I Bought a Chinese Suspension Fork

[Mr. Toad]

It was cheap enough to purchase just for the sake of an experiment. I paid about 1/3 - 1/2 of what I would have paid for a branded fork with similar features. I will abuse it and report the results periodically in this thread. I actually bought two -- one goes to a buddy who will also abuse and comment. I will be fair. I've read a few mtb review threads discussing these forks, but there's no real solid info, just the uninformed, "Be careful buying Chinese s***," comments.

So here's what I got: Spinner 320-100 RLC (Pics later) Bought it direct from the mfgr in Taiwan on Thursday. It arrived on Monday. Shipping was free. It was in perfect condition when it arrived. (How can free shipping from half-way across the globe be faster than UPS ground across 2 states?) The mtb forums say this company manufactures OEM forks for bikes ranging from stinky liquid Africa diarrhea all the way up to healthy stool. BUT, the company also manufactured or manufactures for the high end market, including RockShox's full lineup for a while.

Let the fun begin.

 

[beaufort-fj60]

SPINNER IND. CO., LTD.

this one?.. $250.00

 

[semlin]

keep us posted

i just took my new to me marzocchi marathon in to be rebuilt after two rides. it was supposedly rebuilt last year. blew a seal bad and lost all damping.

 

[Mr. Toad]

Yeah. Here's where I bought it:
Site Map
Mine's black.

That stinks semlin. Fun ride back to the house on a pogo-shock?

 

[semlin]

those one piece alloy cassettes look

Recon Alloy CNC ultralight cassette

 

[tag3]

Mag 21

 

[ravewoofer]

keep us posted

i just took my new to me marzocchi marathon in to be rebuilt after two rides. it was supposedly rebuilt last year. blew a seal bad and lost all damping.

Marzocchi built quality forks back in the day in their own Italian factory. Sadly, their forks are now made in China and Taiwan and the quality has gone down hill. I still have my Kona Caldera hard tail with the Zoke fork, but really, old technolgy just isn't as good as the new stuff for mountain bikes.

 

[Mr. Toad]

Some Photos

1.Packaging
2.Oily
3. Brake Mount

 

[Mr. Toad]

1.Rebound
2.Lockout
3.Pre-load/Schreader cover

 

[Mr. Toad]

1.Weight/Pressure Chart
2.Warning Label
3.The frame the fork will be mounted on, when it was hanging with the other garden tools.

 

[Mr. Toad]

General Comments: Old school brown-paper wrapping over the product boxes. Cool Chinese postage. Well-packed and in good shape. The fork crown and legs were pretty oily (pics show this), but the finish is excellent. I'll cut and mount the fork Friday after the kids go to sleep. Shouldn't take too long, but I have to pull all the crap off that's on the bike now (destroyed Fox F100). If everything dries up around here by then, I should have the first bash-fest on Sunday.

 

[semlin]

looks like it does everything short of having a fancy proprietary damping system acronym

does it have the machining quality of a north american branded fork?

 

[semlin]

Marzocchi built quality forks back in the day in their own Italian factory. Sadly, their forks are now made in China and Taiwan and the quality has gone down hill. I still have my Kona Caldera hard tail with the Zoke fork, but really, old technolgy just isn't as good as the new stuff for mountain bikes.

this is a 2003 fork. i think the po cleaned the stanchions very carefully before he sold the bike to me. i have also discovered that 2nd and 3rd are worn out but it only shows on steep climbs. i took it into the bike shop and they said it was in the week before to try to fix that issue

 

[ravewoofer]

If second and third gear on the cassette are worn out, it means time for a new cassette and chain. No biggie.

'03 Zoke is one of the good ones. Parts may be hard to find, but properly tuned, the Zoke will be smooth as butter. I like the suppleness of the Zoke over a Fox air, however, the Fox will have many more features to make the fork perform better.

Have fun riding. Rocky Mountain makes good stuff.

 

[semlin]

If second and third gear on the cassette are worn out, it means time for a new cassette and chain. No biggie.

'03 Zoke is one of the good ones. Parts may be hard to find, but properly tuned, the Zoke will be smooth as butter. I like the suppleness of the Zoke over a Fox air, however, the Fox will have many more features to make the fork perform better.

Have fun riding. Rocky Mountain makes good stuff.

yup. might need an inner small front chain ring too. just annoyed that the po knew about it and concealed it.

 

[Mr. Toad]

does it have the machining quality of a north american branded fork?

Tough to tell. The only part that looks "Chinese" is the aluminum cap over the air valve. Looks a little cheap on the hex flats. Otherwise everything appears nicely executed.

My co-conspirator opened his packaging today, and damnit if his fork didn't have a remote lockout set-up in the box, and a manual. I would have opened both and taken the loot if I knew there would be beneficial errors. I think I'll charge him . . .

 

[semlin]

Tough to tell. The only part that looks "Chinese" is the aluminum cap over the air valve. Looks a little cheap on the hex flats. Otherwise everything appears nicely executed.

My co-conspirator opened his packaging today, and damnit if his fork didn't have a remote lockout set-up in the box, and a manual. I would have opened both and taken the loot if I knew there would be beneficial errors. I think I'll charge him . . .

you don't need no stinking remote lockouts

 

[bustanutley]

I still ride a 2002 shiver on my DH bike. I finally had to replace its first seal this winter. Smoothest sombitch ever made, but it is 2 or 3 lbs heavier than modern forks, not as rigid and doesn't have the new fancy high and low speed settings. I dig on my 55 since I converted it to the RC3 damper, very smooth fork. Only gripes are: its kinda heavy and the 'maxel' is s***, but it looks like I will be able to get a update axle that will fix things. I have half the money into that fork over anything comparable.

Interested to see what you think of this fork Toad.

 

[ravewoofer]

yup. might need an inner small front chain ring too. just annoyed that the po knew about it and concealed it.

Let me tell ya; everything on a mountain bike wears out. If the bike is more than a year old and is regularly ridden, at the least you'll need new cables, brake pads, chain and a casette. Most likely, you'll need to replace the shock bushing and reducers, too.

I like my ride riding like new. You gotta pay to play if you want to have fun and a consistent ride.

As an aside: I ride race pace Feb-Dec 1st. That means my bike is on the stand after almost every ride being cleaned and tuned. Guaranteed, if you don't have a maintenence routine, you'll have break downs on the trail and a cranky bike.

Cranky bike=pissed of rider.

I like to enjoy the ride.

 

[semlin]

yeah, as i said it was the selective memory of the po that got me. i knew going in that i would spend some dough. i am less angry now as i picked it up and they confirmed the shock was apparently recently rebuilt as i was told, just badly so with none of the bolts properly tightened and the air pressure wrong.

and yes, i need a stand and some tools. i am getting a quick appreciation of how technical these things have become. i am finding my consults with the bike mechanic way more technical than any doctor or auto mechanic.

in fact i am going to start a trhead...