The decision... Magic vs. Reba
So, I have made my mind up.
And I'm quite sure that you will be disappointed with my findings.
The Reba
Flawless in just about every aspect. Having dealt with Rock Shox' Dual Air dampers before, I found it very easy to get the sweet spot dialed in almost immediately. Set up is a snap. The fork is stiff, it goes where pointed, and doesn't deflect off of roots, rocks and noseeums.
The Magic
Better than I expected. Despite the learning curve needed to get the most out of this fork, I did manage to figure it out, and enjoy my ride time with it. It also was stiff, tracked well, and was responsive in it's own way.
The Details
Both forks are marketed as 100mm forks. Both forks get their stiffness from 32mm stanchions. They both track where you steer them even in the roughest stuff. Each fork requires a bit of time to decipher how it will behave in tricky spots. It's especially bad when going from one fork to the other, as they are so very different.
The Reba is oil damped, and for preload, has an opposing dual air chamber making adjustments almost infinite. It also features a Floodgate adjustment with the Poploc (handlebar mounted lockout) which controls how much oil gets through he compression circuit. You can set it up so that the lockout shuts oil flow off completely, or restrict it to the point where only bigger hits activates the shock.
The Magic is also air sprung, but utilizes a "smart" valve for the compression circuit. Essentially, the fork can tell when the compression force is coming from above or below, and acts accordingly. There are 32 clicks on my fork that will make the compression circuit more or less restrictive.
Both forks have an independent rebound control. Very tunable on the Reba, somewhat inconsequential on the Magic.
Both of my forks weigh exactly 4lbs with cut steerers.
The Magic has a lower axle to crown than the Reba, but only gets a measured 88mm of travel. On the roughest stuff, I found that I ran out of travel.
While the Reba is relatively taller, it gets a solid 97mm of travel, and I never felt it bottom out.
Conclusion
Both forks work really well. I happen to think that the Magic would be better suited to racing, where you wouldn't want to have to worry about an overactive compression circuit. You could dial in the threshold of the smart valve and race away.
For general riding though, I give the nod to the Reba. If you know you are climbing, lock it out. When you get to the top, release it.
So did I make a decision?
Yes. The Magic will live on my single speed, where I don't have to worry about shifting or anything. I'll deal with the lack of travel, and be happy I'm not riding a rigid fork.
The Reba will be on my fun bike.
And I'm quite sure that you will be disappointed with my findings.
The Reba
Flawless in just about every aspect. Having dealt with Rock Shox' Dual Air dampers before, I found it very easy to get the sweet spot dialed in almost immediately. Set up is a snap. The fork is stiff, it goes where pointed, and doesn't deflect off of roots, rocks and noseeums.
The Magic
Better than I expected. Despite the learning curve needed to get the most out of this fork, I did manage to figure it out, and enjoy my ride time with it. It also was stiff, tracked well, and was responsive in it's own way.
The Details
Both forks are marketed as 100mm forks. Both forks get their stiffness from 32mm stanchions. They both track where you steer them even in the roughest stuff. Each fork requires a bit of time to decipher how it will behave in tricky spots. It's especially bad when going from one fork to the other, as they are so very different.
The Reba is oil damped, and for preload, has an opposing dual air chamber making adjustments almost infinite. It also features a Floodgate adjustment with the Poploc (handlebar mounted lockout) which controls how much oil gets through he compression circuit. You can set it up so that the lockout shuts oil flow off completely, or restrict it to the point where only bigger hits activates the shock.
The Magic is also air sprung, but utilizes a "smart" valve for the compression circuit. Essentially, the fork can tell when the compression force is coming from above or below, and acts accordingly. There are 32 clicks on my fork that will make the compression circuit more or less restrictive.
Both forks have an independent rebound control. Very tunable on the Reba, somewhat inconsequential on the Magic.
Both of my forks weigh exactly 4lbs with cut steerers.
The Magic has a lower axle to crown than the Reba, but only gets a measured 88mm of travel. On the roughest stuff, I found that I ran out of travel.
While the Reba is relatively taller, it gets a solid 97mm of travel, and I never felt it bottom out.
Conclusion
Both forks work really well. I happen to think that the Magic would be better suited to racing, where you wouldn't want to have to worry about an overactive compression circuit. You could dial in the threshold of the smart valve and race away.
For general riding though, I give the nod to the Reba. If you know you are climbing, lock it out. When you get to the top, release it.
So did I make a decision?
Yes. The Magic will live on my single speed, where I don't have to worry about shifting or anything. I'll deal with the lack of travel, and be happy I'm not riding a rigid fork.
The Reba will be on my fun bike.
posted by mandy at 8:34 PM
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