maverick sc32 - thoughts, impressions?

[halfinch]

anyone running one on a 29er. opinions?

i see that maurice review one in 2007. any updates?

I found a decent deal on one with wheel and there's cash in my pocket. i currently run a reba on my fisher, but was able to pick up a niner frame and wouldn't mind trying something else.

thanks
-michael

[LeeMcGough]

My wife has one on her Misfit. I haven't ridden it much, to tell the truth, as she has gears and stuff on it, but my limited time on her bike tells me it is the smoothest fork I have ever ridden. Unless you are around 150lbs though, you will need to do some tinkering (possibly including different oil weights) in order to get it to work for you. There is NO stable platform valve, or lockout. The fork is quite simple. There is a "climibing mode" that is very close to a lockout, and eats up a good chunk of the travel, whick is a good thing, as it keeps the front end low on sustained climbs. Sometimes the stanchion guards get a little buzzy, but like I said earlier, it is crazy smooth. Proprietary($) hub required. Said hub makes the fork track very well though. It is 24mm, flaring to 27mm between the spokes. If you aren't in a hurry to pick one up, let me know, and I'll go for a few rides on her bike, and see if I can get a more solid impression of it for you,if no one else here provides you with enough info.

[RepublicanSS]

A friend of mine has one. He loves it when it's working, but his seals have gone bad a few times. He's had a little difficulty getting seals quickly. I think this last time he bought two or three sets.

He loves it when it's working. He does complain sometimes about transporting the bike because of the hub and lining it up and so forth, maybe he's a little lazy?!

It's a good looking fork, looks motocross.

[LeeMcGough]

Only 4 reviews on mtbr, but worth a look.http://www.mtbr.com/mfr/maverick/29er-forks/sc32/PRD_415242_1563crx.aspx

[halfinch]

Only 4 reviews on mtbr, but worth a look.http://www.mtbr.com/mfr/maverick/29er-forks/sc32/PRD_415242_1563crx.aspx


yep, checked those too. I thought i'd check here, as i'm more familiar with the folks here than there.

definitely will need to monkey with it, as i'm a clydesdale delux model. fat and slow.

I'll try and find out what maurice did to set it up right for him, as i'm similiar in weight as he was during his review of the fork.

thanks again for everyone's input.

[rockhound]

I think nogearshere ran one.

Try misfitpsycles.com's blog.

[RickB]

With the proliferation of new 29er forks, I think there are better choices out there. I run a Reba Race on one of my 29ers and a Fox F29 on the other. I prefer the Fox, though I wish it had a bit more travel. That said, with the advent of the thru-axle 29er forks for 2009, a friend riding the new Reba with the Maxle lite loves it (he's been on F29's and Rebas 'til now). I'll likely be picking one up this year.

[halfinch]

i've used a reba for the past few years and have been pleased. it's the mind wanting to see if the grass is greener..

will check the blog. thanks.

[teilchen]

I've been ridding the SC-32 for about a year now and have liked it a lot. I was ridding a Reba and Minute 29'er before this fork and after a obligatory break-in period the maverick out performs them both especially in the rough stuff. As previously said its a very smooth riding fork and responds well to both light trail noise and big hits. But, it is a very simple fork, as was also talked about and this leads to some of its quirks. There are not many adjustments that can be easily made, at least not when compared to all the bells and whistles RS puts on their forks. Rebound is adjusted with a nice aluminum knob and provides a good range of feel. Air pressure is also easy to adjust. Compression adjustment, however requires altering the viscosity of the oil in the damper assembly. The fork comes with a 5wt oil which I immediately upped to 7.5w for a much improved ride with my 200lbs figure. The lockout feature is also quite nice and reduces the forks throw buy 15-20mm which is great for fire road climbs. One issue I have had with the lockout is that air seams to migrate to the bottom of the lockout circuit which causes to fork to make a clunking noise occasionally when switching from open to locked out mode. After several rebuilds, I've decided to live with it, and the problem does not last to long when riding in the lockout mode. I also mentioned a break in period for the fork , and this is for the seals. The first SC-32's had really soft seals which gave a really smooth ride, but also lead to a lot of leaking. As the fix the new seals are really stiff, and have not shown any sign of leaking in almost a year of use, however for the first 15-20 hours of riding they are a little rough.
The most interesting thing about the fork is the hub, which I think is really cool. It makes seance to steal more technology from moto cross, as bikes are pretty much motorcycles with human engines these days. The hub builds an almost dishless wheel and even better, after you learn to straighten the legs properly removing or installing your wheel is just as fast as a quick release. At first glance it looks really flexy, and you can get it to twist in some pretty weird ways if you yank on it, but its never been a problem on the trail. This fork tracks very well, and knocks down almost anything in its path, although I do wish that it had 20mm more travel. Overall, I really like this fork ,and am not sure if I will get rid of it any time soon. The only thing I have against it is that Rock Shox's now makes the ultimate 29 er fork in its 120mm Reba with u-turn and the maxtle light. sweet

[Sensaijin]

Long term review of the Maverick SC32. My perspective: I'm not an engineer nor am I a gear geek. I like riding my bike, racing hard, and I expect good things from products that cost good money.

I'm now entering my third season with a Maverick SC32, and I thought I'd share my experience to date.
What's prompted my review is the 3 maddening hours I spent overhauling this fork last night. See where this is going? It has become a ritual of sorts, to overhaul/clean/replace brake pads, due to a huge flaw in this fork.
Before I detail the problem, a little bit about the riding I'm doing. I'm ~190lbs, and have raced my local XC scene, as well as a couple yearly 24 hour events (both team and solo). I placed pretty well last year in the solo category in a 24hr in Ontario, and usually top the senior expert group in my area. My Maverick's on a Salsa Mamasita frame, with a King 24mm front hub.
Let me fast forward ahead to the big issue here. I will concur with most reviews that praise the SC32's plushness and all that jazz. The flex issue is something I notice, probably more than others, because of my size. The fork doesn't inspire confidence in hard cornering. I've ridden back to back laps at 24 events, the first on the SC32 and the second on a fox f29. The fox holds a line much better when I'm really pushing it. Under hard braking on the Maverick you can really see the fork twist. It makes your wheel shift to the left, as the left leg moves considerably. It is here in lies the problem.. one that has cost me time and money I'd rather spend elsewhere. Time on the trail, money on gels would be a start.
Since the fork is upside down, the dust seals are the last line of defense against oil leaking all over the front brake setup. And guess what? I've had the left dust seal fall out 3 times!! The first two times, I had my shop replace the seals, clean the brakes/rotors and replace the pads. There's abot 10ml of oil every time the seal decides it's had enough of its duties. Just enough to ruin some pads and make a nice mess on the hub and rotor. Only the dust seal on the left side (the brake side) has come out. The right side seems solid and has shown no sign of weakness.
I'm not an engineer but here's my best take: braking will cause the most direct force on the left side of the fork. The force can amount to the fork's movement relative to the other, but I also think the leg's tubing is deforming just enough for the wiper seal to come loose. The fact the gravity isn't helping keep things in place with the upside down technology further exacerbates this tolerance issue. That said, it'd be cool if the fork could at least have an alarm system alerting me that it has failed, so that when I'm screaming down an xc trail and my front brake no longer works because it's covered in oil.
I contacted Maverick twice about this issue. No response.
So, today is the day I purchase a new fork and hub. Ans it won't be upside down. No, it'll be rigid this time. This is one of those experiences that leads someone to shun technology for a while. I did it a few years ago when shimano led me to a stint in the single speed world.
Is there a mtb technology hall of fame where I can send this thing.
I apologize to those who may feel I've gone a bit hard on this company. But their tech has wasted me a lot of time and money.

[Mo0se]

,With the proliferation of new 29er forks, I think there are better choices out there. I run a Reba Race on one of my 29ers and a Fox F29 on the other. I prefer the Fox, though I wish it had a bit more travel. That said, with the advent of the thru-axle 29er forks for 2009, a friend riding the new Reba with the Maxle lite loves it (he's been on F29's and Rebas 'til now). I'll likely be picking one up this year.

If its 80 mm, you can remove the spacer in 15 minutes and get back the travel you lose with sag. An extra 20mm, is hiding in that f29. Its not enough to have a huge effect in the handling /geo of your bike. ,

[nogearshere]

loved the fork. so much that i dealt with the proprietary axle (i hate proprietary anything) and the subsequent need for an additional wheel to run rigid.
despite that, everything was grande until Spot bought Maverick.

then things went south for OEM and service.
that was my experience anywho.

now, i'm back where i started, White Brothers with the Fluid.

[one piece crank]

Thanks for the info and personal experiences. I've wondered about this fork as well, more for it's ability to run 3"+ tires.

I don't like the flex and twist 'features', especially with a 24mm axle!

Tom P.