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SPECIAL EDITION
RST ROGUE REVIEW
Let’s Ride! MTB Magazine | Ausgabe 2/ 2016 2
the next generation Let’s face it; RST forks have never been famous or popular among the majority of mountain bikers. The Taiwanese manufacturer is a giant, producing OEM suspension for many entry-level city and commuter bikes. Years ago I got my hands on a RST Storm Air. I imported them for 180 Euros and they worked fine, especially considering the price and the back then modern 26� / 160 mm Travel.
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RST ROGUE
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Let’s Ride! MTB Magazine | Ausgabe 2/ 2016 4
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The New Rouge is more pricy but also more potent. The 27.5� air sprung version comes in a touch under 2 Kilos and is thereby no lightweight. In my opinion it’s not all about weight but about performance and reliability, the lightest fork is no use if it snaps when casing its first jump or spends more time in service than out on the trails. The Rogue offered a pleasant surprise; the supple travel makes good use of the available travel and has a sufficient reserve for when the ride gets wild.
The forks 34 mm stanchions are tied together by a 15 mm through axel to provide plenty of stiffness. The damping of the fork is taken care by a closed cartridge-damping unit that allows for both compression and rebound adjustment. The manufacturing of the Fork was, as you would expect from a fork in this price range. No issues with the finish and an all-round high quality look. The Post mount will only allow for disks of 180 mm or more but let’s face it, who would run a smaller rotor on a fork like this.
Let’s Ride! MTB Magazine | Ausgabe 2/ 2016 6
On the trail the fork was spot on, never faulting us and never disappointing the testers. Its stiffness and sensitivity made every ride fun. We could make good use of its travel though we could feel the progression kicking in halfway through the travel. On drops the fork remained composed and never blew through the reserve but we never made full use of all the available travel. The new RST makes a good partner on any all mountain or enduro bike. Weight: 2 Kg Price: 650 Euro (Street price: 450 Euro) www.rst.com.tw
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