Reddit mentions: The best bike forks

This is some great advice. Just what I was looking for. That's about the amount of money I'd be comfortable spending on a fork upgrade, and all the reviews I could find are raving about it being 'best bang for the buck', which is just what I was looking for. Sure there are probably $500-1000 forks out there that would be amazing but the bike was $900, who would do that?


Saving up for a new bike as another commenter said is just out of the question for the time being, so a solid $230 to get a good performance boost from the suspension is key. Out of curiosity though...

This is what I'm looking for?

http://www.amazon.com/RockShox-Suspension-Bicycle-Turnkey-Aluminum/dp/B00V8SAU3A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449701659&sr=8-2


I assume the '100' means '100mm travel', which is what my bike's geometry currently has, the poploc is awesome and I'll gladly throw $30 for that feature, but the top of the fork looks really long! Is that a standard size or something, or will I need my LBS to do some work on this before I can install it myself?


Thanks for fielding all these questions man -- I really appreciate it! A few more reviews and I've got my finger on the trigger to pick this up :)

I got one of these a while ago, I've only used it a few times but it seems pretty decent. I've still got an ultimate addons charger wired to the battery and couldn't be bothered swapping it out for this 1 in, but having the usb port there would be very practical. If you get a lot of vibrations going to it then might be worth cutting up some bie inner tubes and wedging them into the mounting point to try dampen things down. A good pot hole will probably still give you some chatter. IMO the vibes are alright aslong as you have auto rotate off.

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You'd still want to find a water proof case tho, preferably one with a full hard shell, but the beauty of this mount is it'll fit pretty much any phone/case combo. Some mounts only work with proprietary/specific mounts.

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EDIT: That mount comes ready to mount to a bar, but you can get something like this, which will let you mount the thing to anywhere there's a bolt (might need to find a longer bolt in some cases). Also i've found mounting things to the fork stem heps cut down vibrations, for that you'd wont this or this.

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The price really does start to add up for all these bits and bobs tho..

Upgrades are badass man. I went with a pretty entry level air fork because the one that came on my bike in 2011 had a recall in like 2013 and they stopped doing claims so I said screw it and went with the RockShox Recon Silver TK. I wanted a new fork since I bought the bike so it was something that was for peace of mind (safety) and upgrading.

With MTB being a sport where you get out of it what you put into it I wanted to make sure I was consistently going riding before putting a ton of money into it. I love how many little things you can change, make you understand and enjoy the sport more. I'm really into working on stuff and I like to work out so the bike is a nice little hobby that fits perfectly in my wheelhouse.

First make sure you didn't buckle the frame as well.

Check the downtube behind the headtube and see if it's bent.

If it is you've compromised the frame and jacked the geometry and it's probably better to replace the frame/bike.

For a sub-$300 bike, I'd probably get a $50 chrome chro-mo 1" threaded fork, as that'd look pretty sweet with a white frame, but they've got them in black as well for about the same price. (If you go this route, make sure you get one with the right steerer tube length).

Assuming that your frame is undamaged, and you want to go threadless, you're still not going to have that many choices in a 1" threadless fork, as most threadless forks are 1-1/8", and the ones that are available look like they cost about 1/2 as much as your whole bike.

That said, if you really do want a 1" threadless fork, you'll need the following;

1" threadless fork

1" threadless headset

1" threadless stem (with the other end sized to fit your handlebars).

1" spacers

hacksaw / pipe cutter (to trim the steerer tube).

Good luck!

I wouldn't worry too much about the head tube size thing. I worried about it myself but then I realized, they sell decent forks in straight 1 1/8" -- like this Rockshox 30 Gold TK air fork. If I wanted any nicer of a fork I should be looking at a new bike anyway, and the better bikes and forks are all tapered.

It would be great if you could buy one perfect cheap frame and have unlimited upgradability, but you have to start somewhere. While it's not ideal, you can take a straight 1 1/8" fork and use it on your new tapered frame. Not sure how well that works but they make headset kits for it.

Get at least a Air Fork.
he cheapest I'd recommend that would be a good improvement would be something like the:

Suntour XCR Air fork: https://www.amazon.com/SR-Suntour-Spring-Manual-Lockout/dp/B00VHDIZHO

You can also look at Rockshox entry level stuff.
RockShox Recon Silver, RockShox XC30 Gold.


I'll be honest though. I am all for upgrading bikes, I did it myself to a Diamondback Overdrive I had, but this bike I incredibly low end. If your looking into getting into MTB singletrack you would probably be better off looking for a used hardtail with better components. For real off road use you want to get your groupset upgraded to something more durable as well like Deore or better. Ideally something with 10 speed drivetrain or 9 at the lowest.

This is the exact fork I purchased from amazon.com.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002I7MAEM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


A magnet sticks to the original fork, therefor am pretty sure it's steel. When comparing both forks the original is bulkier and obviously heavier, though I didn't get a chance to weigh them when they were both off the bike. Also the new fork seems to have a little more 'flex', am not sure what the right word is, less rigid I guess. When riding it seems to absorb some shock more than the other fork and the ride was immediately smoother.

I forgot to mention earlier I think but I also attached, torque wrenches on both sides.

A few weeks ago I got a chance to ride about 5 different $2000-$3500 eBikes and try them out. What I noticed from all of them was how smooth the ride was. No noises and parts clanging together, easy on the wrists. It wasn't until I made these upgrades to the VanMoof that my bike started to approach that level of smoothness - Including replacing the stock tires with 5mm "eBike tires" and thick thorn resistant inner tubes. After all those things I noticed the ride is quite smooth, not quite the same as a $3000 pre-built model but I have to say so far I'm pretty proud of the final outcome and it's well acceptable.

Hey guys :)

I have This, bought in 2015 (i think) but only just started riding it properly in the last 6 months. Anyway had a pretty bad crash a few months after I bought it and the forks kinda seized up. They still have some movement but definitely not as they should be. I expect the forks that came with it (I think they are these but my bike is 27.5 so maybe a different model?) aren't great so I was looking to upgrade.

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Except I don't really know what I'm looking for. Any help? My budget is next to non-existent so cheap ideas welcome :) Thanks!

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(UK based and skinny af, if it matters..)

I've got the Recon Silver TK, but replaced the damper with the Motion Controll of the Argyle.
Works great for me, but the Motion Controll is a bit larger than the original damper, so you can't use about 10mm.
But you can extend the travell to 20 mm by taking out the spacer (page 15)
https://sram-cdn-pull-zone-gsdesign.netdna-ssl.com/cdn/farfuture/BtRI-fZQaQfTJijnIsbNEA04QJAQL0ilYpvL2wZnIgQ/mtime:1372788151/sites/default/files/techdocs/2011-recon-silver-technical-manual.pdf

Performance is like the Reba, a bit heavier, therefore a lot cheaper.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003RLDVXW/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_X2vpzbEQFKKZ8

This one should work too.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003RLDVXW/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_X2vpzbEQFKKZ8

The guy in the repair shop wants to increase the shop's profits.

Steel is best for hub DIY, but as I have learned working on a MTB circa early 90's, not all dropouts are built alike and what worked for a lightweight wheel may get torn up by the hub. If you have any desire to keep your bike 'complete' (all original parts)... you may want to replace the fork, especially if you don't trust the dropouts. From the photos, that fork may be something like this but make sure to measure the steerer tube diameter first.

I would like to ask you if your bike has V- brakes or disk brakes since your flair says you have a 2010 trek but in the original post it says 2006.

The advice that w1ntermut3 gave is bound to snap your frame somewhat like this as running a fork longer than what the bike was designed for puts the head tube under greater stress than what it was designed to handle.

Putting a fork that is too big (too much travel) is also bound to mess up the geometry of the bike, which will lead to having trouble climbing up hills and going over objects. I would highly recommend the rockshox recon line of forks amazon link or if you want something a bit cheaper (but a better value) then I HIGHLY recommend this fork

P.S. What you are doing most likely isn't freeride, this is FreeRide and this is downhill

Sounds like a bottom end fork then.

Something like this RockShox Recon or Rock Shox XC32 would be decent but relatively inexpensive upgrades. Both would offer lockout and rebound control.

Depending on your weight you might want to change out the spring to softer or firmer.

The XC 32 is a basic fork, it used to be called the Tora fork, which I have on my bike. The nice thing is the internals on all of these are pretty interchangeable and you can upgrade them to motion control damper, and add remote lockout and rebound controls to them if you want.

>order the part to do myself, because the "tools required" would be just as expensive as just getting another bike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUX_cTuk3O8

I've done it before. I already had a pipe cutter. Made a tool out of some PVC tubing I had laying around.

>Edit: Do you think something like Fenix 700c Steel Fork F309, 1 1/8" Threadless (Black) would work and be strong enough?

I would get a fork that features a disk brake boss. I also am a fan of Surly and forks that have a bit of a curve to them and bigger tire/fender clearance...

Something like this:

https://www.nashbar.com/surly-disc-trucker-fork-700c-350mm-steerer-black-disct700c-fk-1-1-8-35/p456852

But it really is personal choice. Get what you want, that fork from Amazon should work out.

If the fork is bent, you should check the frame to make sure it is not damaged as well. Check the head tube/down tube junction for bumps, ripples, cracking paint.

The fork is 1" threaded, 700c. Threaded forks come with different length steerer tubes (the tube the goes in the frame). You will need to measure the length, and order appropriate one. You can cut a longer one down.

One thing that makes getting the right fork for your bike tricky, is that it has fat 32c tires, with a long reach caliper brake. Most 700c road forks for calipers are for shorter reach race brakes, that only fit skinnier 25-28c tires.

Since you want better brakes anyways, you might consider a cross or hybrid fork with cantilever brake bosses. This will have clearance for your fatter tires, and is a more powerful brake. You can use your existing brake lever, if they were not damaged.

You will need: allen key, 32mm headset wrench, hammer, punch, headset race seater, hacksaw, guide. Definitely go to a bike co-op for access to specialty tools.
Fork: $32
http://www.amazon.com/Ramiko-700C-Summit-200-100mm/dp/B00644738S/ref=sr_1_6?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1396464837&sr=1-6&keywords=700c+1%22+threaded+canti

Brake:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-BR-CT91-Altus-Cantilever-Silver/dp/B001GSOHDQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1396464122&sr=1-1&keywords=shimano+cantilever+brakes

What you need is one of these forks and then get a steerer to suit. You should be able to get it all from Amazon.

If you google RST no steerer it should show up a few sites, unfortunately you still cannot get a better brand fork, but an RST may be better than what's on your wally. Might be a better investment to just buy a better used bike mate.

You may want to try dialing back the pre-load on your current fork to try and make it a bit plusher. If you've already tried that then I'd want to know how in love with that bike are you? I ask because it sounds like you're starting to "outgrow" it and want to take on more challenging trails. In that case, it will be a lot cheaper to get a more capable hardtail than trying to build your current bike up to take on things it wasn't designed for.

If you want to keep the bike, then I would say try out this 100MM Suntour XCR air. The Suntour you linked will work, but adding 20MM on the fork will change the head angle and slack out the bike. This could make the bike feel better, or it will make it steer like garbage and potentially stress the head tube enough to snap off.

Manitou Markhor is probably your best bet. 100mm travel air fork that comes in 29" straight steerer and QR. It's not high end, but it's nicer than the spring fork that you've got on there and should let you ride many miles before you outgrow it. By the time you do, you'll have a better idea of what you are looking for in a bike/fork and will probably have upgraded.

Otherwise, you're going to be looking used for an older Fox/RS fork I suspect.

https://manitoumtb.com/product/markhor/?cat_id=23

https://www.amazon.com/Manitou-Markhor-100mm-Travel-Matte/dp/B07197D9LW

Ideally you would upgrade both. Fork is probably more important. Here is a good option: https://www.amazon.com/SR-Suntour-Spring-Straight-Lockout/dp/B07QQCK973/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?keywords=suntour+xcr&qid=1562053375&s=gateway&sr=8-11

If you have money left over for brakes then get the cheapest set of shimano hydraulics you can find. They will serve you well.

For the price-point that goblin bike is gorgeous! The fork alone is like $400. I will definitely consider it for purchase.

The Recon Silver would be a great fork for this bike. You can even toss in a new damper for even more control.

http://www.amazon.com/RockShox-MotionControl-damper-07-09-Argyle/dp/B003RLDVXW

The fork conversion I've put off the table. The bike shop wouldn't do it, because any scenario would involve filing down either the motors mounting bolts or fork eyelets, and they didn't want to be exposed to any liability. They didn't suggest I order the part to do myself, because the "tools required" would be just as expensive as just getting another bike. The bike I was trying to use was a 2007 Trek 1500 STR, which has a 1 1/8" threadless fork.

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Edit: Do you think something like Fenix 700c Steel Fork F309, 1 1/8" Threadless (Black) would work and be strong enough?

You can still get a NOS RockShox Recon Silver TK fork in straight 26" with canti bosses. It's basically the guts on a Reba on a steel-stanchioned fork, meaning that it's actually air coiled and all that. Travel will likely be greater than your frame is designed for, but that's going to be the case with literally any fork you buy which was made in the last ~15 years.

After that, I think your only choice is going to be something vintage.

Have to find the one specifically for your style of slider/stanchion inner diameter. I believe this is the one:

https://www.amazon.com/RockShox-MotionControl-damper-07-09-Argyle/dp/B003RLDVXW