Apologies in advance for the long response. It's a hard subject to cover without a high degree of context and I didn't feel it was adequate to just provide a list.
((Insert comment here about how there are lots of awesome fork options on the market, no bad bikes, user preferences, tester preferences, I'm a so-so rider and really slow, YMMV, and all that))
If I had to open my wallet for a fork tomorrow here's what I'd be buying:
1) My baseline forks are the Suntour Durolux/Auron PCS RC2. But specifically, my version which uses a coil negative spring. I haven't ridden the new forks with the self-balancing negative air chamber so I'll reserve judgment for the time being but I think they're the one company that really did coil negative springs right by offering multiple (4x total) rates which let riders easily tune for weight and preference without making the forks any more complicated.
The Dur'on lineup is easy to work on and adding 7-10ml of oil to the lowers (grease-lubed fork) makes them buttery smooth. The damping is not as sophisticated as other forks on the market but will suit most riders just fine and a competent tuner can custom valve the forks.
The chassis' are stiff and while everything pressfit will probably creak eventually, I haven't managed to creak one yet and I've seen used forks bought from Tippie, Buehler, and Doerfling that look punched and are still silent.
The forks are cheap and easy to travel adjust; however, depending on rider weight and how far you're lowering them they made need a bigger negative spring. I run the heavy negative on my Durolux and I find that works best in the 160-170mm travel range.
For something to warrant me paying more money it has to offer an obvious additional value (performance, ease of service, intrinsic) over the Suntour which isn't easy to do.
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April 20, 2020, 10:51 a.m. - Andrew Major
Apologies in advance for the long response. It's a hard subject to cover without a high degree of context and I didn't feel it was adequate to just provide a list. ((Insert comment here about how there are lots of awesome fork options on the market, no bad bikes, user preferences, tester preferences, I'm a so-so rider and really slow, YMMV, and all that)) If I had to open my wallet for a fork tomorrow here's what I'd be buying: 1) My baseline forks are the Suntour Durolux/Auron PCS RC2. But specifically, my version which uses a coil negative spring. I haven't ridden the new forks with the self-balancing negative air chamber so I'll reserve judgment for the time being but I think they're the one company that really did coil negative springs right by offering multiple (4x total) rates which let riders easily tune for weight and preference without making the forks any more complicated. The Dur'on lineup is easy to work on and adding 7-10ml of oil to the lowers (grease-lubed fork) makes them buttery smooth. The damping is not as sophisticated as other forks on the market but will suit most riders just fine and a competent tuner can custom valve the forks. The chassis' are stiff and while everything pressfit will probably creak eventually, I haven't managed to creak one yet and I've seen used forks bought from Tippie, Buehler, and Doerfling that look punched and are still silent. The forks are cheap and easy to travel adjust; however, depending on rider weight and how far you're lowering them they made need a bigger negative spring. I run the heavy negative on my Durolux and I find that works best in the 160-170mm travel range. For something to warrant me paying more money it has to offer an obvious additional value (performance, ease of service, intrinsic) over the Suntour which isn't easy to do. ...