marzocchi, manitiou, fox, foes, wb.... which company do you prefer.?

Question

Mountain bikers, this is for you. What fork do you use? which company do you prefer?

Answer 1

Except for very hard core MTBer's with specific applications, you would be hard-pressed to see much difference between forks in a similar price range. I've been riding a SID SL for about 5 years, and before that I rode a Girvin Elite. There was a big difference between those due to the radically different designs, but if you stay with forks of similar construction (e.g. dual air, air/oil, similar travel) you won't see much difference.



Make sure you pick a fork that suits your application. If you plan on riding alot of dropoffs and trying stupid pet tricks, get a freeride fork. If you are trying downhilling, get a downhill fork, and for just crashing around in the words - general XC riding, get an XC fork.



I would stick with the dual air types, they are cleaner, easier to rebuild, and easier to tune for your specific use (weight and riding style). Also, a barmounted lockout is a wonderful convenience if you think you may be spending alot of time on smoother roads, especially smoother roads that point up. Climbing out of the saddle with a shock fork wastes alot of energy.

Answer 2

I've had Manitou, Fox, Rock Shox and Marzocchi forks on my bikes.



Of them, Marzocchi is the more rigid with is pretty good at tracking, and has the better suspension feel, very plush on rocks and not much bob. Overall, the best fork I've used.



Rock Shox has increased it's quality and features since it was bought by SRAM. I have a Revelation and have nothing but good things to say about it. It has motion control, which helps with pedal bob and is very adjustable.



Fox, well, it's a pretty well thougth out fork. Plush and the dials are the best I've seen to date. While I had a 06 model, the 07 Talas offer 3 different travel distances (100-120-140) and it seems to be very easy to select the right one. On the other hand, on the 'zocchi fork, you seem to turn and turn to dial the right travel.



Manitou, I had a Black Elite and it worked fine, I had some oil leaks at the beggining, but I changed bike shop and the last one left it working pretty good. But I don't think it's at the level of the other 3.



But, it mainly comes out on your budget, your bike and what you want the fork for.



Some people prefer coil over air, and some air over coil. Air forks are generarily lighter than coil, and can be adjusted better for rider weight. If you're a heavier rider, you just put some more air pressure, and if you're a lighter rider, you let out some air. On coil forks, you have to change the coil to get the proper sag for your weight. On the other hand, coil is plusher than air, generarily. So for some harder terrain and drops, coil is probably better than air, although some new air forks are improving a lot.

Answer 3

I have had RockShox, Manitiou and Marzocchi. Really depends how hard core you want to go and how mush $$ you want to spend. I agree RockShox has improved since they were bought by SRAM, even though they revolutionized the bike shock in the early days. All around value, I have ridden with the RockShox Dart 1, both 80mm and 100mm travel w/ preload. I think they are a great shock for the price. The Manitou (Answer) is more rigid and stronger, but feels slightly heavier when throwing around. Marzocchi's are awesome, but pricey, and their lower ends aren’t as a good value as RockShox, but if you are going to ride hard with big drops, I would consider the Marzocchi. The morale of the story, first determine your riding needs…However, all the shocks you mentioned are good. Best of luck.

Answer 4

Marzocchi 888 RC's all the way man. Used a set of Rock Shox Boxxers and they are also awesome. The Boxxers are lighter than the 888's I have but still prefer the Marzocchis by far.

Answer 5

Its a toss up between Marzocchi and Manitou. Out of the two though I would have to say Marzocchi.

Answer 6

If you can afford a Fox , then go for it . I'm still using Rock Shox though because of my budget (sigh) . What some of the guys said here is correct , the company has been improving ever since SRAM bought them . Even their lower end products have improved over the years because of technology trickling down from their more pricier products.

Answer 7

Rock Shox.



Though I'd like to ride a fox, and well fox is the best or one of the. But the high price on the fork is part of the name.

Answer 8

Manitou seems adept though not as fancy as the rest----they don't have problems regarding dimensions ( most bikes with real fat tires smack at the fork's bridge---Manitou NEVER has that problem! ) And they look INCREDIBLE! ( White colored forks are not really good with the dirt ----Manitou BLACK camouflaged that problem!

Answer 9

marzocchi yeaghh

Answer 10

im marzocchi all the way. What about you.