Thinking of going back to suspension forks. Mainly cos there's some decent one cheap in the classifieds and hoping it might give me a bit of a 'hoik' up some of the rocky climbs. But I've enjoyed the fit & forget of rigids for so long now that I can't help but think it's just an extra bit of faff that maybe I should do without.

Obviously the downhill rockery will be a bit less sketchy too and being so cheap I don't need to worry too much about molly-coddling them. Plus I have some decent front Mudhuggers I suppose to protect the stanchions. So hopefully don't need to worry about that like I do my dropper post.

Anyone got any wisdom they'd like to share. For ref., my best forks ever in order of preferance were:

1. Magura Menja 130mm (the shorter versions had too much brake dive but these 130mm rode lovely... just when it came to servicing they'd seize up some alloy internals/bolts alot so was become a bit dear).
2. Marzocchi Bombers - cos they just kept on working without much/any fettling. But a bit basic weren't they..
3. Fox 34 or 36 (I forget which) but they were about 120mm travel and rode lovely with the amazing coils internally... Sadly they started leaking eventually and couldn't be bothered servicing/repair so got rid and went rigid.
4. The X-Fusion I had after many many years of rigids. Eventually got sick of trying to fettle em every ride to get that sweet spot of good bumpery on bigs and smalls - so went back to rigid (after only about a year of sus and about 8 of rigid before that).

Been on rigid for about 2 years again now and the simplicity is lovely. Sadly I've also got sciatica now (unrelated) so the time might come soon when I think again about full sus XC bikes

No opinion on those forks shaf I've got a cheap ish rockshox . I change from rigid to Sus quite a lot only takes 10 minutes

jay91 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 10:33 pm No opinion on those forks shaf I've got a cheap ish rockshox . I change from rigid to Sus quite a lot only takes 10 minutes

Thanks Jay. Very good point. But I tend to try and prefer the fit and forget type ethos these days. You sound like it's a good idea

Yes and er no!

Still got the rigid bike, singlespeed El Mariachi with steel forks, had that for about 6 years and then bought a carbon, geared, suspended front hardtail.

Still use both regularly, but I’ve gone down that route of keeping the trek as a three season bike, not 100% sure why! First few rides suspended were in the winter slop and to be honest, wasn’t overly impressed with the front on grass up the middle kind of riding. Fast forward to the spring and that’s when the penny dropped, im in no way a technical rider but it was a lot more comfortable up front when the ground was dry. Definitely more comfortable on the descents with a suspension fork. Another time
I like the fork is on bumpy flat sections when you’re on the rivet (hopefully that gets past the swear filter), but easier to handle the bike.

The only time I don’t like it is on small drop offs (I don’t go big…!) at slow speed and the front compresses lots, feels off balance. Prefer the rigid fork for that. Also can’t put as much stuff up front either (luggage wise).

Lock out is handy though for climbs.

Still switch back to the rigid bike though and it’s just a different ride, perhaps marginally slower but nothing that’s going to worry me.

Thanks Simon. That front compression/kickback is probably something else that's getting me thinking. The main rocky/stair section that I get to ride on each ride is the 3 steep steps round the corner from mine. So steep that I have to really get the weight back and each descent brings a big smile as well as a sense of relief.

Suspension would be nice but maybe the thrill of it all might be lost forever

redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 11:05 pm Thanks Simon. That front compression/kickback is probably something else that's getting me thinking. The main rocky/stair section that I get to ride on each ride is the 3 steep steps round the corner from mine. So steep that I have to really get the weight back and each descent brings a big smile as well as a sense of relief.

Suspension would be nice but maybe the thrill of it all might be lost forever

Basically, I’ve found at walking pace (those kind of speeds) rigid is nicer but at faster speeds, the suspension fork is better

No.

I've not ridden anything other than rigid for about 10 years Shaf. I even began to coach on a rigid bike in an effort to dispel any beliefs that someone couldn't do something because their bike wasn't as 'good' as someone elses. In those 10 years I've not come across anything I couldn't or wouldn't ride due to having rigid forks.

Even if I wasn't now priced out of the suspension fork market, I'd not go back as I like the simplicity and faff-free nature BUT if I were spending my weekends at Dyfi bikepark or similar then maybe I'd reconsider but for what I ride and with decent volume tyres, there seems very little upside to it.

I swap back and forwards a bit.

I think 2/3 of the time, I generally prefer a suspension fork. Stu is right, there is very little / nothing that cant be ridden on a rigid but for me personally I am more comfortable and a little speedier on a suspension fork. However I do like to pop the rigid forks back on as (again, for me) it changes the way a bike rides and feels enough that I like doing so.

As for which one, I priced out of fox a while ago (though I do have one set and they are very good). Rockshox are often cheaper and I have a SID and a PIKE. Both Excellent.

It may be worth a look at Marzocchi. They are owned by Fox these days so their internals and production quality should be well sorted. They give away some weight and are cheaper though.

What is the faff of having suspension forks that is being referred to?

The pikes on my hard tail will be 10 years old this year and can’t remember any kind issue etc

Had way more faff with drivetrain, brakes, dropper posts and wheels.

I’ve got a CX that I regularly take off road but the difference in comfort and speed off road is night and day.

Servicing i assume.and set up with more to go wrong

I have never had a fork fail on me and only ever done a.lower oil change for mine ( once a year when clocks go fwd )

What is the faff of having suspension forks that is being referred to?

Do you not service it at all? Adjust pressure? Twiddle about with settings?

I’ve got a CX that I regularly take off road but the difference in comfort and speed off road is night and day.

A crosser is quite different to a rigid mountainbike though? Night and day, chalk and cheese

I've ridden hardtail in the Peaks, Alps and in Utah in places I would walk a rigid bike down. The fork lets me get away with minor/major mistakes that rigid wouldn't. This is up and downhill.

For me lockout is essential and I'm a massive fan of SIDS, not sure why just seem to be the best weight/setup/performance compromise for me.

Adjust pressure? Twiddle about with settings?

First few rides but not every ride ( bit like when you first use + tyres )

Why not go for the worst of both worlds and buy a Lauf? Added benefit of reducing overall weight due to having an empty wallet.

I turned my hardtail into a rigid bike with plans to swap between rigid and sus, but liked it rigid so kept it like that. Sold the sus forks

But since moving to somewhere where there is better riding I bought a full sus. I ride all the same stuff, but some bits just suit the susser better. It's either faster or more fun, rather than having to hold on and just through it. Although sometimes that makes it more fun

I find it also easier on some trails, you don't get as tired or beat up. But if I absolutely had to pick one bike, it would still be my rigid bike

Why not go for the worst of both worlds and buy a Lauf?

Great for rough stoney gravel tracks and i like mine. I call mine the comfiest rigid fork when folk ask what it's like as it's not really a suspension fork.
Basically great for Yorkshire dales not great for Lakeland descents

i tried a modern 100mm sid with skinnier tyres and still seem to prefer chunky rubber and a rigid fork.

The modern damper was impressive though! just like the simplicity of a rigid setup and the suspension fork setup wasnt really any comfier. 29 x 2.6-3.0" allows be to stay off the wimp levers on the techy stuff well enough

I was ruminating on this recently but I couldn't face something that didn't have steel springs and oil sloshing about inside. My On one inbred got thrown together with my c1999 bombers. Still work as good as they did when new with one oil change in about 2003. A quick squint at whats currently on offer seems to suggest that there is no longer such a thing. Whether or not you actually have to service a fork every 15 hours, the fact that the manus tell you they must be serviced so regularly suggests a crap design. I know I've banged on about this before but having utterly neglected several pairs of forks on a motorbike with little issue, over many years use; I'd be loathe to commit to something needing regular strip downs.

Me.

When I built my Pact, I bought both rigid and suspension forks.
When I bought my Cube Nutrail, it came with Blutos and I bought some rigid forks for it.

It only takes 10 minutes or so to swap over so not exactly a major problem.


However, I very rarely ride either with rigid forks. There's just no real penalty from using the suspension other than an added bit of weight. Both my Rebas and Blutos have a lockout function too so I will sometimes use that on smoother trails and especially smooth climbs.

In both cases there's an assumption that the 3" or 4.4" tyres offer a degree of damping - certainly enough for shorter/smoother rides - and, to an extent, that's true. However that squish comes at the cost of increased rolling resistance.

As for faff - once they're fitted and adjusted I leave them alone. I don't fanny about with rebound/damping settings before each ride.

Servicing is simple enough. For me, it takes a couple of hours every couple of years. Not much in the grand scheme of things. I guess I'd do it more regularly if I didn't have so many bikes and each was getting ridden more as a result.

I definitely feel less fatigued on longer/multi-day rides when I've suspension fitted and if I do want to beat myself up off-road then I've also a gravel bike.

Thanks everyone for your help in me contemplating em... Have bought the McQueens off the classifieds (freeads?, cos they were dead cheap) here and hopefully get some fun riding in again soon...

Lazarus wrote: ↑Mon Jan 16, 2023 12:08 pm

Adjust pressure? Twiddle about with settings?

First few rides but not every ride ( bit like when you first use + tyres )

What happened with my last X-Fusion Roughcuts (one model down from the McQueens I've just put deposit on with Chris) was that the travel/sag/settings would wander ever so slightly (maybe it was in my head). So each ride needed a little fettle it seemed.

Never had that with the Bombers, Menjas or Fox but couldn't/can't afford what people want for Fox these days. Plus, the constant (like Phil said) servicing after x amount of hours suggested by the manufacturers really puts me off..

Hopefully these will do me a good yesr and I'll send em to TFtuned to maybe put some of their upgrades in

For my use of suspension forks, I don't see the point in paying for the more expensive/ more adjustable / more complex models. Certainly not for something I'm then bikepacking with. Cheap and (relatively) simple.

They were in the classfieds for around £170. But then Chris knocked me so decent pennies off more... These ones Colin https://www.bikemag.com/gear/review-x-f ... ueen-fork/ but probably newer and in boost flavour...

One reason i've stayed rigid, is that for whatever reason, I find thinking or talking about suspension incredibly dull. I'm certainly not against using them, but thinking about them - nah.

Maybe I’m just lucky in that I don’t really do much servicing, adjusting or talking about my suspension forks