Racing Ralph tyres really disappointed me in terms of performance and quality. At first glance it was easy to say yes I should spend money on these tyres. But when you put the cosmetic aspect to one side and actually put the tyres to good use, you'll be disappointed too!
The first thing that struck me about the Racing Ralph tyres was it's lack of resilience to punctures. Not a good thing where I live! Unlike most tyres these were very light weight and quite fast on the go! The first time I took them out I ended up with 2 thorns in the front and 1 in the back! Here is what's said online about them:
Surprised how it has been possible to have so much grip with such low rolling resistance? The secret is: Hi-tech manufacture + an Evo-carcass + triple compound + U-blocks.
Whatever the hell that means!!!
Upon closer inspection of the Racing Ralph tyres I found them to be very thin which explains the light weight and the lack of resilience to punctures! Trust me when I say that, "if your not on man made trails, don't bother". Performance is one thing but when spending high amounts of money on tyres such as these, the last thing you want is punctures every time you bloody go out. It's annoying that manufactures don't listen to the average Joe blog that rides mountain bikes. As they would realize that more needs to be done to make "off road tyres" puncture proof or resilient to punctures, as they do with road tyres!
The Marzocchi MX pro LO suspension fork really disappointed me in terms of performance and quality. And found it to be a complete waste of time and money. The fork looks good, but when you put the cosmetic aspect to one side and actually put the fork to good use, you'll be disappointed too!
What struck me about the Marzocchi MX pro LO suspension fork was it's lock out adjuster. Unlike the SL lock out adjuster it's construction was poor and fiddly to fit. Due to the poor cable assembly and it's fitments being a pain for failing.
Some forks give when the seals bed in which makes the fork feel and sound clunky, but not a problem for this fork. Another thing I noticed about it was, that once engaged the fork was completely locked out, not good for rocky climbs!
Marzocchi have started to factory install those unsightly V-brake bosses with super strength lock-tight! Trust me when I say that, "you are not going to be able to remove them". If you intend on using disk brakes, you are going to kick yourself for buying Marzocchi MX pro LO (or any other Marzocchi product for that matter as all those I have looked at have been factory installed this way!)
Marzocchi is an affordable option for beginners but I would not recommend it to anyone with a bit of clout in the saddle!
Sram's Truvativ chain set, the stylo version really disappointed me in terms of performance and quality. At first glance it was easy to say hell no, I'm not spending money on that chain set. Look at it, it's jet black as with all versions of the truvativ line. It came as standard on the first full susser I bought and it constantly creaked and made terrible noises under pedal load. It drove me totally nuts and after having it in the shop a few times and several "things" done by the mechanic I decided it had got to go.
But the firex is different from it's counter part. Yes it's black but the performance and quality must be on par with XT. As with the XT, sram use external bottom brackets giving you a solid platform for those long grueling rides, (as long as all the spacers are fitted!) As I found out before!! Missing or loose spacers on your bottom bracket, behind the bearing cups cause creaking noises. So make sure all is present and tight before hitting the trails, you'll wish you had if you don't!
As I got the Truvativ firex chain set as standard on my new hard tail, I had no choice but to give it a go! (After all my missus told me after spending a grand and a half on the "bloody bike" I could live with it!!!)
The first thing that struck me about the Sram's Truvativ firex chain set was no creaking noises under pedal load. (and I really like to push those pedals :-) ) This made me smile as I know it's construction and quality is rock solid. As I like to push heavy gears, as I have said before, this is of the most importance to me!
Another thing I noticed about it was, that shifting was smooth and second to none! Sram's Truvativ chain sets are not the best chain sets to look at but the high end one's perform really well!
Truvativ chain sets are an affordable option for beginners, but if you can afford it go XT and above!! (When the missus has calmed down a little I know that's what I'll be going with!)
The rock shox reba SL suspension fork really amazed me in terms of performance and quality. At first glance it was hard to see any reason why I should spend money on this suspension fork. But when you put the cosmetic aspect to one side and actually put the fork to good use, you'll be amazed too!
The first thing that struck me about the rock shox reba SL suspension fork was it's lock out adjuster. Unlike some forks the SL lock out adjuster felt a little tight but solid as it should be considering the job it's doing!
Some forks give when the seals bed in and makes the fork feel and sound clunky, but this fork even after a fare few miles is still rock solid. Another thing I noticed about it was that, even when the lock out was engaged the fork still had the perfect amount of travel for those off-road climbs.
A lot of forks of this quality are on the heavy side so it's nice to find a fork light enough for XC and strong enough, all in one great package.
Yep, this is one hell of a suspension fork for XC and trail riding. Apart from the lack of flashy graphics, I would say that it's faultless and would recommend it to anyone!
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About me
This blog is all about my life… my life of mountain biking and ideas I’ve acquired through the years. As an average everyday mountain biker, the learning doesn’t stop. I try to feed my mind in my own little way by writing and promoting this blog. I would like to share what I have learned through this blog with you. Let this blog be an additional resource for your mountain bike needs, and maybe you'll find some much needed ideas you may not have given much thought to before.
My name is Paul Walton, an engineer slave and spare time mountain biker/blogger. Blogging about mountain bikes has become and undying passion, spending most weekends and afternoons on the internet blogging. As well as riding bikes, writing about it also is what I love to do.
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