In this article I’m going to describe what you need to take into consideration when making a pick from the best suspension forks for heavy riders.
“Heavy” is obviously a broad term. Some bicycle products have weight limits (front suspension doesn’t as far as I know). Taking those weight limits into consideration and looking at the average weight of the US male, I’d say that the things I’ll be discussing next will start to be more applicable the farther you move away from 220 pounds.
Another reason I use this number is because it’s the last weight for RockShox for which there’s an air pressure recommendation setting. Fox goes up to 250 pounds as the last setting.
Front suspension is built around the weight of the average rider. And that average rider is male since it constitutes over 80 percent of the target audience of mountain bikers. When heavy riders are using front suspension intended to be used by someone of average weight, some of the technology of the front suspension is compromised and ride characteristics are compromisedbecause of it.
Looking at what’s stock available in your fork, you cannot configure your fork in such a way it would operate exactly the same if it would be used by a lighter rider. E.g. you can’t dial in a weight difference of, let’s say 40 pounds or more. That’s not how finetuning your suspension works or was intended to do. But you can do something.
The most obvious thing you can do is have enough travel to work with, and the availability of air spring technology within that travel. A 80mm travel XC fork leaves very little room to add volume spacers to prevent the fork from bottoming out. But keep in mind that changing the fork’s travel length impacts your bike’s geometry as well.
You also bottom out quicker, because you simply blow through a relatively small amount of travel. And as you quickly move through the travel, there’s a much faster pressure buildup, which leads to the fork starting to feel incredibly stiff, translating the harshness of the terrain to your hands, wrists and elbows, instead of soaking it up.
Another important aspect for heavy riders to keep in mind is the stiffness of the fork. A fork needing to soak up a heavy impact with a 250 rider versus a 180 pound one is vastly different. Flexing stanchions rub against the bushings of the inner legs and puts more pressure on fork seals, and is something you want to prevent if possible.
Stanchions with a wider diameter are both simple and effective. And this combination with the travel requirement means that heavier riders might be better off choosing a fork from a mountain bike discipline sitting further up the ladder. Though it depends on your riding style and how heavy you are, it’s fine for a heavy cross-country rider to mount a trail fork, and for a heavy trail rider to mount an enduro fork.
Since 30 and 32mm are traditionally the width of stanchions used in XC forks, I’ve picked front suspension starting at 34mm and up to create this list of the best suspension forks for heavy riders.
Fox 34 Factory
Though they might have very similar looks and even share the same name the Fox 34 Factory is still a very different fork than the Fox 34 Step-Cast Factory.
The latter fork is very XC-oriented, with a focus on weight reduction (Step-Cast), tire clearance in line with the popular 2.25 width of cross country tires, up to 120mm of travel, and a FIT4 damper with optional lockout for climbing and sprinting.
The Fox 34 Factory sits much more squarely into trail territory by moving the max travel to 140mm and offering the highly adjustable GRIP2 damper, which has both high- an low speed compression adjustment (instead of only low speed). The option to dial in your compression adjustment for both high- and low speed starts to make more sense if there’s more travel to work with, hence you don’t see this damper on XC forks.
With the GRIP2 damper the Fox 34 is the first four-way adjustable front suspension in their lineup. Besides a little weight penalty over the FIT4 damper, and the fact its a bladder-less cartridge damper that holds more oil, by far the biggest difference between the two dampers is the amount of adjustability. The GRIP2 goes all-out in this respect with a 16-click dial for low-speed compression adjustment, within a 9-click dial for high-speed compression adjustment.
That immediately showcases the target audiences for this fork, since both damper options are available with the Fox 34 Factory. The 3-position lever to quickly configure your compression is incredibly easy to setup for every rider out there, and is still a fantastic option for this fork. The GRIP2 damper is the better option for quickly traversing rough terrain, and is the core reason why it makes its appearance on a trail fork.
The FLOAT EVOL (Extra Volume) air spring has a larger negative air chamber, besides the standard positive one. Aside from supporting your weight in a neutral position, the air spring offers a more linear spring curve that’s supple off the top on small bumps yet still has the support to resist bottoming out on those big hits.
The size of the positive air chamber can still be reduced as you’re used to with air volume spacers, without affecting the functionality of the negative chamber. By reducing the air volume of the positive air chamber you make the fork act more progressive, resisting bottoming out more for those of you who like to ride hard and aggressive.
I’ve already meantioned this is a much more trail-worthy partner than the Step-Cast. Besides the different damper, the Fox 34 Factory has a max tire clearance of 2.6 inches, which covers the entire range of trail tires and probably enduro as well. The orange version only comes with 140mm of travel, while the black one is also available in a downcountry-ish 130mm.
- Same name as the Step-Cast, very different but excellent fork for short-travel trail riding
- Max travel of 140mm
Fox 34 Performance
As far as entry-level goes with Fox the Fox 34 Performance is the most affordable option with 34mm stanchions, coming with 140mm of travel and the GRIP damper.
This damper further simplifies the setup. The GRIP damper is a compression-damping technology that offers 3 on-the-fly settings equating Open (no damping), and Firm damping configurations with infinite adjustment in between 3 detents. The settings can be configured with a single dial.
Furthermore it offers a 10-click rebound adjuster knob at the bottom of the damper, which means you cannot independently adjust high- and low-speed rebound. This improves ease of setup at the cost of adjustability.
With 3 settings including dedents in between, there’s still a ton of low-speed compression adjustment this fork offers. And you might argue that, for obvious reasons, a well configured GRIP2 damper improves support and stability for your mid-stroke and your big hits.
But that’s emphasizing the willingness and ability to configure your damper correctly. This much more straightforward approach to front suspension adjustability will probably suit more riders.
- Meant for the majority of riders who want a hassle-free Fox front suspension for short-travel trail bikes
- GRIP damper lacks sophistication in mid-stroke and tail-end of the travel when compared to the GRIP2
Fox 36 Factory
Probably every “best of” list concerning trail suspension has this one on its list, which is the Fox 36 Factory. And with a travel sitting in between 150 and 160mm for the black version, and 160mm for the glossy orange one, it has trail ridding written all over it.
Max rotors of 230mm, tire clearance up to 2.8 inch, and the GRIP2 option for both 29 and 27.5 wheels, means you get all the adjustment you’re ever going to need to shred basically any kind of trail. And depending on your bike and weight, this fork can also be used for more enduro-style adventuring.
Just as the Fox 34 Factory, this one with 36mm stanchions still offers the FIT4 damper as well. The FIT4 is the top-of-the-line damper for Fox’s XC lineup, so one is not really better than the other. The difference resides in its usage, and where adjustability of high-speed compression starts to make more sense.
A 160mm travel trail bike can definitely be used on hard-hitting terrain where you want to maximise your control and finetune the mid- and end stroke of your compression. It’s not to say that you can only do that with the GRIP2 damper, you can just do it in a more fine-grained way.
But you not only have the damper side to contend with, there’s also the FLOAT EVOL air spring with independently adjustable positive and negative air chambers. And on top of that, you can change the volume of the air chamber with volume spacers to change the linearity of the spring curve. Or rather, in layman’s terms, how fast the fork will stiffen when going through its travel. The less air volume the quicker it stiffens.
I guess all I’m trying to say here is that you can write an encyclopedia about the amount of adjustability you can tinker with the top-end version of this fork. It’s just mind-boggling. So to end this little review, that’s both its strength and maybe its downside.
The Factory version of the 36 is nothing short of absolutely awesome. It’s one of the very best trail forks ever made, and you can play with the configuration to your heart’s content. The specifications besides the adjustability of the fork are outstanding and will support any configuration of trail bike. It’s up to you whether you want to go for the FIT4 versus the GRIP2.
- Gold standard for trail suspension
- Price. GRIP2 might be over-specced for the majority of riders.
Fox 38 Factory
The Fox 38 Factory is a front suspension meant for enduro. Depending on the length of travel, which sits between 160 and 180mm, you can also use it as a very stiff trail riding fork, especially if you’re a bit heavier. The 160 and 170mm versions only come in black, with a single orange 180mm version available.
Between each fork there’s always overlap, and besides an increase in price, travel options and stanchion width, this fork is similar to the Fox 36 Factory. So a 160mm 36 comes with the same specifications as the 39.
They both have a tire clearance up to 2.8 inch, offer a standard 44mm fork offset (and 37 and 51mm), brake rotor compatibility up to 230mm, 15x110mm axle widths, and GRIP2 with FLOAT EVOL damper/air spring combos.
If you would ever be able to notice any flex in a Fox fork, it might be the difference between a 32 Step-Cast and standard 34, and then only if you ride them like a pro back to back. However, if you’re the type of person who’s not afraid to send it, the 38 might be the go-to choice, because you’re certain there’s less flex, thus less stiction because of the increased torsional stiffness. E.g. the stanchions don’t rub as much inside the bushings.
In terms of its climbing capacity the difference between a 36 and 38 has to do with bike geometry not with weight, even though the 38 is obviously heavier. Yet nobody’s going to convince me 250 grams, which is the weight difference between the two, can be noticed.
The fork fully supports both common enduro 27.5 and 29 inch wheel sizes, which makes this the ultimate Fox enduro and downhill front suspension or long-travel trail riding companion.
- Top-of-the-line enduro or long-travel trail riding front suspension. Used by heavier riders in the 160mm version
- None except for its very serious price
Fox 38 Performance
I’ve read somewhere that the Fox 38 Performance is actually a really good enduro fork for lighter riders, who don’t need to adjust as much as a person of average weight. The adjustment in this case refers to the different GRIP damper in this fork versus both the Factory and Performance Elite, which have the GRIP 2 damper.
The GRIP damper offers 3 on-the-fly settings equating Open (no damping), and Firm damping configurations with infinite adjustment in between 3 dedents. The settings can be configured with a single dial. The GRIP damper also offers a 10-click rebound adjuster knob at the bottom of the damper, which means you cannot independently adjust high- and low-speed rebound. This improves ease of setup at the cost of adjustability.
The biggest difference with the GRIP2 damper is that it offers high-speed compression as well. A lighter rider will need a bigger impact to achieve the same amount of travel, so it does make sense that high-speed compression adjustment is less of an issue for such a person. And the Performance fork is significantly more affordable while offering basically the same specifications.
So the Fox 38 Performance is a really good choice for both women and men of small stature in terms of weight. In general a lot of people only use a handful of clicks, both for compression and rebound, to get to the right setup, and it’s simply a waste of money to have something you’re not going to use. Also let’s not forget, the GRIP damper is easier to set up for those people who don’t really care anyway about constantly worrying about being dialed in correctly.
- Fantastic enduro fork, especially for lighter people. Cheaper, and less of a hassle to set up.
- None
RockShox Revelation RC
The RockShox Revelation RC (Rebound and Compression) is based on the trail chassis of the more premium Pike. The difference between the two, besides a substantial drop in price, is both the damper and air spring technology used in this fork.
The fact it uses the same chassis means that you can upgrade to the more expensive damper and air spring used in the Pike, if you feel you’ve outgrown it. However, that’s not why you should buy this fork, because the combined price is much more expensive than buying the specific Pike in the first place.
It can be called a mid-tier mountain bike suspension with a Motion Control damper but an upgrade from the Recon with the DebonAir air spring. The biggest feature of the DebonAir air spring is the large negative air chamber sitting at the bottom of the spring.
Because of its larger adjustable volume it offers better configurability of small-bump sensitivity. And because there’s more air to compress it ramps up more linearly providing improved control and comfort while reducing the risk of bottoming out.
Because of its popularity, RockShox offers a wide variety of options and specifications similar to those of the Recon. Only the 9mm open dropout and lack of 1 1/8 steerer might be missing for those with older rigs.
What you see with products in general and front suspension specifically is that prices ramp up pretty quickly. RockShox needed to differentiate their lineup enough for people with varying budgets to be able to pick a fork they like, and the combination of features of this year’s Revelation is probably the best one of their entire lineup if you ask me.
It’s one of the best trail forks that can still be called budget-friendly, sitting well below the 500 dollar mark. It’s not as ridiculously cheap as the Recon but offers more riding versatility with 35mm stanchions and better adjustability. A well maintained Revelation can last you many years with foolproof performance, making this fork a financially sound investment in improving your riding experience.
- Best budget trail fork with high levels of adjustability
- None within this price range
RockShox Domain RC
Ranging from 150 up to 180mm of travel the RockShox Domain RC is the big brand’s affordable enduro offering.
Available with a single 44mm rake option, standard BOOST axle compatibility, a max rotor size of 220mm, and a 2.8 inch max tire clearance it has all your standard options to fit modern day bikes.
Just like other mid-tier forks, like the Judy Gold and Recon Silver, the Domain RC is outfitted with a Motion Control damper and DebonAir air spring, offering compression and rebound adjustment besides the ability to control the spring curve with of your air spring with an ample amount of volume spacers.
But where those forks are for XC and trail with respectively 30 and 32mm stanchions, this one can be considered a big hitter as the entry-level enduro fork with 38mm stanchions for maximum stiffness and control on rocky descents.
- Great mid-tier entry-level enduro fork with lots of adjustability and travel lengths. Solid choice for heavier riders who want maximum plushness and stiffness to support aggressive trail riding
- None within this price range
RockShox ZEB Ultimate
The RockShox ZEB Ultimate is to the Lyrik Ultimate what the Fox 38 Factory is to the 36 Factory: basically a beefier model with 38mm stanchions and enduro-style travel options.
From 150mm all the way up to 180mm in 10mm increments, it means you can slap a shorter version of this heavy-duty fork on your long-travel trail bike, or choose this one over the 35mm stanchions of the Lyrik if you’re a heavier rider who’s looking for added stiffness on the roughest of trails.
Of all the brands offering front suspension, RockShox might feel the most controlled when going through its travel, gradually ramping up when needing to deal with the biggest hits. This ensures a smooth, controlled feeling while riding, with less need to throw your body around than you might be used to with earlier iterations of this fork, or other brands. Granted, the differences might only be noticeable when you’re riding different forks back to back and with a proper configuration, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.
I feel the ZEB is less racey and performance-oriented, lacking the high-speed rebound adjustment of the Fox 38. And unlike certain reviews might claim, more force is needed to get it started in its travel, making it more poppy and a tad more harsh on relative smooth trail conditions.
The Fox 38 progresses more lineary in the last stretches of its travel, making full use of it and maximising control when pointing the bike straight down a rock garden. This is not everybody’s cup of tea though, and the Zeb feels a bit less harsh because of it, sacrificing a bit of control for comfort on the mid-stroke for more average non-pro riding styles.
Though less adjustability in terms of clicks than the Fox 38, with 5 and 18 clicks of high- and low-speed compression consecutively, the changes between them feel distinct, especially when dialing-in the high-speed compression.
It’s always difficult to compare forks, and it’s just as difficult here. Besides ride quality, there’s also serviceability to take into account, and obviously price. Rockshox is almost allways the clear winner in the latter department, especially in regions other than North America. So that’s a big plus for this fork, which is still one of the most expensive ones in RockShox’ lineup.
In terms of longevity, I’m someone who looks beyond using a fork for just 3 years before deciding to sell his bike, and Fox’s Factory forks are both easier to service and of higher quality. And as yet, I can’t say anything about prolonged use of the new ButterCups.
By looking at the price and the ride characteristics of the fork I feel this is more the working man’s enduro and long-travel trail fork.
- More suitable enduro and long-travel trail for the average rider, and cheaper
- Lower build quality and less performance-oriented than its biggest competitor, the Fox 38 Factory. Not as supple with respect to small-bump sensitivity
RockShox ZEB Select
For the Select version of the ZEB, RockShox uses a Charger RC damper without ButterCups (which can still be had as a separate upgrade kit). So if you’re looking for an excellent enduro fork, that’s just a bit cheaper, and missing the lower-leg bleeders, will the Charger RC still do the job for you?
The obvious answer is “of course”. Don’t get me wrong, but the average rider doesn’t know how to correctly set up his or her suspension anyway, so a change in dampers is only going to affect people who know what they’re doing. But if you’re one of those people I would argue this fork is basically just as good as the Ultimate.
Recently RockShox has started messing up their naming conventions for damper technology, which makes it really difficult to know what’s what through the years. The Charger RC is basically an older-style damper using bladder technology. This means a little bit less robust than the current Charger 3 damper, but is being offered for a much lower price.
Again, just as with the Fox 38 Performance, you lose high-speed compression adjustability, which might not really make a difference for women and lighter riders. There are still a ton of travel options available, all the fork offsets you ever want to choose from, and the ability to mount a massive rotor without an adapter with a very burly front tire.
It’s a great platform for the average rider, since if you do want to move up in terms of specifications, the chassis supports compatibility with the better damper. Yet the lack of ButterCups combined with the initial force to get the fork moving, makes for a poppy fork that’s a bit harsher than both its more expensive brethren and the competition. On the flipside, you do get a fork that handles rough terrain at high speed excellent, and you can preload the suspension on jumps and in corners.
With so many of the specifications being the same, you’d argue that the cheaper Select would be a great value for people wanting to save a bit of cash. However, the upgrade ability is nice, but in the end will be more expensive than buying an Ultimate from the start. So unless you already have the better damper laying around and know how to install it, the feature is an expensive one at best.
Also Fox’ GRIP damper versus the GRIP2 seems to cater to two different audiences instead of one being the inferior option to the other. That doesn’t really seem to be the case with the Charger RC damper, which introduces harshness to a ride, which used to feel more plush with a similar yet older suspension.
- Poppy and active enduro fork
- Harsher than its competition, in the same price category and earlier iterations. No high-speed compression adjustment. The Ultimate version is really better
RockShox Lyrik Ultimate
When you start comparing the big brands in front suspension, probably the most popular comparison is the one between RockShox Lyrik Ultimate and the Fox 36 Factory. Here’s my take on that comparison.
Although there are obvious similarities, there are a number of differences which might nudge you into the direction of one over the other. As for similarities, they both come with 140 to 160mm of travel, 15×110 axle width, 44mm rake, tapered 1.5 inch steerers and for both 27.5 and 29 wheel sizes.
The difference, besides the damper, is small as well. 35 versus 36 mm stanchions, 220 versus 230 max rotor size, 3.2 versus 2.6 inch max tire width, which you’re probably not going to need for normal trail riding, and a pretty similar weight and price as well. And you can leave your zip ties at home, since the Lyrik also features lower leg bleeders to remove pressure buildup caused by sucking air into them.
Then for a little bit of tech-talk about the damper. The RockShox Lyrik Ultimate features the Charger 3 damper, offering a 15-click dial for low-speed compression adjustment, within a 5-click dial for high-speed compression adjustment. This pretty extensive low- and high speed adjustment can be achieved without introducing additional harshness and loss of control.
The Charger 3 offers a 18-click rebound adjuster knob at the bottom of the damper, which means you cannot independently adjust high- and low-speed rebound. This improves ease of setup at the cost of adjustability. The damper does not use an expanding bladder (neither does Fox’ GRIP2), which is a more durable construction offering a lower risk of stiction and smoother fork action.
It also has more oil volume using a spring-backed floating piston to control oil flow, making it the plushest fork in RockShox’ catalog. Even more so, because both damper and air spring are offered with otherwise optional ButterCup suspension technology.
It reduces high-frequency vibrations otherwise known as “trail chatter”. This is the result of a fork not being responsive enough to handle small rocks and roots, directly translating the impacts to your body, causing fatigue, hand numbness, and even neck and shoulder issues on longer rides.
The buttercup on the damper side essentially holds two elastomers looking like small rubber pucks between a metal plate sitting within an aluminum housing, at the end of each shaft. The air spring side only has one of those pucks, with an o-ring sitting on the upper side. That’s because the air spring is much more effective on compression (downward stroke) not on the rebound (upward stroke).
They function as a suspension within a suspension, offering about 4mm of vertical compliance, taking out the smallest of trail irregularities, before the more advanced suspension technology is activated and reducing roughly (a claimed) 20% of trail chatter.
The first thing I thought as a guy having bikes with 30-year old suspension on it, was that it was nothing else than an elastomer with a fancy name slapped onto it. But it’s not, and it would be unfair to compare technologies decades apart. The only thing from a durability and financial perspective is that it definitely does add more components and complexity to the overall fork.
An air spring is made up of a shaft on which in this case a floating piston is installed, sitting between two seals. The Debonair+ air spring improves upon earlier models, by swapping out the plastic shaft for an aluminum one.
Larger volume negative air chambers for all three iterations is achieved by hollowing out the top hat of the piston. Just as with Fox’s Float EVOL air spring, the DebonAir+ larger negative air chamber offers a more linear spring curve and a reduced risk of bottoming out.
All skepticism aside, the suspension giant has outdone itself by creating the Lyrik Ultimate, which could indeed be the ultimate trail riding front suspension to dig deep into your wallet for.
- The best trail fork currently on the market
- None
RockShox Lyrik Select
The RockShox Lyrik Select is cheaper version of the Ultimate. Similar to other Ultimate/Select pairs, it swaps out the most expensive damper, in this case the Charger 3 with ButterCups, into a Charger RC (Rebound Compression) version. RockShox has been smart enough to make the drop in price exactly the same as well.
Recently RockShox has started messing up their naming conventions for damper technology, which makes it really difficult to know what’s what through the years. The Charger RC (Rebound Compression) is basically an older-style damper using bladder technology. This means a little bit less robust than the current Charger 3 damper, but is being offered for a much lower price.
You lose high-speed compression adjustability, which might not really make a difference for women and lighter riders. There are still a ton of travel options available, all the fork offsets you ever want to choose from, and the ability to mount a massive rotor without an adapter with a very burly front tire.
It’s a great platform for the average rider, since if you do want to move up in terms of specifications, the chassis supports compatibility with the better damper. Yet the lack of ButterCups combined with the initial force to get the fork moving, makes for a poppy fork that’s a bit harsher than both its more expensive brethren and the competition. On the flipside, you do get a fork that handles rough terrain at high speed excellent, and you can preload the suspension on jumps and in corners.
With so many of the specifications being the same, you’d argue that the cheaper Select would be a great value for people wanting to save a bit of cash. However, the upgrade ability is nice, but in the end will be more expensive than buying an Ultimate from the start. So unless you already have the better damper laying around and know how to install it, the feature is an expensive one at best.
- Poppy and active trail fork
- Harsher than its competition, in the same price category and earlier iterations. No high-speed compression adjustment. The Ultimate version is really better
RockShox Pike Ultimate
I could copy and paste the exact same text of the Lyrik Ultimate here for a description of the RockShox Pike Ultimate. I have no idea why RockShox slaps two different names on products which are basically identical.
Going up from 120mm of travel up to 160mm in steps of 10mm the Pike overlaps the Lyrik on the 140mm version. I don’t know if it’s the case, but the 140mm Pike could be exactly the same as the 140mm Lyrik except for the decals.
If the Lyrik Ultimate was dubbed as the “Ultimate” trail riding fork, the same could be said for the Pike as being the ultimate downcountry or heavy-duty XC fork.
- Downcountry dream fork
- None
RockShox Pike Select
Just as the Pike Ultimate is very similar to the Lyrik Ultimate the, you guessed it, RockShox Pike Select shows the exact same similarities to the Lyrik Select.
Similar specifications with overlapping travel, again for the 140mm travel version.
- See Lyrik Select
- See Lyrik Select
Manitou Mezzer Pro
The Manitou Mezzer Pro deserves its place on this list, simply because it’s a fantastic brand making a fantastic-looking, hard-htting yet very versatile, 37mm stanchioned fork.
When talking front suspension, all the attention goes to Fox and RockShox, leaving all the other brands to work harder to get the same kind of recognition. So the big question is of course whether or not it measures up to the Fox 38 and Zeb Ultimate.
Simply looking at the specs, it does. Apart from the 37mm stanchions, the fork is offered with 140 up to 180mm of travel, so it can take plenty of abuse. It has all rake options you’d want, standard 15x110mm axle width, able to hold a 223mm rotor, and featuring the MC² damper and Dorado Air with IVA volume spacers.
I don’t usually care all that much about weight, especially not in the enduro and downhill category, but the weight of this fork at 2032 is markedly lighter than both the Zeb Ultimate and Fox 38 Factory.
A lot can be said about brands using proprietary marketing slang to denote ride characteristics of forks. Manitou coined the term IRT (Infinite Rate Tune) volume adjuster to be able to reduce air volume in the positive air chamber of the air spring with the need to open up the fork and add volume spacers. While maybe not a game changer, it’s incredibly user-friendly to finetune mid-stroke support with a higher degree of adjustability on the fly.
In less technical terms it means that for the majority of your ride (not to slow, not too hard) you can expertly dial in your ride preferences to get the most support possible from a fork within this category, with a smooth and supple ride as a result.
The Multi Compression Control (MC²) damper provides an independently adjustable high-speed compression circuit which combines with an independently adjustable low-speed circuit to offer an externally adjustable, on the fly high-speed blowoff threshold and tuning range. It offers 10 clicks of low-speed compression adjustment, and 4 clicks of high-speed compression adjustment.
Furthermore the fork has a 10-click rebound adjuster. And all MC² dampers include the hydraulic bottom out (HBO) system, which kicks in the final millimeters of travel. It’s not as nuanced and sophisticated as the most premium options out there, lacking sensitivity to smooth out the trail chatter.
The fork shines in its versatility with a starting travel of 140mm attainable without changing the air spring. With a relatively easy DIY job, you can add a number of travel spacers to get to the desired travel effectively. Maybe not as versatile for true enduro riding, the fork offers a wide application of riding styles with a user-friendly setup and incredible plushness for probably the far majority of riders.
- Incredible plush mid-stroke support with intuitive air spring tech. Versatile and beefy long-travel trail fork
- Not the best true enduro fork.
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
DVO Diamond D1
The DVO Diamond D1 is a rare beast on the trail. It’s easier to spot a Lefty than someone riding DVO suspension. That’s a shame, because the front suspension with 35mm stanchions is well-suited for the more tech-oriented DIY tuners.
Though not as well-suited to deal with true enduro and downhill riding, more flowy trails with the occasional rough stuff thrown in between is no problem at all for the fork, which comes with 140 to 170mm of travel, depending on your wheel size.
The air spring side features a negative spring you can preload to set for small-bump sensitivity using an allen key. Since it works besides support for mid- and end stroke, it’s a very easy way to get a very plush feel for the initial part of the travel. At a certain point in your travel it opens up for mid-stroke support you control with your standard air pressure. It’s an intuitive design that’s fun and easy to tinker with, and to create a pretty distinctive setup which’ll suit your trail riding characteristics.
Where the Manitou Mezzer Pro has external mid-stroke adjustability with the IRT volume adjuster, the DVO Diamond D1 focuses more on the initial part of the travel. Which makes sense since this fork sits more squarely into trail riding territory.
- Trail fork for DIY tuners. Excellent small-bump sensitivity
- Unable to beat Fox and RockShox when the going get's tough.
MRP Ribbon SL
The MRP Ribbon SL differs from other more race-oriented XC forks. It’s heavier and comes in a 130mm version and is the only high-end XC fork in a 1.128 (1 1/8) tapered steerer. With 35mm stanchions in combination with the weight, you can clearly see why it you shouldn’t compare this fork to your Fox 32 or RockShox Ultimate SL.
MRP calls this an endurance XC slash trail fork, which basically means longer slower rides, instead of shorter faster trips. Its direct competition would be the Fox 34 and RockShox SID Ultimate, the latter also coming with 35mm stanchions.
The 120 or 130mm version with a choice of 44 and 51mm rake can be internally adjusted to a 110mm fork. Although actually setting it up this way means you’re probably introducing an off-balance rig, with your rear shock being underpowered with respect to this front suspension. So either 120 or 130mm is the way to go for this fork.
It means it’s a beefy XC fork with proper trail capabilities that’s meant for hard riding, since there’s a noticeable stiction in the beginning of the stroke. What it does to your riding style is enabling a planted feel on bumpy, high-speed sections, while it very quickly ramps up in the last third of the travel. It might actually outshine both the Fox 34 and RockShox SID Ultimate. Those forks however, offer better small-bump sensitivity.
Another downside of such a late ramping up of the fork is that it’s less playful while cornering and on small jumps. Instead of properly pre-loading the fork, you simply use the suspension and it stays in mid-stroke or halfway there.
The FulFill Air air spring’s dual air chamber can be independently inflated. This means you can overinflate the negative, or lower chamber for additional support and provide greater control for small-bump sensitivity. Increased control on harsher terrain, and reduced risk of bottoming out are also more highly tunable. The increased adjustability of the air spring does mean it takes a little more time to setup correctly.
Just as with the Baxter fork MRP has made a smart move when trying to compete with the big dogs, by making a similar product with distinct enough characteristics to target a specific niche. A true downcountry XC fork for the most aggressive trails within this discipline are up for grabs with this fork.
- Great downcountry option for staying in control on fast, rocky trails
- Less playful than its competition with prolonged mid-stroke and late ramping up.
Specifications suspension forks for heavy riders
Name | Price | Wheel size | Travel | Stanchion | Rake | Axle | Rotor size | Max tire width | Damper | Air spring | Steerer | Color | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fox 34 Factory | 949 USD | 29″ | 140mm (orange) 130mm, 140mm (black) | 34mm 7000 series aluminum w. Kashima coating | 44mm (orange) 44mm, 51mm (black) | 15x110mm (QR orange), 15x110mm (QR/Kabolt black) | 180-203mm | 2.6″ | GRIP2, FIT4 | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | gloss orange, gloss black | |
Fox 34 Performance | 749 USD | 29″ | 140mm | 34mm 7000 series aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm QR | 180-203mm | 2.6″ | GRIP | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | matte black | |
Fox 36 Factory | 1139 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 160mm (orange) 150mm, 160mm (black) | 36mm 7000 series aluminum w. Kashima coating | 44mm (orange) 37mm, 44mm, 51mm (black) | 15x110mm KaboltX | 180-230mm | 2.8″ | GRIP2, FIT4 | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | gloss orange, gloss black | |
Fox 38 Factory | 1249 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 180mm (orange) 160mm, 170mm, 180mm (black) | 38mm 7000 series aluminum w. Kashima coating | 44mm (orange) 37mm, 44mm, 51mm (black) | 15x110mm QR | 180-230mm | 2.8″ | GRIP2 | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | gloss orange, gloss black | |
Fox 38 Performance | 989 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 170mm | 38mm 7000 series aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm QR | 180-230mm | 2.8″ | GRIP | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | matte black | |
RockShox Revelation RC | 537 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 120mm, 130mm, 140mm, 150mm, 160mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 46mm (27.5″) 42mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm BOOST | 180-220mm | 2.8″ | Motion Control | DebonAir | 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox Domain RC | 579 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 150mm, 160mm, 170mm, 180mm | 38mm aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm BOOST | 200-220mm | 2.8″ | Motion Control | DebonAir | 1.5T, 1.8T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox ZEB Ultimate | 1159 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 150mm, 160mm, 170mm, 180mm, 190mm | 38mm aluminum | 38mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 200-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger 3 w. ButterCup | DebonAir+ w. ButterCup | 1.5T | gloss black, matte gray | |
RockShox ZEB Select | 896 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 150mm, 160mm, 170mm, 180mm, 190mm | 38mm aluminum | 38mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 200-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger RC | DebonAir+ | 1.5T, 1.8T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox Lyrik Ultimate | 1107 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 140mm, 150mm, 160mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger 3 w. ButterCup | DebonAir+ w. ButterCup | 1.5T | gloss black, meadow green | |
RockShox Lyrik Select | 843 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 140mm, 150mm, 160mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger RC | DebonAir+ | 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox Pike Ultimate | 1054 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 120mm, 130mm, 140mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger 3 w. ButterCup | DebonAir+ w. ButterCup | 1.5T | gloss black, gloss silver | |
RockShox Pike Select | 790 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 120mm, 130mm, 140mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger RC | DebonAir+ | 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
Manitou Mezzer Pro | 1100 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 140-180mm | 37mm 7000 series aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm Hexlock | 180-223mm | 2.9″ | MC² | Dorado Air w. IVA | 1.5T | gloss black | |
Marzocchi Bomber Z2 | 519 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 140mm, 150mm (27.5″) 100mm, 120mm, 130mm (29″) | 34mm | 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm QR | RAIL | FLOAT | matte black | ||||
DVO Diamond D1 | 749.00 – 1024.00 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 150-170mm (27.5″) 140-160mm (29″) | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm BOOST | 160mm | 3″ (27.5″) 2.5″ (29″) | D1 | black, blue, green | |||
MRP Ribbon SL | 1050 USD | 29″ | 110mm, 130mm | 35mm | 44mm, 51mm | 15x110mm BOOST | 180mm | 2.5″ | EssenTTial | FulFill Air | 1.125T, 1.5T | gloss 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.
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