Fork upgrade

[Baker]

So my first fork upgrade on the levo ht to a rockshox Judy gold 120mm was okay for a couple of months but Im finding I need more travel (bottoming out with 90psi) Thinking of trying a RS Sektor with 150mm next. These come stock on the FSR so just wondering what this fork is like as rockshox have it listed as a budget trail fork.

 

[DTZ]

I upgraded my Base FSR from Sektor to Revelation (But then had a warranty claim on the Revelations which gave me an upgrade to PIke). I put the Sektors on the other halfs HT and they are a massive improvement on the old Suntours for her.

If you are moving from Judys I'd consider looking for a set of Revelations etc on ebay etc. Also as its getting to the end of the year a lot of retailers might soon selling fork off as most of the Rockshox range have been changed for 2020.

The Sektors weren't actually too bad, but the Revelations were a step up, and the pikes even more so again.

 

[DTZ]

Don't know if you've seen this.....

 

[Baker]

Handy chart, good to see the boost 29"range lined up. Revelations sound nice but didn't want to go crazy on price. Found some new 150mm Sektors for £175. Just don't want to swap like for like as such. Get slightly beefier stanchions I guess and more travel. I would ideally like to get the Yari in 160mm but it might upset the bikes geometry having too much travel.

 

[steve_sordy]

If you are bottoming out, can you add some tokens to the Judy forks? Tokens are very cheap compared to a new fork and if possible to do, could save you a lot of money.

I know that Rockshox are fans of bottomless tokens, but I don't know whether they have given the Judy forks the capability of adding tokens. If you can, then try adding 1, 2, or even 3 to the airside. The Rockshox website will tell you how many you can have in total. You may already have some, but with room to add more.

What do tokens do? They change the shape of the air spring curve and make it ramp up more later in the travel. This will allow you to keep the low air pressure to get the smooth feel on small bumps, but they will absorb bigger bumps before using up all the travel. I have added tokens to forks (on shocks they are called rings) on different bikes and it transformed the performance.

On the Revelation on my Focus Jam2 I had to remove one token from the fork because it was ramping up too soon. But I may be adding some rings to the shock to stop it using up too much travel.

 

[Baker]

If you are bottoming out, can you add some tokens to the Judy forks? Tokens are very cheap compared to a new fork and if possible to do, could save you a lot of money.

I know that Rockshox are fans of bottomless tokens, but I don't know whether they have given the Judy forks the capability of adding tokens. If you can, then try adding 1, 2, or even 3 to the airside. The Rockshox website will tell you how many you can have in total. You may already have some, but with room to add more.

What do tokens do? They change the shape of the air spring curve and make it ramp up more later in the travel. This will allow you to keep the low air pressure to get the smooth feel on small bumps, but they will absorb bigger bumps before using up all the travel. I have added tokens to forks (on shocks they are called rings) on different bikes and it transformed the performance.

On the Revelation on my Focus Jam2 I had to remove one token from the fork because it was ramping up too soon. But I may be adding some rings to the shock to stop it using up too much travel.

I think the smallest token size they do is 32mm, the Judy unfortunately only has 30mm stanchions which is a bit flakey on an ebike anyway. It was a short term solution to the shitty suntour coil fork it came with. I'll probably stick to buying the 150mm Sektors, just because of the price and they fit the budget of the bike. Can't find a revelation under £350, twice the price of the sektor yet probably not twice the fork. Might try adding tokens too if it doesn't feel right.

 

[steve_sordy]

...............I'll probably stick to buying the 150mm Sektors, ............Can't find a revelation under £350, twice the price of the sektor yet probably not twice the fork. Might try adding tokens too if it doesn't feel right.

Don't just add tokens, you may need to remove one or two, depending upon how many the fork comes with and how the fork behaves when you ride it. Set up the fork in the usual way and get everything else right first, then ride the bike and observe what happens to the travel as you go over big bumps. If you are using up more travel than you would expect add a token and repeat until you get the result you are looking for. There is a limit on how many tokens you can have, so visit the Rockshox website to be sure.
If the fork is failing to use its travel in a way that you feel is unsatisfactory, then consider removing a token. Ride and repeat.

You will find this guide to setting your suspension extremely useful. Download and keep because you will keep coming back to it.
Bikerumor Suspension Setup Series: Full Series PDF - Free Download! - Bikerumor