Air fork for little people

Senri

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Hi,
I need some advise guys. I am building a bike for my son and I am doubting what fork to go for. I have narrowed it down to:
- RS SID SL
- Manitou Mars C
- Marzocchi X-fly (Z1 or Z2)

The above choices are due to the restrictions I have. The bike is from 2000 so has V-brakes (that i want to keep) so it needs brake studs. That limits it down to max 2004 orso? The bike is for 80mm forks. I need an air fork as it is the only way to get the preload right for low weight (80lbs). And due to his low weight, weight is important and so I like to have a light fork. I would like a red fork, but that is not 100% fixed.

I know the SIDs were known for their flex, but I don't think it will be an issue for his size. The marzocchi is probably the heaviest fork, but I have a soft spot for Marzocchi and I think the "plushness" we all know is a result from a larger air chamber and very low friction, therefor increasing compliance, which is very important for his weight as well.
The Manitou seems pretty good as well, although I understood that they make use of MCU's besides air, which might be more difficult to replace after all this time.

Of course, I can always go for a manitou R7 from 2011 or 2012, which are available on Ebay with brake studs.

What would be the best choice considering my restrictions and thoughts, or are there other forks I should take into account?

Thanks!
 
^ have a look at the Kona Scrap in my sig - it's my son's bike and running 2002 Noleen Air forks which are incredibly light. If you can find some they're ideal for what you want - unless he's going to be jumping off cliffs.

I can't tell you exactly but from memory they weigh about 2kg and my son weighed less than 25kg's when we 1st built it.

As he's a bit bigger he may be looking to upgrade them now.
 
A fox would be nice as well, but I haven't seen them so often. And they are not in red....., but i will keep a look out anyway. The RS Dukes seem like decent forks too, although i guess the SID's are a notch up. The Noleen forks (Mega Air) seem to weigh around 1450 grams, so that would certainly fit the build! I will certainly will watch those, although it might mean I have to alter the colour scheme a bit.
Thanks for the input!
 
I use both a set of SID teams and Duke's from around 92-93 on different bikes both using discs.

Though the SIDS are obviously lighter the Dukes IMHO are smoother and do not flex like the SIDS. I prefer the Dukes.
 
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