[Closed] Budget forks

Suntour Raidon or Epixon? They seem to occasionally get ok write-ups... Nev we r had a pair, the cheapo suntour XCR on my Missus bike are bobbins though...

Suntour Raidon or Epixon?

They're tolerable budget forks. What about a second-hand Reba or something.

Something like that would do, yes... if it came up locally. Not much straight steerer stuff around that I can find.

Depending on the headtube you might get a tapered steerer in with a new headset.

Yeah ... looks like a possibility actually. Would raise the front by about 10mm but it's not the slackest bike around so maybe not too bad an option. At least gives me more options for a better fork.

Definitely go for a tapered steerer if you can. That way you can buy forks to transfer to a newer frame later.

Any idea what the length you need under the brace for 27.5" ? Im thinking of stripping the non Ebike to gather funds for a 2nd set of 29er forks for when my ebike forks go in for service, so theres no down time.

That would free up a very clean set of 26" 150mm revelations, disc only, and I've a stealth maxle fitted(proper RS one) and also got the original QR maxle. Its a straight 1 1/8" steerer uncut at 260mm. Which makes it quite desirable, and if XS means Extra Small, then thats hacking a shed load off it which seems a bit of a waste.

I'll hazard a guess that its about 350 or 360mm axle to the underside of the brace. So might fit, only you'd need to know or have someone confirm.

Nice fork, certainly worthy of mini reeksy's occasional ill planned landings.Though 150mm might be a touch too slack, again you'd need to get advice from someone more experienced in these things

🙂

@dyna-ti - interesting. Are you in Oz?

Not sure what's under the brace but I measured the A2C this morning at approx. 490mm and he's got a 2.4 tyre fitted currently.

XS is extra small, yes. Not sure if the jump between 26 and 27.5 would offset the impact of the extra travel on the slackness ... or if the 150mm on a little hardtail would just be insane anyway. Or whether it could be offset with tokens and air magic? Guessing this is the 32mm revelations - i have tokens and seal kits I believe.

Depending on the year, you can generally reduce travel on Rockshox forks by changing the airshaft.

Yes. Or the older ones I think had travel spacers.
Would need a different front wheel too as it's 9mm QR currently. But that would cost the same as a headset cup.

Are you in Oz?

No, civilization 😉 Scotland*

Dont tell me you are ? Well thats the end of that then. I wish you the best of luck in finding something.

.

*I really feel the forum should have some way of stating where each member is from, it would save issues like this.

Hmmmm... definitely not ideal 😀

To be fair postage gets here quicker from Scotland than most part of Oz, the cost can be prohibitive.

Good luck in your quest to fund the extra set of forks.

Thanks. found them anyway, just a matter of do I buy from the bank account or wait till ive sold some bits. I hate missing out , but then again as with the lyriks at 499 what else might crop up in that time.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/rockshox-yari-rc-boost-fork-2020/rp-prod208349

Indeed. I sent a member on retrobike in Tasmania a pair of Chris King wheels. I cant remember the actual price now but it was really horrendous. Royal mail international signed for. Pretty much the most expensive service.

If you can get a Suntour Epixon / Epicon they’d probably do the job. They’re an air fork and mostly alloy so not too heavy. I think they’re broadly at the level of an alloy stanchioned Rockshox Recon.

Other than that - Recon or maybe a Manitou Markhor I think are budget new options I looked at a few years back when I was trying to find a 120mm 26” wheel fork with a straight steerer.

If the frame has a 44mm headtube then I’d probably try and get a tapered steerer for future proofing.

Alltricks have some 26er forks with straight steerer for cheap

https://www.alltricks.com/C-40497-26%22/NW-7388-steerer~1%27%271-8

I won’t often say something is terrible but the Suntour XCM forks I have on a bike at the moment are really quite dreadful. Out of the box, they felt like the stanchions were sliding on sandpaper and the rebound is positively glacial. They have marginally loosened up but the metallic clunks and the way they just bed down and stay down when riding down a slope don’t exactly inspire confidence. It gives me no pleasure to write this as I still rate Suntour XC Comp and Pro as 2 of the best group sets ever made. I have ridden some rubbish forks over the years built I had thought those days were in the past………Given the choice, I would go for Rock Shox.

I won’t often say something is terrible but the Suntour XCM forks I have on a bike at the moment are really quite dreadful.

The cheap Suntour forks with steel stanchions and coil springs are dreadful things. The airsprung ones with aluminium stanchions are decent entry level forks - I have some Epicons on my commuter/hack bike. I have 32 mm Revelations on a couple of other bikes. The Revelations are a better fork but the Epicons are fine for some basic XC trail riding.

I was about to say I've got a set of straight steerer 26" Suntour Raidon 100mm forks available, then, re-read you're in Oz 😕

The Suntour forks below the airsprung ones are poor. xcm / xcr / xct etc.

The epixon / epicon / radon aren’t any worse then the lower end Rockshox forks I don’t think.

Higher end Suntour are great vfm.

I've got top whack Durolux R2C2 and I think they give my mate's Lyriks a good red hot go.

Certainly it's very serviceable.

MoCo on rockshox I've got lots of experience with, they are OK, but nothing to write home about... reliable.

Higher end Marzocchi Bombers (Z1/2/3 especially) from the disc/canti era were great forks, and the open oil bath means they'll probably never need new seals anyway. I'd ride those over a budget new fork any day.

My wife had a set of Radion XC (air, 2019) on for about 8 hours before they failed - 6 hours commuting and 2 not very taxing hours around Cannock Chase.

From the symptoms the bushings were completely shot - Stanchions rocking in the legs.

There was a bike review on here (bike fitted with Suntour forks) around the same time that mentioned a similar "black line" (or similar) appearing at the end of the test - one of the precursors to the apparent bushing failure we had.

The warranty support was very good. I sold the unused, repaired fork and bought some Rockshox Recon RL Solo Air forks. Much better in every way (except price).

I've had a set of old Epicon (not Epixon) forks on a 26" hardtail - they are light, the compression and rebound has always been crap and they twang like a tuning fork (15mm Qloc). They are easyish to service.

Higher end Suntour are great vfm.

This. The same as RS or whatever, their shit will be shit and their good stuff will be good.

edited for smartarsedness 🤣

Seems like a can of worms.
Either I go straight steerer new or second hand tapered with a 15mm wheel plus a bottom headset. Neither particularly cheap… as Mrs Reeksy is so keen to mention.
Reeksy Jr2 will probably be riding it in a year or so anyway so probably worth getting the new fork.

And.... How much do your lads weigh? Maybe those cheaper coil options have spring weights too heavy for enjoyable riding? An air fork would cover all weights, for both lads, as they go through growth spurts.

Maybe those cheaper coil options have spring weights too heavy for enjoyable riding?

I've had a couple of hack bikes that came with cheap Suntour coil forks. They were utterly dreadful even for just riding to work. I replaced them with some Epicons which are decent entry level forks and put the original forks back on when I sold the first bike (I'm still riding the second one). I would take rigid forks over those things any day.

Went for the Manitou Markhor in the end. Should do the job for both kids on the same bike.

There was one excited lad tonight when I asked him to open the box from the post office 😀

Now when he keeps doing this he’ll land without a clunk

https://flic.kr/p/2n2pAPa

Weight saving 1.1kg … before we cut the steerer