# Lightest Suspension Fork



## shreddr (Oct 10, 2009)

I am trying to build up a light SS, but have come to the conclusion that I may need to replace my carbon rigid fork with a suspension version. 

What is the lightest fork available with 80-100mm travel and 15mm axle.

I am not really looking for foreign unobtainium, probably Fox, Rockshox or other mainstream brand.


----------



## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

This is probably a contender https://www.sram.com/rockshox/products/sid-xx-world-cup 1572g (claimed)


----------



## ladljon (Nov 30, 2011)

German GA-force Kilo


----------



## shupack (Nov 28, 2012)

ladljon said:


> German GA-force Kilo


those look like my old AMP F-1 fork, LOVED that thing. about 50mm travel but it was stiff, light, tracked bueatifully..... on a GT Zaskar hardtail it was awesome. Some rat bastard stole that bike, in 1996, and I still get upset about it....


----------



## ladljon (Nov 30, 2011)

I sold a GT Zaskar Le with an AMP F-1 in 95ish.....and had a Daggar FSA with an
F-2...I love both of those forks....was hard to get use to a Fox...I will be replacing the Fox with this Kilo....


----------



## ladljon (Nov 30, 2011)

I still have a AMP F-2 hanging in the garage with a build kit....


----------



## shupack (Nov 28, 2012)

I'm intrigued by the Kilo..... not in the budget right now though.... 

let us know how it rides.


----------



## iperov (Sep 9, 2012)

my arms suspension well on rigid fork xD


----------



## shreddr (Oct 10, 2009)

I had an amp fork and I hated it. The J travel stroke was freaky!


----------



## dvn (Apr 6, 2011)

Lauff


----------



## jimification (Apr 12, 2011)

Lefty?


----------



## split (Jan 12, 2004)

Lefty's definitely the lightest


----------



## muntos (Jul 28, 2013)

+1 for the Lefty  !


----------



## adinpapa (Dec 4, 2007)

Check out the Magura TS8 SL . I've been racing it on my SS all year and am very impressed. The forks action seems ideal for standing and cranking on the SS . Best fork I've used and it's damn light


----------



## GoldenDragoon (Apr 21, 2013)

What does it weigh? Lightest main stream fork I know of is the SID WC which is in the mid 1400's for a 29er tapered. The XX WC might be lighter if it didn't have the remote. Outside of this the exotic options above are nice if u are happy to spend some $.


----------



## Ikeandclare (Jan 26, 2018)

Just looking to possibly build a super light hard tail one day. I have never posted to mtbr before.


----------



## Emdexpress (Jan 24, 2018)

The claimed lightest fork is the 2018 Fox 32 SC Factory in 29” is just under three pounds after the steerer tube is cut. I think you will find that all forks weighed equally with the same stuff mounted on them, the Sid WC is actually heavier than the fox. But much more important to me is the material used for the steerer Tubless. Fox is aluminum and Sid Rockshock is carbon. No carbon steerer for me if I can avoid it. Ever see a rider lose control and crash when they let go? Ugly. So if I had one, frequent checks by removing the fork would be in my maintance plan. I owned the very first SID in 1998 so I have owned a few forks. BTW the World Cup is about 500 USD more than the Fox Factory.


----------



## Emdexpress (Jan 24, 2018)

split said:


> Lefty's definitely the lightest


I may be wrong but I thought one of the cons on suspended Lefty's forks was the weight,


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Emdexpress said:


> But much more important to me is the material used for the steerer Tubless. Fox is aluminum and Sid Rockshock is carbon. No carbon steerer for me if I can afford it.


I must admit I would not be comfortable with a carbon steerer either, especially long term.

If you look at the weights of Fox 32, Rockshox SID and even Reba the weights are so close it's hardly worth worrying about. I'd place more importance on getting the best performing fork rather than the last few grams of weight.


----------



## Emdexpress (Jan 24, 2018)

I am not disagreeing but I have seen some weights on the WC at around 1500 grams while the 29” 2018 Sc Factory at about 1369. Issue is some weigh with the lower head set installed, wheel bolt etc. so to your point, the weights are not all that significantly different. Fork performance can be subjective but I know for sure Rockshock SID a carbon fork. So I crossed that off the list.


----------



## jbell (Oct 2, 2009)

I am on a Fox 32 SC Factory with the Fit 4 damper and remote lock out and honestly love it. I am 6'1" and weigh 175# without riding gear and it is currently on my Ti Kona Raijin, I have raced it on 100 mile and 12 & 24 hour events. It does everything I could ask for, I am coming off a 2016 Reba and Sid. I am so much more comfortable on the 32 SC. Some people talk about flex but for me and how I ride here in New England (lots of rocks and roots) I never notice it flexing.

My vote is the 32SC.


----------



## GRPABT1 (Oct 22, 2015)

Mr Pig said:


> I must admit I would not be comfortable with a carbon steerer either, especially long term.
> 
> If you look at the weights of Fox 32, Rockshox SID and even Reba the weights are so close it's hardly worth worrying about. I'd place more importance on getting the best performing fork rather than the last few grams of weight.


People run carbon wheels, frames, bars and even stems now and you're worried about a carbon steerer which isn't at all exposed to impact?

I'm 100kg and my XC/Marathon bike has a carbon steerer RS1 fork and I ride it way harder than intended. I can't see the OP going from a rigid single speed to tackling downhill trails.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

GRPABT1 said:


> People run carbon wheels, frames, bars and even stems now and you're worried about a carbon steerer which isn't at all exposed to impact?


Impact has nothing to do with it. The stresses on the steerer tube are enormous and I don't trust carbon to take it long term. Actually, I don't use carbon bars or stem for the same reason.


----------



## Emdexpress (Jan 24, 2018)

In addition, if dirts gets into the headset bearing, it can quickly score the carbon and failure can result. Crashes can damage the tube and you cannot see it unless you remove the fork. Then a sonic scan should be performed on the tube. If the steer breaks one of two things usually occurs....Fork comes away from the bike and you go down hard and very fast. The other occurs if the tube breaks further up, then your bars are no longer attached to the tire and you crash but a bit slower as you know what is about occur. I suppose aluminum tubes fail too but I have never seen or read about..interesting that SID uses carbon on their steerer and the crown (I think) and still weighs more than the 32 SC Factory. Note the Performance 32 SC weighs much more than the Factory. Oh and by the way the injuries that occur when the fork comes off the bike can be fatal.my friends point out to me some aircraft are made of carbon and fly safe everyday. I must point out that aircraft carbon fiber is not the same carbon used on our bikes, not even close.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

It's not that metal can't fail, it's the way carbon fails I don't like.


----------



## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

carbon-phobia


----------



## Emdexpress (Jan 24, 2018)

Jayem said:


> carbon-phobia


Not really. We all view available information differently. Proof would be some folks still believe our President does not lie all the time.


----------



## Ausable (Jan 7, 2006)

<<If the steer breaks one of two things usually occurs....Fork comes away from the bike and you go down hard and very fast>>

Is there any documented source of this happening in the real world?


----------



## VegasSingleSpeed (May 5, 2005)

Emdexpress said:


> Not really.


No, really. Is it that some of you weren't riding bikes when aluminum steerers began to replace steel, or you simply forgot about the unfounded fears based on indirect information?

If you're using components, any components of any construction, way outside of their intended use or design, they can fail. What information suggests these carbon designs are more prone to failure?

And if you're never going to use these components for their intended use, then congratulations on having an opinion.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Emdexpress said:


> Not really. We all view available information differently. Proof would be some folks still believe our President does not lie all the time.


Don't they all?


----------



## Emdexpress (Jan 24, 2018)

Ausable said:


> <<If the steer breaks one of two things usually occurs....Fork comes away from the bike and you go down hard and very fast>>
> 
> Is there any documented source of this happening in the real world?


Sure, uTube has some and Durianrider post several too. There is video of bike races on line you can view when all kinds of parts fail causing horrific crashes. Plus pics galore at the carbon failure sites. Some of that stuff is really scary and I know scary all too well.

we do not think much about going on a ride where we could be seriously injured or worse but I read about it a lot. There is enough other hazards that I do not need to concider sudden equipment failure.


----------



## Lemonaid (May 13, 2013)

Weight (revised)
Lauf< Fox Stepcast < Lefty 

2.1lbs < 2.9lbs < 3.8lbs

For real world use, the Fox SC would be my the choice.


----------



## Emdexpress (Jan 24, 2018)

Lemonaid said:


> Weight (revised)
> Lauf< Fox Stepcast < Lefty
> 
> 2.1lbs < 2.9lbs < 3.8lbs
> ...


Thanks for this. I always thought weight and having to partially remove the caliper to take the wheel off the front were the few negatives that lefty's have. I own 2018 SC Factory.


----------



## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

Lefty's aren't light. They are light compared to how rigid they are, but not light.

That said, I'm still on a Lefty and don't plan to replace it. But my goal isn't about being lightest. Though, I admit that the SID on the Epic I rode for a week was impressive in how it behaved under stress.


----------



## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

Lemonaid said:


> Weight (revised)
> Lauf< Fox Stepcast < Lefty
> 
> 2.1lbs < 2.9lbs < 3.8lbs
> ...


For reference SID WC is 3.15 lbs


----------



## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

Not sure if anyone is still actually looking, but I remember Magura and DT to both have some really light options. I thought the Durin was down near 1300g, but might be thinking of another model.

I still have 3 of the 98 SID's and they come in around 1120 - 1150g (~2.5lbs), but there's obvious limitations to those forks, 26", no disc tabs, 28mm stanchions.


----------



## Emdexpress (Jan 24, 2018)

jestep said:


> Not sure if anyone is still actually looking, but I remember Magura and DT to both have some really light options. I thought the Durin was down near 1300g, but might be thinking of another model.
> 
> I still have 3 of the 98 SID's and they come in around 1120 - 1150g (~2.5lbs), but there's obvious limitations to those forks, 26", no disc tabs, 28mm stanchions.


I still ride a 98 SID on a 1998 Trek 8900 to ride to football,games and the like. It has no lockout or any other adjustment except for air pressure. Put well over 10,000 mikes on it with several rebuilds.


----------



## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

Emdexpress said:


> I still ride a 98 SID on a 1998 Trek 8900 to ride to football,games and the like. It has no lockout or any other adjustment except for air pressure. Put well over 10,000 mikes on it with several rebuilds.


Yeah, I have 1 on my ti voodoo, and 2 on bontragers from the mid 90's. They may not compare to some of the current stuff, but for an XC specific fork on an older bike, they're still a great fork. At the time they came out, I don't think there was a better fork on the market and compared to the Indy and Judy garbage that RS was making at the time, it was an almost inconceivable progression for a company to make in just 1 generation of product.


----------



## RonSonic (Jan 8, 2005)

Years ago I had a Girvin Crosslink with carbon legs. Lightest fork I've ever met in person. Look made something similar and fancier.


----------



## rumblytumbly (Jun 5, 2013)

RonSonic said:


> Years ago I had a Girvin Crosslink with carbon legs. Lightest fork I've ever met in person. Look made something similar and fancier.


Had one too, would buy one again if someone made them. Laterally stiff and light for sure.


----------



## poynt (Jan 15, 2004)

there are lighter out there and options to make existing onees lighter but at what consequence to performance, but everyone has their expectations and uses and so not everyone needs the same performance.

The German.A Xcite 0 carbon forks are just over a kilo plus extras, or you can swap out the oil cartridges in the the Fox and Sids to make them lighter with an air shock from NDTuned, so in the end try and use what you think will work best for your riding and conditions


----------



## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Emdexpress said:


> Not really. We all view available information differently. Proof would be some folks still believe our President does not lie all the time.


So you have statistically significant data? You can view it all you want, but that doesn't mean it is actually significant.


----------



## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

A suspension for 1, needs to effectively suspend, in other words have a decent damper and spring. Weight, is 2, in other words secondary. I would always rather go with a rigid fork than a poor-performing suspension fork. Damper needs to work at a variety of speeds and variety of situations, not blow through travel, provide support, etc.


----------



## scant (Jan 5, 2004)

Jayem said:


> A suspension for 1, needs to effectively suspend, in other words have a decent damper and spring. Weight, is 2, in other words secondary. I would always rather go with a rigid fork than a poor-performing suspension fork. Damper needs to work at a variety of speeds and variety of situations, not blow through travel, provide support, etc.


I totally agree


----------



## doccoraje (Jan 12, 2004)

jestep said:


> I thought the Durin was down near 1300g, but might be thinking of another model.


Durin SL 26er in 80 mm with v-brake option, 100 mm disc brake, one the best forks I've ever had
Can't upload the pic for the 80 mm, but it was 1378 gr


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

I'm planning to buy a new and light XC fork instead of my 2016 Fox 32 29" Terralogic (~1650 grams) to my 29er hardtail race bike. I'm thinking on buying the new 32 29" StepCast since it's ~1400 grams (I already have one 32 29" SC in my fully actually, I like it so much!)
But I decided to wait until both RockShox and Fox announce their new tech for 2020.

Have you ever heard 'rumors' from their MY 2020 tech, any new tech in the horizon? 
Maybe from DT, Magura, etc.?


----------



## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

semmiho said:


> I'm planning to buy a new and light XC fork instead of my 2016 Fox 32 29" Terralogic (~1650 grams) to my 29er hardtail race bike. I'm thinking on buying the new 32 29" StepCast since it's ~1400 grams (I already have one 32 29" SC in my fully actually, I like it so much!)
> But I decided to wait until both RockShox and Fox announce their new tech for 2020.
> 
> Have you ever heard 'rumors' from their MY 2020 tech, any new tech in the horizon?
> Maybe from DT, Magura, etc.?


Well we know that the RockShox Ultimate SID is on the way. This is probably going to replace the SID World Cup, but as I hear the weight won't be reduced.

You already know that the Fox Float 32 29" SC factory fork is super nice, I would be surprised if Fox updated that fork this year though I have no insider intel. There just isn't enough competition to motivate an overhaul. I would not be surprised if Fox launches a Float 36 SC model.


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

Thanks for the information, very useful! I will wait until the new RS stuff appears in the news and we will see, what'll be the difference exactly. SRAM used to announce their new suspension tech in early/mid of April, so hopefully we only need to wait 2-3 weeks.
Would be good to see an alternative to Fox 32 Step-Cast, before buying it.


----------



## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Screw that, send your 32SC to Push and get it revalved. It's sublime. I sent my 32 and 34 and just got back from a trip with my 34 and the improvement is huge. Custom tuned will always be better than whatever new damping technology they try to hype up every year. Been doing this for around 15 years (customed tuned) and watched all the claims throughout the years. Damping technology doesn't move that fast and isn't all that different than back then, customed tuned is where the real improvement lies. Push retains the firm lockout, so no issues there for XC.


----------



## Moyo (Mar 23, 2019)

German Answer Xcite Zero
my 29" is at only 1.085g


----------



## godzuki26 (Mar 29, 2007)

You can send your fork to Push but it will not save you weight. Send it to NDtuned instead and drop your Fox Stepcast 32 to 1190 grams or around 2.6 lbs after the steerer is cut. Mine is 1248 grams or 2.75 lbs with full uncut steerer. Other small upgrades too on my fork from Hopp as well which include a carbon volume spacer and carbon adjustment dials.


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

Thanks for sharing this special tuning kit, looks really interesting. :thumbsup:
Saving 160-180 or even more grams for a 32 SC looks cool! How did you change the steerer tube, was it difficult?


----------



## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

godzuki, What was the purpose of changing the steering tube?


----------



## godzuki26 (Mar 29, 2007)

The steerer tube cannot be replaced without a proper press. It had to be done by a professional. The purpose of replacing the steerer tube was no reason other than wanting a brand new steerer with the hopes of it maybe being a little lighter. It's real intention is if the original steerer is cut too short which actually did not happen in my case. There is some discussion in this thread about avoiding carbon steerer but NDtuned also has a carbon Fox replacement steerer in the works. I would have got it but it was still being tested and not ready for sale.
Ndtuned also replaces stancions with their own brand. Although they are all black they have "NDtuned" etched in gold which is not stealth enough for me.
Final tip with an NDtuned OVR internal upgrade on a Fox SC fork is to not waste your money on the Factory fork....unless you need the Kashima coated stancions which I think don't do anything at all. Get the cheaper performance SC fork since the dampers will be completely replaced. The steerer, crown, and lowers are identical in both a Factory and a Performance. The only difference are the dampers which are Fit4 vs Grp3 which will be replaced by OVR.


----------



## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

godzuki26 said:


> The steerer tube cannot be replaced without a proper press. It had to be done by a professional. The purpose of replacing the steerer tube was no reason other than wanting a brand new steerer with the hopes of it maybe being a little lighter. It's real intention is if the original steerer is cut too short which actually did not happen in my case. There is some discussion in this thread about avoiding carbon steerer but NDtuned also has a carbon Fox replacement steerer in the works. I would have got it but it was still being tested and not ready for sale.
> Ndtuned also replaces stancions with their own brand. Although they are all black they have "NDtuned" etched in gold which is not stealth enough for me.
> Final tip with an NDtuned OVR internal upgrade on a Fox SC fork is to not waste your money on the Factory fork....unless you need the Kashima coated stancions which I think don't do anything at all. Get the cheaper performance SC fork since the dampers will be completely replaced. The steerer, crown, and lowers are identical in both a Factory and a Performance. The only difference are the dampers which are Fit4 vs Grp3 which will be replaced by OVR.


Godzuki, I'm very interested in how this OVR system performs. How do you like the overall feel? Is it harder to get the fork in motion than with the FIT4 dampepr? How does it compare to the FIT4 damper in terms of small bump compliance? One of my biggest complaints with the FIT4 damper vs. the Charger2 damper is that it is harder to get in motion, it doesn't respond well to trail chatter (0-20% travel), yet I like the FIt4 much better than the Charger2 when it comes to handling anything more than a small bump (>20% travel). Also, are you bothered that you cannot fully lock out the damper with the OVR damper?

Did they really charge you 390 euros for the swap? To save just 160-180 grams for 390 euros is asking a lot, especially if one can't be convinced of a performance upgrade. It would be better if they built their own fork chassis or imported the chassis from Fox or Rockshox.


----------



## godzuki26 (Mar 29, 2007)

@Sissypants - yes it is a pricey upgrade to save some grams. I cannot report yet on how it rides as I am still working on my bike build. The steerer hasn't even been cut yet. I will answer all your questions once I test this thing out. There are some extensive reviews on youtube but they are in Italian and I don't understand a word. I don't think anyone in the USA has used NDtuned but it is popular in Europe kind of like PUSH. NDtuned is also not consumer friendly like PUSH. I would send PUSH an inquiry and the next day I would get a response. NDtuned is in Portugal and they don't respond to emails and only want to deal with retailers/installers. Thus, I had to ask a friend in the U.K. to go through an authorized NDtuned installer to get this fork done. None the less, I paid more than 390 Euros in the end. I paid 462 Euro including the steerer replacement install.


----------



## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

godzuki26 said:


> @Sissypants - yes it is a pricey upgrade to save some grams. I cannot report yet on how it rides as I am still working on my bike build. The steerer hasn't even been cut yet. I will answer all your questions once I test this thing out. There are some extensive reviews on youtube but they are in Italian and I don't understand a word. I don't think anyone in the USA has used NDtuned but it is popular in Europe kind of like PUSH. NDtuned is also not consumer friendly like PUSH. I would send PUSH an inquiry and the next day I would get a response. NDtuned is in Portugal and they don't respond to emails and only want to deal with retailers/installers. Thus, I had to ask a friend in the U.K. to go through an authorized NDtuned installer to get this fork done. None the less, I paid more than 390 Euros in the end. I paid 462 Euro including the steerer replacement install.


Wow thanks for the info. At that price I'd sooner design and machine a better damper than go through them. But I'll be interested to hear your report and hopefully it will be inspiration for some thought experiments.


----------



## godzuki26 (Mar 29, 2007)

Have you checked out Shiftup? Another European suspension tuning company. Just some other alternatives to PUSH. Some weight savings as well with Shiftup.


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

godzuki26 said:


> Have you checked out Shiftup? Another European suspension tuning company. Just some other alternatives to PUSH. Some weight savings as well with Shiftup.


Thanks Godzuki26, for all the super useful tuning tips & infos!

Regarding NDtuned, I remembered that one of the biggest German magazin tested it last year. I took a look and I've just found it, the article is available here (German language): https://www.bike-magazin.de/kompone...sc-vs-fox-32-float-nd-tuned/a37948.html#start

(tip: use Google Translate for translation, if necessary)


----------



## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

semmiho said:


> Thanks Godzuki26, for all the super useful tuning tips & infos!
> 
> Regarding NDtuned, I remembered that one of the biggest German magazin tested it last year. I took a look and I've just found it, the article is available here (German language): https://www.bike-magazin.de/kompone...sc-vs-fox-32-float-nd-tuned/a37948.html#start
> 
> (tip: use Google Translate for translation, if necessary)


Thanks semmiho! For convenience I've posted the google translate rendition of their ride impressions:



> The setup works the same for both opponents. We filled the forks with 75 PSI each (right fork leg) and adjusted the rebound accordingly. After the first ride on the singletrack, however, the differences clearly emerge. While the original fork with oil damping willingly wicks away any bumps and glides as comfortably as controlled over root carpets and small stone fields, the counterpart with air damping has a little more problems. No matter how high we set the breakaway torque of the OVR cartridge, the ND-Tuned version does not seem to work as elegantly as the original. The lightweight fork responds less fine and works much firmer. During pedaling or pedaling in the saddle, both forks do not bounce. Our suspension fork test stand, developed by the Zedler testing institute, emphasizes the practical impression and even measures four millimeters less travel in the tuning version.
> 
> The conclusion: The ND Tuned cartridge works in principle, but the original of Fox but not enough water. The air cartridge offers an alternative for tuners who bargain for every gram and drive mainly in moderate terrain.


Honestly, given all the resouces at Fox, I'd be surprised if anyone can come up with a much improved damper that is even lighter than the FIT4.


----------



## sfer1 (Feb 22, 2009)

sissypants said:


> Thanks semmiho! For convenience I've posted the google translate rendition of their ride impressions:
> 
> Honestly, given all the resouces at Fox, I'd be surprised if anyone can come up with a much improved damper that is even lighter than the FIT4.


Most people who use it admit it doesn't work as well as the stock damper. It's lighter, not improved.


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

sfer1 said:


> Most people who use it admit it doesn't work as well as the stock damper. It's lighter, not improved.


As a big fan of rigid forks, a slightly underperforming damping system might be an amazing dream to me, sometimes! 

...in the meantime, SID Ultimate is announced: https://bikerumor.com/2019/04/04/ro...ke-lyrik-boxxer-get-smoother-more-controlled/

Bikerumor measured 1412 grams with uncut steerer, however it's not clear whether is this a 29" or a 27.5"

...already available for pre-order at R2-Bike: https://r2-bike.com/ROCK-SHOX-Suspe...bonAir-100-mm-BOOST-tapered-blue-42-mm-Offset

I do really love this old-new SID blue color - and hate the torque cap compatibility... I have an older SID, I had to buy a Newmen Torque Cap reducer to work properly with my wheels. Insering a wheel was a nightmare...


----------



## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

semmiho said:


> As a big fan of rigid forks, a slightly underperforming damping system might be an amazing dream to me, sometimes!
> 
> ...in the meantime, SID Ultimate is announced: https://bikerumor.com/2019/04/04/ro...ke-lyrik-boxxer-get-smoother-more-controlled/
> 
> ...


I'm not sure what to think of the new SID. The differences seem to be very small from the previous model (in the lightest version). I have ridden both the SID RLC with the Charger2 damper and the Fox Float 32 SC Factory with the FIT4 damper and I have preferred the Fox fork in the past.

I like the blue color, but also like Fox orange, though others may not...


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

sissypants said:


> I'm not sure what to think of the new SID. The differences seem to be very small from the previous model (in the lightest version). I have ridden both the SID RLC with the Charger2 damper and the Fox Float 32 SC Factory with the FIT4 damper and I have preferred the Fox fork in the past.
> 
> I like the blue color, but also like Fox orange, though others may not...


I agree. Can't see why RS didn't do a big(ger?) step forward, for example a StepCast-like new lower leg tech or someting. For those Gram counters like us a new fancy color cannot be enough.  I think I'll go for the Fox, some shops just started to reduce their prices for 2019 models (by ~200 EUR). For example: https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy...100-3pos-adj-fit4-tapered-kabolt-boost-740663


----------



## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

semmiho said:


> I agree. Can't see why RS didn't do a big(ger?) step forward, for example a StepCast-like new lower leg tech or someting. For those Gram counters like us a new fancy color cannot be enough.  I think I'll go for the Fox, some shops just started to reduce their prices for 2019 models (by ~200 EUR). For example: https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy...100-3pos-adj-fit4-tapered-kabolt-boost-740663


You have a perfectly good 2016 SC 32 and you are going to buy a new one? You said you were waiting to see if any new damping technologies were put out there, and it's apparent that nothing significant has happened. This seems like an extreme waste of money, when you could send it to Push and get something that will blow your mind as far as traction and action when you get it back.


----------



## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

Jayem said:


> You have a perfectly good 2016 SC 32 and you are going to buy a new one? You said you were waiting to see if any new damping technologies were put out there, and it's apparent that nothing significant has happened. This seems like an extreme waste of money, when you could send it to Push and get something that will blow your mind as far as traction and action when you get it back.


Jayem, you seem to really like Push. Are you affiliated with them or what makes you recommend them again and again? Isn't Push going to ADD weight to the fork? How much do they charge? I would bet you it's cheaper for semmiho to sell his 2016 SC 32 and get a new SC 32 and spend less than he would have sending it to Push, and being without a fork for a month+.


----------



## sfer1 (Feb 22, 2009)

semmiho said:


> As a big fan of rigid forks, a slightly underperforming damping system might be an amazing dream to me, sometimes!
> 
> ...in the meantime, SID Ultimate is announced: https://bikerumor.com/2019/04/04/ro...ke-lyrik-boxxer-get-smoother-more-controlled/
> 
> ...


42mm offset? It has to be a typo.


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

Jayem said:


> You have a perfectly good 2016 SC 32 and you are going to buy a new one? You said you were waiting to see if any new damping technologies were put out there, and it's apparent that nothing significant has happened. This seems like an extreme waste of money, when you could send it to Push and get something that will blow your mind as far as traction and action when you get it back.


Oh, I forgot to mention, I have two MTBs. One fully, that is a 2018 Canyon Lux CF with Fox suspension, with a Fox 32 Step-Cast Performance Elite fork + lockout.
My fun machine.  And I have a 2016 Canyon CF SL hardtail for racing, currently with a Niner rigid fork. However, for racing purposes I need a suspension fork, I sold my earlier suspension forks.


----------



## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

sissypants said:


> Jayem, you seem to really like Push. Are you affiliated with them or what makes you recommend them again and again? Isn't Push going to ADD weight to the fork? How much do they charge? I would bet you it's cheaper for semmiho to sell his 2016 SC 32 and get a new SC 32 and spend less than he would have sending it to Push, and being without a fork for a month+.


Push add weight? How? They reshim and add their own damping valves. It might even up a fraction of a gram lighter. The only real weight would come from actually adding the bath oil that Fox sometimes leaves out, but that's kind of necessary unless you want to destroy your fork.

I learned long ago that custom tuned suspension far beats the newest "technology" that RS, Fox, Manitou or anyone else is pushing. Every year they try to convince you that they've fixed all the issues, that it'll the be the hottest thing since lava, etc. Damping technology hasn't changed much over 20 years at all though, some of the MTB damping has changed significantly, just because it has been so piss-poor bad at times, but high speed and low speed compression and rebound circuits that are functional is nothing new, yet many OEM products still come without these. For XC, they tend to just think "these guys want lockouts and they'll just be happy with something that works marginally", when with some of the more gravity-orientated stuff you can tune a better compromise of low-speed chassis stability and high speed damping, having your cake and eating it too so to speak, because it'll pedal better AND handle bumps better. In many cases, turning compression knobs makes stuff harsher and people run "full open" for DH, with piss-poor chassis control and lots of dive and poor stability. I have custom tuned shocks from Avalanche and Push, custom tuned forks by both as well. These work far better than the stock ever had a chance of. If you are looking for a significant upgrade, tuning the front and rear suspension is a great way to go. It's also a good thing to budget for when buying a new bike. The bottom line is the suspension manufacturers have to make compromises and design equipment for range of riders around 120lbs to 240lbs, it's an insanely wide range when it comes to suspension tuning, in many cases the high speed damping needs to be very restrictive to now blow out under the 240lb rider, so everyone else suffers the effects of this. The bike manufacturers make compromises too, with their leverage rates and other parameters. Much of this can be fixed with custom tuning.


----------



## Seb K (Apr 21, 2009)

I contacted NDTuned and they said they don't do light kits for the SID WC which is unfortunate . My SID WC with Hopp carbon dials and carbon cap is 1340grams .


----------



## doccoraje (Jan 12, 2004)

Moyo said:


> German Answer Xcite Zero
> my 29" is at only 1.085g


How does it perform? i've always been intrigued of how would it work for such a low weight


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

...and it's here! Updated Fox 32 Step-Cast: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/fox-32-step-cast-first-look.html
Weight increase warning!  ...in case of the - anyway, stiffer - lower legs at least. 

Updated and ligher FIT4 damper explained a bit more here: https://bikerumor.com/2019/04/10/ul...bulks-up-w-stiffer-crown-fit4-damper-updated/
(however, according to the article, SC forks had this 8mm piston. So weight saving achieved on dampers in case of non-SC forks, if I understand it right)


----------



## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

semmiho said:


> ...and it's here! Updated Fox 32 Step-Cast: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/fox-32-step-cast-first-look.html
> Weight increase warning!  ...in case of the - anyway, stiffer - lower legs at least.
> 
> Updated and ligher FIT4 damper explained a bit more here: https://bikerumor.com/2019/04/10/ul...bulks-up-w-stiffer-crown-fit4-damper-updated/
> (however, according to the article, SC forks had this 8mm piston. So weight saving achieved on dampers in case of non-SC forks, if I understand it right)


Yeah, I haven't had stiffness issues with my SC 32s in the past so this was kind of disappointing, actually. I was hoping they'd come up with some new idea to drop weight. I got excited after reading the post mainly because I expect 2018 forks to be going on a nice sale pretty soon. Will be watching and waiting.


----------



## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

semmiho said:


> ...and it's here! Updated Fox 32 Step-Cast: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/fox-32-step-cast-first-look.html
> Weight increase warning!  ...in case of the - anyway, stiffer - lower legs at least.
> 
> Updated and ligher FIT4 damper explained a bit more here: https://bikerumor.com/2019/04/10/ul...bulks-up-w-stiffer-crown-fit4-damper-updated/
> (however, according to the article, SC forks had this 8mm piston. So weight saving achieved on dampers in case of non-SC forks, if I understand it right)


I think a lot of the complaints of stiffness are more of an issue of older aluminum rim wheels with low spoke counts. Building both carbon and aluminum in stands, the aluminum ones are like noodles comparatively. It wasn't that long ago that the industry was selling us 6" travel 32mm stanchion forks and it doesn't make sense that this would be all that flexy compared to some of the crazy stuff before, like Indys, Mag21s, even Judys. But put a noodle-wheel on there and maybe that's where people feel it most.


----------



## bellboyant (Dec 27, 2009)

If you can get an older Carbon Cannondale Lefty DLR, circa 1100g + steerer it would be light.


----------



## godzuki26 (Mar 29, 2007)

NDtuned just released the carbon steerer. Now one can have an 1160 gram Fox 32 SC fork. 190 Euros for the upgrade. I will hold off on this upgrade since I just had the NDtuned aluminum steerer already installed. None the less, a good way to save some extra grams.


----------



## MattMay (Dec 24, 2013)

I see you're in So Cal...how/where did you get this done...actually sent to Portugal?

Edit: Never mind...looks like yes, per post above.


----------



## godzuki26 (Mar 29, 2007)

@MattMay - I tried reaching out to NDtuned and they did not respond to my email which put a really bad taste in my mouth. I think they only respond and deal with retailers and distributors. Fortunately, I have a friend from the Weightweenie forums that knew of a NDtuned authorized installer who did everything for me. The only problem is, this was done in the UK. I don't think anyone in the USA has one of these OVR tuned forks.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

I really don't know about this. The steerer is one part of my bike I do not want to make as light as possible :0(


----------



## MattMay (Dec 24, 2013)

godzuki26 said:


> @MattMay - I tried reaching out to NDtuned and they did not respond to my email which put a really bad taste in my mouth. I think they only respond and deal with retailers and distributors. Fortunately, I have a friend from the Weightweenie forums that knew of a NDtuned authorized installer who did everything for me. The only problem is, this was done in the UK. I don't think anyone in the USA has one of these OVR tuned forks.


Thx! And @mrpig, agree. Was mostly just curious.


----------



## godzuki26 (Mar 29, 2007)

Check out what my buddy did. He stripped the magnesium lowers, re-prime coated it, then repainted it black and saved 20 grams. With an Extralite crown race and ShiftUp carbon axle installed, this fork weighs 1174 grams. That is with an uncut steerer tube. This fork does have the NDtuned internals and Hopp Carbon upgrades as well. The carbon steerer upgrade saves an additional 15 to 20 extra grams if anyone was curious. I am going to do this to mine as well. Shame that I just had the aluminum NDtuned steerer installed not long ago.


----------



## godzuki26 (Mar 29, 2007)

My friend can get the carbon steerer and send it to me in the USA. The only problem is, nobody I have contacted will uninstall a Fox steerer and reinstall a new one. I was told that Fox won't even sell you a replacement steerer. Rather, you will have to purchase the steerer/crown/stancion as an already installed unit. So, my guess is this is for liability reasons. None the less, at the moment I will need to ship my fork back to the UK if I want this upgrade. Anybody know of USA companies that would do something like this for me?


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

Godzuki26: thanks for sharing all the details, looks amazing! 1176g for a 29er fork... Incredibly light!

Wanted to share this link, just for the record (I'm sure most of you have already seen it). https://bikerumor.com/2019/06/07/spy-shot-is-this-prototype-the-next-dt-swiss-xc-mountain-bike-fork/
All of us will be happier, if new manufacturers step into the weight weenie game; so we will see, how the DT fork will perform comparing to Fox 32SC and RS WCs.


----------



## mtbmitch2 (Sep 24, 2007)

I pressed a steer tube out of a Husky once to install in a set of Fox Factory MX forks back in the day. One just has to heat up the crown to at least 212f.


----------



## fxrextreme (Mar 11, 2015)

How much does the hopp air cap weigh please?
Kes


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

fxrextreme said:


> How much does the hopp air cap weigh please?
> Kes


Hopp Air cap, Fox32: 1,4 grams
pictures: https://r2-bike.com/HOPP-CARBON-PARTS-Aircap-for-Fox-Float-SC-32-Suspension-Forks


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

New FIT4 damper, an average ~35g lighter than its predecessor.
https://bikerumor.com/2019/08/14/fo...earing-mounts-fit4-damper-updated-everywhere/


----------



## peabody (Apr 15, 2005)

semmiho said:


> New FIT4 damper, an average ~35g lighter than its predecessor.
> https://bikerumor.com/2019/08/14/fo...earing-mounts-fit4-damper-updated-everywhere/


The SC32 already has this so no weight savings on that model.


----------



## semmiho (Jul 29, 2009)

peabody said:


> The SC32 already has this so no weight savings on that model.


Yes and thanks for pointing this important information out, I forgot to mention again (I posted it below, at 04-10-2019).


----------

