Suspension forks...what are your recommendations....

After a bit of advice... I am not that familiar with retro suspension forks and would like some recommendations from the "good people at retrobike"

Here's what I would like them to be...I think!

- Somewhere around the 60-80mm travel mark.
- I prefer an air fork or air/coil as I find them easier to adjust!
- Something man enough to take my 16 stone bulk.
- V brake bosses.
- For an "ahead" stem.
- As light as possible as I am trying to get away from my heavy modern full suss!

Now money wise I don't mind spending a bit to get the right forks but what would you recommend?? They are destined for my 1997 Marin Mount Vision so 97 or before!!

Thanks in advance

Doug

Zocchi z2 would seem to fit the bill. You'll also find that all will be air sprung / oil damped or coil sprung / oil damped as air doesn't work well as a damper. For 16st the z2 is built the way you need and if you go for the atoms or alloys they have the lighter alloy steerer.

Carl

I have half a shed full of Rock Shox and Manitous, with a couple of Marzocchis thrown in for good measure, then I rediscovered RST Mozo Pro's...

...cheap as chips, come in varying lengths and colours, simple to maintain (MCU/spring bounce with very effective air dampers), and punch well above their weight when it comes to performance.

Replaced the Z1 on my Explosif with one, and fitting another to my Y2K Explosif next.

Don't have many fans on here because they are 'unfashionable' for having also produced the dire 2/381 entry-level forks. I may have a punt at these...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RST-Mozo-Pro- ... 1c32cce4bb

...for spares

Oh yes, they also have bolt-in steerers so I've replaced some of mine with brand new alloy items.

Yeah Mozo Pro's are very good for the money. I had a set of 3.5's BITD and I converted them to 4" travel with some spacers and longer bolts at the base of the legs.... never let me down and they had some serious air time and bottomed out a good few times.

Nice simple, cheap reliable forks.

Girvin Crosslinks? Solid fork, tracks beautifully, 3" or so of travel, uses oil/coil shock.




* I just happen to be selling a carbon set of Crosslinks

1997 or less, many of these mentioned are a bit later than that.

The Bomber Z2/Z1 of that year were primarily coil sprung, so not what you're after (air sprung)
JUDY's where Coil/MCU sprung,
MAG21's were in their last year and not sure If the Marzocchi XC's were still around, they were both air/oil and I know the MAGs would run at 60mm+ but had pretty much ran their course by then, Marzocchi later picked that air/oil design back up again in 1999 and a similar time the SID came out but using a different style. So there is a big gap where air/oil wasn't really the thing to do.

I don't know what Answer/RST where doing but I don't think they were doing Air/Oil bath damping like the MAGs or later Marzocchi 'Flys and Air's
Most were on springs or MCU's

For me, if the subject matter is a '97 mount vision....

Manitou sx, for example, you know the ones, when answer went beyond the elastomer style ones.

On late nineties marins those manitou were OEM. iirc. i had a 1999 bear valley with manitou magnum.

Ok, not everyone's taste but you can buy them 2nd hand and ready to use no matter how badly the adjusters are knackered. twiddle them all you like, nothing changes.

Hmm some food for thought...have heard good things about bombers...Not thought of RST thought they were just budget forks...

...would it be frowned upon to build a 1997 bike with later forks? Would it no longer be retro? What about rockshox SID? And not a mention of Pace???

Doug

marc two tone":3b7l9g0s said:

For me, if the subject matter is a '97 mount vision....

Manitou sx, for example, you know the ones, when answer went beyond the elastomer style ones.

On late nineties marins those manitou were OEM. iirc. i had a 1999 bear valley with manitou magnum.

Ok, not everyone's taste but you can buy them 2nd hand and ready to use no matter how badly the adjusters are knackered. twiddle them all you like, nothing changes.

Click to expand...

Well it came with Manitou FS Bulge forks but they seem a bit knackered and could prove costly to refurb....

+1 for rst mozo pro never had a problem with them. I also have had pace they are good but value for money the mozos are hard to beat