The Spinner 2Nine suspension fork has been in our hands now for several months. Now it’s time to give you the final word on this product. For what we thought previously, take a look at this post..
The Spinner fork we had is a special color, which I mentioned in the beginning, but I thought it bore mentioning again, since aftermarket versions sold in the U.S.A. will be a flat black in color with silver decals. Otherwise, this is the very same fork you can get from your local bike shop that deals with J&B Importers. The question is, should you get one?
With a retail price somewhat south of $400.00, the price is usually pretty good for the Spinner 2Nine. It puts it in a league with that “other” budget fork we tested last year, the RST M-29. (Both forks are suffering from the current Reba and Manitou end of season “blowouts”) So, how do I compare the two?
The Spinner is a decent fork. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect it to be as good as the M-29, and in reality, it isn’t quite as good as that fork. However; the Spinner is no slouch and I wouldn’t say it lacked much of anything in performance to the RST offering. Both forks are “primitive” examples of suspension technology compared to nicer forks. They hold their own in the rough stuff, but the Spinner is just a touch flexy. With a wheel set that wasn’t stiff, the combined flex would be intolerable to a lot of folks. I was running the Gordo/Hope Pro II wheels during most of this test. (Read: super rigid wheels), so the bit of flex experienced with the Spinner was no big deal for me. However; while I had the fork on my Dos Niner, I really struggled with this issue. The combination of flex from the frame, wheels, and fork was too much. I had run the RST on the Dos last year with no issues what so ever. I find this telling.
In the final analysis, the RST M-29 is definitely a better fork because of its chassis rigidity. The suspension action is very similar to the Spinner 2Nine. If Spinner could up the ante in the stiffness department, then we would have another outstanding fork for the dollar spent. As it is, the Spinner is a decent XC/Trail fork for the light to medium weight rider that is judicious in his/her equipment choices. Get the right combination of parts with the Spinner fork, and you will be okay. Pick the wrong combo and you may be sorry.
I would like to see this fork with at least 32mm stanchions and a switch to disc only lowers with a post mount. A cleaner looking, stiffer arch would also help, and Spinner has one in their line up on another fork. Until then, we will have the Spinner 2Nine as it is: a decent but not spectacular fork.
Thanks to J&B Importers and Spinner for this sample fork we tested.
Thanks for the review Guitar Ted!
My 2 cents..
I agree, going to 32mm stanchions would be great. Going disc only is not a good idea in my opinion. V’s are fine, especially on a fork like this. Cleaner look my a**, it would be nice it there were more V brake capable 29er suspension forks on the market, not less.
It would be interesting to see the upcoming versions of these affordable forks…aside from Rob Y’s suggestions, maybe they can jazz up the graphics a bit? If their next versions (Spinner and RST) can approach the performance of a “classic” Reba 29er – at least in the dampening and tuning departments and not necessarily incorporating platform or MoCo technology, that’d be nice.
Would you say this is a decent enough preinstall fork for a budget 29′er that most likely won’t see any real offroad use, bumpy unpaved roads or light trails at worst? I’ve got a pretty sweet deal on a bike with mostly good parts, and this fork is pretty much the only component I have doubts about.
@Juha: You should be fine. The fork I tested had no mechanical issues during testing and is now being ridden on a Karate Monkey rider in Michigan with zero complaints.
Alright, thanks! Glad to hear that.