Hey @ButterSuspension, first off, nice video, I like the straightforwardness of just taking it apart and showing the inside pieces. I just recently bought a 2021 Orbea MX50 that comes with a stock SR Suntour XCE 28 Coil suspension fork. That’s working pretty well right now but an upgrade might be in order sometime in the next few years. Do you have any relatively cheap (like under $200) forks that you would recommend? I mean forks that you’ve taken apart and used to be sure they’re good quality. Thanks.
I disassembled my Bolany 32 this winter after a full season of riding. Obviously not doing drops or large jumps on that bike but rough XC and mild downhill stuff. The version i have does not have a negative chamber adjustment and no rebound on the lower. Since i have this weird thing about buying on the cheap and seeing what can be done (😄) I ordered basically every internal component from Suntour for 32mm stanchions, including their $70ish damper cartridge with rebound. Also replacement bushings for the lowers. It all fit and it all works hahah!! This is literally just for fun but want to see how long I can go on this fork. If I can get 3 or 4 seasons on it, I will call it a win for upgrading inexpensive big box bikes. That is really what these things are aimed at anyway. Great vid and now subbed 👍
I have a similar understanding. I have a Chinese shock absorber "fork 32 pro" 140mm thry axle ... During the overhaul, the lower screw that holds the oil (right) cartridge slipped. It will have to be cut and thrown away .... Which Suntour oil cartridge fits !? I would like to put FUN 062-10. The diameter of the old Chinese threaded cartridge above is 29.5mm, will this Suntour fit?!. Which Suntour cartridge did you put in and what is its diameter on the thread?
never really done any research on these baloney forks but have fitted them to a few bikes as replacement forks for people glad u opened them up im sure il be trying to service them at somepoint
This brand is popular in Philippines because it's cheap and this thing got a lot of hate because it's the only fork that got so many reviews online for breaking they call this thing XC just "cross concrete" not cross country
That brand is the most commonly used suspension fork here in the Philippines because of budget issues. Also, a lot have attested that its just enough for casual rides because a lot have encountered accidents while using it on trails.
Great review by a knowledgeable mechanic. Removed this fork from a used bike I bought. Too sketchy for me to ride after feeling them shift around during neighborhood riding. Buy name brand for your safety ppl. Thanks again for the quality review
really enjoyed this video on top all of the others you made good man. Really cool to understand the differences, thank you for this. Really appreciated.
I won't compromise if I'm on a budget build, first the Fork, the handle bar then the brakeset.. I'd rather have a rigid or xcr/xcm than these piece of crap. Then save up for rs recon later.
Really great video! I bought a fork made by the same brand about a year ago right when I got into mountain biking... I didn't know anything about forks at the time (Let alone bikes) and I thought that since it was an air fork it must be great, plus the price appealed to me. I really wish I had this video at the time to guide my thought process. I didn't ride the bike over the winter, as there is too much snow where I live to ride without a fat bike, but when I picked the bike up the next spring I came to find out that it had zero air in it. I brought it to the bike shop to get them to pump it up and pink sealent started bursting out... I'm not quite sure why there was sealent in there in the first place, but it was a complete waste of 200 bucks Canadian... What I wish I knew back then.
I saw this channel and I recently bought a 120mm Lutu fork. My main bike is a Giant Reign SX with a Fox36. How ever I wanted to try a 29er with putting to much money in. Now the Trek Marlin comes with a horrible heavy pogo stick. So the Lutu Fork is similar to this with Rebound. Its not a DH or Park bike so the Lutu from my experience so far, after spending years on longer travel Fox and Rockshox fork is , for the money it hard to beat. I was surprised at how well it worked in smaller rocky terrain. I won't be sending it of big jump but the Marlin is not suited to that anyway. My first ever suspension fork was a Judy back in the 90s. This is worlds better. Long winded I know but the point is, I respect your shop experience but instead of just tearing the fork apart and saying its not built as well as high end fork, get out and test them and give an objective POV. Maybe you can't if you business is servicing higher end forks. But I hope so 😎
I appreciate the comment Chris. In my experience, if I can't get parts for something, it makes me a little nervous. But at this price, you wouldn't need to rebuild it, just buy another! Also, specifically regarding this fork, if there's no rebound control or adjustment, it's just not going to perform well for most intermediate riders on normal trails.
I bought two solo air version and ride mostly blue to black, mild jumps and drops. It's held up. Not the most comfortable, but it's held up. My advice when you get it is to do a lower end service and make sure everything is oiled and greased up properly, and make sure to clean the stanchions after every ride. It will be okay for most trails. But if your going to be doing difficult trails, get yourself a higher end fork, not the bottom of the barrel forks either from the name brands.
The fork looks so nice and I know how bad this will perform on a blue trail, SO I’m going to buy one and take it to my local double black free ride and tech trails I’ll update this comment on how it was They will arrive in March There will not be a video
Wish I'd seen this video like a year ago! I did end up buying a Bolany back then, and honestly this video probably wouldn't have changed that decision, but I'd have been a lot more confident in knowing what exactly it is that I bought. (Mine was "gold" stanchions, which are really more of an orange; perfect fit for my 15-year-old mountain-turned-commuter bike where basically every part I've replaced so far has been a different shade of "gold". Goes a long way towards letting people know where my budget is on that one, hah.) And gotta say, I don't take it on anything besides light trails myself, and I've been... I don't want to say impressed, but surprised to find it's performed as good as the stock Suntour fork it replaced. A bit less durable (it's got a slight looseness after a year-ish that the Suntour took 10+ years to develop) but the Suntour was this beefy, super heavy coil fork, and the Bolany is a far lighter and more comfortable air fork with a remote lockout. I wouldn't trust it off more than like a 1-2 foot drop, but I wouldn't trust the rest of my bike off a bigger drop than that either (old entry-level bike shop bike that would probably survive, but I don't know if the components would). And having just dismantled and re-built a far newer Suntour fork earlier today, I'm pleasantly(?) surprised to see the Bolany is nearly identical on the inside, so at the very least there's some potential for simpler repairs. Maybe if the Bolany gets more noticeably loose I'd pay the $15 or whatever for new stanchion bushings and seals rather than a whole new fork.
Just a little better is UDING UD-32 I bought it for $150 3 years ago. Its rebuildable as far as the o rings and wiper seals. 2 kilo weight is better than steel ship anchor forks at 3.9 kilo. KevCentral used this on his mongoose xr-pro build. As you said, you get what you pay for. Good video.
I went to a bikepark with my 100mm suntour xcr last year, wasn’t the most comfortable but definitely doable. You can’t imagine the grin I had when I tried my new bikes fox 36 for the first time, it’s such a huge difference.
I love this video and it is very informative! There is a huge budget bike community and youtube channels like Kevcentral and Wolftick seem to use forks like these on some of their bike builds. It's probably still better than the steel lower pogos that come on a lot of big box bikes. I'd still rather have a SR Suntour XCT/XCM coil fork because I know it's durable, I can get all the parts to overhaul it, and it's simple enough even I can open it up and work on it. It's not worth saving a few bucks when there are name brand forks for $200 or less. I bought a Suntour Epixon for $158 just recently. Rock Shox Judy/Recon, XFusion RC32, and Suntour Raidon/Epixon are all great budget options.
I've been beating the crap out of mine for almost 2 years. The only issue is the excessive lubrication mine had from the factory. It has sorted itself out with no servicing and I have to say its alot better than the 2007 fox f100 it replaced with the rigidity
This was a super interesting one! Blown away that any company can manufacture an airspring fork for under $400. Sounds like the seals will slow rebound as they age...So for one glorious month the Bolany will ride llike a dream!
i bought the same model last month ago and just have a few time easy ride. Yesterday I noticed that 1 side of lower leg bolt missing. I opened up and check, the original tap hole at the cartridge damper is bigger than bolt at least 1mm....
I got a Bolany Chetah black with gold stantions and man its too good for its price. Been using it for light trails and long rides. Im from the Philippines and its quite cheaper here since Bolany is I think is a Chinese more of an Asian brand. Got it for $80. 👍
Hi i had the same type of fork name Retrospec that got damaged so i replaced it with a manitou markhor fork i was hoping you could do a tutorial vide how to change the stock 100 mm travel upto 120mm
I just ordered a similar set of Bolany forks for my fat bike. The red tubes were kinda what did it for me, my wheels are red and it should look pretty cool once they are installed. I don't do much trail riding with it, just ride around the neighbourhood with the kids so I think they should be fine for what I need. Great video, thanks for the info.
Good video I learn how to desensamble a fork I have the same problem with one that I buy for Amazon what brand you recommend to buy before fox or rock shocks thank you
Good video, Thanks! I just rescued a 1998 Rock Shox Judy SL, before it reached the landfill. It has air cartridges in both forks. I took it apart and cleaned it up. Everything seems fine. I have not put it back together yet. Is this a good shock? BTW, it’s on a 1997 Cannondale M900, also not going to landfill. 🙂 Thanks!
Hey Brent, thanks! The Judy SL was pretty high end back in the day, and if they're Englund air cartridges, those were a pretty nice upgrade over the stock internals. Keep an eye out for a Judy video soon!
Really nice and informative video. for those of us who already boutght a Bolany fork, would be nice if you can make a video on how to maintain it, improve it and take the most out of that fork. thanks!
great video thanks for the detailed comments-glad I watched-after watching the video I don't want to ride (s/w desert trails) always looking down at the fork constantly worried about it failing ...so any recommendations for a safe(r?), "affordable" air susp QR, straight steerer fork for an entry level 26" (Mongoose) fatbike? Having fun upgrading other stuff, but not many or any air susp fork options, so any help/comments is appreciated!
Straight steerer stuff is hard to find new, but there's tons of used options out there...the fat bike aspect is tricky since older straight steerer stuff is never designed for fat bike tires.
Great video! Please do more budget bike components tear down. I’d to see what actual bike professionals think of “entry” component found on Amazon and such compared to the “high end” of typical mountain bike components
Thanks! Any requests? It's pretty rare for me to actually get entry level suspension components in for repair since they're usually not rebuildable or they cost so little a full rebuild would exceed the price of the part. Just an example; the fork in this video cost less than what I would charge to fully rebuild it! The second part of the equation is there are no parts suppliers for this stuff as it just doesn't make sense to offer parts for repair when you can just buy another fork.
@@ButterSuspension Aliexpress has these forks and cartridges available. Something like $25 for a replacement cartridge. Wait time aside, is something the likes of the Sr Suntour Epixon easier or cheaper to maintain in the longer run?
Quite glad I watched this. I've been toying with the idea of buying one of these. My old Suntour has definitely seen better days, the stanchions have a lot of play and inside the lowers the stanchions are quite rusty. Cannae find a straight steerer 26" with 100 mm travel that's good I won't be getting a balonie though!
The bollany would be as good than your suntour when it was new and you can still find suntour/manitou fork 26" straight 1 1/8 if brand name is what you are looking for
@@Zeben84 yeah, a local bicycle mechanic school was getting rid of old teaching stock; a friend works there and knew I was the right guy, lol. They're all unridden, uncut steerers and in overall good shape, but they've all been "rebuilt" by students many times over so who knows what's inside. Lucky for me I know a guy...
@@ButterSuspension hey, I'm in Vancouver BC and I'm desperate for a 26 inch 1 1/8 with about 150mm of travel to replace a Bomber 55. Riding an old Jamis Parker, love the bike but can't find anything to put on the front end.
I bought these manitou r7 pro forks which say no jumping or drops only for trail riding.. But I have been using them on my jump bike for about six months and descent sized jumps too. With lots of casses and flat landing and they are still holding up great. All for $240 AUD
at 5:40, the adjuster location does not dictate the adjuster function. Old Fox dampers had rebound on top and compression on bottom. Early open-bath (pre-RLC I think) dampers and the original FIT (Terralogic, with the bladder at the bottom) were arranged this way.
So if you buy this fork, you have to take a part and chek every thing. Put oil and some locktite in the treads. And pray for the rest of the fork is well done, if the head tube etc is not well put together, it coul be dangerous. I have been checking this fork and I have ended buying a rock Shock Silver. Works quite nice despite it is spring.
Ordering a Bolany suspension fork for an old road bike I'm overhauling. I know I can get better performance from a fixed fork or more capability from a better suspension fork, but I wanted some basic suspension for comfort. Gonna be fairly light duty, and I just want something I can adjust and make a little spongy for less than ideal roads. Might tinker with it for a bit first to make it a little more "seaworthy", but honestly not regretting my decision. Looks decent for what it is, but yeah maybe good idea to know its limitation.
It's more than just better seals and Sram Butter; since every part of this fork is made to be as inexpensive as possible, new seals will only solve one issue but that doesn't address the overall low quality.
Great vid buddy! Pity you didn't put it together. I came here looking for rebuild/repair video :) Mine is called FOX tho, apparently they were selling those as fake Fox before starting Bolany brand.
Interesting content! Hope you can do an inspection for Ohlins forks, not much detail out there on rebuilding/tuning these. Feedback was consistent in that out of the box it needed a good deal of time to ride and tune to the rider's liking unlike Fox' suggested settings which were very much in the ballpark -- interestingly though, most experienced riders (Guykestv, etc), say that once it's dialed in it's well worth the time spent tuning it.
My friend owns this fork and we rode on fast, slightly rough trail with 4 inch rocks and oh boy, the arm pumps and the amount of times he got almost thrown over his bike was funny. He was better off a epixxon suntour fork.
I enjoyed this video very much. Would you recommend it over some basic spring coil Santour forks, like XCM or XCR? Base of what I have seen here Bolany is made of basic parts, but should still has better comfort and regulation than Suntour.
Thanks! I'd go for a Suntour over these, if only because you can call Suntour for help, warranty and parts. Also, all the Suntour forks have rebound adjustment; even the most basic suspension should have that.
Hello, i have a question regarding airforks.. if the lower legs has a bit of play, what would be the problem? Is it the lower leg bushings or The dust seals? Or both?
It's possible that a random cartridge from another manufacturer may fit, but they're all so different in so many ways I'm not sure it would be worth the effort. Also, even if you did put in a nicer cartridge, you still have a low quality fork. And... a nice cartridge from Fox or Rockshox coat about $300; most folks buying a $130 fork probably wouldn't pay for a damper that cost more than twice what the fork cost.
Suprisingly great video I literally thought this is from from a 1 mil yt channel KEEP DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
Thanks Jac!
Thank you so much Jac
I glanced at the sub count and read 1.4k as 1.4 mil lol didnt even second guess it till i saw ur comment
@@ButterSuspension hi, can you do a review about bucklos lutu 150$ dollar suspension. 👊👊
Hey @ButterSuspension, first off, nice video, I like the straightforwardness of just taking it apart and showing the inside pieces. I just recently bought a 2021 Orbea MX50 that comes with a stock SR Suntour XCE 28 Coil suspension fork. That’s working pretty well right now but an upgrade might be in order sometime in the next few years. Do you have any relatively cheap (like under $200) forks that you would recommend? I mean forks that you’ve taken apart and used to be sure they’re good quality. Thanks.
I disassembled my Bolany 32 this winter after a full season of riding. Obviously not doing drops or large jumps on that bike but rough XC and mild downhill stuff. The version i have does not have a negative chamber adjustment and no rebound on the lower.
Since i have this weird thing about buying on the cheap and seeing what can be done (😄) I ordered basically every internal component from Suntour for 32mm stanchions, including their $70ish damper cartridge with rebound. Also replacement bushings for the lowers. It all fit and it all works hahah!! This is literally just for fun but want to see how long I can go on this fork. If I can get 3 or 4 seasons on it, I will call it a win for upgrading inexpensive big box bikes. That is really what these things are aimed at anyway.
Great vid and now subbed 👍
I have a similar understanding. I have a Chinese shock absorber "fork 32 pro" 140mm thry axle ... During the overhaul, the lower screw that holds the oil (right) cartridge slipped. It will have to be cut and thrown away .... Which Suntour oil cartridge fits !? I would like to put FUN 062-10. The diameter of the old Chinese threaded cartridge above is 29.5mm, will this Suntour fit?!. Which Suntour cartridge did you put in and what is its diameter on the thread?
So we got the OEM source for this fork!? :D)))
But for that money you could also buy XCR/XCT fork from the same manufakturer (Suntour).
Can you post the part numbers for the parts you bought?
how is it now?
How did they hold up?
never really done any research on these baloney forks but have fitted them to a few bikes as replacement forks for people glad u opened them up im sure il be trying to service them at somepoint
Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
This brand is popular in Philippines because it's cheap and this thing got a lot of hate because it's the only fork that got so many reviews online for breaking they call this thing XC just "cross concrete" not cross country
That brand is the most commonly used suspension fork here in the Philippines because of budget issues. Also, a lot have attested that its just enough for casual rides because a lot have encountered accidents while using it on trails.
Thank you for this video. You may have just save me a trip to the hospital, at least.
I used to work for a Taiwanese knock off suspension company years ago, I was SO looking forward to this!!!!
Wait until I make a failure test video!
Great review by a knowledgeable mechanic. Removed this fork from a used bike I bought. Too sketchy for me to ride after feeling them shift around during neighborhood riding. Buy name brand for your safety ppl. Thanks again for the quality review
Loved your video, this is the kind of thing I look for on a video. It's all about information. Know what you are buying!
Thanks from Italy for this great video, I loved it. Good job ;-)
really enjoyed this video on top all of the others you made good man. Really cool to understand the differences, thank you for this. Really appreciated.
Great video thanks I have often wondered about these cheap forks that seem to have appeared everywhere.
Glad I found this channel about the shock.
My Bolany is still alive after 2+ years on the Acadia carriage trail lol. It gets the job done for casual riders like me.
To be honest that fork is popular here in the Philippines.. Popular for the stanchions being separated from the crown lol
B0lant0y fork
I won't compromise if I'm on a budget build, first the Fork, the handle bar then the brakeset.. I'd rather have a rigid or xcr/xcm than these piece of crap. Then save up for rs recon later.
bolanyo jempoy fork
@@karlcorrz wala kalang pam bili e.
@@louieanthonyalibania1979 Gusto mo salpak ko sa mukha mo tong Rockshox fork ko?
Thanks for the tear down! I was considering purchasing these... until now... lol
Really great video! I bought a fork made by the same brand about a year ago right when I got into mountain biking... I didn't know anything about forks at the time (Let alone bikes) and I thought that since it was an air fork it must be great, plus the price appealed to me. I really wish I had this video at the time to guide my thought process. I didn't ride the bike over the winter, as there is too much snow where I live to ride without a fat bike, but when I picked the bike up the next spring I came to find out that it had zero air in it. I brought it to the bike shop to get them to pump it up and pink sealent started bursting out... I'm not quite sure why there was sealent in there in the first place, but it was a complete waste of 200 bucks Canadian... What I wish I knew back then.
i actually bought this fork for my second bike and it's pretty decent especially for qr hubs
I saw this channel and I recently bought a 120mm Lutu fork. My main bike is a Giant Reign SX with a Fox36. How ever I wanted to try a 29er with putting to much money in. Now the Trek Marlin comes with a horrible heavy pogo stick. So the Lutu Fork is similar to this with Rebound. Its not a DH or Park bike so the Lutu from my experience so far, after spending years on longer travel Fox and Rockshox fork is , for the money it hard to beat. I was surprised at how well it worked in smaller rocky terrain. I won't be sending it of big jump but the Marlin is not suited to that anyway. My first ever suspension fork was a Judy back in the 90s. This is worlds better. Long winded I know but the point is, I respect your shop experience but instead of just tearing the fork apart and saying its not built as well as high end fork, get out and test them and give an objective POV. Maybe you can't if you business is servicing higher end forks. But I hope so 😎
I appreciate the comment Chris. In my experience, if I can't get parts for something, it makes me a little nervous. But at this price, you wouldn't need to rebuild it, just buy another!
Also, specifically regarding this fork, if there's no rebound control or adjustment, it's just not going to perform well for most intermediate riders on normal trails.
I bought two solo air version and ride mostly blue to black, mild jumps and drops. It's held up. Not the most comfortable, but it's held up. My advice when you get it is to do a lower end service and make sure everything is oiled and greased up properly, and make sure to clean the stanchions after every ride. It will be okay for most trails. But if your going to be doing difficult trails, get yourself a higher end fork, not the bottom of the barrel forks either from the name brands.
The fork looks so nice and I know how bad this will perform on a blue trail, SO I’m going to buy one and take it to my local double black free ride and tech trails I’ll update this comment on how it was
They will arrive in March
There will not be a video
Do it!
Do it
Do it
Do it!
Still alive?
Good information, thanks dude.
great videoz. planning to buy one of this bolany 34 with 120mm of travel ang this video helped me to decide if i should give it a go
Awesome informative video man!
Wish I'd seen this video like a year ago! I did end up buying a Bolany back then, and honestly this video probably wouldn't have changed that decision, but I'd have been a lot more confident in knowing what exactly it is that I bought. (Mine was "gold" stanchions, which are really more of an orange; perfect fit for my 15-year-old mountain-turned-commuter bike where basically every part I've replaced so far has been a different shade of "gold". Goes a long way towards letting people know where my budget is on that one, hah.)
And gotta say, I don't take it on anything besides light trails myself, and I've been... I don't want to say impressed, but surprised to find it's performed as good as the stock Suntour fork it replaced. A bit less durable (it's got a slight looseness after a year-ish that the Suntour took 10+ years to develop) but the Suntour was this beefy, super heavy coil fork, and the Bolany is a far lighter and more comfortable air fork with a remote lockout.
I wouldn't trust it off more than like a 1-2 foot drop, but I wouldn't trust the rest of my bike off a bigger drop than that either (old entry-level bike shop bike that would probably survive, but I don't know if the components would). And having just dismantled and re-built a far newer Suntour fork earlier today, I'm pleasantly(?) surprised to see the Bolany is nearly identical on the inside, so at the very least there's some potential for simpler repairs. Maybe if the Bolany gets more noticeably loose I'd pay the $15 or whatever for new stanchion bushings and seals rather than a whole new fork.
oh man.. i THOROUGHLY enjoyed this!.... i'm going to peruse the channel... but I'd love to see a walmart series XD hahaha
Thank you for your review!
Just a little better is UDING UD-32 I bought it for $150 3 years ago. Its rebuildable as far as the o rings and wiper seals. 2 kilo weight is better than steel ship anchor forks at 3.9 kilo. KevCentral used this on his mongoose xr-pro build. As you said, you get what you pay for. Good video.
I went to a bikepark with my 100mm suntour xcr last year, wasn’t the most comfortable but definitely doable. You can’t imagine the grin I had when I tried my new bikes fox 36 for the first time, it’s such a huge difference.
Same, 100mm xc hardtail. Gonna get my first full sus soon and im so pumped
@@kapurants yeah if you come from one of those forks you’re gonna be asking yourself „did I even have a fork before?“ haha
@@wik667 I went passed that stage, and now I actually think I can't go back..Expensive forks are expensive for a reason, they work well. Very well.
I love this video and it is very informative!
There is a huge budget bike community and youtube channels like Kevcentral and Wolftick seem to use forks like these on some of their bike builds. It's probably still better than the steel lower pogos that come on a lot of big box bikes. I'd still rather have a SR Suntour XCT/XCM coil fork because I know it's durable, I can get all the parts to overhaul it, and it's simple enough even I can open it up and work on it.
It's not worth saving a few bucks when there are name brand forks for $200 or less. I bought a Suntour Epixon for $158 just recently. Rock Shox Judy/Recon, XFusion RC32, and Suntour Raidon/Epixon are all great budget options.
I got a Bolany Oil Slick for a beginner and it's a beauty
good thing i watched your video before buying it, you saved my ass.
Just wait until the next video on this thing!
Sub'ed! Always been curious about these!
Great Vid! wishing your channel to grow!
I've been beating the crap out of mine for almost 2 years. The only issue is the excessive lubrication mine had from the factory. It has sorted itself out with no servicing and I have to say its alot better than the 2007 fox f100 it replaced with the rigidity
If you flip the O with the A in bolany its now balony wich is also the cheapest type of meat on the market. Great video i loved it.very entertaining
Bologna...
Honest and informed. Great video!
Thanks! Merry Christmas!
Thanks! Very helpful!
This was a super interesting one! Blown away that any company can manufacture an airspring fork for under $400. Sounds like the seals will slow rebound as they age...So for one glorious month the Bolany will ride llike a dream!
Well when you have slave labour, courtesy of Uyghers and North Koreans, manufacturing is cheap. One day you'll be that slave labour.
@@redtobertshateshandles most brands have massive margins
Not true. it will last just as long as name brand forks.
@@Ben.N totally agree with this. it's all about marking and selling you a name.
Nice. Thank you.
Thanks for a great watch Greg! How about a video on 90's linkage forks like AMP Research, Girvin, etc. ?
Prob do a video just on linkage forks, I have a bunch!
i bought the same model last month ago and just have a few time easy ride. Yesterday I noticed that 1 side of lower leg bolt missing. I opened up and check, the original tap hole at the cartridge damper is bigger than bolt at least 1mm....
Filled with hopes and dreams
Pretty cool. Thanks for the video
You're welcome!
I got a Bolany Chetah black with gold stantions and man its too good for its price. Been using it for light trails and long rides. Im from the Philippines and its quite cheaper here since Bolany is I think is a Chinese more of an Asian brand. Got it for $80. 👍
Its malaysian brand
Hi i had the same type of fork name Retrospec that got damaged so i replaced it with a manitou markhor fork i was hoping you could do a tutorial vide how to change the stock 100 mm travel upto 120mm
I just ordered a similar set of Bolany forks for my fat bike. The red tubes were kinda what did it for me, my wheels are red and it should look pretty cool once they are installed. I don't do much trail riding with it, just ride around the neighbourhood with the kids so I think they should be fine for what I need.
Great video, thanks for the info.
Quality review
Great vid.
used bolany fork for a year now. works fine with just for lite trails. bought it here in the philippines for 70usd only. im happy with it
hows your fork now? hehe
yes i was surrprised its still working 2yrs now.
@@dukeofcebu and now?
not anymore 70usd for two years is great thats 35usd a year
interesting. since the uppers are "inspired" by other brands, could you possiby upgrade these with better inners/lowers?
Yes, it's all Suntour as it seems.
Thanks for great video, you said it ,you get what you paid for.
Is one of those forks you wont mention the damper the marzocchi 55r? I converted mine to open bath
good video, need to see about my suntours c so they are a bit squeaky on compression
4:38 that J. Jonah Jameson laugh gets me every time.
Man i would love to have a rs totem with Red stanchions!
What up Greg and Jose!! great video guys
Hey Andrew! Thanks for watching!
Hey Andy! Thanks for dropping by :)
Every great story starts with... "I was on the internet..." :D
Hey I have a haro flight line 29er what fork do u suggest I upgrade too while on a budget
Good video I learn how to desensamble a fork I have the same problem with one that I buy for Amazon what brand you recommend to buy before fox or rock shocks thank you
Like your video men! Does the remote control one, has a rebound adjustment by clicking? Or just lock n unlock?
Thanks! No idea on any of the other Bolany products, I've only had my hands on this one.
Good video, Thanks! I just rescued a 1998 Rock Shox Judy SL, before it reached the landfill. It has air cartridges in both forks. I took it apart and cleaned it up. Everything seems fine. I have not put it back together yet. Is this a good shock? BTW, it’s on a 1997 Cannondale M900, also not going to landfill. 🙂 Thanks!
Hey Brent, thanks!
The Judy SL was pretty high end back in the day, and if they're Englund air cartridges, those were a pretty nice upgrade over the stock internals.
Keep an eye out for a Judy video soon!
Clicked for the red legs, stuck around because this guy is a great youtube video host.
Thanks Brian!
Is this worth trying for a pumptrack / dirt jump bike? What about if it is used always locked?
Really nice and informative video. for those of us who already boutght a Bolany fork, would be nice if you can make a video on how to maintain it, improve it and take the most out of that fork. thanks!
great video thanks for the detailed comments-glad I watched-after watching the video I don't want to ride (s/w desert trails) always looking down at the fork constantly worried about it failing ...so any recommendations for a safe(r?), "affordable" air susp QR, straight steerer fork for an entry level 26" (Mongoose) fatbike? Having fun upgrading other stuff, but not many or any air susp fork options, so any help/comments is appreciated!
Straight steerer stuff is hard to find new, but there's tons of used options out there...the fat bike aspect is tricky since older straight steerer stuff is never designed for fat bike tires.
Seth recently released a video where he upgrades a hardtail for a kid, and uses this fork. made me think of this video.
Great video! Please do more budget bike components tear down. I’d to see what actual bike professionals think of “entry” component found on Amazon and such compared to the “high end” of typical mountain bike components
Thanks! Any requests? It's pretty rare for me to actually get entry level suspension components in for repair since they're usually not rebuildable or they cost so little a full rebuild would exceed the price of the part. Just an example; the fork in this video cost less than what I would charge to fully rebuild it! The second part of the equation is there are no parts suppliers for this stuff as it just doesn't make sense to offer parts for repair when you can just buy another fork.
@@ButterSuspension Aliexpress has these forks and cartridges available. Something like $25 for a replacement cartridge. Wait time aside, is something the likes of the Sr Suntour Epixon easier or cheaper to maintain in the longer run?
That was great vid.
Thanks Tomi!
@@ButterSuspension Not too many good smaller channels out there.. This one has some serious potential, keep it up!
Quite glad I watched this. I've been toying with the idea of buying one of these.
My old Suntour has definitely seen better days, the stanchions have a lot of play and inside the lowers the stanchions are quite rusty.
Cannae find a straight steerer 26" with 100 mm travel that's good
I won't be getting a balonie though!
The bollany would be as good than your suntour when it was new and you can still find suntour/manitou fork 26" straight 1 1/8 if brand name is what you are looking for
Johnny Keel, I just picked up about 85 forks last week, many are 26" straight steerer...where are you located?
@@ButterSuspension 85 ? 🤪
@@Zeben84 yeah, a local bicycle mechanic school was getting rid of old teaching stock; a friend works there and knew I was the right guy, lol. They're all unridden, uncut steerers and in overall good shape, but they've all been "rebuilt" by students many times over so who knows what's inside. Lucky for me I know a guy...
@@ButterSuspension hey, I'm in Vancouver BC and I'm desperate for a 26 inch 1 1/8 with about 150mm of travel to replace a Bomber 55. Riding an old Jamis Parker, love the bike but can't find anything to put on the front end.
I bought these manitou r7 pro forks which say no jumping or drops only for trail riding.. But I have been using them on my jump bike for about six months and descent sized jumps too. With lots of casses and flat landing and they are still holding up great. All for $240 AUD
Manitou makes a great product!
Hello! Great tear down!
Just wanna ask if there is a possibility of increasing the travel to 140 or 150? Thank you.
Since there's no contact for this "company", there's no service parts to call about.
Nice video. Would love to torture test that on my bike though hahaha
It would be a short test, lol.
Oh! The legendary fork of death. LOL!
at 5:40, the adjuster location does not dictate the adjuster function. Old Fox dampers had rebound on top and compression on bottom. Early open-bath (pre-RLC I think) dampers and the original FIT (Terralogic, with the bladder at the bottom) were arranged this way.
Correct. I realized that after we filmed it (and after I said it).
Works great on my ebike, sucks up the ruts at 50+ moh, on the steep hills in SF. 9mm QR Sun/Ringles with the Stan's tubeless.
😳
Lol, I can only prove 50mph there's latency with Strava App.
203mm Shimano front disc. Bald Scwalbe front n' rear.
So if you buy this fork, you have to take a part and chek every thing. Put oil and some locktite in the treads. And pray for the rest of the fork is well done, if the head tube etc is not well put together, it coul be dangerous.
I have been checking this fork and I have ended buying a rock Shock Silver. Works quite nice despite it is spring.
Hey would this fork fit on my icon biggie bmx?
Your first fork is probably at the bottom of the pacific with the drone I ordered and never got, after waiting half a year.. lol
Ordering a Bolany suspension fork for an old road bike I'm overhauling. I know I can get better performance from a fixed fork or more capability from a better suspension fork, but I wanted some basic suspension for comfort. Gonna be fairly light duty, and I just want something I can adjust and make a little spongy for less than ideal roads. Might tinker with it for a bit first to make it a little more "seaworthy", but honestly not regretting my decision. Looks decent for what it is, but yeah maybe good idea to know its limitation.
“I did a little research, I think I just messaged the guy”
you think you messaged him, not sure?
In our country that is already one of the high end forks, im saving money for that fork
What country is that?
@@ollieswift1091 Gotta be somewhere in Eastern Europe.
Im from philippines
@@ollieswift1091 philippines
Here it cost around 4000 ph about 80-90$
Is that an oldschool zzyzx fork right next to the spinergy wheels on your ceiling? Gave me the retrochills!
Yup! We did a teardown on one a while back, look at my other videos!
Could you replace the seals for better one and use some sram butter on the stanchions to make it better? Too resist water getting in and corroding it.
It's more than just better seals and Sram Butter; since every part of this fork is made to be as inexpensive as possible, new seals will only solve one issue but that doesn't address the overall low quality.
I HAVE THE EXACT SAME SOFT MALLETT
How abot the suntour epixon stealth?
Great vid buddy! Pity you didn't put it together. I came here looking for rebuild/repair video :) Mine is called FOX tho, apparently they were selling those as fake Fox before starting Bolany brand.
Hey Dmitri- these forks are so simple, and other than dropping the lowers and cleaning/regreasing them, there isn't much to do.
Watch it in reverse
Aye someone who know what other forks look like unlike Evan
Lol, sorry Evan.
I have for that money a Suntour Raidon 🤷 Idk why a will buy China not branded forks, but nice video dude 👍👍
Loved the edit on this! Great humor man.
Edit props go to @theaveragejose !
Interesting content! Hope you can do an inspection for Ohlins forks, not much detail out there on rebuilding/tuning these. Feedback was consistent in that out of the box it needed a good deal of time to ride and tune to the rider's liking unlike Fox' suggested settings which were very much in the ballpark -- interestingly though, most experienced riders (Guykestv, etc), say that once it's dialed in it's well worth the time spent tuning it.
I'm not set up to service Ohlins yet, but another local tech is...I'll bug him about a collab!
@@ButterSuspension It'll be an interesting collab! Rare to find people taking apart forks for inspection and analysis on UA-cam!!
Got mine only for $60 . It works 😁
My friend owns this fork and we rode on fast, slightly rough trail with 4 inch rocks and oh boy, the arm pumps and the amount of times he got almost thrown over his bike was funny. He was better off a epixxon suntour fork.
Epixon is a good fork
Great vids yow
Have you measured the stancion tube cross sectional thickness?
Thanks Adrian! I didn't measure but they're the thickest I've seen. Probably has to do with the overall strength of the alloy they use...
@@ButterSuspension thanks man it must be a weaker alloys.
A got some judy gold rl 2019 in boost for 120£ on ebay there really good have them nearly 2 years now
Can you show us if you are able to increase the fork travel of those forks?
On this model there is no way to increase travel; it's already at the upper limit of the chassis.
I enjoyed this video very much. Would you recommend it over some basic spring coil Santour forks, like XCM or XCR? Base of what I have seen here Bolany is made of basic parts, but should still has better comfort and regulation than Suntour.
Thanks!
I'd go for a Suntour over these, if only because you can call Suntour for help, warranty and parts. Also, all the Suntour forks have rebound adjustment; even the most basic suspension should have that.
you can use the Suntour upgrade program and get a massive discount on one of their higher-end air forks like the Raidon
@@Andrea-qg5yk can you give a link or something for that?
@@Andrea-qg5yk interesting
Hello, i have a question regarding airforks.. if the lower legs has a bit of play, what would be the problem? Is it the lower leg bushings or The dust seals? Or both?
Definitely Bushings. The dust seals cover it.
The cartridge can be replaced whit one that can be serviced right? Almost all of them are the same size right?
It's possible that a random cartridge from another manufacturer may fit, but they're all so different in so many ways I'm not sure it would be worth the effort. Also, even if you did put in a nicer cartridge, you still have a low quality fork. And... a nice cartridge from Fox or Rockshox coat about $300; most folks buying a $130 fork probably wouldn't pay for a damper that cost more than twice what the fork cost.
What are your thoughts on the budget fork bucklos?
Looks like just a slightly different version of the BOLANY stuff. Honestly, a new fork can't be $100 and high quality.