I had this posted in the "lets talk about shocks" section, but think it might be better here.
Manitou Axel Elite w/TPC Lockout | 100mm travel
Manitou Slate Comp w/preload, lockout, 100mm
Manitou Slate Super w/lockout | 100mm travel
Marzocchi MZ Race, 100mm with Preload Adjustment and Lockout
Marzocchi MZ Super Comp, 100mm with Preload and Rebound Adjustment
RockShox Dart 1 w/preload, 80mm
RockShox Dart 2, 80mm travel
RockShox Dart 3, 100mm travel
RockShox Judy J1 Adjustable Suspension fork
RockShox Judy J2, 80mm
RockShox Judy TT fork 89mm
RockShox Reba SL Air 29 | 80mm travel
RockShox Tora 289 U-Turn, 85mm-130mm with External Rebound Adjustment
RockShox Tora 318 Solo Air | External rebound, external compression and lock-out | Motion Control | 80mm travel
Rock Shox TORA 318 U-Turn, 85-130mm with External Rebound, Compression Adjustment and Lock Out
RockShox Tora 318 Air w/postive air pressure, Motion Control, rebound, compression, lockout, 100mm
I'm shopping for my first mountain bike and I'm looking for a good hard-tail in the LX/Deore/SRAM X-7/SRAM X-5 component range (around 600-900 bucks). The bikes I've found that meet the component range I'm looking for have a variety of different forks. I know nothing about suspension and have found little resources that tell me where each fork model rates on the hierarchy of quality.
So my questions to discuss here are:
As for my personal riding situation- I'm 6 ft 0 inch 275 pounds (yes- I am a skinny guy trapped in a fat guy's body- working on changing this. ) I live and will be riding in Houston TX where there are no hills, let alone mountains, so XC riding is what I will be doing mostly) I plan to ride 50% on the road and 50% off-road on this bike as I will use it for transportation when I don't want to use my car.
Manitou Axel Elite w/TPC Lockout | 100mm travel
Manitou Slate Comp w/preload, lockout, 100mm
Manitou Slate Super w/lockout | 100mm travel
Marzocchi MZ Race, 100mm with Preload Adjustment and Lockout
Marzocchi MZ Super Comp, 100mm with Preload and Rebound Adjustment
RockShox Dart 1 w/preload, 80mm
RockShox Dart 2, 80mm travel
RockShox Dart 3, 100mm travel
RockShox Judy J1 Adjustable Suspension fork
RockShox Judy J2, 80mm
RockShox Judy TT fork 89mm
RockShox Reba SL Air 29 | 80mm travel
RockShox Tora 289 U-Turn, 85mm-130mm with External Rebound Adjustment
RockShox Tora 318 Solo Air | External rebound, external compression and lock-out | Motion Control | 80mm travel
Rock Shox TORA 318 U-Turn, 85-130mm with External Rebound, Compression Adjustment and Lock Out
RockShox Tora 318 Air w/postive air pressure, Motion Control, rebound, compression, lockout, 100mm
I'm shopping for my first mountain bike and I'm looking for a good hard-tail in the LX/Deore/SRAM X-7/SRAM X-5 component range (around 600-900 bucks). The bikes I've found that meet the component range I'm looking for have a variety of different forks. I know nothing about suspension and have found little resources that tell me where each fork model rates on the hierarchy of quality.
So my questions to discuss here are:
- In terms of overall performance/features/reliability, how would you rank the shocks listed here? (You can list your top 3 picks and bottom 3 picks.)
- I am really interested in the REASONS for your choice.
- Also, are any of the shocks listed here far above or below the level of LX/Deore/SRAM X-7/SRAM X-5 component range, comparatively speaking? (I really want to avoid having an all SRAM X-7 bike with a rinky dink front suspension that really belongs on a Wal-Mart bike.)
As for my personal riding situation- I'm 6 ft 0 inch 275 pounds (yes- I am a skinny guy trapped in a fat guy's body- working on changing this. ) I live and will be riding in Houston TX where there are no hills, let alone mountains, so XC riding is what I will be doing mostly) I plan to ride 50% on the road and 50% off-road on this bike as I will use it for transportation when I don't want to use my car.