ozhuck2flat

How is the EXT better than the CC IL? What are the benefits you found when switching, apart from wright?

@MissedTheBoost: Sounds really good and worth it in North America and that you have more choice there. Here, the Slant isn't sold aftermarket new and the Pike is $1300 AUD. There are occasionally 2nd hand ones floating around. But the circus was $450 AUD recently. Definately good for the price. Thanks for your opinion!

@MissedTheBoost: Better late than never haha. Thanks. Compared to the pike, I find the manitou circus heavier, less smooth through the travel (especially at initial stroke) and more harshly damped, being less precise to get the damping right for the pump track or jumps. But I don't find it to be twice as good, only marginally better and not worth twice or 3 time the price. I didn't find it significantly less stiff. Imo I'd definately prefer the pike, but the circus expert is great for a cheap fork. What did you find was night and day different?

The helmet standards I've read define a testing procedure that the helmet must meet. Does it meet that minimum? Ok it gets the tick. Does it do better than another helmet? Still gets the tick but you don't know whether it's better. VT testing is useful because it shows when a helmet does well on all their tests and scores low, or when a helmet does particularly poorly in one, or some of their tests (it'll score higher and get fewer stars). It's worth considering that, as of now, all the first 98 helmets on Virginia tech bicycle are rated 5 star. According to VT's ranking system, all those helmets fall into the best category- at least 70% reduction in likelihood of concussion versus not wearing a helmet. The lower the helmet's score the better it's done on their tests. FWIW I pick my helmets based on: Fit (not many of those VT 5 star helmets fit me and only a few fit me well) Is it certified? (Is my insurance and my race insurance cover OK with this helmet?) Will I replace it when it's damaged / aged / overheated / chemically damaged? (can I afford to replace it when needed) How high does it score on VT?

@MissedTheBoost: How does it compare to Manitou Circus expert and pro? The slant is closer in price to Manitou's forks than to RS/FOX. I haven't got to try it but I've tried the others.