Originally Posted by
adlu
I'm a new user and I still haven't figured out whether more people enjoy resurrected threads or hate them, so at the risk of angering some of you I'm going to resurrect this one because I enjoyed reading it and I have a relevant question.
I'm looking for a rigid 26" mountain bike fork for a bikepacking trip through less developed countries. Ideally it would be robust, compatible with rim and disc brakes for ultimate repairability, and not too expensive ( <$130). Several have recommended the Surly Troll fork as the best higher-end choice, but I saw that Amazon stocks an Origin8 fork that fits my needs. I just don't know how well it will hold up.
I'd appreciate any additional input/feedback you've had since 2014!
Product link:
https://www.amazon.com/Origin8-CROMO-250xTDLSx28-6x30-0BK-CANTI-CRN-AXLE/dp/B002PTTKP0/ref=pd_ybh_a_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GF94K69KDSJBA2RNF91R
Thanks!
I hope that after reading my post you get a general idea of what to do here. The surly fork seems to drop into my category of "they found a way to make a unique bike part at slightly above the price of a normal bike part".
Upon inspection, i've noticed that their hubs are also a little better than the normal formula's (just a tad).
They may have found a good manufacturer in taiwan that lets them up their spec game.
Or, it could be the same as the origin8 fork with just some bells and whistles added.
I would treat them as equal in terms of strength, but give a slight benefit of the doubt to surly (may be a little bit better cromoly, and they could use a shop that does work at slightly higher quality).
There are a lot of documentaries out there that show how a new bike company without a lot of capital gets started in taiwan (Hence why it's the silicon valley of bikes). Some of them just literally pick a frame from a 3 ring binder and put their name on it, others work with shops that allow them to spec their geo, materials, and manufacturing processes. 3 ring binder guys are the cash grab fixie companies that you see (although at higher price points the same companies also spec their own specs). People that spec their specs are the surly's, and all cities of the fg/ss world. As I said, because entire cities are dedicated to bicycle manufacturing there, small custom shops with skilled craftsmen have popped up. So you can get some REALLY good stuff from taiwan nowadays. BUT, I still think a lot of companies way overcharge and almost charge domestically made prices for their overseas frames, but that's just because they have no competition and they use hipster marketing I think.
There are exceptions, but they suck at marketing so you haven't heard of them.
I think everyone shoudl watch a documentary of bike mfg in taiwan as it woudl give you good insight as to what products you shoudl get.