With this article I’ll be sharing an overview of what I feel to be the very best budget suspension forks worth your money.
I’ve written many articles about budget options for a certain product category, and I always first define a benchmark of what “budget” means. Included in this category is the widest possible range of front suspension you can think of, ranging from the fairly new gravel category all the way up to classic downhill examples.
The average price of all the forks I take into consideration hovers above 800 USD. So it’s safe to say that a fork up to 500 USD from one of the major brands in the space can be deemed budget-friendly enough.
Of the two biggest brands, Fox and RockShox, only the latter is known for making forks within the budget category. So unless you’re lucky enough to find a Fox for a significantly reduced price, you won’t see the brand featured on a list such as this one.
From RockShox’ catalog I’ve taken a sample of their more affordable specimens, which are still distinctive enough to cater to the needs of different audiences. And I’ve also included forks from other brands, which definitely belong on this list and have successfully competed with the big brand names of the industry.
Although for obvious reasons, the forks here will not feature the latest and greatest on damper and air spring level, all of them can be fully tuned to maximize your riding experience. And there’s beauty in simplicity, especially considering the fact that the average mountain bike rider will not need all the bells and whistles you can find on premium suspension nowadays anyway.
The forks fall into the XC to trail and enduro category, depending on the length of the travel and the stiffness of the chassis and stanchions, denoted mostly by their widths. With that being said, let’s head over to my list of the best budget suspension forks.
RockShox Recon Silver RL
RockShox Recon Silver RL (Rebound and Lockout) has a number of things going for it that set it apart from the pack of budget-friendly MTB forks.
The most obvious one is the price, which sits just above 200 USD depending on the travel you choose. This is very cheap for a 32mm stanchioned front suspension offering low-speed compression and rebound damping.
Because of its popularity and widespread appeal, RockShox has been smart enough to offer them in a broad range of travel, ranging from 100 up to 150mm of travel, for 27.5 and 29 inch wheels, 1.5 tapered and 1 1/8 straight steerers, various fork offsets, ample tire clearance, and Motion Control damper with Solo Air air spring.
The RockShox Motion Control damper is a budget-friendly option with minimal adjustability, offering an incredibly easy setup. It’s the oldest and most simple damping technology in RockShox lineup, with more complex variations either no longer available or being replaced by newer compression damping-technology.
The damper offers a single dial for open and closed low-speed compression damping. A full lockout can be enabled and completely closes the compression oil ports. The damper also offers a neat failsafe mechanism, which opens the compression valve cover on a locked out fork during a big hit, preventing possible damage to the internals and enabling fork travel again. It allows for a single big hit before a spring closes the valve cover again.
The SoloAir air spring simplifies suspension setup by being able to inflate both positive and negative air chambers using a single schrader valve. It means you always run the same pressure in both chambers. Although it is easier to set up, the fact that there’s no independent configuration of both air chambers does away with customisation of the initial travel characteristics, which translates to fine tuning small-bump sensitivity.
Since both chambers run the same pressure, it’s not possible to run a higher pressure in the negative air chamber, which is used for the downward stroke since it sits at the bottom of the air spring. This reduces the small-bump sensitivity obtainable with this type of air spring.
Simply looking at the specs and what you need to pay for this fork versus high-end ones, which are 2 to 4 times as expensive, it’s very easy indeed to see why this one also sells 2 to 4 times as much. Probably more than that.
- Incredibly well-specced budget offering from RockShox. Many configuration options to suit a wide range of bikes. Cheapest fork with 32mm stanchions.
- None within this price range
RockShox Judy Gold RL
The RockShox Judy Gold RL is an affordable option for XC enthusiasts looking for a tunable front suspension that’s lightweight.
More expensive than the extremely budget-friendly Recon Silver RL, the Judy Gold RL is over a pound lighter for a 29 inch 100mm travel (versus the 29 inch 120mm travel of the Recon). That’s the kind of weight that’ll be noticeable in handling and climbing.
It achieves this rather drastic reduction in weight by being offered with aluminum rather than steel stanchions with a width of 30 instead of 32mm. And those travel options are more cross-country or light trail oriented, ranging between 80 to 120mm.
Furthermore the fork is just as tunable as the Recon with both the Motion Control damper and DebonAir air spring, offering compression and rebound adjustment with a lockout, and similar air spring adjustments as other forks in the RockShox lineup.
- Budget-friendly, lightweight XC and light trail fork with top-end damper and air spring for its price class
- None within its price category
RockShox 35 Gold RL
The RockShox 35 Gold RL is an incredible fork for the money, because it’s the only top-end suspension sporting 35mm aluminum stanchions you’ll be able to buy. So if you’re looking for added stiffness for your trail or enduro bike, and want a highly tunable fork that is still affordable, this is one of the few if not the only option there is.
With a travel range between 100 and 160mm, and the ability to mount massive 2.8 inch tires, the fork covers almost the entire trail and enduro range. Those of you who want to ride with 170 or 180mm should look elsewhere.
With all other modern configuration options, like a BOOST axle width, 220mm rotor, and both 1.5 and 1.8 inch tapered steerers this fork will fit any modern mountain bike.
The Motion Control damper and DebonAir air spring are top-end suspension technology used for the budget-friendly lineup, allowing for compression damping, rebound adjustment and air spring ramp control with volume spacers.
- The best budget-friendly trail and enduro fork with 35mm stanchions
- Max travel sits at 160mm
Manitou Markhor
My heart rejoices in the fact that there’s still a manufacturer of front suspension that deems it wise to offer a fork for 26 inch mountain bikes. And just as legendary as the brand itself was in the 90s with the Manitou Markhor you can mount a new front suspension to your old rig. Making this fork, one of the best options for 26 inch mountain bikes.
Of course there’s also a 27.5 and 29 inch version of this fork. The fork is internally adjustable to various travel lengths residing in cross country territory, from 80 to 110mm. So it’s not only for bike restorers, but also for (patient) DIY bike mechanics.
Featuring 30mm stanchions, 9mm dropouts or a BOOST thru axle, the fork is available in a 1.5 and 1 1/8 steerer, increasing its versatility of being used for older style bikes.
It has a reverse arch, which means the arch sits at the back of the legs, not the front. The benefit of such a setup is a small reduction in weight and/or a small increase in stiffness. A much bigger benefit is that the arch serves as a protection against dirt and mud getting onto the stanchions and seals. You also move the brake hose to the back of the suspension, which is arguably a more protected area than sitting out front.
MTB suspension is actually suspension you find on regular motocross bikes turned upside down. Normally the lower legs are up and the stanchions come out of them at the bottom. Because of stiffness problems MTB suspension has evolved into the design as we know it. The biggest downside of the MTB design is that dust seals face upwards and are far more exposed to debris moving past them. The reverse arch goes a long way in protecting both your stanchions and seals, thus the entire fork, from getting contaminated.
Whether you like the aesthetics of the reverse arch is of course a personal choice. The downside of the arch bearing the brunt of everything the front wheel picks up and throws at it, is that the open parts of the arch clog up, but that’s a small price to pay for the benefits this construction offers.
The fork has a fairly standard lockout for the damper, so no compression adjustability besides open and closed. A rebound adjuster knob with infinite adjustment sits at the bottom, and a simple schrader valve is used for your air spring. The lockout will still allow for a small amount of travel when activated. The entire process is as straightforward as its easy, which probably suits the target audience for this budget-friendly option.
- Reverse arch construction improves longevity, reduces need to clean seals, and increases stiffness. Lots of options for XC oriented bikes, including a 26 inch version. Travel can be reduced using spacers.
- None
Marzocchi Bomber Z2
The Marzocchi Bomber Z2 shares the same air spring as the Fox 34 Rhythm, which means you also get the same adjustable travel within a single front suspension, from 100mm up to 150 of travel.
Being able to use high-grade components from its mother company pays dividends, creating one of the best-performing forks in its price category for budget-minded people. The Marzocchi Bomber Z2 is one of the best examples where you can obtain a premium riding experience without paying top dollar simply because the fork doesn’t bear the name Fox or RockShox.
The FLOAT air spring sits in Fox’s top-of-the-line XC and trail forks and can be found here as well. It supports installing volume spacers to reduce the size of the positive air chamber for increased progressiveness and bottoming out resistance. Since the volume spacers do nothing with the negative air chamber (used for the downward stroke), small bump sensitivity is minimally impacted.
The Rail damper is where the biggest difference sits. It’s a semi open-bath construction, which means the containing cartridge is removed and the internals are sitting in the shaft of the stanchion, which reduces complexity and costs. It arguably is a design that needs less maintenance as well, because of the larger volume to hold oil and the lack of a bladder, which is a delicate part of the damper. An increase in weight is the downside.
Whatever the design, the heavy Z2 does smooth out the trail as none of its competition does, reducing trail chatter to an absolute minimum. And the easy adjustability of both external damper and air spring, as well as the ability to reduce air volume enables you to finetune the entire length of travel to your specific setup, just as you would with any of the most expensive forks out there.
And they come in a glossy red finish as well, what more could you ask for?
- Remarkable trail fork offering the best value-for-money for a mid-tier suspension fork. Highly adjustable with Fox premium internals to smooth out any trail.
- None for its pricepoint
Specifications budget suspension forks
Name | Price | Wheel size | Stanchion | Rake | Axle | Rotor size | Max tire width | Damper | Air spring | Steerer | Color | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RockShox Recon Silver RL | 268 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 32mm straight wall steel | 37mm, 42mm, 46mm (27.5″) 42mm, 46mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x100mm, 15x110mm BOOST 9x100mm QR | 160-220mm | 2.45″, 2.8″ | Motion Control | Solo Air | 1.125S, 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox Judy Gold RL | 376 USD | 26″, 27.5″, 29″ | 30mm straight wall aluminum | 40mm (26″) 42mm, 51mm (27.5″) 46mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm BOOST 9x100mm QR | 160-185mm 160-220mm | 2.3″, 2.4″, 2.8″ | Motion Control | Solo Air | 1.125S, 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox 35 Gold RL | 483 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm BOOST | 180-220mm | 2.8″ | Motion Control | DebonAir | 1.5T, 1.8T | gloss black, matte black | |
Manitou Markhor | 300 USD | 26″, 27.5″, 29″ | 30mm | 15x110mm BOOST 9x100mm QR | Kwik Toggle w. TPC | TS Air | 1.125S, 1.5T | gloss black | ||||
Marzocchi Bomber Z2 | 519 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 34mm | 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm QR | RAIL | FLOAT | matte black |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
You might also like
The top 13 best 27.5 front suspension forks in 2023
In this article I’m going to delve in some of the very best 27.5 front suspension forks. Just as with 29 inch wheels, they saw massive adoption around a decade ago, when major bike brands started supp
The top 15 best 29 inch suspension forks in 2023
In this article I’m going to cover the best 29 inch suspension forks. To provide any semblance of coherence and not simply dump the entire premium lineup of Fox and RockShox in the same list, I decide
7 best tips on how to set up your MTB suspension
Whether you’re buying a brand new mountain bike or you find a great second-hand deal, there are a number of things you’ll need to take
The top 6 best suspension forks under 500 in 2023
In this blog I’m going to provide an overview of the very best suspension forks under 500 dollars.
Roughly 80 percent of front suspension resides in the cross-country and trail riding category, with