psycholist Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 Here's my current Echo Urban - it snapped without giving any warning while I was dropping off an 8 inch ledge (Fatigue cracks were evident in both legs after it broke), so I'm not buying another aluminium fork - at least steel will tend to bend rather than just snap...Has anyone experience with the Gusset Jury SL fork? I'm looking for a steel fork with a disk mount that people find reliable and that if it does fail (Inevitable if you use it for long enough) it fails by bending rather than snapping... Here's about the best price I've seen for it: http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/g...px?&id=7825 What other steel forks are out there that are between 400 and 410mm and rated for trials? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolver Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 I've used those, they're f**king light, but I dunno about that compared to other trials forks.They seem pretty sturdy, they didn't flex much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forteh Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 Have you considered looking into pashley/leeson/curtis? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models....p;ModelID=15675identiti tuning fork, though 395mm. I took a set off a bike i bought because i decided potentially loosing my teeth by using deng forks was worth the weight save. You can have them for a score if you like? Theres a couple of paint chips on them and the v-brake lugs have been ground off for some odd reason, but with a bit of cleaning up they could be pretty tidy. Pm me if your interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psycholist Posted August 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 (edited) I reckon the tuning forks will be too short - my bike is already really low at the handlebars compared to anything I've used before, but dropping another cm might be too much. I'm also nervous about second hand stuff, so even with that tempting price I'll leave it. Good suggestion on the Leeson/Curtis stuff too - I'd forgotten there are still a few steel specialists still out there ...Can anyone find Curtis and Leeson products for sale or their websites though - google turns up nothing ... Edited August 22, 2008 by psycholist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusevelt Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 How long were you running those forks before the hairline cracks started to appear, as that couldn't of happened within less than 6-12months of use? plus today's forks (Trialstech, TMS, Atomz, Viz) have significantly improved the strength of forks in those areas of riding stress. but your gonna go steel, then Curtis or Leeson. the other thing to consider is that running a steel fork on an alu frame may, i say may put greater stress between the headtube join. so it will be more costly and time consuming to invest in a new frame than new forks. don't forget that trials riding can be dangerous for your health... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.Wood Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 How long were you running those forks before the hairline cracks started to appear, as that couldn't of happened within less than 6-12months of use? plus today's forks (Trialstech, TMS, Atomz, Viz) have significantly improved the strength of forks in those areas of riding stress. but your gonna go steel, then Curtis or Leeson. the other thing to consider is that running a steel fork on an alu frame may, i say may put greater stress between the headtube join. so it will be more costly and time consuming to invest in a new frame than new forks. don't forget that trials riding can be dangerous for your health...My forks developed a hairline crack after around 4 months of use at the top of the disk mount. Incidentally, they were the Echo forks I bought off you. So I bought some new ones (Controls again) and measured them up to one another, and the ones I bought from you were significantly shorter, mod length style... Turns out I'd been running mod forks on my stock, which actually worked really well.So just FYI, they wern't Controls, they were Echo Lites EDIT: Threadstarter, thats about the 16th pair of Urbans i've seen go there. Have you used a Magura before you went to disk?Its the rearward facing magura mounts that does it, causes vibrations and thats the end of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolver Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 don't forget that trials riding can be dangerous for your health...hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psycholist Posted August 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 The forks were bought brand new with the rest of the bike in January. I tend to break stuff a lot through fatigue because I do small/medium sized stuff over and over again for hours to build confidence and skill slowly and I could not be called light by any stretch... Since I've been able to afford parts designed for trials use I have had way fewer failures though. Once I stopped using 1" steerer tubes some time in the late '90s (Snapped steerer tubes are hilarous provided you're not the one riding when it fails), it would still take me a couple of years to crack/bend a fork (And these were OEM Trek/Raleigh forks, nothing special). Since I got the new bike I have been experimenting with more front wheel based stuff though thanks to a grabbier front brake, so this is contributory, but I'd still expect it to last a year (That's when I was planning to replace the fork, handlebars, stem and chain anyway, I'd expect 2-3 years from the frame). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusevelt Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 My forks developed a hairline crack after around 4 months of use at the top of the disk mount. Incidentally, they were the Echo forks I bought off you. So I bought some new ones (Controls again) and measured them up to one another, and the ones I bought from you were significantly shorter, mod length style... Turns out I'd been running mod forks on my stock, which actually worked really well.So just FYI, they wern't Controls, they were Echo Lites Echo controls aren't exactly designed for urban abuse, as they are for more competition and butter smooth riders, but they do offer a more stable feel for trackstands and frontwheel moves due to their short offset and length. but if you want the same feel but stronger, you should have gone towards Koxx Foxx which offer even shorter offset but slightly beefer disc mounts. all forks are prone to riding stress, they is no escaping it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.Wood Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 Echo controls aren't exactly designed for urban abuse, as they are for more competition and butter smooth riders, but they do offer a more stable feel for trackstands and frontwheel moves due to their short offset and length. but if you want the same feel but stronger, you should have gone towards Koxx Foxx which offer even shorter offset but slightly beefer disc mounts. all forks are prone to riding stress, they is no escaping it.Oh thanks for the information I will try to ride smoother in the future of my trialsing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMack Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 I love this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamR28 Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 Disc only forks = no stress risers half way down the legs = no cracked forks Cormac, even though the forks are out of their warranty period we should be able to help out, if you want to send them back just let me know.CheersAdam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psycholist Posted August 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 (edited) The forks I have are Echo Urbans - they're supposed to be stronger than the control ones... The only thing that can be said with any certainty in forks is that they will break eventually, so I'm after the option that's less liable to slap me hard into the ground - I got away from this one with a sprained finger and some skin loss on an elbow and knee ...Out of curiosity what is the warranty period for the forks? If there's a crash replacement offer or something that won't put you out of pocket that'd be cool as I'd have it as a spare for future use. A disk only steel fork would be ideal. You wouldn't happen to have one of these around? I reckon I'll order the gusset before the end of the day unless I see a better option. I can't find Curtis or Leeson in the internet weirdly - though I am supposed to be working... Edited August 22, 2008 by psycholist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamR28 Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 The Controls and Urbans are the same strength on our experience, they share the same steerer and disc mount (which is where a fork will break if anywhere), just the Control's are a little lighter/less stiff due to a bit less material in the legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurtisRider Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 Curtis for the lose:Possibly the worst forks i have ever owned, too short (crap if you want a big volume tyre), too heavy, too easy to break (snapped steerer, crack on the crown weld and cracked disc mount) and most of all too expensive. Curtis also don't cover them on warranty, pretty shitty!Tuning forks are ok, mine cracked on the disc mount, so i welded them up, then they snapped at the disc side leg by another rider-did get a bitchload of abuse though!I have the gusset jury forks (not the sl) and they are still going after 8 years, used them on various bikes, but they are mega hefty, i don't know how much difference there is with the sl?I'm currently on pashley forks, and they have been awesome, but they don't have disc mount which is a problem for you-easy enough to weld one on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamR28 Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 Out of curiosity what is the warranty period for the forks? If there's a crash replacement offer or something that won't put you out of pocket that'd be cool as I'd have it as a spare for future use. A disk only steel fork would be ideal. You wouldn't happen to have one of these around?The warranty period is 6 months but we do generally offer a half price replacement (or half the value of the original forks towards a different set) between 6 months and a year.Disc only steel forks... really quite rare, certainly nothing trials specific is produced nowadays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe@Onza Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 Sorry for the Super Cycles plug but it was quicker to get the photo on here, Just saying there is a fork. I'd be shocked if you broke it.http://www.supercycles.co.uk/site_details.asp?ProductID=462 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamR28 Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 Not disc only though But yes, damn hard (virtually impossible) to break! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 I think you'd still struggle to break them though, in fairness. I broke quite a few mod forks, but when they flowed me a set of them back in the day they just didn't break. They were long for mod forks, but I liked a high front end so it was no biggie. But yeah, the laquer they had on the proto set was kinda turd, and it rusted underneath really easily, but yeah, they just didn't break, ever.EDIT: Damn you and your sneaky edits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psycholist Posted August 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 Thanks Adam, I'll get on to you next week and post the broken fork back to you if you're ok with the crash replacement thing. Though they would make a nice trophy for my garage, so I might keep them - can't decide... What length are the Onza forks? Is the Tuf Guy fork good?This Tuf Guy fork looks pretty suitable (I must have missed it earlier when I looked on the Tarty site) - http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/product.php?pr...;category_id=40This would potentially match the colour scheme of my bike : http://www.supercycles.co.uk/site_details.asp?ProductID=599The fall guy one is a monster... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-A Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 I had Fall Guys on my mod, they did weigh lots, but they were also indestructible as far as I could tell.Similar to Paul Oliver I've also ridden Gusset Jury forks ( no SL so cant comment on those). This particular pair of gusset jurys really were the village bicycle. A local rider used them for 2 years, before Tim Stedman thrashed them for another couple, and snapped lots of frames/bars whilst using them. Then Matt Burrows used them for a year or two, again thrashed the crap out of them. I've used them for 6months, I think some of the other old Worcestershire have used them for a good stint too. This same pair of forks are still gonig strong. But good god are they heavy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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