Shop was no help. They can't get forks in; my best bet is something from a private party but they won't help me figure out what I have (specs) and what specs to look for.

I think I've figured out I have Tora RS 318.

Key specs include:
* dropout: 9mm QR
* hub spacing ?? (I saw a fork on CL w/ hub spacing 15x100mm - no idea what my current fork is)
* steerer: 1 1/8" non-tapered? CL ad had tapered steerer. Will it work on my bike? Can I replace the steerer if my bike is 1 1/8" non tapered?
* Offset: no idea. Maybe because of age (2008-ish) there was only offset of 51mm as the standard? Otherwise, no idea what my current offset is.
* brake rotor: 160mm diameter I think (pretty standard)

So, I need to close on a few things (dropout size, steerer diameter, hub spacing, offset) about my current setup before figuring out what options will fit in my bike.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I need to find a shop. I'm dizzy looking at all the various Rock Shox offerings. Fox is out of my budget. Models, offsets, travel, etc. I'm not even sure what's on the bike currently. Who knew this was so complicated? I have a headache now learning about slack angles, offsets, trail length, etc....

a good shop will save you a lot of headaches

Id figure out how much more money its going to cost to fix the bike and then decide whether or not to buy new or fix your current bike. You've already sank 600 bucks into fixing the current bike so if you give up now that's 600 bucks wasted. Might make sense to take the bike to a shop and ID the front end issues. Could be something simple to fix or could be something expensive which would make repairing the bike to costly.

Man, this was unexpectedly complicated. But after a lot of searching and reading, I think I know what to look for:

* Dropout / Hub: 9mmQR with 100mm spacing
* 1 1/8" non-tapered steerer tube
* Offset: 51mm (actually sounds like I could use a smaller offset and probably won't feel much difference)
* Brake mount: Disk - 160mm should be universally supported
* Tire: support tire width 2.4"

Now, to patiently search CL for the right replacement.

Two of my three bikes are over 30 years old, and one is a Specialized Rock Combo. I'm 76 so not doing any crazy stuff on two wheels. The older bikes fit my needs and abilities. So I'd opt for fixing the old Specialized if you can find parts.

Surprising that the bike shop didn't help you. There are two in my area, one is always willing to spend time with me to explain stuff and assist with issues or problems. The other place will barely acknowledge my presence. If you have a choice, look for a better shop.