I'm not hardcore or anything, but I do know and feel that the stock front shock on my 2007 Specialized Hardrock comp disc isn't all that great. In fact it's probably bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. Will a better fork make riding more fun? My fork now is just bouncy even when on max compression. I think the damping is pretty non-existent too. It just feels very springy. What exactly am I looking for guys?


I think I want something relatively light, with lockout and can be pressurized with air. I'm fairly ignorant about this stuff but I know that what I'm looking for would be about $400+ new.
I saw this on my local craigslist
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/bik/749651093.html

Can anybody shed some light on this? I can't tell if it's a Vanilla RLC. If it is I think I'm going to scoop this bad boy up. The price seems fair too. help! Thanks.

 

The RLC is a nice fork. I've got about 5000 miles on the one on my Blur (2 rebuilds). 125mm of travel will be quite a bit for your bike though. What's on it now? 80? 100? The longer travel fork will slacken the head tube angle and slow down the steering response. Not a bad thing by itself, as Giant Anthem owners sometimes do it (from 80mm to a 100mm) because they handle FAST.

Unfortunately, it will also put a fair bit more stress on the headset bearings and the headtube itself. I've seen a couple frames broken doing this, but it was mostly guys putting a 29er fork on the front of a 26in bike. It's unlikely, but it is possible.

If you have a frame warranty (common is 5 years) putting on a longer travel fork will definitely void it; the manufacturer engineered the frame for the amount of travel it came with.

It's your decision in the end, there is always the ebay route to find something that matches the amount of travel you need.

 

Thanks. My bike has 100mm of travel right now. I guess I'll look for something in that range. Heck, even a Rock Shox Dart will be an upgrade to what I have now.

Any recommendations?