WTB: Fork - 26", 150 mm, Tapered, 15 mm axle

[Dantheman]

Hoping to finally upgrade from the Float 32 on my Reign. I've been inches away from pulling the trigger on something several times over the years, only to have a surprise car repair, medical bill, etc. force me to bail. So, anyone holding?

Also, there's some nice looking RS Revelations on Pinkbike right now for good prices. There seems to be a general consensus that the Rev's are noticeably stiffer than the 32s and would be an upgrade despite also using 32 mm stanchions. Am I correct there?

[rideit]

You want a 2010 TALAS RLC, in excellent shape, for $150? It would be PERFECT for a Reign...
Oops, it's 20mm. What type of hubs do you have? Convertible?

[skaredshtles]

<snip>
Also, there's some nice looking RS Revelations on Pinkbike right now for good prices. There seems to be a general consensus that the Rev's are noticeably stiffer than the 32s and would be an upgrade despite also using 32 mm stanchions. Am I correct there?

You are completely correct here. I upgraded to a Rev a few years back and it was MUCH stiffer than the goddam noodly Foat 32.

You're lucky your Reign has the tapered head tube... mine is straight and trying to find a suitable replacement at this point is getting close to impossible.

Fortunately, I'm gonna hand my Reign down to my middle kid and get myself a new bike.

[rideit]

Fortunately, I'm gonna hand my Reign down to my middle kid and get myself a new bike.

do tell...

[adrenalated]

FWIW I just ordered a Manitou Mattoc Pro from Bikewagon for $330 in 160mm for my Reign. I'll post back my impressions once I get some time on it.

[Dantheman]

You want a 2010 TALAS RLC, in excellent shape, for $150? It would be PERFECT for a Reign...
Oops, it's 20mm. What type of hubs do you have? Convertible?

Hubs aren't convertible, unfortunately. Can you convert the fork? The PB article about 20mm Boost said the forks could be converted to use 15 mm axles with different end caps, but as far as I can tell that's not possible with old-style 20 mm.

You're lucky your Reign has the tapered head tube... mine is straight and trying to find a suitable replacement at this point is getting close to impossible.

I have the same conundrum with altachic's 575. I'd really like to get rid of her Van 32 due to it being coil, QR and having a bit of stanchion wear, but straight 1-1/8 steerer forks are basically unobtainium now. Replacing the fork is going to require a new bike.

FWIW I just ordered a Manitou Mattoc Pro from Bikewagon for $330 in 160mm for my Reign. I'll post back my impressions once I get some time on it.

Wait, is Manitou not total garbage anymore?

[adrenalated]

Wait, is Manitou not total garbage anymore?

The reviews I read compared it favorably to the Pike and new Float 36. I figure it can't suck any worse than the 32 the bike came with...

[Dantheman]

Interesting. I'll never forget Mr. Altagirl telling me emphatically some years ago when I was first getting into riding, "No matter what, don't buy anything that says ManiPoo on it."

[skaredshtles]

do tell...

Ima demo a GG MegaTrail. Some time soon, hopefully.

[skaredshtles]

<snip>
I have the same conundrum with altachic's 575. I'd really like to get rid of her Van 32 due to it being coil, QR and having a bit of stanchion wear, but straight 1-1/8 steerer forks are basically unobtainium now. Replacing the fork is going to require a new bike.

The issue seems to mainly be travel over about 130mm. If you have 100-120mm there are actually quite a few options still available.

Over 130mm? Fox 36 is pretty much the only one left - and it's a 160mm.

NTTAWWT.

[Dantheman]

2013 Rev, dual position air flavor, take off with about 10 rides on it, $220.

Any reason not to? I'd rather it were not travel adjust. Did the DPA have any issues?

[evdog]

2013 Rev, dual position air flavor, take off with about 10 rides on it, $220.

Any reason not to? I'd rather it were not travel adjust. Did the DPA have any issues?

That sounds similar to the one I picked up. Was looking for the exact specs you are. It has turned out well except that I'm not a fan of the dual air setup. Its a lot more finicky to setup than solo air. Not sure if the one you found is dual or solo. But as mentioned you don't have a lot of choice these days. If only 10 rides is true it should be in good condition. I'd go for it.

[jm2e]

Pike? After the last 4 years of every respectable mid level bike in the world being sold with a 150 Pike, I'd say finding a used Pike shouldn't be a problem. And way better than the Float 32/Revelation options. By a mile. Or ten.

(FWIW, I have dual position 160mm. Rides beautifully, but looks like it was rode-hard-put-up-wet because it was. I'd hesitate to sell it to a mag because it's so ugly. Just been keeping it as a spare)

[Dantheman]

It has turned out well except that I'm not a fan of the dual air setup. Its a lot more finicky to setup than solo air. Not sure if the one you found is dual or solo.

I have a message into the guy to check on this. From what I can find RS made the switch to the solo spring in 2013 so if the model year is correct it should be solo.

Pike? After the last 4 years of every respectable mid level bike in the world being sold with a 150 Pike, I'd say finding a used Pike shouldn't be a problem. And way better than the Float 32/Revelation options. By a mile. Or ten.

Most of those OEM installations were 27.5. Same with Fox 34s. I should probably expand my search to include 27.5 forks, but haven't put in the research to see how that may or may not affect the geo and overall handling (probably not much). 26" flavors are definitely out there, but I'm running into a lot of overly short steer tubes, canucks who won't ship out of country, and people generally want at least double what the Revs are going for.

Also, it's probably not entirely rational, but the experience of people like dfinn and Whiteroom has me a little gun-shy about a used Pike. I definitely do not want to buy one that was freshened up for sale and is going to need a rebuild every 3-4 rides to not feel like crap. Used Pike kinda feels like a similar gamble to buying a used Audi with no warranty....

[radam]

Back when I had a reign, I was running a Rev RLT w/ BlackBox Motion Control on it and it was a good fork, but after trying a Pike, there was just no going back. My reign was straight steerer only and the frame was too small for me, so I took it all as an opportunity to switch things up. If you ride in chunky terrain, especially where lots of hits keep coming fast, the pike will be noticeably better.

Agreed with others about dual air as well. One, it's really finicky to setup. and Two, if/when air starts migrating between the positive and negative air chambers, your perfect setup will not last long and you'll end up having to constantly re-adjust to keep optimal performance.

You might also consider X-Fusion's Slant. You can get it for cheap with the RL2 damper, or for a pretty good price with the Roughcut damper. I've ridden the RL2 damper in their 29" Trace fork and for something so simple, it rides quite well. I'd say it's on par with RS's BlackBox Motion Control, despite the lack of any real adjustability, and from what I've read the Roughcut version will go toe-to-toe with Pikes and Fox 34s. Can't speak from experience there though.

You could also just get a 27.5 fork and not worry about the ~10mm axle-to-crown diff, or maybe even enjoy the slightly slacker head angle you get as a result.

[jm2e]

How long a steer do you need?

[Dantheman]

Edit: correction, could probably go as short as 7.5".

I'm not necessarily opposed to something that looks a little beat up, as long as the stanchions are clean, the internals are sound and well maintained, and the price is right.

[Dantheman]

OK, I looked up the A2C lengths and played with the geo calculator. Current A2C is 521 mm, 27.5/150 Pike is 542 mm. Here's how that plays out:

HTA: 67.5* to 66.5*
STA: 73.5* to 72.5*
BB: +8 mm
WB: +8 mm
Reach: -4 mm
Stack: +7 mm

It'll be a beast descending. Will I even notice 1* of HTA/STA while climbing? Less reach and more stack will probably be beneficial as a short guy with short arms that feels a little stretched out sometimes, even on a small frame with a short stem. No idea what +8 mm on the BB and WB will feel like, if anything.

Also, I am the original owner of this bike with original LBS receipts. Odds are good I'll ride it until the frame breaks and then cash in on Giant's lifetime alloy frame warranty. Would running the longer fork void the warranty?

[Dantheman]

You might also consider X-Fusion's Slant. You can get it for cheap with the RL2 damper, or for a pretty good price with the Roughcut damper. I've ridden the RL2 damper in their 29" Trace fork and for something so simple, it rides quite well. I'd say it's on par with RS's BlackBox Motion Control, despite the lack of any real adjustability, and from what I've read the Roughcut version will go toe-to-toe with Pikes and Fox 34s. Can't speak from experience there though.

Guy on PB has a NIB Slant RL for $365, hmmm. A2C is 545 on those though. Too bad there isn't a 150 option with their push-pin system, it's either 160 or 140.

[skaredshtles]

<snip>
Also, I am the original owner of this bike with original LBS receipts. Odds are good I'll ride it until the frame breaks and then cash in on Giant's lifetime alloy frame warranty. Would running the longer fork void the warranty?

Probably. Although since it's the same travel... maybe not?

[Dantheman]

Turns out that Rev is dual air so that's out. I read up on the Mattoc and current Manitou products in general, and that Bikewagon deal is looking really tempting. I'm having a hard time seeing a reason to spend more on either that NIB Slant RL2 or a used Pike.

[Dantheman]

FWIW I just ordered a Manitou Mattoc Pro from Bikewagon for $330 in 160mm for my Reign. I'll post back my impressions once I get some time on it.

I just ordered one. Reviews were too good to pass up that deal. Thanks man, if it works out I owe you a beer for the heads up.

[adrenalated]

I just ordered one. Reviews were too good to pass up that deal. Thanks man, if it works out I owe you a beer for the heads up.

Right on, will be interested to hear what you think. I was in the same boat - couldn't justify paying more for a used Pike when the reviews were generally good on the Mattoc.

[evdog]

Odds are good I'll ride it until the frame breaks and then cash in on Giant's lifetime alloy frame warranty. Would running the longer fork void the warranty?

Not if you put the original fork back on before you take the broken bike in

[Dantheman]

I'm going to sell it to offset some of the cost of the new one. Besides the issues inherent to the 32's chassis, it's in great functional shape and I can probably get $150 or so for it. That does give me an idea though: Break frame, buy and install cheapest fork I can find that matches the original travel/A2C length, warranty frame, resell stand-in fork.

edit: I guess I could also reduce the Mattoc down to 140 before bringing it in. I gots options!