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Considering a new purchase due to the huge discounts available atm. I'm possibly looking at an Orange Stage 6 Evo but it's available at a very similar price with either Rockshox, Fox or Ohlins shock/fork. I have plenty of experience with the big two and prefer Fox but know little about Ohlins, except they seem to have a great reputation.
If it you had the choice between the Ohlins RXF/TTX1, Fox 36 Performance/Float X Performance and RS Lyrik Ultimate/Super Delux Ultimate which would you choose?
I don't think there is any hype around Ohlins is there? Their early efforts were quite heavily criticised for being a bit crap and unreliable. Newer models were approached with caution. All the reviews I've read seem quite objective and give fair comparisons to the competition.
One common criticism is that they're a bit stiff off the top and lack small bump compliance. I can only imagine that reviewers test brand new forks for a brief period and then send them back.
Mine were underwhelming to being with. Just like the reviews, they felt slow and heavily damped. I was running the rebound wide open. They didn't have the best sensitivity on small stuff. Then after a few rides they'd bedded in, loosened up, I could use a bit of rebound and they feel just as good as anything I've ever ridden.
The coil shock is mint though. Straight out of the box. Air shocks are dead to me.
They do look good though!
Cheers mate, interesting stuff. I do like small bump sensitivity rather than balls out ability so maybe they're not for me?
My memory of the reputation probably comes from when they were first released and everyone got excited about the expensive motorbike forks tbh!
My lads on his Sworks was superb, but it died and there were no parts to fix sadly.
Chatting with Katy about hers, she loves the feel but they're very tricky to set up.
Oh yeah it was exciting at the time! I know a few motorbikey people who were dying to get the Ohlins equipped Spesh Enduros. They looked lush but were so disappointing to ride.
I haven't ridden the current Lyrik Ultimate but I've got the previous version on another bike and I always loved it. It feels very light and lively with a way more useable range of rebound. Sensitivity off the top is as good as anything.
They do dive through the travel a bit though. Riding them back to back with the Ohlins you really feel the extra support in the RXF. They're so much better on big impacts and generally going fast everywhere.
Recommended setting on the Ohlins site are excellent as well, I haven't deviated much.
I think you'd be happy with any of the current crop to be honest. They're all good.
I had a TTX coil on my DH bike and that felt great, especially after a tune - so I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend one of those.
However on the fork side of things, I took a look at some reviews as I was interested in whatever the 36 variant is. The reviews dont seem to be as positive as I was hoping, so I went with Fox
That's what I was getting at when I mentioned the reviews. They're pretty luke warm and they all say the same thing. They're also mostly 'first ride' type reviews. I'm interested if anyone has posted anything more long term.
Once my fork had loosened up and bedded in after half a dozen rides the main criticism just went away.
I've had a few of their shocks, air and coil.
They've all felt very damped and kind of deaden the trail.
Can feel very calm and composed riding fast, but personally I prefer a bit more feel.
From those options I'd probably go fox, even though I tend to buy RS forks normally.
No its just the hype.
First it was Marzocchi, then Rockshox, then Fox, then Fox kashima, now its an unpronounceable name that looks Scandinavian, so must be flash.
Im sure Suntour will get a look in at some point.
On the fox vs rockshox listed you have ultimate (top
tier) vs performance (3rd tier, albeit the only difference between top and 2nd is a gold coating).
They look cool but can you get them serviced? That would be my concern.
No its just the hype.
First it was Marzocchi, then Rockshox, then Fox, then Fox kashima, now its an unpronounceable name that looks Scandinavian, so must be flash.
Now I'm just intuiged to hear which models you've ridden and where? How did they come up short compared to your favourites?
They look cool but can you get them serviced? That would be my concern.
All the regular places deal in Ohlins. They also sell spare parts and have detailed service manuals available.
There's also nearly 20 videos here in the MTB Playlist about how to do your own servicing...
They do look good though!
Yes, that's an undeniably good-looking bike. It just looks 'right'.
Have a TTX coil on my ebike - it's definitely very good.
Can't speak for the forks though
Buy them, but mainly because they are a local employer (sort of) to me. Other than that I can't give much input.
Had a couple of Ohlins coil shocks and they were both pretty good.
What I'd really like to try is the DVO/WP fork with the cone valve setup.
I recon that'd be brilliant if they managed to transfer the cone valve tech across to bike forks and it felt the same.
Not really related to the OP's query but while we're on the subject of Ohlins, I'm absolutely itching to buy one of these...
It's the price of the matching fork that makes it a non-starter
A mate had an Ohlins fork and coil setup on a Santa Cruz Nomad a few years ago, he's a fast rider and said they were very good IF setup well and you ride hard and fast, not as good as Fox/Rockshox if you don't go flat out all of the time. He hasn't used Ohlins since he sold that bike
I’ve run the forks & shock before, but no longer.
They tend to be very heavily damped as stock, which is great if you are racing, or flat out everywhere, but less so the rest of the time. Also is why you see a lot of the tuner resellers retuning them from new with lighter compression tunes.
Both of mine were ok, nothing amazing. They needed some work out of the box a couple of times to speed up the rebound for me & I had a bushing issue with the fork (firstly too tight, then excessive slop). This was on a 36 M.2 fork.
Personally, I think there are better options out there & I wouldn’t run them again.
Onlins user for 5 years. Coil fork and coil shock on a Spesh Enduro. I’m 73-75kg. Slow and steady as opposed to ripping it up.
Coil shock is v good in comparison to anything I’ve used, obviously all the drawbacks to coils, but in use very easy ti live with. Goes for a service for Jtech every year. I run it pretty heavily rebound damped almost no compression. Lock out v useful for a Spesh
Fork is still after 5 years running fine. Just had it serviced at Jtech and everything still sweet, even the bushes are tight. In use The damping is if anything too heavy, it’s unapologetically a race fork, I run rebound/ compression almost wide open, a couple of clicks of each. I use a 65kg spring as it needs a bit of help to get it moving. In use; the very best coil fork I’ve used. I don’t think I’ve ever out-phased it.
They do look good though!
Yes, that’s an undeniably good-looking bike. It just looks ‘right’.
But but but black cassette.
It does look nice though
I'm a serial tinkerer with suspension and could never get Fox setup how I liked, despite going to J-Tech a couple of times.
I've gone Ohlins on my new bike and so far I have no complaints, seems to work really well for me, and I'm yet to muck around with any settings - admittedly I'm not riding particularly hard considering the sloppiness in the woods around here but the feel is exactly what I like.
For comparison my last fork was a custom tuned (shim stack and piston) Mezzer Pro which I really liked and the Ohlins are quite similar.
For me I'd choose Fox as my last choice so if you like the way Fox feel I'd probably stick with them.
I ran an RX34 on my last bike, and I loved it, it was confidence inspiring through rock gardens and in the Alps.
However, I bought it because it looked nice and matched my frame and finishing kit, and the bikeshop called me up to say, it'll look better than the Pike I was eying up. They were right 😀.
Still can't get my head round how much head angles have changed on bikes though.
Thank's for all the input gang. Seems if they are more of a race fork they probably aren't for me.
I’d go with whichever is cheapest, unless I was a knob twiddler in which case I’d avoid the Fox suspension.
I'm smitten with dh38s, borrowed a mates bike for the weekend to test a dh bike at dyfi, best explanation is that I didn't get beat up AND they were predictable and supportive, haven't ridden anything else where there seemed to be so little compromise.
I’d go with whichever is cheapest, unless I was a knob twiddler in which case I’d avoid the Fox suspension.
Due to various different discounts they all come out around £3k or just under.