Which mtb forks

Included in this guide: 1. Fox Float 32 Factory Step-Cast. Specifications Weight: 1,g 29er. Travel: mm. Stanchion diameter: 32mm. Spring system: Air, FIT4 damper. Material: Magnesium and forged aluminum.

Wheel size: b, 29er. Steerer: Tapered. Axle: 15xmm Boost, 15xmm. Reasons to avoid - Crown prone to flex and creaking. Bombproof suspension fork with the pedigree and featherweight performance to match.

Specifications Weight: 1,g B. Material: Carbon, magnesium and forged aluminum. Axle: 15xmm, Boost. Reasons to avoid - Heavier and not as plush as the Fox RockShox Yari RC.

An easy-to-set-up, no-nonsense suspension fork designed for hard riding and abuse. Specifications Weight: 2,g 29er. Stanchion diameter: 35mm. Spring system: Air, Motion Control damper. Reasons to avoid - Not as plush and tuneable as stablemates. Robust and stiff, the Cane Creek Helm Air provides next-level adjustability and tuning options for the purist. Travel: mmmm. Spring system: Air. Reasons to avoid - Heavier than some - Set up requires effort.

Fox Float 34 Factory. A light, mid-travel fork option with tuneable, buttery-smooth performance. Stanchion diameter: 34mm, Kashima. Reasons to avoid - Pricey. On the trail, this does seem to work to an extent. On steep technical tracks the damper holds the fork up nicely too. To help you get the most out of the above reviews, here are some handy definitions of terms often used to describe forks. This is the frame of the fork, made up of the upper tubes or stanchions , the lower legs, crown, steerer tube and thru-axle.

It determines how stiff the fork is, as well as how much tyre clearance it offers. The thru-axle clamps the fork onto the hub axle. Most are 15mm diameter these days, though downhill forks use 20mm axles. Although some may be stiffer than others, the main difference is how easy they are to use. Quick release axles make it easier to remove the wheel but can be heavier and are more prone to catch on vegetation than those which require an Allen key to install.

It stores and returns energy from the tail or the rider. Coil springs resemble an over-sized biro spring, and provide a consistent, linear spring rate, but are a hassle to change to suit your tastes. Air springs are more popular because they are lighter, easily adjustable down to minute changes, and the firmness of the end-stroke can be adjusted independently of the early travel.

Air springs are made up of a positive and a negative air chamber. While the positive air spring holds the fork up, the negative spring which can be a coil or air spring pushes it down at the start of the travel, making it softer in the beginning-stroke.

Self-equalising forks feature a transfer port which allows air to flow between the positive and negative air chambers, so the pressure automatically balances.

This makes it easy to set the fork up because there is just one valve to adjust air pressure in both the positive and negative chambers. The high-quality seals and bushings have given riders the ability to slap this fork on their bike and ride without having to worry about constant maintenance. Many testers really struggled to find any negatives with the Bomber Z2. For those worried about it fading over a longer descent, the Bomber Z2 just keeps performing, and it is ready to get after it.

FOX air volume spaces will also work with the Marzocchi Bomber Z2 if you need some more end-stroke support. Besides that, it was tricky to find anything to really dislike about this fork. For the price and the versatility that come with the Bomber Z2 , most riders would be happy adding this fork to their bike, especially in the sleek matte-black color option. Not everyone can afford a brand new FOX fork, but now you can get most of the FOX technology wrapped in a Marzocchi fork—what more can you want?

A coil spring will compress instantly to absorb small bumps on the trail without even needing to engage the air spring, giving the fork very linear compression.

Coil springs act immediately and have linear progression, while air springs firm up deeper in the compression and offer a more progressive compression feel. Speaking of adjustments, the high-speed damper has three modes: open, drive, and locked.

Depending on which fork you purchase, you can have a remote attached to your handlebars to control the high-speed damper. The low-speed compression is adjusted with the hidden Torx tool. By the way, all of the knobs and air caps are hidden by panels that keep the fork looking super sleek with very few imperfections. Compared to the DVO Diamond D1 , this coil and air spring shock can have volume spacers added to adjust the air-spring progression as each individual rider sees fit.

The ride on the fork is buttery smooth on most terrain; the coil absorbs most small bumps and keeps your arms fresh. Where the fork struggles is in areas where there are successive high-speed hits; the F does get overwhelmed and the rebound struggles to keep up with a constant battering.

Another problem is that if you are looking to adjust the travel within the fork, you would need to replace both the damper and the spring, which can really up the time and cost of making a minor adjustment.

RockShox has fitted the Yari with the DebonAir spring, offering some of the best early travel responsiveness on the market. Until recently, no one has been able to match the performance-to-price ratio that RockShox has established with the Yari, which is thanks to the Motion Control damper that they use.

What it gives you is a very supple first 50mm, but in the mid-stroke it begins to suffer. To combat this, RockShox uses their Bottomless Tokens volume spacers to custom tune the air spring curve and fight back against bottom-outs. Using the SAG gradients that are conveniently located on the upper tubes also help you dial in the travel settings and pressures for that one-of-a-kind setup. The Yari is available in a multitude of travel options and offsets for both Each tire size also comes with three offset options.

There is literally a Yari RC for just about every rider out there. While not the best performing budget fork on the market, the Yari is a runner-up to the Marzocchi Bomber Z2, and with this competition, riders are going to benefit as each company tries to outperform the other. As a fork designed and created on the trails of Colorado, you would expect big things from a company that also hand-builds their forks. The Ribbon is available in both coil and air spring models and will go on The coil fork has , , and mm of travel offered, and the air spring option offers , , and mm of travel.

The extra firm or extra soft coils will need to be purchased separately if that is what you need. There are 8 low-speed compression settings and a position Ramp Control. The Ramp Control has the greatest impact on the high-speed, end-of-stroke situations, when landing a jump or headed nose first into a botched landing. The rebound adjustment has 18 positions to find the sweet spot.

When compared to other forks in the same travel categories, the MRP Ribbon does not fare all that well. It handles small to medium hits rather well but can be quite noisy. As with all coil forks, the small-bump performance is excellent and there is no delay in response. Overall, however, the chassis seems quite flexible and unsupportive when the going gets rough. Given that the MRP Ribbon Coil is outperformed in the enduro world, if that is where you are looking, you may want to explore other options.

Performance and price tend to be at odds in the mountain biking world. The more expensive something becomes, the more capable it is…or is it? Manitou now owned by Hayes may just be the exception to this rule by keeping the price tag pretty low with the Machete while still maintaining a high level of performance.

The adjustments on the crown and stanchions include rebound, lockout, and compression, so everything is there. Manitou uses their Kwik Toggle to control the compression damping while still remaining lightweight. The fork only has mm or mm travel options but is available for both The fork also comes stock with a fender to keep the mud out of your eyes as you cruise down sloppy terrain.

In the riding department, the fork can be a bit on the stiffer side and you may struggle to use up all of the travel. Once rebound and other adjustments are made, it may start to loosen up and give you a more supple feel, but it does not exactly ride like a RockShox, and for the price tag it makes some sense. If it is the fork or the price tag for you, just give it some time and let the fork get worked in; right out the box it could give you some issues, but it will soften up with some use.

Most riders tend to enjoy this fork on a hardtail or a low-travel XC bike. There is where it will shine; as the gradient gets steeper and the gardens get rockier, the Manitou Machete will start to find itself in a league all its own. With 35mm stanchions and dedicated to making your bike as fast as possible, the new SID delivers a mm package for pure speed.

The Circus Expert is an air sprung dirt jumping fork designed to be light, stiff, and low maintenance. The 38 Factory long-travel Enduro fork is built on 38mm, ultra-durable Kashima coated stanchion tubes, featuring a floating axle, new arch design, and lower leg bleeders to release built-up pressure. Own the mountain with the award-winning 36, featuring high- and low-speed rebound adjuster, improved compression damping and reduced friction for unmatched performance and adjustability.

Pike Ultimate is equipped with the completely re-tuned Charger 2 damper that allows the fork to ride higher in travel on compression while keeping the tires planted to the ground on rebound for unmatched control. New Charger 2 RC2 damper options and a new Signature Silver colorway all add up to the best performing trail fork on the market. With the lightest damper Rockshox has ever made, the Charger Raceday damper provided the control you need to go fast, while having a firm lockout with your choice of a crown or remote TwistLoc to lockout that fork with a twist.

The SID SL with 32mm stanchions is focused on pure xc racing and will help you go as fast as possible. The 34 Step-Cast Factory is the choice for riders who want an all-round fork that performs in a vast range of applications: lightweight for climbs and highly capable for demanding terrain with enough travel to instill confidence when the trail gets rough. Weight savings are attributed to external lower casting steps, hollow lower section, and shortened shaft lengths.

The Circus Comp is a coil sprung dirt jump fork with the same high end compression damping as the Expert level fork. Home Menu Search. Continue Shopping Your Cart is Empty.