From diameters to dials, there’s a ton of stuff to think about before buying a new fork for your bike. But do you really need one? If you’ve got a decent fork already but it’s feeling stiff, lumpy or insensitive then getting it serviced might restore its performance. Some older forks can also be upgraded with new seals, dampers or other technology to bring them bang up to date at a bargain price.
Remember that forks are just part of the bigger picture too. Some of the latest tyres are so well damped they can make an adequate fork feel amazing, which is a far cheaper solution than a new fork. Playing with tyre or suspension pressures and damping settings can also make a massive difference to grip and smoothness on the trail.
Before opting to size up, bear in mind that a longer fork isn't automatically better. Forks with 130 to 150mm of travel are now extremely capable, and lighter structures (32mm stanchions, etc) mean they can be as much as 300g lighter than 160mm forks. You need to think about how much a longer fork will change your bike’s geometry too. It’ll give a slacker head angle that’s more stable at speed but needs to be teamed with a shorter stem to stop the bike feeling sluggish. That means it’ll wobble around more on the flat or climbs. A longer fork will also raise the BB and centre of gravity of the bike, decreasing stability.
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You need to check whether a longer fork will invalidate your frame warranty too, and even if it doesn’t, we’d rarely recommend adding more than 20mm more travel than you already have. We’d definitely suggest going for a larger stanchion size if you’re a proper hard rider though, because the extra cornering and braking accuracy from a 35mm diameter RockShox Pike or 36mm Fox 36 or X-Fusion Metric is immediately noticeable on the trail.
Next comes cost. All the forks here have some kind of rebound and compression damping adjustment. Even if you don’t need or want a lockout lever, it’s a good sign that the fork is damped well enough to be ridden properly hard without bouncing all over the place.
Choosing between a relatively cheap fork and a higher-end model generally comes down to how long the forks keep their control and composure on full-gas descents, when simpler damping circuits can get overwhelmed. Really good forks will give firm support as you carve through a berm but still take a boulder or tree stump hit without sacrificing sensitivity and traction over smaller stuff. Depending on whether they're more towards the XC or DH end of the spectrum, more expensive forks will give you more advanced lockout or travel-adjust options, or load/speed-specific compression damper tuning. There’s never any point buying a fork with features you don’t understand or won’t use though.
How we tested
Best trail/enduro forks
Fox 36 Float 27.5
- Price: £909 / AU$1,500
- Travel: 160mm (140, 150 and 170mm available)
- Wheel size: 650b (26 and 29in available)
- Weight: 1960g
RockShox Pike RCT3 Solo
- Price: £780 / AU$1,300
- Travel: 160mm (150mm available)
- Wheel size: 650b (26 and 29in available)
- Weight: 1860g
BOS Deville 160
- Price: £870 / AU$1,499
- Travel: 160mm
- Wheel size: 650b (26in available)
- Weight: 2,110g
X-Fusion Sweep RL2
- Price: £455 / AU$690
- Travel: 160mm
- Wheel size: 650b (Trace is 29in version)
- Weight: 1830g
Marzocchi 350 CR
- Price: £429.95 / AU$TBC
- Travel: 160mm
- Wheel size: 650b
- Weight: 2090g
X-Fusion Metric HLR
- Price: £799.99 / AU$1,185
- Travel: 180mm
- Wheel size: 26in, 650b
- Weight: 2310g
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