IS IT ONLY ME THAT LIKES COIL & ELASTOMER FORKS?

[lensmansteve]

I'm an Indy SL user too- and I'm totally happy with them. Ok, travel is less than more modern forks- but the spring/damper characteristics are just fine for me. I wish they were still made..

 

[Retro Spud]

I couldn't answer your question, for the simple reason I just can't bring myself to ride modern and more than happy with 80mm travel for my modest riding ability

perhaps I'm just a Luddite

 

[Retro Spud]

Re: Re:

I am now considering some late 90's Judy SL's.
Small steps

Hydro coils :shock: ........you Heretic

 

[d8mok]

Re:

Revelations are a bit rubbish really anyway. The more modern Pike debonair would make you realise that modern suspension is worlds apart from 90’s. However I will say that my Judy SL and bombers do have a certain charm but simply can’t compete on anything rough.

 

[rwm1962]

I've very little experience with retro bikes & the only pair of old RST forks I have with elastomers remain unused. My partner did ride a Proflex Reptile back in the day with Girvan suspension front & rear. The elastomers were exposed rather than internal. We decided to sell it a year or so ago & I took some photo's on a sunny day. Job done & listed I went to put the bike away to find the elastomers had melted like ice cream & dripped down onto the tyres. True story bro!

 

[james1985]

I like my old elastomer forks, I have quite a few and ride them often.
I also own and get to ride a lot of modern forks.
There is simply no comparison. The faster and harder you push the more you will notice a difference.

 

[Duxuk]

At the end of '95 I bought a pair of Rockshox Quadra 10s. They were mainly OEM and were truly rubbish. They had play in the bushings from day one and the elastomers froze solid in the winter when it was seriously cold.
Having said that, I knew from the first ride that suspension was the future. I got a pair of coil sprung Mazorcchi Bombers in, I think 2000 and was still using them in 2015. I'd never serviced them and they worked like new with no play at all. I think a mate of my son's still uses them!
My 2 year old Rockshox shock, meanwhile, has decided to leak enough air to need pumping up before every ride. Is this progress?

 

[james1985]

At the end of '95 I bought a pair of Rockshox Quadra 10s. They were mainly OEM and were truly rubbish. They had play in the bushings from day one and the elastomers froze solid in the winter when it was seriously cold.
Having said that, I knew from the first ride that suspension was the future. I got a pair of coil sprung Mazorcchi Bombers in, I think 2000 and was still using them in 2015. I'd never serviced them and they worked like new with no play at all. I think a mate of my son's still uses them!
My 2 year old Rockshox shock, meanwhile, has decided to leak enough air to need pumping up before every ride. Is this progress?

Replace the shock with elastomers and see how good it feels?

But seriously anything like this can develop a fault, there are thousands produced and there are bound to be some that develop faults.

 

[Captain Stupido]

Re:

Got Indy SLs on my C16R and I love 'em, actually. They seem really plush and forgiving and are super light.

Saying that, I don't have all that much to compare to... this is the first bike I've owned with suspension forks. I've ridden plenty of rental or borrowed bikes that I didn't like though.

Mine are pretty shagged I think... they bottom out easily (and I'm not heavy) and the adjuster seems to do f all. At some point I'll take them apart, during which period I'll be trying a set of Pace RC36 Evos. I suspect I may come back to the Indys, but we'll see. The Paces look nice but are quite a bit heavier.

Have a picture:

 

[mattr]

I got a pair of coil sprung Mazorcchi Bombers in, I think 2000 and was still using them in 2015. I'd never serviced them and they worked like new with no play at all. I think a mate of my son's still uses them!
My 2 year old Rockshox shock, meanwhile, has decided to leak enough air to need pumping up before every ride. Is this progress?

Coil forks can have sloppy seals and marzochis of that generation are probably open bath. So are pretty much bomb proof.
A modern air fork needs a lot more looking after, much closer clearances and tolerances and a highly pressurised chamber with shafts/valves/floating pistons and all sorts of shit going on inside them

When they are working well, they will be far and away better than the 18 year old marzochis will be. Once you've made the effort to get them fixed and actually set them up properly.

That's one benefit to coils (and elastomers to a degree), they are "ok" even when they are set up badly, air forks can be utterly dire.