Liv Embolden E fork

[Cavi]

Ok, my wife's 2021 embolden e finally arrived, I like it however the Suntour XCR fork seems like the weak link. the fork is 130mm travel. the bike is a XS so it is running 27.5 rims. I currently have a Rockshox Sketor 29er with 150mm travel that I took off my Levo. Apparently Rockshox does not make a kit to limit the travel. from 150 to 130 is less than an inch. I also cannot find any info on the Suntour as to angle. So the thought that initially is going through my mind is to just run the Rockshok even at 150mm. What do you all think of this idea? Good or will it just be too much of an increase. I will mention that my wife is only 5 ft, which is why we went with the Liv in XS so she can have a acceptable standover. Her last Marin was a small and she had lots of trouble getting on and off , and I mean trouble, many falls. Once she was on and moving all was well. Now with the Liv she is fine, but again, if I run a 150mm fork instead of the 130mm will she notice a big change in standover? In other words will she kill me? On the same note how much difference is there between a 29er fork and a 27.5?

 

[04fuxake]

Put a 20mm block under the wheel and see how much different it makes to standover. Yeah, it's not exactly the same, but it should give a reasonable approximation.

You could probably also run the Sektor with a bit more sag to get the front end closer to the Suntour.

 

[Cavi]

the 20mm block is a great idea.

 

[Dgedge]

27.5 to 29 and 130mm to 150mm, it will rise the front at least 40mm. That's a lot on a xs size bike.

 

[djb]

I was worried about that as well with my wife's bike, and honestly I do not think it limits her in the least. Your wife may be more aggressive than mine, but my wife rides single track with me that has rocks and roots etc and it does not seem that its holding her back at all. With that said, we are not ripping down the trails. The fork is very smooth, and has pretty good small bump sensitivity. Its much better than my 35 RL Gold fork.

 

[Cavi]

27.5 to 29 and 130mm to 150mm, it will rise the front at least 40mm. That's a lot on a xs size bike.

One thing, the embolden already runs a 29er fork, not a 27.5 fork, the wheel is 27.5 but the stock suntour fork is 29er, there is a sticker on it.

 

[Softsand]

I was worried about that as well with my wife's bike, and honestly I do not think it limits her in the least. Your wife may be more aggressive than mine, but my wife rides single track with me that has rocks and roots etc and it does not seem that its holding her back at all. With that said, we are not ripping down the trails. The fork is very smooth, and has pretty good small bump sensitivity. Its much better than my 35 RL Gold fork.

Yeah, the RS 35 Gold on my partners Intrigue E+ was awful. Swapped that out ASAP with some Fox 36’s. Much plusher.

 

[Cavi]

since I have the fork I think I will try it, if it is no better or worse in some way I can go back

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Ok, my wife's 2021 embolden e finally arrived, I like it however the Suntour XCR fork seems like the weak link...

Is the fork performance letting her down or is the perceived weakness coming from the logo printed on the sticker causing you embarrassment?

 

[urastus]

Yeah, the RS 35 Gold on my partners Intrigue E+ was awful. Swapped that out ASAP with some Fox 36’s. Much plusher.

I think that is the fork I have. It is a 135mm, supposed to be a 140mm. It has been good for me - although I've been wondering if I'm capable of noticing the difference between forks or I'm immune to marketing? For me it just works. I have it set up well for me. I've serviced it once - oil and foam rings were dirty but that was after 120hrs or more. I ride mostly blue with occasional blacks and I've been playing on jumps and drop offs. I may just be lucky and a good example of that fork too - I have to plead ignorance.

 

[Cavi]

well I had the swap done today, we set the sag at 35% and my wife loves it says it is night and day from the suntour

 

[Cavi]

Is the fork performance letting her down or is the perceived weakness coming from the logo printed on the sticker causing you embarrassment?

Before installing, a bit of performance, her old bike had a top shelf Fox fork, and she was stating the suntour did not feel as plush. I had the Rockshock for sitting around as I removed it from a bike to place a Lyrik therefore the total cost would be the 15 dollars to do the swap. If for some reason it did not work well I could always go back. At this point after the swap I would not go back, and the Rockshox if definitely more plush. Not to mention lighter. The difference is very noticeable.

 

[djb]

That's great to hear. I am about to order a Fox 36 Factory Grip2 for my Trance, so hope I notice a big difference as well !! Its gonna cost quite a bit more than $15

 

[djb]

BTW, I just plugged in my bike, charger was lit red for a short bit, then blinked green. I assume it will go solid green when fully charged.

 

[1oldfart]

I have since last july a Stance E+ 2020 stock and there is no problem with the suntour fork.
I am on 27.5 but probably wider rims(35)
I think the sticker is the problem.
I had an other bike with a Suntour and was also pleased with it.
I also have a Fox and a RS both high end so i trust those 3 brands.