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I have an old Apollo Paradox full suspension MTB dating from around 2011.

The existing fork is a Suntour M2000 with a 26 inch wheel.

I think the travel is 50mm/2 inch

Stock photo: enter image description here

  • What would be a suitable replacement fork?
  • Is USED acceptable or should I buy a NEW fork?
  • What other features to consider/check?
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  • Hi, welcome to bicycles. I'm afraid that shopping questions are off-topic, because they don't age well and the answer for you may not work for anyone else in the future. You might want to take the tour.
    – DavidW
    Apr 24 at 17:09
  • As posted this is a shopping question and will be closed as off-topic. Let me have a go at making it a "suitable replacement" question....
    – Criggie
    Apr 24 at 22:53
  • Why do you want/need replacement fork? Is it broken, or are you looking at improved performance? Would you accept a rigid fork as a replacement?
    – mattnz
    Apr 25 at 1:36

3 Answers 3

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You'll need a fork that is 26" with a QR dropout, and a disk brake caliper mount on the left.

Any replacement fork will need to fit through your head tube, which looks to be a 1" straight, and uses a threadless stem. Avoid anything that needs a quill stem or has threads visible at the top of the steerer on the outside. Also, the steerer needs to be long enough to go through the head tube and have at least 60-70mm out the top.

Your bike appears to be a low-spec Halfords house brand. I would keep that in mind before dropping a lot of cash on new parts. Also, reviews suggest that it was never a great bike with phases like

Creditably detailed chassis, but a deafening, self-destructing disaster off-road.

I would suggest finding a suitable used fork, even if it comes from a donor bike.

Another option is to disassemble and service your current fork.

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I have the same bike. Get the suntour fork from airbike.uk , 26" 100mm travel. You will need a pipe cutter or hack saw to cut the post to your original fork post size, measure it with a ruler or similar. Dont forget to order star fangled nut and carefully take the crown race fromt he old fork or buy a new one they are cheap like the star nut.

https://airbike.uk/products/air-bike-mountain-bike-suspension-fork-white-xc28-26-lockout-100mm-travel

https://airbike.uk/products/star-nut-for-mountain-bike-headset-steerer-tube-for-1-1-8-forks?_pos=4&_sid=9ffb3df1d&_ss=r

https://airbike.uk/products/straight-to-tapered-steerer-tube-adapter-headset-crown-adapter-reducer

Andy.

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You will be hard pressed to find a new replacement that matches those specs for a few reasons:

  • straight steerers aren't used in mtb anymore
  • 26" wheels are essentially dead (except for dirtjump and kids bikes)
  • 50mm is well below the new norm of 100mm minimum
  • QR axles are nearly dead (in mtb)

Some manufacturers such as SR Suntour and Rockshox still offer some lowend straight steerer suspension forks with qr skewer compatibilty for 26" wheels. E.g. the Rockshox Recon Silver. However the Recon come in a 100mm minimum travel. One would have to compare the A to C (axle to crown) but that would likely make your seat tube axle quite slack putting your further over the rear wheel. This would make it difficult to keep the front wheel down on hills.

You would need a used fork to find one that matched the measurements of the old fork, however most fork of that era won't be in good condition. Finding parts to fix those forks will be quite difficult unless they are desirable from a collector standpoint, in which case it makes them a losing proposition from a value perspective.

I'd suggest looking for a rigid fork of the appropriate dimensions. One will be much easier to find and likely cheap if used. It will be a softail (as opposed to a hardtail which only has front suspension). The upside being it will be lighter.

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