I see
Want it Wednesday is gaining momentum. Anyway,
I finally have the Fox Forx I always wanted. The SID on my Inglis single speed locked up at the end of last season. Rebuilding forks is something I am not real comfortable with so I decided to just hang that bike on the wall and deal with it some other time. That time is now. I started to rebuild the SID. I read the manual. Apparently the first thing I needed to do was grind down a ¾” socket. Great. I had a nice upright grinder once but it, like most of the things from my big garage that wouldn’t fit in my little apartment, ended up at Bill's. Figuring there must be an easier way to deal with (i.e. avoid) this problem, I looked at the MMBA classifieds. Someone was selling a Salsa frame with a Fox Float. I sheepishly gave him a low offer for just the fork. He accepted. It was beat up but held air and worked fine.
I have been a strong proponent of the previous generation SIDs. The SID's 28mm stanchions feel like wet noodles but the fork weighs less than 3 lbs and nothing else mattered to me. Twice I rented bikes that had Fox Floats with 32 mm stanchions. The difference these forks made was amazing. People who know much more about forks than me tend to like Fox Forx, from riding them to rebuilding them to dealing with the company itself. Even with the two pound weight penalty, I’m sold... but I feel a little stupid using the titanium Chris King cog I bought a couple years ago to save 8 grams.
Good buy neil. I don't think I could cope with a fork with skinny stantions. I remember riding the old indys on a friends bike and they were terrible. It felt like the wheel wanted to bend down into the corner. Not reasurring! Sometimes light weight kit isn't the best, and I know how obsesive it can be, but I'd rather have a bike that performed well than be sill light.
ReplyDeleteCheers for joining in Neil :)
Uh yes Indys. I had one. Maybe that is why I did't realize my SID sucked.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the same thing about Fox - my mechanic didn't hesitate when I asked what I should replace my worn out SID with, and said Fox were better despite the weight gain. I got a new Terra Logic over the winter, but haven't tried it yet...
ReplyDeleteI had a '99 era Rockshox SID that sucked. Yeah, super light - but never adjusted correctly. Felt okay at first, then quickly felt like crap - blew through the travel, top out noise, etc. Not impressed.
ReplyDeleteI bought a Fox Talus fork in 2004. Adjustable everything, including travel. A bit heavier then the SID, but not that much - and works, oh, about a million times better. Its now lived on four different bikes and never been apart. Still works and feels great.
Totally worth the expense at the time. If I remember correctly, retailed for $700 or so back then. I picked it up on sale for $500 or so. Fox stuff rocks.