“Burly single crown fork”
The Good: Bombproof, solid, durable and big fan of the maxle
The Bad: Seals blew in less than a month (perhaps I got a bad batch of seals)
This was the first fork from Rock Shox that I have ridden, in the past I have only used Marzocchi, Manitou and Fox. This single crown fork is a great freeride fork for riders looking for burlyperformancewithout a triple crown.
Adjustability: The fork offers rebound and low/high speed compression adjustments, the dials are easy to use and within a couple of clicks you can feel a significant change in the fork performance.
The lockout: I initially thought the lockout feature would be something I would use especially when pedaling up the shuttle roads but in reality I have not made use of this at all. There just doesn't seem to be a need, or at least it doesnt make sense to have 0 travel in the front and then have the rear suspension bobbing up and down.
Durability: I had a bit of a poor first impression from Rock Shox as the seals in my totem blew after about a month of riding and started to puke up oil, after changing the seals and numerous rides the seals are working great with no issues so perhaps I got a bad batch of seals initially (my Fox seals have lasted 2 years without any issues). Everything else in terms of durability is excellent, the dials and internals are all working perfect.
Performance: I do notice that when I compare the Totem to my Fox 40 there is a difference in plushness along with some friction on the Totem (although these are two different types of forks so perhaps they should not be directly compared). Don't get me wrong, the fork is really plush and does have that endless 7 inch feel but its just not as buttery smooth as the Fox fork. This fork has seen variable conditions and terrain and it soaks up all the hits. Regardless if the terrain is made up of fast hitting rocks or long smooth transitions the fork eats up all the hits without any issues.
Overall this is a great freeride and DH fork, it is super stiff and offers very smooth performance.








