$450 vs. $2000 Suspension - Budget vs. Baller Episode 4

There's no doubt that your suspension plays a huge part in how your bike rides, but do you need to spend all that extra money on fancy coatings and excessive dials? Well, today we're going to find out with Henry's $450 option versus Jason's $2000 option. What could go wrong?
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[@harrisonwinter4712]

Maybe if they do this series again their “budget” option could be actual budget products from well known brands instead of Chinese knock off products.

[@MzmdsTerror]

that's not what jenson paid for apparently.

[@gtsimmo1]

@@MzmdsTerror if the budget items also came from Jensen then it's a win/win for them. There's a lot more people out there that can afford the good budget options.

[@mrvwbug4423]

@@gtsimmo1 Nah, Jenson doesn't sell that crap. That is Ebay/Alibaba garbage.

[@hannes6114]

@@mrvwbug4423 yeah - he sade CAME

[@adamneulander]

Yea I'd have thought they'd have just serviced the yari and maybe replaced the damper with a charger rc2

[@lanehartwig6917]

This show should be renamed “broke vs baller” for what they are doing to Henry

[@13lackPho3n1X]

Yep - could've easily gotten something like a decent Manitou budget fork like the Mattoc Comp or a Suntour Auron etc

[@OLI-vx1md]

Yet he stays strong through it 💪😉✨

[@witherthe7th261]

downgrade vs upgrade

[@ojanpohja]

Yeah. Buying that cheap crap is just stupid.

[@OLI-vx1md]

@@ojanpohja it is yes.. but that I surely what this series is trying to display. To highlight where buying the absolute budget product is just not the way to go but also where it would be applicable (saddle, grips, wheels ((to some extent)), pedals..) For some people they cannot justify the use or expenses involved with premium products and hopefully this series shows where people should at least invest into the mid tier range instead of buying into the false economy of entry level components and I feel this series highlights it well.

[@GustavoCebo]

This is a great idea for a series. But, the cheap bike must have smart cheap upgrades, not downgrades.

[@skibike01]

I agree the tires shouldn’t have been upgraded same with the dropper. If it’s a downgrade for the low bike just keep it the same.

[@Cannibeasty]

They don't understand the difference between cheap and inexpensive.

[@mrladeuce397]

@@Cannibeasty feels like they're missing out on identifying with us... the people who want value for their money.. not necessarily Jenson sells

[@aussiesphilstewartguitars2649]

Agree 100% not all us budget builders are idiots, the parts on the budget bike have turned it into something now almost becoming not only unsafe, but also un-sellable

[@Cowboypt]

Totally agreed. The comparison, seems to be just for people to think when buying parts.

[@jannikna9705]

This series features the worst "budget" upgrades I've ever seen. I guess it could actually confuse people who are new to the sport and want to upgrade their bikes in a cost-effective way.

[@iggywow]

this series kinda misses the mark because everyone expected budget upgrades vs. baller upgrades on a decent used bike. Instead it's like stripping the entire frame and putting on the cheapest stuff they can find vs most expensive. Which is maybe a bit entertaining but not that informative

[@nodaysoff23]

Yup. I'm over this series. Ruined the whole concept. Nobody watching these videos is going to use that crap. Worst of all Jenson offers a huge selection of parts from quality budget on up.

[@Kiri_Bike]

Agree

[@OLI-vx1md]

@@nodaysoff23 I honestly think it highlights that these super entry parts are often a false economy.. and I feel it makes that point well. Hopefully by the end of the series people that are entering the sport will realise where they can go cheap (wheels (to some extent), grips, saddle, pedals) and where to at least step up off the cheapest and go to perhaps lower to mid price/ performance range. At least at this range there usually isn't a false economy of buying multiple times over thinking the components are cheap and acceptable whereas they're just awful. ✌️😉✨

[@aaronbehindbars]

This budget parts look like something from Kev Central. I very much enjoy his channel where he upgrades big box bikes with these Amazon and Ali Express parts, but also some sensible parts like Microshift Advent X and the cheapeat Shimano hydro discs. This stuff works for his content, but is absolutely wrong here. I'd much rather see something comparing a $500 SR Suntour fork to the Fox Factory Kashima.

[@TheSkyViking]

I wish you guys would have used affordable parts from legitimate brands for the budget option. That would have been much more realistic and informative.

[@rodrigopages1054]

Henry would have been way better off by just servicing the forks and maybe upgrading the damper which would have been a bit more expensive but way more sensible of an upgrade on a budget build

[@froz3ntree40]

Would've also been cheaper

[@jasper_of_puppets]

@@froz3ntree40 Rockshox Charger 2.1 damper kit upgrade is around $330 bucks. It's sooo worth it though - along with low friction SKF seals for about $18. You're _essentially_ converting a low-end Yari into a Lyrik Ultimate

[@froz3ntree40]

@@jasper_of_puppets even replacing the whole fork with a second hand one in pristine condition would've been better as well. Got my 170mm 2019(?) Yari, upgraded(by the previous owner) to DebonAir B1 and Charger 2 for about 440$. So yeah, pointless series from PB this time

[@bobvelting379]

I would indeed recommend upgrading the internals of the fork and servicing the rear end. but this is something that they seem to be doing a lot in this series: "he has decent parts on the bike (bar and stem to name some), but here is some cheap eBay shit we found to put on it"

[@renzlawmtb8305]

Yea they went too far down on the fork selection. I mean who put those unknown brand if you have a Giant Reign to upgrade. Rockshox Yari or the 35 would been better choice and still considered as budget upgrade just around $500

[@josuemedina58]

Every budget vs baller comment: We want to see value instead of just the cheapest.. Pinkbike: Yeah check out this 20$ fork!

[@knewal7050]

Next time make this show baller vs best price/performance low budget. Henry's old fork was better if he would have serviced it.

[@kevinclark9176]

Exactly. A service would have cost half the new fork and resulted in better performance.

[@halfgeek1394]

The “budget” bike should have been just the base bike, with minimal upgrades (maybe new tires of a similar caliber, fork, brake, drivetrain service) new dropper and cockpit for your preference, wheels on a budget. Not by taking nice parts that came on your bike to replace worn average parts with cheap parts you’d put on Walmart bikes as “upgrades”

[@mrvwbug4423]

Yup, the stock bike had stuff that would work just fine with nothing more than some fresh seals and a service.

[@waldojpg]

the best upgrade for this fork would've probably been a new airshaft and a service. 50-80 bucks for a 'feels-like-new' fork

[@mrladeuce397]

they really missed the boat on this

[@eugenebikes794]

That’s literally a downgrade… I bet a nice service to the lyric fork wld be a much more practical choice

[@jojodroid31]

sure but let's just say the fork was a shitty coil fork before... It's not about the bike in the video, it's about the bike everyone has at home

[@HannyDart]

@@jojodroid31 noone has a 160mm enduro bike with even crappier parts on it than they put on henrys bike

[@mtbboy1993]

Secondhand I could get a much better fork for similar price as the junk. I've seen different models of these cheap forks crack in the lowers the damper and air are closed cartridges, so can't serice it. And they gave up having lubricating oil in the lowers. The forks can have bad tolerances. They are sold under different names. I would avoid these fork. Get a secondhand fork or upgrade and service the existing fork. Or buy last year's or year before model of a Hugh end fork for cheap, so wait for those great deals that might come. I see less of them now in Norway, probably due to pandemic, but seen some.

[@joaocorreia7518]

comparition should be between 2 forks from the same manufactor, like ZEB ultimate against entry level Domain. Or 36 factory against rythm 36. this video is pointless!

[@wyattrutter2473]

Your entirely correct. If your buying suspension for a bike, everyone is always going to spend at least 1k on front and rear combined and if you went baller you might spend 2k. I would have watched yari vs lyric instead and maybe a super deluxe select vs a super deluxe ultimate.

[@frediabolo]

When your sponsored by the bike industry I guess a video showing that you can get 95 percent of the performance with a 3rd of the price would not be popular. So instead of showing the inteligent options they choose to sabotage the budget section with cr*p unknown chinese brands instead of the many reputable brands providing great budget options.

[@HannyDart]

and then put in waaaay to much pressure in the cheap forks to make sure they dont perform well. i mean that wouldnt be acceptable, right :D

[@marthamryglod291]

Exactly right. Don't show people that mid-grade stuff gets you almost all the way there. Even brand name lower end stuff is 75% as good as top-level components.

[@danielm2058]

The only problem with this series is that some of the budget upgrades are not sensible. It's either the case of the parts that were on the bike were better or spending just a little bit more and having way better parts

[@kuugeli]

This. They shouldnt buy bad parts just because theyre cheap if they allready know those parts are bad. The inspiration for this series is donut medias one on cars and there even the cheap ones are are still sensible. Pinkbike is just trying to ruin the cheap bike. There is no question here which parts anyone would pick. Even just servicing the cheap bikes suspension parts would be much more sensible.

[@mistera1mL3Ss]

Absolutely agree! A full Service, maybe even a Charger Upgrade for the Fork would be sensible. But... As seen on PB Academy we are not the ones who choose 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@notparanoid912]

Could have put a charger2.1(250€) and a debon air(40€) in the fork.would have been way better

[@alexnelson9505]

They should be using low end "good" parts. Picking garbage will give you a crappy unsafe bike.

[@glennoc8585]

Better parts? You won't get super lightweight and reputable brands unless you go big spend. The difference in weight or quality on the cheap to midrange us very little so the cheaper end is ok.nid pick a cheaper bar and stem like Uno or FSA as they are reputable over the eBay stuff but in saying that I've seen those eBay bars on a guys bike for a few years.

[@pecobot]

It was a really interesting idea to see the split item by item between budget vs baller upgrades, but this is the same as the wallmart bike vs a superbike...

[@loutwo]

Agreed, they went way too cheap, it should be middle of the road MTB parts vs the top gear.

[@th_js]

It should've been something like RockShox Yari, SRAM NX/GX, Raceface Chester pedals/cockpit, etc. vs. EXT Era, SRAM AXS, Enve cockpit, Pedalling innovations catalyst pedals, Cane Creek Ewings etc. And for the tyres, something like Schwalbe Magic Mary Performance vs. Magic Mary Evolution.

[@blakee9690]

This would miss the point of the video though. The whole point is to figure out where it’s worth it to spend a lot of money, and where it isn’t. For example, thus far in the series, we’ve learned that expensive tires are worth it, while pedals and grips aren’t.

[@pecobot]

@@blakee9690 not really, the sensitive budget option here is to service the fork, the whole chinese know off was for entretainment purpose only

[@ZOB4]

Maybe we give both of these bad boys a clean before we spend thousands of dollars on upgrading them (or hundreds of dollars on making them worse than when they started)

[@datalaforge]

Yeah, I like to clean my bike whenever it’s time to install a new part.

[@rebeltr0users131]

Love this series! That Yari on Henry’s bike was a good fork. Should have just given it a service, would have been less than half the price of the new bad one!

[@martinshortt7750]

Exactly - slap a new damper in it and you have a Lyrik.

[@ruaraidh1257]

And maybe a new damper still would’ve only been slightly more expensive 🤦‍♂️

[@iffy_too4289]

So why you saying you love this series? You just said what they should have done, when they gave us this shit instead.

[@rebeltr0users131]

@@iffy_too4289 easy to disagree with one thing along the way and happy to watch the rest! :)

[@ianburke2490]

Who is this helping? Parts that cost more than your bike are really good and parts from sketchy websites and Amazon without a legitimate brand name are crap, like who didn't already know that? I was super excited to see an MTB version of Donut's Hi-Lo, especially with these 2 amazing presenters, but it's like they didn't even watch the series they're copying. Henry even said it at the beginning of the episode, they know these budget "upgrades" are terrible and they both said the rear shock service was the best option. They should have at least had a control bike that just got serviced instead of actively downgraded.

[@juanfrabenitez7270]

Its not reallistic, it would be better an uograde to debonair or something similar. Not destroy the bike with that shit

[@reevessteven154]

Wouldn't it be cheaper and better to just rebuild the suspension instead of buying questionable "wish"-like parts?

[@toki002]

Bingo, the budget solution to a bad front fork is to buy a service kit and to do it yourself, unless there's damage to it or it's very old, that's what they should have done and the end result would probably have been that both of them would have went for servicing the suspension instead of buying 2000$ worth of it.

[@terytkonar7695]

Henry coming in with some bikeshop level tricks. Love it hahah

[@jonbrown853]

@AGNÉZ Buny Girls how do they ride though ?

[@EthanAdey]

@@jonbrown853 💀💀💀

[@rupedog]

Not bike shop level.... world cup dh tech level... learnt some great hacks from his GMBN tech vids.... like sram brake maintenance, service ans set up hacks/tips.

[@sw1fty13]

Loving this series and adaption of the idea from Donut Media. For this episode, I do think a better budget option would have been the marzocchi bomber or possibly a budget RockShox fork. While they're admittedly probably a little more expensive, they'd still likely be about half the price of the fox fork for a much better fork. Just a thought though, keep up the great content!

[@NickyNicest]

It would also be realistic. No one is buying cheap Chinese forks for an "upgrade." Not only that, it was a downgrade from the previous fork and your average MTB'er would either service their current fork or buy something of quality and reputation in the more affordable range. This series is just one giant ad trying to convince people to upgrade to the highest end components.

[@PedroFTeixeira]

Henry should have gone for a Suntour Aion or something like that. Something cheap but reputable, not some chinese weird stuff. Also his fork seemed to have a bit to much air. Since the bikes are similar, they should also switch bikes.

[@finnlikesplanes7110]

it feels kind of elitist this whole series

[@DjDolHaus86]

Too much air on delivery isn't a bad thing, it at least means they've been pressure tested before leaving the factory and haven't lost air while in transit/storage. While I wouldn't say it's a sign of good design/manufacture I'd say it at least shows a level of competence which is nice at the bargain bin price point

[@adamklibisz4328]

The budget upgrade parts so far, especially the fork and tires, seem to be jokes. There are legitimate budget options, and they aren't being used. Stick to your other content, Pinkbike. There are plenty of other channels making much better budget-focused content.

[@nikounourbakhsh8433]

Tires sure but the fork is not that bad

[@BCmtb]

Agreed

[@notparanoid912]

@@nikounourbakhsh8433 lol that fork is straight up dangerous. They could have slapt a charger 2.1 damper ,debonair-spring and some seals in and the fork would have been a serious contender against the fox and still cheaper than the garbagefork

[@need4speed290]

I disagree this really shows the difference between expensive and cheap parts, They should continue with the content.

[@nikounourbakhsh8433]

@@notparanoid912 ok sure but I really enjoy the content so I don’t think it’s a reason to stop making these type of videos

[@bentoth2494]

For $250, get a rockshox recon! Wayyyy better!

[@323johnnybravo]

I was just going to post this same thing. Lol

[@TeamCykelhold]

Guys....it's way cheaper to just service the fork than replacing it!

[@traildaze1895]

It would be really interesting to see a budget vs baller season about building a bike from the frame up

[@cleanestedits1]

You guys should've done an Amazon shock for $100

[@zachodunsimtb]

Jason can finally have a rideable fork

[@EnduroPo30]

Henry is just ruining the bike... not improving it with a small budget ...

[@luksch6331]

They should have gotten a domain or something like that for the budget bike

[@eddevincentis2218]

Is it just me, or is cycling eyewear looking more and more like shop safety goggles every year?

[@notparanoid912]

The same producers and the same purpose so it makes sense

[@IamtheWV17]

That's what I wear....

[@gambitmkii]

Surly a “baller” bike should have a Trust fork and a Push shock for a cool 5K lol

[@netposerx]

I hate this way to compare things. Does the more expensive perform better? Probably. I would like to know if the cheaper parts going to end up costing you the same as the more expensive over time?

[@mihalis1010]

Watching the slowmo of the cheap fork really makes it look like hot garbage.

[@moto_hubi46]

450$ budget... Budget suspension is 50$. 450$ is a very good shock absorber and $ 2,000 is not possible in my country ;/

[@jasondiamond6286]

Wouldn’t a better budget option be to updating the air spring, dampers, internals, and a full service of the fork instead of buying the cheapest fork that money could buy!??

[@floriankoepp4066]

They're completely missing the whole point of this show lmao 🤦‍♂️

[@johnnyarcuri]

Poor Henry leaves gmbn and goes to pink bike and gets huffy level parts. Give the man budget parts that aren’t going to kill him.

[@KiwiInGermanyMTB]

Looked like Henry's fork had too much air. In slow mo still had 30-40mm travel to go

[@FlyEaglesFly333]

That's probably because the fork would blow through the mid stroke with less air. I just upgraded from a RS recon that I had to run with too much air because it was so unsupportive in the mid stroke. If I bottomed the shock hard the fork went through 80% of its travel.

[@iliketoridebikes]

These forks typically come advertised with the exposed stanchion length, but the actual travel is lower. For example Himalo makes a "180mm travel" that has what they call "press in travel" of 140mm.

[@rupedog]

Its design has too much ramp up more likely...to progressive. But no spacers to remove, so....

[@endianAphones]

@@FlyEaglesFly333 I have a rockshox recon... what did you upgrade to?

[@FlyEaglesFly333]

@@endianAphones fox 36 performance

[@bobbyhempel1513]

I wish I could afford to spend $250 on a suspension fork.

[@jacobg130productions]

I love that Henry got a bit of a half win with the fork. Budget forks like that are either: Really good and surprising. Or: how the hell did this get approved for sale?

[@meeehmeeheheh9318]

That himlo fork is a budget one, but it is pretty durable for the price tho… my friend has been using that for a year now since he bought his trail bike. He broke his stock fork and changed into that himalo fork, it works well, but not comparable to fox, rockshox opand any other high end mtb forks that bangs the buck

[@tracymcmanus550]

I would love to see a version of this where Henry is given a budget (maybe $1500, since they seem to be stripping it down to the frame), and gets to pick his parts and/or repairs. Then compare it to a balled out version

[@marcgallant5270]

Realistically they should of rebuilt the Yari's and sent them for a custom tune. No one would buy that cheap fork.

[@BCmtb]

This series doesn’t actually help anyone. Few people can afford the most expensive stuff and nobody would ever consider that garbage stuff anyways. We already know cheap knockoff stuff is crap

[@yengsabio5315]

US$ 450 is like PhP 22,500.00 (i.e., Philippine peso). Wow! Bike components are really, really expensive these days even for a so-called "budget" price. Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #KeepBiking

[@carolinehix6128]

Is it just me or does it look like they didn't bother to set the correct sag on the cheap fork ? Only using about 60-70% of the travel ?..

[@aussiesphilstewartguitars2649]

The budget v baller is now become more like idiot v baller. Every budget builder isn’t stupid, who in their right mind would sacrifice tire to the extent of price over safety, why would you remove and downgrade a dropper, and the fork, well that’s just ridiculous $250 for rubbish, when for the less than that a kit or service on the budget bikes fork would of done. I love the show and the idea, but this isn’t how budget builders build bikes at all.

[@Kiri_Bike]

Imagine upgrading solid stock components with shitty cheap, not "budget" trash.

[@22Steez]

why didn´t you shim tune the yari? much better performance as the noname 260$ Fork.. and the shock too... for the spend money we could tune and service the suspension in Germany to the best!

[@ameliabriggs3678]

I know you've already installed those forks, but I really want you to test DNM USD6 forks and DNM Rear coil shock.

[@petesahad3028]

I hope someday RockShox builds good quality entry level forks and shox with, idk, a bit less tunability...

[@jonahgardberg2146]

Wouldn’t it have made more sense to just service the fork and install a new charger damper or a debonair spring? They say upgrades but some of these seem like downgrades?

[@samohta7090]

Not everybody has got 1000 bucks for a new fork. So it's great to have the Himalo reviewed. And it seems these forks are not that bad.

[@mrladeuce397]

Budget vs. Baller? No Junk vs. Baller Great way for Jenson to promo all the bells and whistles.

[@darrendrummond7916]

I’m over this series tbh you can get a way better fork for the money why not buy a second hand rockshox recon or Judy instead just stupid upgrades the bike was better at the start when it was stock

[@dash0173]

i really hope you guys address the short comings of this series ASAP once it's over. i just really don't understand how a company like pinkbike makes these huge oversights and then has the audacity to compare their own series with donut medias.

[@janetcharlish6483]

If only KZbin didn’t remove the dislike count on videos. I’d love to see the ratio on this series. Use this comment as a dislike button if you’d like

[@rupedog]

Love that t-wrench hack for bars when removing fork... simple, effective... who needs an expensive ( and flawed design- its designed the wrong way up) Park tool.

[@marc7799]

you said the show was inspired by donut medias high low but they get at least upgrades for there cars and not downgrade them to oblivion like you do

[@kmcnelley1981]

Still very much used to seeing Henry on GMBN.... cool projects though

[@austinfrandsen6457]

take off good rock shox fork to replace it with a no name amazon fork: Upgrades people upgrades

[@erict3870]

It would be cool to see a head to head on cheapo fork, vs rebuilt original, old original fork vs expensive fork, same track, same bike, both riders, this would put investment vs $$$ in perspective. Keep up the good content, it’s fun to see what can be done with older bikes.

[@bm4122]

Pinkbike decided to release this series after KZbin made it so we can no longer see the dislike count.

[@Phlizz]

It’s not what I hoped it would be: the „budget“ parts are mostly utter crap. I’d argue that beginners tend to spend too much money or in the wrong places. A true budget build with Suntour, BrandX, Microshift etc parts would be more entertaining and interesting. 😔

[@MrSupermugen]

First episode had so much promise, now its anther terrible one like pba.

[@jacob.rausch]

this aint budget its put the cheapest shit you can find on it, not actual value parts

[@NS-zv9qf]

Should have reviewed a DNM shock - those are decent and cheap

[@eightlivesdownmtb]

This is such a missed opportunity. It could have been useful but, instead, for all its relevance they could have covered Jason in glue and had him pinball like a dervish through the Jenson warehouse for an hour while Henry dries out a wet cardboard bike with painted-on wheels...oh wait, that's what they do next week? OK.

[@matthewszn7257]

Where can I get Henry’s front suspension fork

[@kurtisgassewitz4291]

Thoroughly entertaining series. Agreed with the rest of the comments: use some budget, base level options as oppose to cheap knockoffs for the comparison.

[@sambolo]

Yari would have been actually very decent budget fork.

[@ludzkieimie_1050]

we in Poland convert spring forks into air ones

[@joeschmoe303]

For a first attempt at this budget v baller, this is turning out to be really great. Could improvements be made for next version, absolutely (mainly not joke budget components), but I have really enjoyed watching this series.

[@fishrideandski4910]

Oof Henry got more of a down grade :l

[@rodrames2462]

Can't wait for the tourney groupset.

[@timpowell516]

Another vote for redoing some of these with a true cost effective option for the normal consumers. The sort who pay £1k-£3k and half that on second hand. Isnt that what this show is wanting to achieve since 90% of us live in this category.... Love the series format and the presenters, just the budget options are..... terrible.

[@zazin555]

I wish you guys used slightly higher quality parts for the budget build to give a good comparison. I'm shopping fox against marzocchi, maybe sr suntour, not some chinese garbage.

[@livingon2wheels]

I *love love love* this series! Henry and Jason do an amazing job. I'm impressed with the product selection and often surprised with the results. Great work guys!

[@sectrew]

Can we get a huck to flat test on these?

[@danp2509]

for the "broke" setup they would've been much better off servicing the fork and maybe changing the damper. henry is a pro mechanic after all...

[@Exstaz]

Why change the shock instead of servicing it and get it back to life that way? The new shock on the cheap bike felt like a downgrade. A rebuild would be way cheaper and give you a better shock. The 150$ you save can you just put on other parts. Same with the rear shock.

[@dazlad_mtb]

Shock hardware pressing (WITHOUT A HAMMER): Use a drill press and the appropriate sized socket, with an appropriately sized box wrench underneath (for pressing out). The socket should press through the box wrench, while the box wrench should provide adequate support for the eye of the shock (you can line it with an old inner tube section for protection). When pressing back in, close the drill chuck so that it seats neatly inside the new hardware sleeve. Today's cheap-ass tip brought to you by the MTB Connection podcast. HNY folks!

[@aiwprtonaezakmi5874]

It would be better to put new air spring, seals and charger damper in Yari to make it perform like Lyrik

[@IBCMTB]

Already been mentioned, but they've done Henry dirty here. Would have been far better off just keeping the Yari and servicing it, and maybe installing a Charger R (or 2.1) damper... a fork *downgrade* to whatever that thing is, is just silly.

[@filthyMTB]

Actually, the Himalo fork is not that bad at all, for the reasons Henry mentioned. I have ridden one and used one on a budget build and so far long term the bike it is on is performing very well. The biggest issue with them, they are not quite the travel they advertise, ie the 140 is only 120, 160 is only 140 and so on, they are all @ 20mm less in travel than their stanchion length. This is mentioned in their ads but not in the header tagline, let the air out and see for yourself. You can also see this in comparison on the slow-mo shots. Unfortunately using this fork you actually downgraded the bike not upgraded. The Himalo fork IMO only an option if your forks are fried beyond repair or building a new bike and do not have the budget to buy a decent brand name. The better budget option would have been to simply service the existing fork, which would have been cheaper than the Himalo fork. The other option would have been to rebuild and upgrade to a new 2.1 damper with new seals. The upgrade should have been the option you used as it was the perfect upgrade on a budget if you were buying a 2nd hand bike with 2018 forks or already have one. I have a 2018 Pike RCT3 and it was a no brainer during a service to have it upgraded for a fraction of the new 2021 fork. IMO the Pike RCT3 with 2021 dampener and seals is now a better feeling fork than my 36 Factory Grip2. My 36 only wins IMO in one area, it is a stiffer fork (but should be compared to a Lyrik).

[@LoneOakWoodworks]

Was the cheap fork even set for sag? The installation video didn't look like it...not that I think people should buy those but on the slo-mo some pretty big hits never pushed it past ~2/3 travel when the Fox fork was deep.. Also, how do you do a comparison between parts without both riders (or a single rider) trying both? Really low value video unfortunately..

[@GFClocked]

Dislike. Pinkbike, I think you're purposefully trying to mislead people. Entry level costs almost the same as this china crap, and it will have all the features and work as well as the expensive one. You are misleading people with every single episode by specifically choosing some china crap, when with 5$ more you can get good entry level stuff. Seriously, what a disgrace! You've really tarnished your reputation beyond belief, I feel personally insulted by this series.

[@TeddyParker]

"I was able to call Jenson... Henry, did your Amazon fork come with any service??" (rolls eyes) fucksake we get it guys. henry is ruining his bike and having a worse riding experience. it's almost like you could have just serviced the fork... like the shock was serviced... or just throw a Z2 on. weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee reality tv formats

[@jeromep4148]

I am wondering if you guys are just fundamentally component snobs- where non-name brand items would never be remotely acceptable??? I question if this episode was a consummate example of confirmation bias? You need to this with fully blind evals where you don’t know what brand and what price point you have on the bike - unfortunately, only then will we get truly useful info. Any merit to my thinking?

[@robmooremtb]

Yeah , so they're really downgrading Henry's bike Almost everything on it was better in is factory form and would have benefitted from a good service . If they were building a new bike from scratch this theme would work better . Bit you'd still be better buying a second hand bike than building a new bike with all that stuff on it .

[@capixabaerp4708]

The chinese companys are surfing in the crazy precification of big companys. That´s it. No way pay 2000 dollars on a MTB fork for the most part of mountain bikers. For outside the chinese companys are develoment your products, copyng on the most part and sale on the aliexpress or ohter plataforms.

[@antrace92]

dear pinkbike, it's fine if you choose crappy cheap components for the lulz, but at least choose something worthy. Besides the high end ohlins and fox there's lot of hidden gems among suspension brands like formula, x fusion, manitou... of course, there's also rocksox entry level stuff but at least it's decent

[@thepoorbiker6902]

Nice vid. High end forks great performance. Budget forks low performance. The problem is we cannot afford thousand dollars fork, can afford only below hundred dollar fork. So sad.

[@ianmangham4570]

My Rockshox recon SL is like floating on Air 🤘🤠🇬🇧 I love my first Air Fork ,I've had a go of the budget fork and it was very good

[@jaredrude431]

This show started out interesting, but honestly, each episode just gets more stupid. This show would have been much better as "brand new high dollar parts install vs experienced race mechanic pulling out the tricks and attention to detail in order to upgrade lower end or less popular parts to make them perform well on a serious budget". Is anyone really surprised that the best of the best can slaughter the worst of the worst?

[@trentvlak]

Henry's fork needed some volume reducing spacers and reduce the pressure a bit. It looked pretty good though. Riding high in the travel feels pretty good on the steep tech stuff.

[@loutwo]

The budget bike is getting cheaper parts than what came on it, no one that rides is seriously going to down grade their bar and stem to “save money” Love the idea of this, but do brand name stuff cheapest and most expensive, not down grade Chinese garbage

[@bazil4146]

When people expect budget forks, they are thinking about SR Suntour, X fusion, or The cheaper rockshox forks like the Recon or the Judy. These are actual reputable Brands Making forks. Nobody is thinking about a random fork like the Himalo 36.

[@believe8263]

Henry with the clapped out bike will probably still be faster than Jason.