Getting a new fork

Arpit wrote:
Hi, im riding a boulder 2004 se bike, with an rst capa cl fork. THe fork
is ok, but some bits over heavy rock are really rough. I was thinking of
upgrading the fork to a second hand mazarocci z5 2001. What do you
people think of that, considering I weigh about 54 kilos. I do some
rough trail riding, at reasonably high speeds, with drops usually less
than 1 meter. now heres the real problem: I use a 19 inch frame. If I
buy just any fork, will it fit? DO I need to get a special type or a
special adaptor? Thankss



Any Marzzocchi fork will be a big step up from your RST. The Z5 is a
lower end fork but can be tuned to your weight & riding style. At your
(light) weight you may need a softer spring. Check any secondhand forks
very carefully for cracks or damage, don't want to be buying trouble.
You need to ensure that your new fork has a long enough steerer tube for
your frame. Measure your existing fork from the crown to top of stem.
You can always shorten it if necessary.



--
Nil illigitimus carborundum

Nil illigitimus carborundum

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Any Marzzocchi fork will be a big step up from your RST. The Z5 is a
lower end fork but can be tuned to your weight & riding style. At your
(light) weight you may need a softer spring. Check any secondhand forks
very carefully for cracks or damage, don't want to be buying trouble.
You need to ensure that your new fork has a long enough steerer tube for
your frame. Measure your existing fork from the crown to top of stem.
You can always shorten it if necessary.

Good advice. Think you'll find most Z5s of that vintage sold in Aus
were air shocks, therefore easy to tune for a light rider. You might
need to change to a lighter oil, or run them a little less full.
Check especially for cracks around the dropouts, also for any sign
of seal leakage.

On 27 Oct 2003 11:10:31 +1050, Bikesoiler
wrote:

Arpit wrote:
Hi, im riding a boulder 2004 se bike, with an rst capa cl fork. THe fork
is ok, but some bits over heavy rock are really rough. I was thinking of
upgrading the fork to a second hand mazarocci z5 2001. What do you
people think of that, considering I weigh about 54 kilos. I do some
rough trail riding, at reasonably high speeds, with drops usually less
than 1 meter. now heres the real problem: I use a 19 inch frame. If I
buy just any fork, will it fit? DO I need to get a special type or a
special adaptor? Thankss



Any Marzzocchi fork will be a big step up from your RST. The Z5 is a
lower end fork but can be tuned to your weight & riding style. At your
(light) weight you may need a softer spring. Check any secondhand forks
very carefully for cracks or damage, don't want to be buying trouble.
You need to ensure that your new fork has a long enough steerer tube for
your frame. Measure your existing fork from the crown to top of stem.
You can always shorten it if necessary. :

cool, thanks hmm, I went to the bike shop and asked them about it,
they said "oh no, you wont want to get an old second hand one, and
they said the z5s just didnt work :/ then again they also told me not
to use turpentine to clean the chain/deraillers , and wanted to sell
me an aerosol of 20 dollar citrus grease, so i don't know where their
priorities lie.... they said to get a rockshox- a judy for about 200
dollars new. what do you think of that?

Arpit wrote:
On 27 Oct 2003 11:10:31 +1050, Bikesoiler
wrote:
cool, thanks hmm, I went to the bike shop and asked them about it,
they said "oh no, you wont want to get an old second hand one, and they
said the z5s just didnt work :/ then again they also told me not to use
turpentine to clean the chain/deraillers , and wanted to sell me an
aerosol of 20 dollar citrus grease, so i don't know where their
priorities lie.... they said to get a rockshox- a judy for about 200
dollars new. what do you think of that?


The shop obviously wants to sell you what they stock, nothing wrong with
that, IF it's what you need/want. For that price (~$200) it sounds like
a Judy TT. I wouldn't recomend anything lower than a Judy XC, it has
dampning control & costs about $500+ new. Unfortunately most "real"
suspension forks start at this price. You want to spend you money on the
best upgrade that will last for your next few years of riding. Better to
get a good condition, higher-end, secondhand fork, than something
cheaper that isn't much of a step up. Do some reading on the different
brands & list each option from the well known manufacturers. Then you
will know what to look for secondhand.

Also citrus solvent (Citro Clean) can be found at the supermarket for $7
~ $8 & works really well as a drivetrain cleaner.



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"Bikesoiler" wrote in message
...
I wouldn't recomend anything lower than a Judy XC, it has
dampning control & costs about $500+ new. Unfortunately most "real"
suspension forks start at this price.

I bought an OEM Marzocchi MX Comp air fork
from www.phantomcycles.com.au for $400 a
while back. MASSIVE improvement over the
RST 381's the bike came with.

Some people swear by RockShox (usually the
higher end XC ones) whereas others swear at
them. All manufacturers have bad runs but when
I bought mine, Marzocchi seemed to be getting
a good rap, along with Fox and to a lesser
extent Manitou.

You have to weigh up the cost of your bike
versus the cost of a new fork versus the cost
of a new bike with a nicer fork :-)

hippy

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 02:15:13 GMT, "hippy"
wrote:

"Bikesoiler" wrote in message
...
I wouldn't recomend anything lower than a Judy XC, it has
dampning control & costs about $500+ new. Unfortunately most "real"
suspension forks start at this price.

I bought an OEM Marzocchi MX Comp air fork
from www.phantomcycles.com.au for $400 a
while back. MASSIVE improvement over the
RST 381's the bike came with.

cool, improvement in what way?

Some people swear by RockShox (usually the
higher end XC ones) whereas others swear at
them. All manufacturers have bad runs but when
I bought mine, Marzocchi seemed to be getting
a good rap, along with Fox and to a lesser
extent Manitou.

You have to weigh up the cost of your bike
versus the cost of a new fork versus the cost
of a new bike with a nicer fork :-)


Yeah, I paid 425 dollars for my bike,
hippy

"Arpit" wrote in message
I bought an OEM Marzocchi MX Comp air fork
from www.phantomcycles.com.au for $400 a
while back. MASSIVE improvement over the
RST 381's the bike came with.

cool, improvement in what way?

It's hard to explain, but basically, throwing the bike
off everyday stuff it is SOOO much smoother than
the RST's. Instead of thump crash thud, it's just
zoop and continue. The RSTs also had a horrid
topout knock, ie. when yanking back on the bars
the front wheel moves down away from the bars
and hits the limit of extension and makes a yukky
thud noise.
They don't seem to just bounce up and down when
riding. They move but there is more restriction in
when pedalling normally compared to the RSTs.
They feel more solid compared to the obvious
flex found in the RSTs. They look better too

You have to weigh up the cost of your bike
versus the cost of a new fork versus the cost
of a new bike with a nicer fork :-)

Yeah, I paid 425 dollars for my bike,

So $400 for forks might not be such a wise
investment! :-)

Remember though, if you put expensive forks
on your current bike, you can always take them
off again and put them on your next bike.

hippy

'then again they also told me not to use turpentine to clean the
chain/deraillers'

I though Kerosine was the one to use. Is Turps OK?



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its_stuart wrote:

'then again they also told me not to use turpentine to clean the
chain/deraillers'

I though Kerosine was the one to use. Is Turps OK?

--
I used to use petrol, then I switched to kerosene because I was told
petol stripped all the oils away whereas kero left some sort of
protective hair-conditioner type thing.
Then I switched to a LBS $ 20 for a wee spray-can citrus oil thing
because it smelled nice and said it was Good For The Environment (which
of course compared to petrol or kerosine is damn right) and one's
share-house folks didn't complain about the smell... (which raises the
OTB question of fire-stick feckin' wanke... ahem, fire-stick artists,
and their kero smells...)
Then to big $ 5 citrus-all-purpose-cleaner from the supermarket, which
does the same thing.

Turpentine? Seriously? Fine for oil paints, but I can't see it being
useful for drive-train cleaning.

xxx

p

Arpit wrote:

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 00:36:32 +1100, Fred Nieman
wrote:

Turpentine? Seriously? Fine for oil paints, but I can't see it being
useful for drive-train cleaning.

Works SUPER well

Ah, I guess I'm wrong, then. Citrus oil stuff is a bit annoyingly only
so-so.
But if I drank it, I probably wouldn't slice my insert Van Gogh and oil
paints joke here ear off.
p