Lots of good suggestions here... I will add that I don't have a ton of strong opinions on fork performance with a 120-130mm travel fork on a hard tail. As long as I can get the right rebound damping I want I'm mostly fine. I find that I am never going to be in a position to rely heavily on the damper with a soft spring rate (more sag) on a hardtail. For that reason, provided the fork has a good chassis/bushing/tolerances and has the appropriate rebound damping resolution (ie: I don't feel like I'm stuck between two clicks of the adjuster to reach ideal), I'm happy. I'm also less focused on a stiff chassis on a hardtail and thus I am more agnostic to chassis nuanced then I would be on a full suspension bike. As an example, I would rarely chose a 34 over a 36sl on a full suspension bike, but on a hard tail the 34 is more then enough.
For that reason, manitou mattoc, fox 34/36sl, or pike/sid. I have a hardtail that I leave at my in-laws house in the midwest and I have a pike select+ fork on it that is perfect for the application. Honestly, I would likely go with a pike again as it has a very no frills, easy to deal with air spring, chassis and damper.
My 2 cents; don't overbike your underbike, it'll be a recipe for a bad time. A lowered Lyrik or 36 with burly tires on a hardtail will be just as slow (or slower) up, and not as fun as your enduro bike down. The tires comment from earlier is dead on. Fast Traks, Dubnitals/Magnitals, Rekons, Ricks. All great.
FWIW The XC/Trail segment has been my primary recreation since I started XC racing when I was 12 in 2002.
RE specific 120-130 fork advice, the Pike is definitely my favorite. I've had and put tons of time on the following MRP Ribbon SL, Fox 32 SC, Fox 34 SC, Fox 34 Fit4, Fox34 Grip2, Fox 34 grip, Cannondale Leftys, Marzocchi z2 (boo! Rattle-y garbage), Cane Creek Helms, Ohlins 34, most SID's from 2002-2010 and most iterations of Pike's. I've heard great things about Manitou, but haven't dipped my toes in that stream beyond the Mastodon on my fat bike.
I like the SID's as well, but from what I gather on this thread the a pike would be a better fit. If XC racing isn't your vibe, a Pike is superior.
BW RS and Fox I've had better luck with the RS forks lasting longer before they creak.
From my experience I also wouldn't sweat the level of fork you buy. Something mid-range and set up well that's regularly maintained is infinitely better than a poorly set up or maintained premier fork.
My 2 cents; don't overbike your underbike, it'll be a recipe for a bad time. A lowered Lyrik or 36 with burly tires on a hardtail...
My 2 cents; don't overbike your underbike, it'll be a recipe for a bad time. A lowered Lyrik or 36 with burly tires on a hardtail will be just as slow (or slower) up, and not as fun as your enduro bike down. The tires comment from earlier is dead on. Fast Traks, Dubnitals/Magnitals, Rekons, Ricks. All great.
FWIW The XC/Trail segment has been my primary recreation since I started XC racing when I was 12 in 2002.
RE specific 120-130 fork advice, the Pike is definitely my favorite. I've had and put tons of time on the following MRP Ribbon SL, Fox 32 SC, Fox 34 SC, Fox 34 Fit4, Fox34 Grip2, Fox 34 grip, Cannondale Leftys, Marzocchi z2 (boo! Rattle-y garbage), Cane Creek Helms, Ohlins 34, most SID's from 2002-2010 and most iterations of Pike's. I've heard great things about Manitou, but haven't dipped my toes in that stream beyond the Mastodon on my fat bike.
I like the SID's as well, but from what I gather on this thread the a pike would be a better fit. If XC racing isn't your vibe, a Pike is superior.
BW RS and Fox I've had better luck with the RS forks lasting longer before they creak.
From my experience I also wouldn't sweat the level of fork you buy. Something mid-range and set up well that's regularly maintained is infinitely better than a poorly set up or maintained premier fork.
Thanks, great thoughts. Yes, I don't want to make this bike something it isn't. My last hardtail had a 150mm 36 but I ended up using it as my XC bike with trail casing tires, so it was just kind of weird and a bad fit for my use case.
Regarding flex and damping, my only hesitation is that on that bike I did feel like I rode the fork pretty heavily since, you know, it was a hardtail. My last XC fork was a 100mm Reba in like 2009 so I'm clearly out of the loop in this segment.
Right now leaning towards a Mattoc or Pike as a good compromise. I've found the Charger 3.1 Lyrik easy to get along with so I figure I would like the Pike too.
I would probably go Pike Ultimate or 36 SL - IMO the 34sl is a cross country race fork like the Sid 35, but the 36 SL is a small trail fork and the new NA3 air springs are really nice so it should be a good balance of light weight but plush and comfortable. Combined with good tyres it would be super fun. The bigger chassis of the 36 can help them run smoother as they bind less and reduce friction too. I'm a similar weight and would maybe choose the 34Sl for a light race bike, but if I'm using it for anything like "real" mountain biking then its 36 all the way!
Lots of good suggestions here... I will add that I don't have a ton of strong opinions on fork performance with a 120-130mm travel fork on a hard tail. As long as I can get the right rebound damping I want I'm mostly fine. I find that I am never going to be in a position to rely heavily on the damper with a soft spring rate (more sag) on a hardtail. For that reason, provided the fork has a good chassis/bushing/tolerances and has the appropriate rebound damping resolution (ie: I don't feel like I'm stuck between two clicks of the adjuster to reach ideal), I'm happy. I'm also less focused on a stiff chassis on a hardtail and thus I am more agnostic to chassis nuanced then I would be on a full suspension bike. As an example, I would rarely chose a 34 over a 36sl on a full suspension bike, but on a hard tail the 34 is more then enough.
For that reason, manitou mattoc, fox 34/36sl, or pike/sid. I have a hardtail that I leave at my in-laws house in the midwest and I have a pike select+ fork on it that is perfect for the application. Honestly, I would likely go with a pike again as it has a very no frills, easy to deal with air spring, chassis and damper.
My 2 cents; don't overbike your underbike, it'll be a recipe for a bad time. A lowered Lyrik or 36 with burly tires on a hardtail will be just as slow (or slower) up, and not as fun as your enduro bike down. The tires comment from earlier is dead on. Fast Traks, Dubnitals/Magnitals, Rekons, Ricks. All great.
FWIW The XC/Trail segment has been my primary recreation since I started XC racing when I was 12 in 2002.
RE specific 120-130 fork advice, the Pike is definitely my favorite. I've had and put tons of time on the following MRP Ribbon SL, Fox 32 SC, Fox 34 SC, Fox 34 Fit4, Fox34 Grip2, Fox 34 grip, Cannondale Leftys, Marzocchi z2 (boo! Rattle-y garbage), Cane Creek Helms, Ohlins 34, most SID's from 2002-2010 and most iterations of Pike's. I've heard great things about Manitou, but haven't dipped my toes in that stream beyond the Mastodon on my fat bike.
I like the SID's as well, but from what I gather on this thread the a pike would be a better fit. If XC racing isn't your vibe, a Pike is superior.
BW RS and Fox I've had better luck with the RS forks lasting longer before they creak.
From my experience I also wouldn't sweat the level of fork you buy. Something mid-range and set up well that's regularly maintained is infinitely better than a poorly set up or maintained premier fork.
Thanks, great thoughts. Yes, I don't want to make this bike something it isn't. My last hardtail had a 150mm 36 but I ended up using it as my XC bike with trail casing tires, so it was just kind of weird and a bad fit for my use case.
Regarding flex and damping, my only hesitation is that on that bike I did feel like I rode the fork pretty heavily since, you know, it was a hardtail. My last XC fork was a 100mm Reba in like 2009 so I'm clearly out of the loop in this segment.
Right now leaning towards a Mattoc or Pike as a good compromise. I've found the Charger 3.1 Lyrik easy to get along with so I figure I would like the Pike too.
I would probably go Pike Ultimate or 36 SL - IMO the 34sl is a cross country race fork like the Sid 35, but the 36 SL is a small trail fork and the new NA3 air springs are really nice so it should be a good balance of light weight but plush and comfortable. Combined with good tyres it would be super fun. The bigger chassis of the 36 can help them run smoother as they bind less and reduce friction too. I'm a similar weight and would maybe choose the 34Sl for a light race bike, but if I'm using it for anything like "real" mountain biking then its 36 all the way!
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