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With all this talk about Cannondale Prophets I thought I'd try one as a lightish machine as my other FS bike weighs in as 35LBS. Now got the chance of a 120 fork from the classifieds but it's leaking and I need advice from the massive.
How reliable are these forks and how easy are they to maintain?
Are they worth the effort as I hear they are hard work to keep leak free and reliable?
Can anyone quosh these bad things I want to be persuaded but I need to hear about good experiences with them.
Cheers Ash
I am about to go out but email in profile, so drop me a line and I will get back to you later.
[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/tags/lefty ]collection of threads on the subject[/url]
I've had a carbon lefty max since 2006, got it serviced after I bought it and then ran it until the main seal blew late last year. Other than riding it, I literally didn't do anything to it, other than a couple of (easy to do) bearing resets. It wasn't the only fork/bike I run so I can't suggest it was ultra reliable for 4/5 years but it definitely didn't fall apart in 6 months...
I then just sent it off and had it upgraded (as I could, not because it needed it), none of the bearings needed replacing, so I could have just gotten away with a std service...
Throughly recommend Tony @ Thumbprint tuning for any servicing needs.
Beaware, though they aren't heavy weight, a std (manitou damped) ali lefty 140mm max's weighs in at around 2Kg, though for a a coil based fork produced since 2005(-ish in 140mm fork), and it's legendary stiffness (it is noticeable) this is acceptable in my book.
You will need to mess around getting c'dale headset, lefty compatible stem, & lefty wheel unless you buy it as a complete package, this can be a pain in the arse & make the whole thing more expense than it seemed initally.
Been running Lefty's for 10 years on and off. Currently have a Carbon Max 130 with Fox internals and a Alu DLR2. Both superb and easy to maintain. Bearing resets take a few minutes (if indeed they need it) and just lift the boot up every now and then for a clean and fresh grease.
Super stiff and light and nothing equals the small bump sensitiviy (I still check the front tyre sometimes thinking I have a puncture as it's so plush). No leaks on all the forks I've had. Plus these days spares are easy to get hold of and plenty of places do servicing - including TFT now (depending on model). I only use mine for XC so can't comment on gnarlier stuff.
I had a 2005 Jekyll for 3 years with a lefty 130 max, and it was awesome, the only issues I had was the bearings needed resetting after every two rides not sure why! but it only took around 20 minutes. I really miss the bike and fork, I've got a gemini now but you can't a 170mm lefty 🙁