# 180mm fork recommendation



## bhigdon101 (Apr 24, 2010)

looking to put a 180 travel fork over on to an carbon nomad for fr,dh,all mountain riding. rider weight is 210, and likes big drops...

what would be the smoothist and soak up the big hits too..

float
van
66 rcv =with avy cart
lyrick coil dh- 170mm
xfusion coil - 170mm


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## Drth Vadr (Jul 24, 2009)

maybe a Totem should be on that list.


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## frango (Oct 10, 2004)

Yeah, Totem Solo Air is also a good choice. And if you put Avy cart inside, it gets even better.
However, I chose 2012 Fox Float Kashima and hope to be good replacement for my 2010 Totem SA.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

totem w/ avy cart. 

i will get that eventualy. but i got my old 07 2step rewarrentied again and they gave me the new rc2dh goodies instead of that stupid floodgate thing(which i had already removed). it feels much better. but it could feel even beeetter


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## markdan (Apr 18, 2011)

I had a Totem solo air and it was good but a bit sticky, and now I have a Fox 180 coil with the fit damper and it has very little if any stiction and feels better overall than the Totem, also had a Lyric 170 HD and it is not as good as the Fox or Totem


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## scottvt (Jul 19, 2009)

I love my Avy Totem on my Al Nomad.


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## PeytonP (Aug 29, 2011)

I weigh the same and just started riding the Totem Solo Air DH on my Faith. I haven't ridden other 180mm forks, but Totem is working great. Their website gives better descriptions and advice concerning shock setting, too. I printed out the mission control tuning stuff to keep in my pack.

FWIW, I've found that approx. 85psi got me sagging where I needed. The fact that they actually print sag percentage on the stanchion is awesome.


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## genemk (Sep 15, 2009)

I'm loving my 888 RC3 Evo so I'd imagine the 66 Evo would be sick as well. The V2 cartridge in there allows you to run it relatively soft for good tracking and mid travel behavior without bottoming out hard. It's felt pretty bottomless so far even on big stuff.


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## Calhoun (Nov 11, 2008)

Totem coil for the big hits.


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## jsolorza (Jul 6, 2011)

I am riding a 2012 float and LOVE it! RC2 Rocks and it is light


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## Dwdrums00 (Jul 8, 2006)

I have owned a 2009 Rock Shox 180mm solo air totem and a 2011 Fox 180mm Kashima Float RC2. The totem was pretty unreliable but when it worked it was a great fork. The totem had sufficient small bump compliance (not great) and excellent mid stroke/big hit performance. The Fox float was a worthless POS; it blew through the mid stroke and then ramped so hard it would never get close to bottom out. I have since switched to a 2012 Fox 160mm Kashima Van Rc2 which is an amazing fork. It doesn't have the stiffness of the 180mm float (which has additional bushing overlap) but the small bump compliance, mid stroke/big hit performance is unreal. It feels like a mini version of my 2012 Fox 40 Kashima.

FWIW, I ran the totem on a Al Nomad 2.


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## 11053 (Sep 19, 2009)

I've got a 2012 180 Float on a carbon Nomad.
Great fork for that frame if you are going to be pedaling that bike everywhere and hitting big stuff.
This is the first long travel single crown air fork that I have put a lot of time on-I usually ride springs.
On big "one hit wonder" drops and features, an air fork still feels a bit strange to me as it's very progressive- rough landings when you're not entirely smooth will let you know you're not on a "bottomless" coil fork.
I like the Float better than my 180 Totem coil and my 180 66 Ti RC3 for pedaling and trail riding.
I think coil Totems feel great on big hits and general park and DH trails, but their small bump compliance is not what I look for in a fork that I'm going to pedal a lot on trails.
The 66 is a great fork and would be awesome with the Avalanche Cart.
The 66 is stiff, has excellent small bump/low speed compliance, and feels bottomless on the big hits.
However, in stock form the 66 can dive into it's mid stroke under weight shifts and braking forces-not a big deal, but it's difficult to get a stock 66 to sit high in it's travel for a big rider-much easier to do this with a Float or Totem-supposedly the AV Cart will fix this and the 2012s are supposed to be better in stock form than the 2010s.
The carbon Nomad frame is very stiff and I built it to be a 6"-7" bike I can pedal anywhere and hit just about everything on-it is the best bike I have ever had for looooooong backcountry epics where there are several thousand feet of up for several thousand feet of down.
It's not the bike I want to hang heavier parts on.


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## man w/ one hand (Dec 29, 2003)

180 Talas w/ FIT cart. and drop th coin for th Kashima coating...you'll regret it if'n ya don't. :madman: Presently I'm runnin this fork on my 1st gen Nomad w/1.5 ht ...love it. I was riding my VP Free w/this fork for the last yr and was lookin ta lighten thingz up abit. Being able to drop th ft end 140mm for climbing friggin ROCKZ!!! :thumbsup:


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

SamL3227 said:


> totem w/ avy cart.
> 
> i will get that eventualy. but i got my old 07 2step rewarrentied again and they gave me the new rc2dh goodies instead of that stupid floodgate thing(which i had already removed). it feels much better. but it could feel even beeetter


Gotta love SRAM Customer Service! :thumbsup:

I too had a fork that needed new CSU and it recently went back to SRAM. They returned me a 2012 RC2DH Coil. Makes you wonder if they notice the MiCo floodgate removed and then just say "give'm what they're going for!" I would have preferred the RC2DH off the bat, having come from a Lyrik RC2DH to the totem, but the retailers packaged the air fork with my frame and I just couldn't say no.

The Solo Air w/ Floodgate wasn't as responsive on chatter as the coil with the DH cartridge, but I found that it made me rider harder as it begged me to push it harder to open up. I also found that it was great for riding lots of drops @ trestle/keystone, as the air spring's ramp-up at the end of the stroke nicely matched that of my rear suspension. I would have liked to try the DH cartridge with the Solo Air, I think that is probably a great match.

I also have a 66 RC3Ti that I bought to keep me rollin' while the Totem was sent off. The 66 RC3 is more supple than the Totem Solo Air was, but I think that is the nature of coil vs. air. The 66 feels great on little stuff, but once I start dropping bigger stuff, it tends to bottom out pretty harshly. I know this can be remedied with less drops to flattish (ie: leave Austin to go ride) or adding oil, but I haven't added any oil just yet.

Long story short, I'd go with the Totem Solo Air RC2DH if you are looking to keep it light and good for big hits.


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

I will sell you a used totem coil with avy cart and a stock DH damper cart (comp/rebound) and whichever one you want installed already installed for 450 shipped if you're interested


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## delnorte (Aug 10, 2006)

Calhoun said:


> Totem coil for the big hits.


This.


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## gretch (Aug 27, 2010)

Fox Float 180 is my choice. Much better IMO than the Totem coil I previously ran on my Uzzi.


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## SoCalNomadRider (Jan 15, 2011)

Calhoun said:


> Totem coil for the big hits.





delnorte said:


> This.


+3

I have been very happy with my Totem coil on my "THE ONE"


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## mzorich (Mar 13, 2011)

get a totem if you dont like to ride your bike cuz those things are higher mant then a high school cheerleader. best 180mm fork on the market is hands down 66 rc3 ti. i have a 2011 on my socom and love it. smooth easy to get dialed in all the adjustments you need and want ,its very low mant. i rode that bike and fork every weekend last summer and the seals are still good right now. the oil was still even clean and its a dust bowl up in tahoe in the summer. now i did change the seals and oil even though they were good just because its a good thing to do at the end of the season. the totem blows through seals and we all know how rock shox are with spewing oil out. the 36 are alright but for dh drops and rocky trails its going to feel like a noodle. the stantions are just to thin. i love fox and marz but if you want a tough fork that you can beat the heck out of and not worry about it get a 66 evo. just my 2 cents now i know all the rock shox guys and fox heads are going to say other wise but marz is far tougher and smoother


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## Swell Guy (Jan 20, 2005)

Totem coil, hands down best 180mm DH fork. If you want one, PM me. I've got a used one rebuilt with 2012 internals for $500.


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## Quarashi (Aug 23, 2006)

If you're a big dude, totem. If you're a medium-small dude, fox is fine. Totem's main advantage is stiffness.Over the 36, it's noticeable (I had a 1.5" totem and 1 1/8" 36). Personally I think the 36 takes hits better and tracks better than the totem, but the totem is always pointing in the direction you want it to!


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## mzorich (Mar 13, 2011)

this is the only thing people say the totem is good for is taking big hits. why would you want a fork that can only take big hits. so that means when riding this thing feel like complete poo till you take a big drop or case a jump. but yet you still recomend it even though you say it rides bad. to may people are brand loyal even if the stuff sucks. the 36 is a good fork but its more a a beefy all mountain fork. if you want best of both worlds the 66 is the way to go. its right in the middle in stantion size, it has awesome small bump complinance and it can take big hits. if your bottoming then put more air in it and even if you do bottom the fork has a built in buffer and it wont hit hard.


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## mykel (Jul 31, 2006)

Take the 170 Coil DH Lyrik off of the list.
I have one and it is being relagated to trail riding.
Just not enough fork for your weight. ( I'm 210, so a bit more with clothes, gear, etc )
I just picked up one of the blowout H&R 66 Evo's then scored a firm Ti spring from Zoke. Going on a L Knolly Delirium with a CCDB on back.
Not been ridden in anger yet, but if the weather holds then tomorrow I'm out for some urban while the fork and DH wheelset are still on the bike. ( I will use the Lyrik and a lighter wheelset for trial riding here in Flatario Canada. ).

The Lyrik is a great trail fork, but just not stiff enough for when the clydes start galloping downhill. Just starts moving too much, especially in rough downhill corners under hard breaking... knoodly mess.

If the super deal on the 66 had not come around I was going to look for a clapped out Totem and talk to Craig at Avy...

michael


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

*Air preloading negates small bump compliance.*



mzorich said:


> it has awesome small bump complinance and it can take big hits. if your bottoming then put more air in it and even if you do bottom the fork has a built in buffer and it wont hit hard.


I put air in mine (not even the 15psi max) and it felt like 3 day old poo. Using only the coil preload didn't kill the small bump compliance, but didn't come close to keeping me from bottoming on a 4' to slight tranny - still a hard bottom. Add some air, it feels better on the hit, but felt like poo on everything before the hit.

Hence my inclination to add more oil to increase the progressivity on it..but really, I'll be mounting up my Totem Coil RC2DH tonight! :thumbsup: The marz will come off for a rebuild and new (more) oil - to see if I can get it right.


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

mykel said:


> I just picked up one of the blowout H&R 66 Evo's then scored a firm Ti spring from Zoke.


Did you ever end up talking with Marz about oil levels on that model?


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

Totems are good at more then just "taking big hits." Just like any fork, the settings need to be tuned to get them to do what you want. If you set them poorly, the fork will perform poorly. If you set them well, they will perform well. Likewise, fox forks can be set up to work just as well. 

The only piece of advice I have for you is: if you decide to go 180mm of travel, do NOT get 1 1/8 inch steer. 1.125inch steer tubes are not sufficient on long travel single crowns (anything over 150) and you will feel substantial flex. 66's, totems, 36's, whatever you end up with: they will all work really well at turning your bike into a couch, and all will be really stiff if you get tapered or full 1.5, and all will be flexy as a noodle if you get 1.125. Avoid 1.125 and long travel single crowns like the plague.


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## mykel (Jul 31, 2006)

CZ

Nope, nothing on the damper side, just the addition of upto 100ml to the sping side as we talked about over in Knolly-land.

After I break the fork in, I will give zoke a call if warranted for some oil tuning tips.


micheal


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

mykel said:


> CZ
> 
> Nope, nothing on the damper side, just the addition of upto 100ml to the sping side as we talked about over in Knolly-land.
> 
> ...


Ah, I must not have retained that...dealing with some massive database/analytics on this end and my brain is pretty fried going on 12 hours...


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## thrasher_s (Oct 5, 2009)

Regarding the 66, is it possible to put a heavier spring for bigger riders? Adding air seems to hurt performance.


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## Lelandjt (Feb 22, 2008)

I use the travel adjustment on my TALAS RC 180 a lot. It makes climbing a 7" bike actually enjoyable. Something to consider.


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## mykel (Jul 31, 2006)

Yes, you can get springs from zoke, both steel and Ti for the 66.
I just picked up a Heavy (in zoke language) Ti for my 11 66. (Zoke Canada)
I think it is 6.6kg/mm for the Firm / Heavy.
Like I mentioned, not ridden in anger yet (everything is still frozen) but hoping to do some urban tomorrow.
On the quick trip up and down the street, it rode higher and felt much better than the stock spring (5.5kg/mm if mem serves)
This is using both springs with no air, and minimal preload (2-3) turns.

michael


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

thrasher_s said:


> Regarding the 66, is it possible to put a heavier spring for bigger riders? Adding air seems to hurt performance.


mykel scored a great deal on a Ti spring from Marz HQ...lucky man.

I'm not a real weight weenie, I just haven't even looked into the additional spring options yet.


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## mzorich (Mar 13, 2011)

thrasher_s said:


> Regarding the 66, is it possible to put a heavier spring for bigger riders? Adding air seems to hurt performance.


it will hurt the proformance if you put to much in for your weight. but if you wanna set the fork up stiffer for jumping then air it up. if you want it for some rocky tech single track air down. saying adding air hurts proformance isnt saying anything about the fork its saying your set up is wrong for your weight


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## bhigdon101 (Apr 24, 2010)

so looks like the 66 rcv wins as of now, 
emailed avalanche, they said the plain rcv is the best one for their cartridge ..

so now got a few quetions
can you get a ti spring for regular 66rcv?
what spring for what body weight?
how much air does this fork need?

have a 160 fox talas now and it needs about 70psi.. on avarage...


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## man w/ one hand (Dec 29, 2003)

Lelandjt said:


> I use the travel on my TALAS RC 180 adjustment a lot. It makes climbing a 7" bike actually enjoyable. Something to consider.


+1 :thumbsup:


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## mzorich (Mar 13, 2011)

you will run way less air then 70 psi. i think most of the time i am running under 20 and the fork is so plush. but i don't have the avalanche cart in mine just the evo ti model. i am pretty sure out of the box they say around 14 is good. but that was not enough for me. i weigh 190 with gear. just play around with the compression setting and the air till you get it dialed. it took a few rides for me and some stuff changed once the seals were broken in.


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## HelloMyNameIsSean (Sep 14, 2011)

I vote 66 Rc3 Evo, I've got a 2011 55 Rc3, only because I trail ride my bike as well. But it's smooth as hell, I'd imagine you'll be very happy with it.


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## delirian (Jan 1, 2009)

from personal experiance of fox ,marzochhi, rockshox i have found them to be pretty unreliable, and high maintainance,,,,, thats why when it came time for a new fork, there was only one choice in my opinion. bos ndee,,,, i have had the ndee for 2 years now, and they have been faultless, they are amazing they just work, butter smooth, yet nice and plush. they track the ground well, and take big hits no troubble. and they have very good service intervals too. 
the only down side to them is the price and weight,
i also hear great thing about the new idylle sc, these are said to be even smoother than the ndee, and slightly lighter, so give them a try am sure you wont be dissapointed


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## bigcrs (Oct 27, 2008)

HelloMyNameIsSean said:


> I vote 66 Rc3 Evo, I've got a 2011 55 Rc3, only because I trail ride my bike as well. But it's smooth as hell, I'd imagine you'll be very happy with it.


Vote for Marz. I have the 66 Rc3 Ti, I don't have the technical know-how to describe the forks ability's. It's on my Canfirld One. I use it for trail riding through to hard AM/lite FR. Sick sick sick sick fork. Like someone said "it's butter out of the box". Nuff said.


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## toHELLuRIDE (Jan 27, 2008)

Fox float 180 rc2 kashima. Awesome fork and about a pound lighter than a totem.


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## schlockinz (Feb 6, 2009)

bigcrs said:


> Vote for Marz. I have the 66 Rc3 Ti, I don't have the technical know-how to describe the forks ability's. It's on my Canfirld One. I use it for trail riding through to hard AM/lite FR. Sick sick sick sick fork. Like someone said "it's butter out of the box". Nuff said.


Agreed. My 11 66 Ti has been a wonder. I added 3 pumps of air to the fork to keep it from bottoming out on my crappy landings, and it didn't really change anything other than the bottom end. Small bump is still great, still plows through rock gardens. If you go the 66 route (or to anyone reading this thread with them) the fork is very very sensitive to air. At 15lbs its like riding a rigid. If your shock pump can read how much pressure is in there, its probably too much.


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## bhigdon101 (Apr 24, 2010)

thanks for all the info 

marz 66rcv with avy cart...


so now got a few quetions
can you get a ti spring for regular 66rcv?
what spring for what body weight?


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## schlockinz (Feb 6, 2009)

bhigdon101 said:


> thanks for all the info
> 
> marz 66rcv with avy cart...
> 
> ...


I weigh about 180 without gear. The stock Ti spring has worked well for me.


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## sambs827 (Dec 8, 2008)

+1 for the TOTEM

I didn't get my Totem because "it takes big hits." I got it because it was almost brand new for $400 and I liked the sound of it. Every Fox my friends or I have owned has gone toast because of lousy seals and wipers. This leads to lousy performance (especially on small-bump compliance). We have never had this problem with any RockShox forks we've owned, including Sid, Judy, Tora, Reba, Recon, Sextor, Revelation, Lyrik, and Totem.

I have a 2009 Totem Coil with the stock Medium spring in it. At 185 geared up I would ideally be running the firm spring. It handles the chatter incredibly well and happens to take the bigger hits (for me: 8-10' drops at Diablo) very well also. Yes, it may be heavier, but it is diesel (which a 210# rider needs), feels great, easier to maintain than the Fox, and will last for quite some time. It has High and Low speed compression, as well as rebound adjustment.

Don't have any experience with Marzocchi, so I won't talk about that.


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