20 Best 29Er Fork For The Money (2023 Updated)

This great fork has put some new life into a 16 year-old bike. Compared to the old RockShox Judy that was on the bike originally, well, there is no comparison. 90% of my rides are single track over mud, hard-pack, sand, rocks, roots, shallow creek beds, climbs & descents.

The Recon is responsive, stable, and tough. The front wheel stays planted! It handles the smooth, the roots, the rocks, the washboard, and the jumps without complaining. I weigh about 200 lbs, so for me there is no such thing as a soft landing.

The Recon takes the abuse and keeps on rebounding. If you need a 26″ fork that won’t break the bank, look no farther.

Basically good, for a low-cost shock. Not a high tech “jumping” capable one, but totally adequate for average mountain biking. Notes: the “preload” seems to just keep going around -I can’t really tell if it’s doing anything(?).

Also, be aware that Rock Shox (foolishly) painted the steerer tube, so that your bearing race can’t slide into position without sanding it off. I spent about 1/2 hour with emery cloth doing so -rather frustrating, and prolonging the project.

And why? My old Quadra 21R that I was replacing had no paint on that part (?!).

This item is a good price for what you get. Does everything smore expensive version does for a bargain price. Overall a good entry level fork the spring compression know could be made more robust a bit flimsy.

But gives good progression and times easily although. The rating listed on fork is not close to reality as far as rate of sag. But overall a good well made fork.

Got the fork quickly from Take a Hike. Good shop. The fork itself had some issues. The rebound did not work at all and I wanted to change the 5W fork oil to 10W and remove the 20mm spacer to allow 120mm travel, plus I had already cut the steerer tube so I figured I was stuck.

When I took it apart, the rebound damper just fell apart. The nut holding the shim stack had not been tightened. well, that explains no rebound control. Found a picture of how it is supposed to go together, reassembled with 10W oil and now it is an awesome fork.

especially for the money. So, the issue was fairly easily resolved but if I had not cut the steerer tube, I would have asked for a replacement. In spite of the hassle, I give 4 stars as unbeatable for the money.

I bought this fork to replace an old XTC coil fork on pre-2010 GT hardtail XC/Trail build-up. I have logged a little over 50 singletrack miles so far and have been VERY happy. This fork is LIGHT (under 1700g) coming in about 300 grams lighter than the comparable RS fork.

It shaved about 2. 7 lbs off the front end when compared to the XTC it replaced. The damper/lockout is an on/off type, but can be upgraded later to ABS+ for further adjustability. The rebound damper works well and allows you to dial in the response to your riding preferences.

With this fork getting to be broken in it feels really smooth over bumps, and gives good response preloading jumps. The only thing I have found to say is that using the recommended air pressure in the fork for my weight (which is right where the fork was set) there does seem to be a lot of sag with even just a slight fwd lean.

I found it to be fine going just a few lbs over at about 103. This fork does not come with a shock pump, so if you dont have one you can pick one up for like $30. The fork looks great. Matte black lowers and crown, semi gloss black stanchions, blue steerer (which actually shows through my opaque gray spacers and accents the blue Turbine bars).

It comes adorned with red/grey/white color scheme decals, but includes a grey set. I do wish that if they were going to include color options, they would have not put one on that I had to spend a half hour peeling off and alcoholing, but thats just me complaining about silly stuff.

The reverse crown arch looks clean as well as saving a couple of grams. Then there is the bottom line. at this price you can almost get 2 for the going rate of a heavier RS fork. Take a Hike was great, they have a number to text any questions to and they responded quickly, I recieved email updates on shipping info, the package arrived on time, and their price saved me $20 from the big name places.

This fork is an excellent value and it is a huge improvement over the stock SR SunTour coil spring fork on my Canondale Trail 8. It’s adjustable from 80 to 120mm which providing increased travel. The bike is so much smoother and handles a lot better now.

One of the biggest reasons I bought this fork was because it’s one of the lightest available. Just dropped about 3 1/2 pounds of weight from the front of the bike.

Works great for the price point. Big upgrade from generic and entry level suntour forks included on budget bikes. Visit SRAM for install instructions. Initially i thought the lockout was not functioning.

Worked fine after compressing shock a few times with the fork upright and lockout off. You will need a shock pump to set the pressure. The one for my other fork did not work (could no fill) this one due to it not being able to push the valve open enough.

This fork works incredibly well and has all of the features expected of a top tier product. It is the performance elite version of the Fox 36 which means the materials, damper, and everything else are identical to the Fox 36 Factory, the only difference being the black coating on the stanchions instead of the Kashima coating on the Factory forks.

The Grip2 damper is supple on the beginning stroke yet has plenty of mid stroke support and a natural progressive feel when you reach the limits of the travel. The adjustability possible with this damper makes it capable of performing equally well in all conditions as long as the rider knows how to adjust the settings appropriately.

I found the Fox website helpful in determining good starting points for air pressure, compression, and rebound values. However, the air pressure necessary to achieve the sag differed significantly from the recommended settings.

As a 165lb rider, I found myself at roughly 48 PSI rather than the suggested 65 PSI so it is important to experiment with the air pressure to find each individual’s own ideal amount. Overall it is a great fork as other review magazines and channels have said, I am very satisfied with the performance and tuning options.

The fox 38 factory proves to be an incredibly versatile fork. It’s manufactured for enduro racing but can also used for downhill and also even trail riding (thanks to the dampening adjustments) you can customise the travel from 160 to 180 mills of travel.

The Kashima coat is also 10/10. For those who don’t know what a Kashima coat is, a Kashima coat is used for anti rust, anti scratch and fatigue. That is the gold coating on the stems. Lastly, I think that the fox 38 is a great fork and people that seek a lot of gravity and intense enduro riding should definitely utilise this fork.

Worked as advertised. I replaced a rusty spring fork on my Mongoose and needed a long steerer tube. The other budget brands were all too short so it drove me to the Suntour. Not a bad fork but I was bummed it didn’t come with the star nut or the sleeve for the remote cable.

I am happy with it.

Major upgrade over Suntour spring fork that came with the bike. Be aware, fork is pre-set to 100mm travel internally, not that hard to change to 120mm. But regardless, solid beginners air fork.

Took the bike to my local trails. Areas where I hesitated before felt like nothing. Local bike shop installed it for me and set up the air for the zag. 50$ and beats the hassle of doing yourself if don’t have all the tools needed.

Weather has been crappy but can’t wait to hit the trails again.

More travel and a smoother action than my old RockShox Dart 3. A great deal for the price. The tube is longer so the handlebars can be higher so there is more option there, as well. Tools are required because they don’t provide a star nut, so you have to buy the tool or have it put in by someone who does.

Since it is a good idea to get a new head set (additional cost), they usually come with the star nut so when you buy the new head set, have your shop install the star nut, usually about $10 for most shops unless they have a minimum labor charge higher than that-if they do, find a different shop, as most either have no minimum or it is $10.

They are almost 2 pounds heavier than the old forks.

This product is exactly what it is said to be. I needed a replacement fork for my Jamis MTB. This was perfect. Needed to cut it down a bit but that was all. The product was shipped in a very timely way, packaged well and arrived when promised.

The price was also very reasonable considering it would have cost far more to buy a suspension fork from any local shop in the City of Bikes. Highly recommended if you want to add years of use to a favorite MTB.

Simple replacement for my Diamondback Overdrive 29. The only thing I had to do was cut the steering tube and install the Star nut. Other than that, it was plug and play.

Exterior fit and finish are excellent. A really nice looking unit. This fork replaced an OEM Rockshock on my 2016 Ibis Mojo 3. The difference is not night and, however the RS Ultimate just feels more evolved and competent.

Front wheel just seems to stick better in corners. Having separate high speed and low speed compression dampening adjustment aids in tuning, but I wish there were less overlap between these. This fork does not have a lockout lever as found on the single compression dampening models.

Some may find this a negative. This fork does not have pressure relief valves or fender mount bracketry built in as do some of the competition.

The improvement in ride quality is very noticeable vs. the 35 tk silver I upgraded from. I guess that should be expected when putting a 1000 dollar fork on your bike. It’s an expensive upgrade, but in my opinion, the best upgrade one could make for their bike.

This fork eats up rock gardens, the external adjustments are quick and easy. It definitely lessens arm fatigue. This fork improves a riders confidence and with confidence, you can ride more extreme conditions with ease.

This fork has already improved my riding confidence on sketchy and gnarly descents. I have set the sag and rebound to the Rockshox standard settings and left the HSC fully open with the LSC set in the middle as a base set up and it already feels great so with some further tuning I anticipate the fork’s performance will further impress.

These forks are expensive but they are very high quality and I would recommend them to anyone looking to upgrade.

I bought this fork from Jenson and it has been the best fork I have ridden, had 2021 FOX 36 previously and older lyrik from 2016, other forks from MRP, x fusion. The Onyx blew me away how smooth it is and supportive and no bottom outs even with the suppleness at the beginning of stroke.

It always seemed to do what I thought it should, never used too much travel, but never felt any harshness. Ease of set up was a breeze, had it set up within 3 laps, deviated one or 2 clicks either way a couple times and ended up right back where I had it to begin with.

I didn’t find it hard to set up at all, just make sure to let all the air out when adjusting the OTT preload. Servicing lowers or adjusting travel is simple enough. Integrated bolt on fender is so nice, I wouldn’t want to go back to a fork with out this feature.

Really nice Pressure relief valves. Looks awesome, this is the best looking fork with he best colors. The bad: Noise from OTT spring after just a few outings, Applied liberal amount of suspension grease to it and it went away.

not that big a deal but annoying to the point of having to take brand new fork apart. Bushings too tight and some sticking at top out after 2 weeks of riding, it was pretty bad the fork was amazing and then 7 -10 rides later started feeling very sticky.

it would stick a the sag point so bad it would not move over small bumps and in the parking lot it would not move from sag unless you put all your weight over the front and jumped up and down on it. It was so bad that I sent it in to DVO and they resized the bushings and serviced the whole fork.

It took about two weeks so the turnaround was adequate and they dealt with me professionally and courteously. I just had to pay to get it shipped to them. The fork is fine now, no issues and is a pleasure to ride every time.

I give it 5 stars for value, looks, performance, customer support, features and adjustability, but knock it down one star because initially from the factory the OTT spring was noisy and did not have enough grease to keep it quiet and also because of the bushing issue I experienced that had to be sent in to get fixed costing me a little money to ship and time without a fork.

Purchased the DVO diamond D1 for my 2017 stumpjumper just this year. my rockshox revelation was just tired. I wanted to try something nobody else had where I trail ride. i don’t do downhill comps by any means but this fork handles just about anything you throw at from fast decents to drops and harsh bumps.

It responds well and the mid stroke adjustment makes for a plush ride. I’d say it’s built more to handle the harshest of bumps. It provides great handling up front. So far after 40 miles on it I’m still impressed with How it performs.

Everytime I’m out on Sundays I find something else that impressed me about this fork. Not to mention people are so familiar with fox forks. everyone always asks about it.

I bought this fork for my GG Shred Dogg, Jensonsusa was the only place that had it in stock at the time, I wanted the green with 44mm offset. This fork has been great I talked with DVO several times before deciding on this model.

I believe I have it set up pretty good now the ott is a nice adjustment to have. Plenty of small bump compliance then it ramps up for big hitting riding, It is very supportive. I got it at 170mm and went into the fork to change it to 150mm.

Takes maybe half an hour the first time and if you do it right you keep the oil in it. It is stiff and smooth. Great work DVO! Thank you Jensons for having great stock!.

I ordered this compression damper for a 2010 bike which I picked up used. Added versatility with adjustable compression to the Lyrik air solo R fork. Easy to install. So far, happy with purchase. Delivery was a bit delayed, to be expected considering current situation.

lightweight , Xloc is very useful…very recommended….best fork

TranslateShow in original languageSehr steife, ultraleichte Federgabel, die auch mal einen Schlag wegstecken kann. Sehr przises Lenkverhalten durch Upside-Down Bauweise mit Steckachse (Maxle Light 15mm).

Das Ansprechverhalten und der Dmpfungskomfort mit den gegebenen Einstellmglichkeiten sind unverstellbar gut gelungen. Einziges Manko: der hohe Preis!.

Replaced 120mm suntour suspension fork on my 2019 Trek Roscoe 6. Was a bit hesitant due to the 483mm axle-to-crown, but it worked great! Using a cane creek 40 headset with a reducer crown race to make it fit the tapered headtube.

This is THE fork to get if you want to run a rigid bikepacking setup on your 27,5+/29 hardtail. It rides insanely smooth. Shipping was extremely fast overseas to europe.

Exactly what I wanted. Very light, with disk brake mounts on a rigid fork. With 27. 5×3. 0 semi-fat tire is a great combination. Obviously I’m not doing big drops – maybe somebody with some talent could.

No more worries about blown seals or the cost of ongoing rebuilds with suspended forks. Great for rooty single-track. Will also be great for self-supported bike-packing. I have two single-track bikes.

Both hard-tail. One uses the Surly rigid and one is suspended. I climb rooty single-track better and stronger with the rigid.

Quality is brilliant. Using front rack and 27.5 x 3 inch tyre. Super stable and solid. Perfect for riding anywhere touring and commuting with heavy loads.