Advice needed: Susp forks for '91 Yo

mcgurme

New member
Hey all,

I have a dillemna with my Yo build. This is a '91 Yo, which to my knowledge isn't suspension corrected (and has 1" steerer). Rody is building me rigid forks, but I'm not sure I can handle rigid forks for an upcoming 140 mile offroad ride. I think I need some kind of suspension for rides like this (and will use the rigid for shorter rides).

I would like your opinions on some of the options I've come up with:

1) Indy XC Rock Shox (elastomer/cheapo) - these are on the bike as a stopgap, and work ok I guess. They have 63 mm travel, but are not at all plush, plus they are a mighty cheap fork to have on a nice frame like that.

2) Marzhocchi MX Comp - I can still get one of these with 1" steerer, but they are spec'd at 85 mm travel. I'm wondering if I can sag them enough to not throw off the geometry totally. I actually have a pair here, but steerer is too short, so I'd need another pair or a new steerer.

3) Figure out how to rebuild my old Mag 20 Rock Shox. I can probably cobble together a working set from used parts off ebay or one of the other members here. But I'm not sure these would be reliable. However, if I could get them and keep them working, they'd perform better than the Indy's.

4) Ask Rody to go ahead and send the rigid Yo Forks, and subject this 40 year old body to a LOT of abuse!

Thanks in advance for thoughts/ideas!
Morgan

ps - a limitation is the timeline - I only have about 5 days to figure this out...
 

paul m

New member
Go With The Yo`s,i`ve Gone Back To Yo Rigid And You`ll Love Them.what Youll Loose On Down Hill You Gain Everywhere Else;)
 

lucifer

New member
It might be cheaper to invest in a fat cushy front tire, and just slow down a bit on the downhills. The zokes will probably add a whole pound over the rigids. If it isn't a race don't worry about susp.
 

bigkeeko

New member
personally I`d stick a suspension fork on it. Id have the Marzocchi MX Comp Air , no contest. Steerers are still available. If you`re a total retro anorak then fair enough but Its only an 85mm fork (then the sag) but will improve your ride (and your body) for 140 miles IMO.
 

settemarche

New member
if you already have the original Mag 20 - send that out to Hippie Tech and have it rebuilt. as for the ridged ride - i recently bought a old Cannondale which was non suspended and i could not believe how well it handled. after that bike i came about the most recent 93 BuckShaver with a Big One Inch. downhill, yeah you need to slow it down and run lower tire pressures but it is lighter and the handling is much much better.

my2cents,

Sette
 

mcgurme

New member
Rigid vs suspension

Hey all,
Thanks for the input. I do plan to run rigid forks most of the time for around town and short rides. I've already paid Rody for them, and he has them mostly finished except for a few details. And I agree they ride better - I recently fixed up a singlespeed from an old Fuji frame (I paid $30 for it..), and even though it's a heavy frame, the ride is really nice and tight with that rigid fork.... so, I'm convinced. Except...

This ride I'm about to do is 140 miles offroad, in Utah, with 10k feet of climbing. That means about 14-16 (or more!) hours on the bike for me. I'm having trouble envisioning my wrists surviving that much abuse from a rigid fork in one go. So my goal is to get a good suspension fork that will work with the frame, that has a Chris King bottom race already installed, so I can quickly swap out forks. (I may even get a 2nd set of v-brakes up front).

So, really, the key is which suspension fork to go with. In desperation (or a fit of late night madness) I ordered an MX Comp last night, should be here in a few days. If they don't work, I will sell them on the Bay... But I also like the idea of fixing up the Mag 20's. Does Hippie Tech really still work on these ancient forks? If so, that's great, it gives me another option in the long term (though not for my upcoming ride).

Thanks again,
Morgan

ps - I posted a new picture under the thread "Another Yo rebuild"...
 
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