27.5” 1 1/8” fork advice

[Ron]

My little guy has moved up to the Specialized Pitch we have in the garage. Already upgraded wheelset and 1x11 shimano drivetrain. Now it is time for fork. Limited options. But this is what I have found:

Manitou Markhor $299
Sun tour Raidon $239
Rock Shox Recon $274
Rock Shox Judy Gold RL $356

The Judy Gold is the lightest of them all.

Which one would you stay away from because of bad experiences?

Thank you

 

[moose35]

If you go suntour check out their upgrade program. I had a raidon and I think its a great fork for the money. You don't need to currently have a suntour fork either.
When I built up my daughter's current bike I went with an AXON from suntour.
Plus their forks are user serviceable.

Upgrade Program

Upgrade your fork to a high-performance model through the SR SUNTOUR North America upgrade program.

www.srsuntour.us

 

[Karate Monkey]

The Markhor has the best factory damper option available, if that's important to you...but AFAIK, it's only available aftermarket. Still better than a TK damper, though.

It's a sleeper fork for the entry level point, imo. Better than unupgraded Rockshox, not that you can really upgrade either fork you're looking at.

 

[stb222]

I assume it is not a tapered head tube?

Fox does have straight steerer if you contact them but much higher price tag than what you have above but the performance will be much better as well

 

[Ron]

I assume it is not a tapered head tube?

Fox does have straight steerer if you contact them but much higher price tag than what you have above but the performance will be much better as well

Yes, this is not a tapered head tube.

My son is a 9yo, 10 in august. He is a strong rider and will be on this bike for probably 3-4 years. The bike is a hair big for him, but his 24” is small for him.

 

[ebarker9]

I'm not familiar with any of these specifically, but it might be worth trying to get a fork re-valved assuming that your son is quite a bit lighter than the normal range for suspension.