Judy and Poor Handling : Is it just me?

[merckx]

Interested to hear thoughts from others...

I have had my 96 model Judy XC on two frames now, and it feels to me the handling and steering is not good. I am no expert on rake and trail, however the Judy just feels like they got it all wrong..

It feels sluggish, floppy and imprecise. In stark contrast, the rigid steel fork on my 92 Zaskar is sharp, precise and steers perfectly.

Thoughts from others?

 

[cce]

The judy was one of the first forks that steered anything approaching properly as well...

 

[We_are_Stevo]

Probably a little unfair to compare any suspension fork to a rigid don't you think?

For years I put P2's on all my bikes because they are still my favourite fork of all time; these days though I have become a convert to comfort over out-and-out performance...

...I started with Judys, albeit with a gas-ram/spring conversion, tried some Z1's, but have now become a big fan of Mozo Pro's. They are a decent fork which was well-regarded BiTD, easy to work on MCU sprung, with air dampers that work. Several different travel versions were available so you can swap the stanchions around to custom fit them to whichever bike they are to go on.

They are certainly all the fork I need, and perform far better than I ever will...

 

[merckx]

yeah its not a fair fight, but swapping between the two today, really highlighted the differnces. back in the day i went rigid : MAG 21 : marzocchi Z1 : marzocchi Z2 : SID and on and on from there...

i never thought my MAG 21 were particularly bad (steering wise), but they did flex a lot. i never rode The judy range in the day

 

[Barneyballbags]

I always found that Judys handled really well. As cce said, they were one of the first forks which started to perform 'properly' with regards to tracking and stiffness. Of course that all changed when Marzocchi introduced the Bomber which basically wiped the floor with everything and set the standard for what we use today.

 

[legrandefromage]

Make sure that hey are in good condition first - no cracks or loose threaded bolts.

Judy was a big improvement over MAG20/21 series. My joke is always that you had to book any turns well in advance they were so slack.

I personally found forks got better as one piece lowers appeared but have gone back to rigid anyway

 

[merckx]

maybe its just me yeah they are in tip top shape, just judy buttered them again tonight. no wear or loose anything.

tyre pressures were quite low today, thats also going to adversely affect things. more pressure tonight, i will see how it feels tomorrow on my ride to work, should be better

 

[legrandefromage]

80 psi in the tyres or you're not doing it properly!

 

[merckx]

80 psi in the tyres or you're not doing it properly!

BOOM!

 

[Loki]

I have the same Zaskar and a Manitou 3 yielded the same results. The GT 3D fork goes from apr. 42mm rake to around 51MM with 395mm atoc. Not sure on Judy specifications but the Manitou was 38mm rake and long enough to change the HA a degree. The 92 Zaskar is a NON suspension frame , I think 94 was the first year Zaskars came with suspension?