NP02

I have been riding a near 25 year old Specialized Hardrock for some time and have finally had enough of needing to adjust or replace parts on it and would like a new bike. I like a lot of the fitness / hybrid style bikes and would like to have one with a front suspension fork. If I am shopping in the $500 to $600 range are these forks going to be worth while or should I just buy a rigid frame? If I were to get something like a Giant Roam 3 or a Specialized Crosstrail (If I can still find one) is the suspension going to be shot after just a few years? If they are not that reliable for this price point Id rather just go without, but I also was wondering if going another hundred dollars up would see a improvement in the quality at all such as a Trek Dual Sport 2. Just wondering what kind of experiences people have had with these.

shelbyfv

Welcome to BF! Why don't you use the red button and ask a mod to move this to the MTB section. You'll get better response.

Cyclist0108

Look for better forks that are discounted. I managed to get a Manitou Machete for $160 from chain reaction cycle. That isn't a high-end fork, but it isn't a bottom-line either.

LesterOfPuppets

Manitou Markhor. I spent $220 on mine.

Retro Grouch 

A proper suspension system needs to have a spring and a damper of some kind. Cheap bicycle suspension forks only have a spring. They'll take the sting out of big hits but bounce around too much to improve handling. To me, if you havie budget restrictions it doesn't make sense to spend part of your budget on something that doesn't do very much.

veganbikes

The less you put into the bike money wise the worse things are going to be and if you start adding things like suspension the cost either has to go up or the quality has to go down. If you are truly mountain biking get a proper mountain bike and spend the money (at least $800 for something to use occasionally) and if you are on road and gravel then get something that can fit big fat tires and don't waste money looking for suspension.

I would look at the Jamis Sequel (original or S2 or S1) or the Specialized Sirrus X 3.0 or 4.0 if you are looking for a decent longer lasting bike for road and gravel. You clearly have had your other bike for a long time and used it a while so spending low amounts don't make a ton of sense if you are the type to hold onto a bike for a while. Spend good money and get a good bike that you can enjoy and that is comfortable for you.

NP02

Would you have a preference over a Sirrus or Sirrus X? Theyre the same price but Im assuming the derailleur might be better on the X even though Im loosing speed settings.

veganbikes

X gon give to ya! Me personally I like wide tires and the Sirrus X gives me the wider tires. Plus a 1x is nice for ease of use.

rebel1916

Ahhhh, because he is looking for a hybrid.

rebel1916

Suspension forks on all hybrids are kinda pointless. Suspension forks on $600 hybrids are hot garbage. Look for something with a carbon fork.

HerrKaLeun

Look at all the threads here where people bought a Roam or similar and ended up installing a rigid fork after realizing that boat anchor.

No suspension is better than bad suspension.

Better pick one that has wider tires and CF fork.

subgrade

I wouldn't say suspension fork on a hybrid is pointless if a substantial amount of your riding is done off road/on pothole ridden pavement/cobble or you hop off curbs etc. It's just that the suspension fork on the entry to mid level hybrids, typically a Suntour NEX, is indeed garbage and most likely will be shot after a couple years (i.e. have lots play and stiction). NCX and NRX provide better damping, are lighter and available with also with air springs, so those are better options, unfortunately those are rarely found on hybrids below $1000. Same goes for Rock Shox Paragon which seems to be even more rare as a piece of original equipment.

Unfortunately, if you are shopping in the $500-600 price range, a carbon fork is not an option either.

LesterOfPuppets

Oops, I thought they were looking for a better fork for the Hard Rock.

JayKay3000

I'd get a rigid fork, but it depends on the type of riding or surface you plan to ride on. It doesn't sound like you plan to hit the local singletrack or rock gardens. I've had friends ride suntour forks. They handle the flow, but you really don't want air or big drops. These forks can be used on technical trails, but you can ride a rigid road bike through a rock garden. You wouldn't want to, but you can.

Trek website shows people using the DS2 on light offroad tracks where these low end forks are happiest or attempting to soften out rough pavement, but they really can't keep up on much more than that.

This is where gravel bikes have come in. They can do the same job as a bike with a rubbish, heavy fork that hardly does anything by being faster and having bigger tires than a full road bike to take some of the light hits. You don't have to buy a gravel bike. A cross bike or even a touring bike would be better. Bigger tires, more relax geometry than a full road bike and you can fit full fenders.

IMO - If you want a decent fork you need to spend the money, but there isn't any point buying a really good, expensive fork for a bike that may hardly ever see the dirt. And as to dropping off pavements with a rigid fork. Those can be quite soft hits if you have the right technique.

greatscott

I agree, cheap suspension forks are a very unwise investment, not only do they not work very well, but they weigh a ton, combine the weight with poor suspension what you have left is a sluggish bike due to weight and wattage being consumed by the fork. The only reason you need a suspension fork is if you're doing down hill racing, or extreme trail riding with big jumps, otherwise just stick with a rigid fork. Criminy, I road down mountain trails on a rigid mountain bike, and before rigid mountain bikes came along they did it on road bikes!

Metieval

In my opinion No!

a Rigid fork with a nice huge supple tire is better than any entry level coil over fork.

subgrade

This seems to be a pesrsistent myth, but in my experience there is no wattage to speak of consumed by the fork even when it's unlocked if you are not climbing/accelerating out of the saddle, i.e. pedalling along a flat stretch. If the fork is not undersprung for your weight, there should be no bobbing while in the saddle. And for climbing or accelerating out of the saddle there's the lockout option (at least on the half-decent forks there is).

A bigger low pressure tire (if the pressure is low enough to provide suspension) will have increased rolling resistance on smooth road, and will bob just as much ('consume wattage') as an unlocked suspension fork when pushing hard. Also, bigger tires usually weigh more, thus at least partly offsetting the weight savings of a rigid setup. However, on rough trails big low pressure tires will perform much better in any case.

Weight, maintenance/longevity and to some degree also the handling issues are valid points for criticism of suspension forks, while pedalling efficiency in my experience is not.