the RLC fork because it says "RL" on the actual fork.

    I will quote exactly what Focus Bikes UK sent me in an email this morning.
    We are glad you are happy with the Black Forest, the forks spec'd on that model have prompted a lot of questions due to their exceptional value. The forks fitted were bought in specifically for the Black Forest so are OEM and we chose the colour, they do not come with a remote lockout as standard but we have been told you can get one fitted by a Fox dealer.

    So they don't come with remote lockout as standard but it can be fitted...
    Can remote lockout be fitted with a 2008 fork?
    If not, then it must be a 2009 fork.

    We know it's definitely an F100 RL fork because it's written on the forks, so we are getting somewhere! :)
  • LAW4778
    LAW4778 Posts: 232
    GSDog wrote:
    Wiggle have got it wrong, its just a black F100-RLC, but as you can see, the 2009 model F100-RLC fork is still £550 so at £715, you can't go wrong, its the biggest bargain of the year for a hardtail bike!

    It's definitely not the RLC fork because it says "RL" on the actual fork.

    I will quote exactly what Focus Bikes UK sent me in an email this morning.
    We are glad you are happy with the Black Forest, the forks spec'd on that model have prompted a lot of questions due to their exceptional value. The forks fitted were bought in specifically for the Black Forest so are OEM and we chose the colour, they do not come with a remote lockout as standard but we have been told you can get one fitted by a Fox dealer.

    So they don't come with remote lockout as standard but it can be fitted...
    Can remote lockout be fitted with a 2008 fork?
    If not, then it must be a 2009 fork.

    We know it's definitely an F100 RL fork because it's written on the forks, so we are getting somewhere! :)

    GSDog dont take this the wrong way cause i dont mean to sound funny but can you answer what i sort of asked in two posts does your fork have the through axle? Cheers
    Trek Fuel EX 7 29er 2014
    Specialized FSR XC Pro 2010 (Gone)
    Specialized Rockhopper Expert 2009 (Gone)
  • GSDog
    GSDog Posts: 129
    LAW4778 wrote:
    GSDog dont take this the wrong way cause i dont mean to sound funny but can you answer what i sort of asked in two posts does your fork have the through axle? Cheers

    The link you posted to on the Fox website showed the 2009 RLC fork but if you look at the 2009 RL fork it doesn't have the through axel.
    http://www.foxracingshox.com/bike/09/fo ... /REMOTE_RL

    The 2008 and 2009 RL fork on the Fox website look absolutely identical to me.

    EDIT: Actually, I have found some differences. The 2008 seems to have different stickers on the fork. Compare the 2008 forks with the 2009 fork closely and you'll see.

    2008;
    http://www.foxracingshox.com/specials/b ... _forks.htm

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/08-Fox-F-100-RL-2 ... .m63.l1177

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fox-F100-32-RL-Ne ... .m63.l1177

    http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... p?p=414504

    2009;
    http://www.foxracingshox.com/bike/09/fo ... /REMOTE_RL

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/09-Fox-F100-RL-MT ... .m63.l1177

    http://i43.tinypic.com/209hndj.jpg

    I am sure it is the '09 fork now comparing the two.
  • LAW4778
    LAW4778 Posts: 232
    GSDog wrote:
    LAW4778 wrote:
    GSDog dont take this the wrong way cause i dont mean to sound funny but can you answer what i sort of asked in two posts does your fork have the through axle? Cheers

    The link you posted to on the Fox website showed the 2009 RLC fork but if you look at the 2009 RL fork it doesn't have the through axel.
    http://www.foxracingshox.com/bike/09/fo ... /REMOTE_RL

    The 2008 and 2009 RL fork on the Fox website look absolutely identical to me.

    EDIT: Actually, I have found some differences. The 2008 seems to have different stickers on the fork. Compare the 2008 forks with the 2009 fork closely and you'll see.

    2008;


    http://www.foxracingshox.com/specials/b ... _forks.htm

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/08-Fox-F-100-RL-2 ... .m63.l1177

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fox-F100-32-RL-Ne ... .m63.l1177

    http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... p?p=414504

    2009;
    http://www.foxracingshox.com/bike/09/fo ... /REMOTE_RL

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/09-Fox-F100-RL-MT ... .m63.l1177

    http://i43.tinypic.com/209hndj.jpg

    I am sure it is the '09 fork now comparing the two.

    Well im even more confused now but b#!!ocks to it im ordering one.
    Trek Fuel EX 7 29er 2014
    Specialized FSR XC Pro 2010 (Gone)
    Specialized Rockhopper Expert 2009 (Gone)
  • xtexterx
    xtexterx Posts: 35
    gareth84 wrote:
    lots of 2008 bikes are much better than their 2009 models. I would not worry about this at all. A fox fork on a £700 bike is a great deal no matter how you spin it.
    its actually a £949.00 bike at £711.75 through a wiggle sale
  • GSDog
    GSDog Posts: 129
    LAW4778 wrote:
    Well im even more confused now but b#!!ocks to it im ordering one.

    Lol. 8) :D

    I'm sure you'll love it.
  • hoathy
    hoathy Posts: 776
    well, all of that stuff you guys wrote is pretty baffling...

    I have a 2008 Fox F80RL (which is the same buit with 80mm of travel) and its excellent, can't fault it. Also, its worth mentioning that OE prducts aren't always the same as retail ones, this is true of fox forks, rock shox and many other brands. Brands like Focus etc. can spec a fork for a bike or bikes within their range so they can keep costs down and only pay for the featurres they want. Most OE forks aren't drastically different, but don't expect to get everthing you would get on a retail fork everytime.

    Additionally, in my opinion: the remote lock out is a waste of time and weight...
    - Kona Hot '96 - Marin Rift Zone '09 - Cannondale Synapse Carbon '06 - Kona Caldera '98 - Kona AA '94 - Dawes Kickback II - Cannondale BadBoy '11 - Genesis iOiD SS -
  • GSDog
    GSDog Posts: 129
    Hoathy wrote:
    well, all of that stuff you guys wrote is pretty baffling...

    I have a 2008 Fox F80RL (which is the same buit with 80mm of travel) and its excellent, can't fault it. Also, its worth mentioning that OE prducts aren't always the same as retail ones, this is true of fox forks, rock shox and many other brands. Brands like Focus etc. can spec a fork for a bike or bikes within their range so they can keep costs down and only pay for the featurres they want. Most OE forks aren't drastically different, but don't expect to get everthing you would get on a retail fork everytime.

    I think that's what confused everyone. The forks on the Focus were made specifically for that bike which is why they differ from the retail fork and it explains how they've managed to keep the costs down.
    Hoathy wrote:
    Additionally, in my opinion: the remote lock out is a waste of time and weight...

    Agreed. :)
  • xtexterx
    xtexterx Posts: 35
    i love my focus lol
  • SDK2007
    SDK2007 Posts: 782
    LAW4778 wrote:
    GSDog dont take this the wrong way cause i dont mean to sound funny but can you answer what i sort of asked in two posts does your fork have the through axle? Cheers
    The Thru Axle is optional on all 2009 Fox Forks (excluding 40 DH forks)
  • junglist_matty
    junglist_matty Posts: 1,731
    As said before this is the fork on the black forest (just this is an 08 and the black forest uses an 09 version), its £235 brand new (and thats with someone making a small profit), so about £200, hence why Focus can use this fork and still sell the bike at a decent price...

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/08-Fox-F-100-RL-2 ... .m63.l1177

    Its a fox F series fork with 100mm, rebound adjustment and a lockout.
  • GSDog
    GSDog Posts: 129
    edited June 2009
    its £235 brand new (and thats with someone making a small profit), so about £200, hence why Focus can use this fork and still sell the bike at a decent price...

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/08-Fox-F-100-RL-2 ... .m63.l1177

    The '09 FOX 32 F100RL is between £615 and £685 brand new in the UK (that's with the remote lockout though).

    You can't really tell how much the fork is worth by comparing it with a 2008 fork on Ebay from the U.S which has been taken off a bike. It will obviously be much cheaper.

    In any case there is no point in guessing or speculating how much it cost Focus, we will probably never know. The main thing is we now know for sure that it is a 2009 Fox 32 F100 RL fork which is a damn good fork!
  • gareth84
    gareth84 Posts: 94
    yep, its a damn good fork and a great bike to ride, not sure why people are so keen to knock it down. I guess everyone is so sceptical these days of a good deal.
  • LAW4778
    LAW4778 Posts: 232
    Ordered mine yesterday, working from home today waiting for the postman can't wait.
    Trek Fuel EX 7 29er 2014
    Specialized FSR XC Pro 2010 (Gone)
    Specialized Rockhopper Expert 2009 (Gone)
  • misterdun
    misterdun Posts: 91
    Hope you enjoy it. I really like mine. Let us know if you have any damage from the box, mine had some of the finish rubbed off the forks in transit, bah!! I know everyone is obsessed with the forks, if they were made for Focus to put on this bike speciifically how come they are on higher end bikes like this:

    http://scottusa.com/gb_en/product/2412/11749/scale_30