Dual or Single crown forks

[Ozibatla]

Wanna pick the brains of any of you that will help. I wanna upgrade my forks on my 06 Devinci Johnson. It has dropoff triples on there at the moment and they pretty much aren't cutting it. At first I was thinkin 888's but have seen alot of good riders running 66's and other single crown forks. Can u guys give me your thoughts. Is an 8 inch fork necessary? or is a good 7 inch single crown enough. Advantages - disadvantages? As far as type of riding goes. Woodlot mostly, fromme, seymour, and will be hitting up whistler when I can this summer. Im 5.8 and 150. Cheers for any help. Marcus.

[shorelocal]

Single crown ... Totem would fit the bill if you got the cash

[Mike P]

I've run a breakout plus on my Ollie, and liked it. I would have liked to run a Travis 180mm to slacken the angles out, but if you run the 7" setting you should be fine with a 66, Totem, Travis, etc.

BTW I'm 260+ gear and never had any problems, and I ride the same areas as you.

[PhotoFyffer]

I run a totem, and love riding a single crown, have ridden a dual crown for 4 year, and now going back since the HT days, it is great, it really opens up your riding. I'm 200lb and the Totem and stiff and light and are plush. I run the 2 step air.

[Ozibatla]

Cheers for the info fellas.

[James_315]

I've got a '04 8-Flat-8 with '05 WC Boxxers. It's an awesome bike, the fork works spectacular with the frame. I've raced a few races as well as put an number of Whistler days on it, solid and super fast. That being said, I'm going with a Totem on my next bike - a little lighter and a little more maneuverable (hoping to practice x-ups eventually). Apparently the stiffness is the same with a 1.5" steer tube, which you can run on your bike.

[MknZ1BikR]

I like the single crown fork choice better. I'me a small rider (about 5 or 10 pounds lighter than you) so flex doesnt affect me or you as much the larger riders.

A buddy of mine has a Johnson with a Travis 150 and it rides great.

I think a good 7'' SC fork would be an excellent pick, some sort of a 66 should fill your needs.

[Krusty Rider]

I had a '03 Super T on my '04 Wilson and switched to a 180 Travis SC. Great fork, very stiff if not stiffer than my Super T. I would definately go with any of the new long travel SC forks. If I had to get one today, I'd go with the Totem. Just has the most versatility of the 3.

[barry]

Totem... so hot right now.

Your not a huge guy so a SC is definetly in order. Easier to muscle around and pop. And no more stanchion knee-bashing :(

[ESHER SHORE]

the shop here at Esher Shore (freeborn) imports Devinci into the UK

we've installed a couple of single crown forks for Devinci Ollie owners, its a hot upgrade with the Totem as you can go the full 1.5" route to take advantage of the Devinci's big headtube

seems weird how only their Frantik 3 comes with 1.5" fork as stock? all the other freeride bikes have reducer headsets and regular forks.

[Dantes Inferno]

When it comes to big travel forks, single crowns will never replace dual crowns. A dual crown will always be lighter / stiffer as a whole. Where a single crown may be lighter OR Stiffer and not both at once.

So if your riding consists of climbing (hitting knees), bar tricks (cant spin a dual crown), pimpin (single crowns look apealing) then go with a single crown. In that case I would suggest a totem like the others.

But... If you want to race, a dual crown is really the only option. If you were to get a dual crown I would highly suggest the new Boxxer RACE. For reasons said by many others, its just as good as the TEAM without the wastegate thingy, and the team is just aas good as the WorldCup without the air.

I pretty much suggested rock shox because Im bias, Im sure marzocchi is adequite for most people, I just think it looks cheap and is needlessly heavier.

[big ben]

^ plus, the boxxers have an extra inch of travel. I'm all for progression but I just don't see an 8" SC being reasonable and adequately stiff for extreme use unless it's ridiculously beefy, 7" is already pushing it...

that said, I think totems are perfectly reasonable for most non-racers' applications.

[thewwkayaker]

When I compare my old 03 SuperT to a Totem 1.5 steertube I'd have to say that the Totem felt stiffer and it's lighter to boot.

Compared to an 888 or Fox40 etc. probably not as stiff. But using 40mm stantions to transfer the load better and a 1.5 steer/HT combo is stiff enough for most applications.

[pump]

you can't justify the necessity for 7" travel. I sure don't bike to please the rest of the biking society,
if it's more fun w/ 7", or ridgit, so be it.

I think that dual crowns are offer stiffer, lighter and cheaper opposed to reliable Single crowns.(eg: 66, Totem)



I would highly suggest the new Boxxer RACE.



At OT
boxxer $ 700 vs Totem appx$ 1100 vs Lyric appx$900
^thats my memory from yesterdays trip to OT.

[Ozibatla]

you can't justify the necessity for 7" travel. I sure don't bike to please the rest of the biking society,
if it's more fun w/ 7", or ridgit, so be it.

I think that dual crowns are offer stiffer, lighter and cheaper opposed to reliable Single crowns.(eg: 66, Totem)

At OT
boxxer $ 700 vs Totem appx$ 1100 vs Lyric appx$900
^thats my memory from yesterdays trip to OT.

I think Id rather have atleast 7inches travel dropping from 10 or 12 feet than any less. Arent dual crowns heavier than single and more expensive. 888rc2x is like 13 or 14 hundred bucks new. No single is that much.

[pump]

I think Id rather have atleast 7inches travel dropping from 10 or 12 feet than any less. Arent dual crowns heavier than single and more expensive. 888rc2x is like 13 or 14 hundred bucks new. No single is that much.

someone could do 12 to 10 feet to flat w/ a bmx, I'm saying it wouldn't be fun. So take all the travel you want or don't want. You want 7 inch of travel, that's awesome, good on ya.



My bad, I should have specified that i was talking about rockshocks.

[baloom]

I am a true-blue big fork guy. In the past, I had not bought into the long travel single crown forks. When I tested the V-tach that came equipped with the Travis single, this all changed. I am not a huge Manitou fan but these forks give serious performance. If you did not know any better, you would say that these single crowns have big fork performance. The differences are marginal at best. The adjustability is also phenomenal. And to top this all off, they are big time stiff.

I still like the longer travel big forks (I just put an 07 WC boxxer on my VP Free) but I will likely be getting an intermediate travel bike that will have a long travel single mounted.....

[Ozibatla]

Sounds like the only way to decide is ride a similar bike to mine with single crowns. But sounds like the way to go. Cheers for all the input

[M13]

Sounds like the only way to decide is ride a similar bike to mine with single crowns. But sounds like the way to go. Cheers for all the input

Yes, all the advices were good, but it is YOU that are going to put the money down and ride it. You'll find the pros and cons of two types and weigh them out and go for the best that suits your needs(strength), wants(weight and aesthetic), and haves(how deep your wallet is, unless you got Capital One).

[Straw]

Pretty much any fork will be better than your DropOffs.

I'd say you should go single crown, but don't think you have to go totem. Find an 06 model of something somewhere for a good price, and you'll be happy. Unless it's a Travis. I heard those were somewhat weak in 06.

[Dantes Inferno]

I think Id rather have atleast 7inches travel dropping from 10 or 12 feet than any less. Arent dual crowns heavier than single and more expensive. 888rc2x is like 13 or 14 hundred bucks new. No single is that much.


It all depends on the forks. 888rc is a rip off at 13- 1400 new, and its heavier than the 66 for just plain burlyness.

Boxxer Dual crown is lighter than single crown because its geared for racing. And the single crowns are more expensive.

My 05 World cup was 6lbs. Thats light.

This doesnt mean you cant freeride on a racing fork, in fact Id suggest it. Just pay a little more attention to changing the oil say every 3 months.

[Wayne P]

Big travel SC's are just plain goofy and will never be as stiff at the same weight as a DC. :P

[TheGiggler]

Big travel SC's are just plain goofy and will never be as stiff at the same weight as a DC. :P


that may not matter though ...

i do a lot of uphill pedalling and on a long ride, a dual crown gets really annoying in terms of knee contact on the top of the stantions while pedalling standing, and also the fact that you normally can't pedal in the optimal position while standing up.

so i gladly lose a little stiffness and carry some extra weight on a bike which will see lots of uphill action. for most of the riding i do, and for most of the people i know, a DC is just not needed. the current SCs are pretty stiff IMO and you're not losing much to DCs.

[Wayne P]

that may not matter though ...

i do a lot of uphill pedalling and on a long ride, a dual crown gets really annoying in terms of knee contact on the top of the stantions while pedalling standing, and also the fact that you normally can't pedal in the optimal position while standing up.

so i gladly lose a little stiffness and carry some extra weight on a bike which will see lots of uphill action. for most of the riding i do, and for most of the people i know, a DC is just not needed. the current SCs are pretty stiff IMO and you're not losing much to DCs.

I would agree to that.

[Ozibatla]

I havent had a prob with bashing my knees on the stanchions and Ive actually got long legs for a short prick. If that makes sense.

[Dantes Inferno]

Then maybe you want a dual crown.

[.Wyper.]

the totem is one of the nicest forks i have ever rode

[]lpjluhpb-ubh0ou

[DrewM]

that may not matter though ...

i do a lot of uphill pedalling and on a long ride, a dual crown gets really annoying in terms of knee contact on the top of the stantions while pedalling standing, and also the fact that you normally can't pedal in the optimal position while standing up.


I'm in the same boat (a lot of climbing) and I can't tell the difference in stiffness between a DC and the new bread of SC forks... but I still opted for a dual crown and probably would again.

I have on occasion hit my knees but for the most part I have no issue with technical climbs and I really like the little bit of headangle adjustability (I guess a SC could have this too if it had bolt on crowns) and I can run short gear cables/brake lines because I don't have to worry about my fork twisting around and pulling them out.

I don't know if there is any weight penalty but I'm thinking the difference between a 66SL and a 888SL ATA is pretty slim?

[sicklines.com]

66sl / 888sl difference is roughly a full pound.
If you're running a dual crown you can also run an integrated stem which has its benefits.

[coverider18]

matter on style of riding you do

[Dantes Inferno]

Well I know the older gen 888s and 66s were the same forks, just cut off after the first crown. The newer 66s have recieved their own unique lowers, but im sure they still dont differ much from those of the 888.

[Heathen]

I ride the 06 Boxxer Ride it is 7" fully adjustable and it have the u turn feature so you can dial it down to 5" for climbing. and right now they are on sale as low as $580. I,ve had them up whistler, fromme, symoure, the wood lot and many other places. and they as mint. you can ajust the bottom out so they are good to go for how ever big you want to go.

[Dantes Inferno]

boxxer ride is a great lookin fork.

[trail worker]

I rode with a 6" manitou travis single TPC for a summer on my bullit and it was quite literally the best feeling fork I have ridden. I sold that bike to get a "big bike" and hate it--I'm running the 8" travis triple and even though it's an amazing fork, it's just such overkill I'd be back on the travis SC in a second if someone were to swap.
Lighter and more maneuverable is better, period.

[cove_boy]

single crown these days some single crowns are as burly as a dual and u can do an x-up

[Geeeunth]

ya totems if you got the cash but otherwise 66rc2x

[baloom]

single crown these days some single crowns are as burly as a dual and u can do an x-up

since this is the only trick in my "bag of trick" it is another reason that sc forks get my nod....

[ESHER SHORE]

i just come off Fox 40s onto Totem coils and can't say i notice any difference in fore/aft or lateral rigidity

the Totem feels just like the 40, but a bit lighter (weighed both on scales) and efficiency mode on floodgate gives near lockout for climbing

really like the Totem, never going back to dual crowns...done some big drops on the Totem and it feels just as good...and the trick / style potential is way better

[Dantes Inferno]

I definatly noticed a difference racing downhill when I had my world cup for some races and a borrowed travis tpc for another. Long bomb sections just full of little drops over and over, the trav felt like it gained another .5 inch of travel. Where the boxxer never lost its rigidity.

[ESHER SHORE]

i do a lot of uphill pedalling and on a long ride, a dual crown gets really annoying in terms of knee contact on the top of the stantions while pedalling standing, and also the fact that you normally can't pedal in the optimal position while standing up.


thinking about your post whilst riding home last night..7 miles on the road on my Chaparral with Totems

noticed i was standing fully up, my knees were coming up underneath the shifters on my bars

realised when i had my scream with Fox 40s i couldn't ride like that, i had to hold myself further back to stop knees hitting top crown, which made it much more tiring

[TheGiggler]

i do a lot of uphill pedalling and on a long ride, a dual crown gets really annoying in terms of knee contact on the top of the stantions while pedalling standing, and also the fact that you normally can't pedal in the optimal position while standing up.


thinking about your post whilst riding home last night..7 miles on the road on my Chaparral with Totems

noticed i was standing fully up, my knees were coming up underneath the shifters on my bars

realised when i had my scream with Fox 40s i couldn't ride like that, i had to hold myself further back to stop knees hitting top crown, which made it much more tiring


that is exactly what I'm talking about. based on this thread, sounds like this is not an issue for everyone, but i have long legs and on most bikes with DCs dont give me optimum standing pedalling position.

if you're only shuttling or riding the bike park it's irrelevant. but when you go on a multi-lap ride with single track climbing, you start to appreciate little things like this!

[Hack On Wheels]

thinking about your post whilst riding home last night..7 miles on the road on my Chaparral with Totems

noticed i was standing fully up, my knees were coming up underneath the shifters on my bars

realised when i had my scream with Fox 40s i couldn't ride like that, i had to hold myself further back to stop knees hitting top crown, which made it much more tiring

This is actually kind of funny; just the other day I was riding my SC equipped hardtail for one of the first times in ages, put on clipless pedals and the like and was getting more over the front while pedalling. As I realised then, I never ever do that on my DC equipped fully... and it was such a nice pedalling position too. That being said, for going down, I still love a DC, even if it is only for the extra confidence from having "more" fork, whether or not it actually makes a difference.

[sampo]

Its all a matter of how heavy you are, which frame you have, what you like to ride.

I've done both. Had an ASX with 03 super T's on it, liked it a lot. However I decided to give the SC thing a go and for the last year and a bit have been running 66SL's / RC2X's. Last summer I snapped my ASX in Whistler and picked up a shocker. I ran that with the 66 RC2X's off the Yeti, but I've just decided to sell them and pick up some 07 Boxxer Teams (Hey gotta love staff discount :) ). I liked the RC2X's but in the end of the day I don't often feel like popping an x-up on the dh bike, and the Boxxer's are lighter and more suited to the geo of the frame.

I think for a DH bike, DC are the way to go as they are stiffer and have more travel for the same weight when compared to a SC. However, for the new line of light, long travel freeride bikes something like a Totem or a 66 can't be beat.

All IMO of course...

[ESHER SHORE]

the toughest mental thing with going to a long travel SC was looking down and not getting the same confidence as looking down at my Fox 40

even though the Totem looks like a pair of baseball bats!!

couple of big gaps and drops put my mind to rest though....

[Ozibatla]

So Ive decided on single crowns. Thanks to everyone for your input. It helped lots. Now another dilema. 66rc2x or Totem (which totem is the best, coil, air or what). The only reservation I have with the Totem is that they're a fairly new product on the scene and not sure about any probs people have had if any? Would love to hear from anyone who's used em for a while and what theyve come across, even someone whos used both. Cheers. Marcus

[cruzer]

the totems look real burly and from what I've heard they are the new best thing in sc - and I'm a Marzoccchi fan - looking forward to trying them.

[ESHER SHORE]

was speaking to a tech from TF Tuned (big suspension tuner here in UK) who work on all fork brands

said the new Rockshox (Pike / Domain / Lyric / Totem) are seriously well made and designed

said specifically the Lyric and Totem are leagues ahead of Marzocchi in terms of damper tech. and the manufacturing quality

Marzocchi known for durability, Manitou for suspension performance, said the new RShox seem to have best of both worlds

I met a guy from Specialized US who'd been using air Totems for nearly a year, said he had no issues with them at all..my Totem coils have been 3 months and zero issues

[Uncle Duke]

i switched to a single crown last yr.when I bought a norco 6 w 66vf fork awesome. then this year i put a rc2x on my 2003 norco shore frame.(replacing my much loved buttery shiver).my bike has never ridden so nice, and im having more fun on it than ever. the ease of movement, the pedaling factor and the lighter weight all played huge factors for me. I will never ride a dc fork a again. my riding style has pedaling in it(shocking) and a big fork is over kill for me.

these new sc forks are making the sport really fun.nimble.

[Bryce]

the only place for a DC nowadays is full on downhilling

[big ben]

the only place for a DC nowadays is full on downhilling
damn skippy. not useful for any type of freeride IMO.