Submitted by
Marcus
a Cross Country Rider
from Guelph Date Reviewed: April 25, 2003
Favorite Trail:
little tract /barber scout
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$374.00
Purchased At:
Speed River Bikes
Strengths:
-One piece magnesium. . . tough as nails (wait, tougher, nails are steel). -sweet looking raised letters right on the body. -nice blue colour -plush and responsive (not too much bob either) -makes a great paperweight or doorstop (albeit a light one in comparison to comparable forks)
Weaknesses:
-let me tell you in a sec -rebound doesn't make a huge diff. -shouldn't have to pay for the rockshox name
Similar Products Used:
-'03 Manitou Black Comp --'01 RS Judy TT
Bike Setup:
Jamis Dakar, '03 Duke Race, Cane Creek AD-12 Rear suspension, Formula Mech. Discs
Bottom Line:
Basically this review is more for RS customer support than anything else. If you think you ahve a problem with your fork, or you expect that you one day will, **READ THIS**
I bought this fork from a lbs and about 4 days later, after being very satisfied with the way it functioned (and after some messing around dialing it in, it's very adjustable) it stopped working. Someohow the air from the negative pressure chamber leaked into the positive pressure chamber. This meant that no matter what I did, the pressures would always equalize, rendering the fork pretty useless. I was able to bottom it right out and ride with it like that after cycling the fork 6 times @ 170 psi. BULL$#i+!! If this happens, here's what you do. Some of you have been complaining that rockshox rebuilds the fork, or replaces the fualty part and sends it in. bla bla bla. Don't settle for that crap. Get your story together of what went wrong, and make sure you ahve some points as to why you want a BRAND NEW FORK. Call them yourself, even if they want to deal directly with your lbs. Make sure you're courteous and you tell them what happened and why it's unacceptable. I told Max @ cycles lambert (dealer in canada) That I was hoping they fixed this problem in the RS Duke Race '03 model, and that how this turned out would be pivotal on whether or not I was a returning customer to Rockshox. I also told him about my friend breaking his manitou 6 sport and having them send him a brand new BLACK comp. I also told him I would be writing this review. If RockShox knows that their actions will recieve some exposure and that customers are waiting to see how they react, they will help you. Don't take no for an answer, I will be receiving my brand new Duke Race '03 on monday, and I paid for a reduced 02. If you want to see how I like it, check the '03 reviews in a couple of weeks! Good luck with Customer support. 5 chilis for value, cause the fork turned out to be worth more than I paid (by default) 1 for overall, cause it broke in 4 days. Though I think it was a lemon, I am still an advocate of the duke, it kicked a$$ while it worked!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dr. Bone
a Cross Country Rider
from Pekin, IL. USA Date Reviewed: October 18, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Indy Park
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$225.00
Purchased At:
Jensonusa.com
Strengths:
Looks, plush ride, price
Weaknesses:
Dog toy sound, stickers fell off during shipment, nothing major
Similar Products Used:
manitou magnum, if that's similar
Bike Setup:
2000 Specialized Rockhopper
Bottom Line:
$225 for an air shock that holds air is fantastic. i can deal with the dog toy noises. hasn't bottomed out yet and i have a tendency to slam the bottom of the creek before climbing. I definitly recommend it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Kennesaw, Ga Date Reviewed: August 30, 2002
Favorite Trail:
many
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$360.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
adjustability, very smooth, tracks well, realativly light, price.
Weaknesses:
allthough it looks much better w/o a boot, a mini boot would be nice to to prolong life of product. it does tend to leak negative air preasure, but nothing too excessive.
Similar Products Used:
rs judy, manitou sxr
Bottom Line:
Great shock, so far, for the price. It does everything you want it to do adjustment wise. Sure theres no lockout but dont buy it if thats a feature you desire. I am 200lbs and seem to have a habbit of breaking everything I ride. This shock has held up for me very well.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Racer
from Ann Arbor Date Reviewed: August 27, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$239.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Adjustability. Stiffness. Smooth action. Retro fit the lock-out.
Weaknesses:
Boulder Rider, I had the same problem. I fixed it by filling the negative chamber with 125 psi, turned the bike right side up and then blew out all that air. You will have a lot of redrum on your finger. This redrum was preventing the valve to seal. If that does not fix it then you have done the correct thing.
Storing your bike upside down helps achieve maximum performance.
The fat lowers prevent my fork mount Thule from closing. It rubs the fork and has taken off paint.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Carbon SX, Mars.
Bike Setup:
Klein Adroit.
Bottom Line:
Buy this fork if you can't afford the Manitou Black Elite Air. It is very close in performance but half the price.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ernie
a Cross Country Rider
from Scottsdale, AZ Date Reviewed: June 14, 2002
Air leaks. Requires weekly air check up. Fortunately it comes with its own pump.
Similar Products Used:
InSync crappy fork with bike OE setup.
Bike Setup:
Schwinn GSX with all components upgraded to Shimano XT and other light stuff for XC.
Bottom Line:
I liked the infinite adjustability (positive and negative adjustment) that few other forks offer at this price tag. Damping is excellent in rough terrain. It is the perfect fork for XC riding but freeriding or drop off jumping performance is a question mark. However, the Dukes are meant for XC. This is definitely the best alternative to a RS Sid fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin Mullins
a Cross Country Rider
from Claremont, NC USA Date Reviewed: February 7, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Tea Creek Mnt. Trail Pocahontas County WV home turf
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$419.00
Purchased At:
Lightning Cycles (this shop sucks)
Strengths:
Very Adjustable, Super Stiff, Really looks good on a bike, Plush ride Recommend to any trail rider that doesn't log more that a 100 or so miles a mo.
Weaknesses:
Blew the seals out after 5mo., Rock Shox needs to follow Fox and make knobs that last. Rebound adjuster is plastic and already shot and rebound no longer works ( I bought a Float RLC )
Similar Products Used:
rst, manitou, rock shox, (fox fork league of it's own)
Bike Setup:
Fule 90, XTR, Race Face Next LP, Magura HS33,
Bottom Line:
First 5 mo. awsome. If you don't log many miles it should last a while would be a great shock. Shock never the same after blowing the seals out, had it rebuilt but rebound still don't work. Replaced it with a fox. Fork only lasted 5 mo. but still give a 3 it was a good 5 mo.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
RICHARD C
a Cross Country Rider
from NORTHAMPTON Date Reviewed: December 10, 2001
Favorite Trail:
pitsford, brampton
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Merlin cycles
Strengths:
very nice fork, good for tuning plushness, good idea with the external damping controls, light
Weaknesses:
none yet fingers xsed
Similar Products Used:
ditto
Bike Setup:
rock lobster 2000 titanium frame xt gruopset duke race forks mavic 618 rims
Bottom Line:
ill say it again very agile light weight fork that is higly tunalble, and should suit every need for a serious x country rider. very stiff but and the same time very plush and active over both the small and big stuff. low amount of bobbing, so it enalbles you to reach high speeds very quickly and climbing hills is justa breeze. people moan that there is no lock out. WITH A FORK LIKE THIS WHO NEEDS ONE. stop nit picking.
very nice forks for all you x country riders out there its a must have.
can i give it six burning RST's?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Will Duke
a Downhiller
from Kent Date Reviewed: October 15, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Bromleybike co
Strengths:
Stiff, plush, price, cool name!
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Xvert Marzocchi etc
Bike Setup:
Yeti Arc King XTR etc
Bottom Line:
These forks are cool well plush after a while. For all of you who want a lock out you can retro fit the pure damping system off the psylo onto this fork and get a lock out on your fork too.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jason
a Weekend Warrior
from Louisiana Date Reviewed: October 2, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Hooper & Ruston
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
e-Bay
Strengths:
Stiff, light weight, cool colors, silky smooth(after break in), hasn't bottomed out, pump included, actually get 3 inches of travel.
Weaknesses:
Paint cracks on crown during install., crooked sticker, as usual w/ RS rebound is there for looks, and if I nit-pick no lock out.
Similar Products Used:
RockShox "99" Judy C & "00" Judy Race.
Bike Setup:
INTENSE TRACER!!! ROCK 'N' ROLL BABY!!!!!!!
Bottom Line:
I like it. I only have 20 miles on it, but so far so good. It did'nt start to break in until the 15th mile( I noticed it right away ), but after that it was buttery smooth. No play in the bushings yet, I realize it hasn't been long, but I am 245lbs. and don't go around the rough stuff, so I'm happy. Much stiffer than my old Judy, the wheel does'nt feel like it is twisting around underneath me any more. I have'nt had a problem w/ losing air pressure in the pos. or neg.( knock on wood ), and I run 180 positive and 170 negative. I love the color(yellow), at first I wanted a Psylo Race, but it will be a cold day in hell when I put anything "gold" on my bike, who am I Master P? It would be nice if it had a lock out, but then the price would go up, and I probably would'nt even use it after the novelty wore off. All in all, I'm happy. I'll post if anything changes. Ride on!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mike
a Cross Country Rider
from austin, tx Date Reviewed: September 17, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Ozone
Strengths:
Stiff. Plush. Cool colors. Raised letters.
Weaknesses:
Looses about 5 psi of negative pressure every couple of days.
Similar Products Used:
Everythingh
Bike Setup:
Kona Kula, Avid mech. discs, 9.0sl shift/der., LX crankset, Monkey Lite bar.
Bottom Line:
Extremely nice fork. Very plush and stiff. It has the buttery smooth feel of a SID Race without the noodle factor. I'm really impressed with Rockshox lineup for 02'. The Duke has out-performed every air fork I've ever ridden. With the positive and negative air adjustments you can dial in the forks performance to just about any terrain. My only complaint is having to put air in the negative chamber after every couple of rides. It's usually only about 5 psi or so but it's still a pain.
As for the lock-out issue people seem to have, GET OVER IT. It's an 80mm fork. I can see the use for a lock out on 100mm-plus forks on some occasions, but on a cross-country fork? Please! When the heck did Mt Bikers become such wussy's that they need a lock-out for every suspension component. A lock-out is a crutch to hide a bad suspension design. If it's a quality fork and you know how to set it up then you'll never think about it. If you're looking for a semi-lightweight stiff cross-country fork don't overlook the Duke, It's worth it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Will
a Racer
from Colorado Springs, Colorado Date Reviewed: September 11, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
Local bikeshop
Strengths:
Weight
Weaknesses:
No lockout!!?!?!?
Bike Setup:
Custom Voodoo. Used to have dukes,then i got a real fork. Marzocchi Z1 MCR. Most components are XT or XTR
Bottom Line:
Not worth it. Required quite a bit of matinence. Psylos, Sids and other better stuff isnt much heavyier so they really dont have weight going for them. NO LOCKOUT!?!?!? If you really want to get it go ahead but you mind as well get something better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Vanselow
a Racer
from Bellingham, WA, USA Date Reviewed: September 9, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$419.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
Stiffness, travel, plushness, adjustibility, attractive. So new that people are always approaching with questions
Weaknesses:
rebound dampening. negative air pressure looses 5-10 pounds per ride but I think this is normal. It's Yellow. I wanted blue. I've ridden a yellow judy SL for 3.5 years. univercycles.com has it a lot cheaper @ $359
Similar Products Used:
judy sl
Bike Setup:
TST frame, XT/XTR, Raceface cranks.
Bottom Line:
Very stiff fork. In the 3 weeks I've had this fork I've raced on it twice and ridden it over 250 miles. I check the air either before or after every ride and it is common to loose 5 or 10 pounds of negative air pressure on a ride. I've been told to expect this but if it get's any worse I'm sending it to RS for an overhaul. If this fork had a lock-out it would be the ultimate XC fork. I clean the raised letters with a toothbrush and it works great. Very nice sparkly/shiny paint. I'm not sure there is a product worth five flaming turds... so I'll compromise.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
walter
a Cross Country Rider
from richmond, va, us Date Reviewed: August 28, 2001
This fork is a very good XC suspension. It is not however, a downhill fork. Don't rag on a 400 dollar XC fork for doing bad on the downhill, it doesnt have 6 inches of travel. However if you ride mostly XC (what this fork is made for), this is a good way to go. If you like more travel and a lockout, go with a Psylo Race, which is what i use. The duke however is very rigid, and rebounds well off the washboard-type hits. RockShox has done extremely well designing the Duke.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Phippy
a Cross Country Rider
from Ma Date Reviewed: August 27, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Hammerheadbikes
Strengths:
Stiffness, easy to adjust, smooth, reasonable weight, tire clearence
Weaknesses:
weight is a 1/4 more than suggested.
Similar Products Used:
01'X-Fly80, 00'Sid XC
Bike Setup:
Small RacerX, Chris King disc hubs, Magura Louise disc, XTR/Sram Sl mix, Thomson post/stem, easton monkey low riser, Trailblasters 2.1 frt/rear, 858 pedals
Bottom Line:
Only have two 20+ mile rides so far. Very nice feeling right out of the box, thanks in part to the negative air. Tracks better than the x-fly but not as supple over the small stuff as the sid xc. But then again it needs some more rides to break in.
Even though its still early this fork out peforms my x-fly in every department from stiffness to plushness. You get all that plus a 1/4 weight savings.
Will give another review for durability in a few months. For now this as to be the best fork for the $$$$$$$.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Sterling Hgts, Michigan Date Reviewed: August 25, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Highland near Waterford
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$318.00
Weaknesses:
No lockout, but for the price what do you want, want a lockout go to a SID
First time out loved the fork, ruts and roots I took before on my original shock I would have to slow down for, the Duke just took them and kept my wheel in contact, tracked excellent, have'nt had a problem with air leaks yet, will keep checking...the bike seems like a completely different bike in handling, no twisting in the arms on the hard technical trails...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
***** *******
a Downhiller
from utah Date Reviewed: August 19, 2001
Favorite Trail:
anything
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
joes place
Strengths:
nuttin
Weaknesses:
allot
Similar Products Used:
rst, sun tour, boxxer
Bike Setup:
garage saler
Bottom Line:
it blows(xcers only)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Boulder Rider
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO Date Reviewed: August 17, 2001
Favorite Trail:
If I told you I'd have to shoot you
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$419.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
Very stiff, tracks well. Much better stiffness than SID. Nice positive dampning. Looks cool. The yellow is a hot color
Weaknesses:
NEGATIVE AIR WON'T HOLD PRESSURE. Not even for a ride. Leaks about 40lbs an hour. Now I have to take it back off the bike and wait a month. NO Lockout - with all the good adjustability I would like it to be set up way plush but they be able to lock it out. Can't lock, so I need to set it up stiffer than I want so it doesn't bob under hard effort or sprinting/standing. Raised lettering is a pain to clean out...
Similar Products Used:
SID, Girvin, Manitou
Bottom Line:
I'd be much happier if it would hold air. You might wait until they have more of them out there and see if others get this problem or I am just unlucky.
Lockout would make it the best fork ever - I didn't really know that before buying, but after riding it and seeing how plush it could be, but that you couldn't actually make the most of that w/o lockout I was again dissapointed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
m b
a Cross Country Rider
from wellston mi usa Date Reviewed: August 12, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
stiffer than any shock i have riidden. bike goes where you point it without any flex at the front end.
Weaknesses:
no lockout. the raised letters are a pain to clean. no,i'm not a poser, i just like to keep my bikes clean.
Similar Products Used:
99' sid sl, 98 judys, manitous...too many to mention, and so on.oh yea, the original rock shox with the neon pink stickers.
Bike Setup:
litespeed unicoi,xtr or better
Bottom Line:
the feel of the duke race is confidence inspiring from the get go. stiff,light,tracks unbelievably well through all types of terrain. by far the best feel/ride from rock shox to date. if you are looking to update your front suspension, the duke race may be the one for you. NO REGRETS! i have put about 60 miles on it in the past 2 weeks...will up date at a later time
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Capn'
a Cross Country Rider
from Utah Date Reviewed: July 29, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
It's msot obvious strength is it's stiffness; far superior to any Rock Shox offering to date. I race and ride 5+ times a week and have no problems in the ruts. It looks cool. It's light at an honest 3.35 pds.
Weaknesses:
As ususal the damping adjuster seems to be there for looks.
Similar Products Used:
You name it
Bike Setup:
Yeti ti Arc, Xtr, C. King, Avid
Bottom Line:
Best xc fork Rock Shox has ever made. I guess it could use a lock-out but I would never use it so it doesn't bother me. Feels like a Sid in weight and excellent compression the rebound isn't the best but certainly not the worst. Adusting the damping sucks but again I don't use it that much. Awesome looks, haven't had to put air in it, seems to hold well and it is STIFF. Great fork for XC or racing if you find the stiffness of a SID lacking but otherwise love the action and looks of a RockShox.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Greg Schwarzer
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder Date Reviewed: July 18, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
Stiffer than SID noodle forks. Less stiction. Friction of bushing on slider drastically reduced.
Weaknesses:
NO DUKE MODEL HAS A LOCKOUT! What were they thinking?
Similar Products Used:
Pyslo Race
Bike Setup:
Turner 02
Bottom Line:
Ended up not buying it - no lockout killed it. If they want to be serious about putting the 'Race' moniker on it, how could they leave off a lockout?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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