Rulezman RRT USD Fork Review

Technical data

• Fork Offset
  44mm

• Stanchions Diameter 
  35mm

• Axle to Crown
  180mm (591.5)

• Dropout
  20mm x 110mm boost

• Brakemount
  180mm or 203mm brakemount included

• Travel Range
  140-180mm / Adjustable in 10mm steps

• Wheel Size
  27.5/29”

• Spring Type
  3x chamber airspring

• Damping
  Mezzer closed cartridge

• Adjustments
  Rebound / Compression / Air spring

• Guards
  R.I.F.L.E carbon fibre

• Weight
  2200g 

• Price
  Edge RRT €3100 / Edge RRT LE limited edition version €3500

Intro:

I’ve been using products tuned by Rulezman for several years now: tuned Manitou Mezzer RRT’s, Manitou Dorado RRT in the older 36mm stancion version and the newer 37mm version, and more recently the RRT LEO5 built upon an Intend Edge chassis. Some people online suggest that I am biased because I use Rulezman products too much.

I say if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Rulezman is local to where I spend a lot of my testing time so getting products to/from him is easy, plus, after years of working together we have built a relationship where he knows what I like and how to set it up well: he can go back through tons of dyno data from products I have used in the past and use that for a great starting point on Day 1. I always recommend finding a good local tuner and building a relationship with them.

I have also tried a bunch of other products over the years mainly with disappointment: the DVO Saga, Ohlins that went sticky within days, and other forks from big players that are just underwhelming off-the-shelf. I have also had great success with NSR Racing, J-Tech, Mojo/Geometron and can highly recommend those companies.

My lucky clients who have won Rulezman products in the past (9x Edge RRT forks given away so far!) are extremely happy too with only more than positive feedback from everybody.

Here’s my review of the RRT fork built on an Intend Edge chassis. To learn about many similar thoughts on my USD Dorado RRT you can read here. The cappuccino-coloured fork tested and photographed on the Nucleon is a limited edition fork #LE05 which includes the custom colourway and costs €3500. The ‘Manitou Dorado SC’ #LE09 which is currently available to win on my site also costs €3500. A ‘standard’ tuned RRT on with a black Edge chassis costs €3100.

Chassis:

The machined crown is huuuge, that’s a standard 1.5” steerer tube!

The first thing that stands out about the Edge chassis is the massive crown. Not really noticeable in photos but this thing is huge and dwarfs the 1.5” lower steerer size.

The steerer tube in the fork is the extra thick ‘Stiffler’, which has a tube thickness (at the top) of 3mm instead of the normal 2mm - this is to increase stiffness at the bar/stem/steerer junction for a feeling closer to a dual crown fork. This was an issue I highlighted to Intend years ago and then they produced the Stiffmaster headset shortly after. Making the steerer tube thicker is a simpler way to improve this.

The steerer is plugged at the bottom which is said to further reduce flex at the crown as the steerer can no longer ‘ovalise’ under pressure - Fox Suspension also improves this problem with their 38 steerer which is oval inside. The Stiffler steerer is guaranteed for life against that wretched CSU creaking that plagues nearly every single crown fork of recent years.

Extra thickkk 3mm ‘Stiffler’ steerer tube.

The Stiffler is plugged at the bottom for extra stiffness and less ‘ovalisation’ under pressure.

The 20mm titanium axle is knurled to increase friction in the dropout. But single pinch bolts mean there’s not a huge rigidity difference between 15/20mm options.

Bolt-on brake mounts mean you can choose the correct size without needing adaptors. I opted for 200mm to match my custom rotors.

On my fork, I opted for the 20mm axle for obvious reasons: it should be stiffer, offer better bearing life and I can swap DH wheels from my other bikes if needed: I still don’t understand why we have 15mm front axles at all - a standard we never needed. Rulezman says that in reality on the test bench there isn’t a huge difference between the 15mm and 20mm axles on this fork as the single pinch bolts don’t offer a huge increase in clamping force and area: dual pinch bolts would help.

Intend still don’t offer lower fork guards for their forks, but luckily Rulezman created the R.I.F.L.E which is his carbon fibre stanchion guard - the only reason I can think to not use a guard is for a WC XC race when every gram actually counts.

I can’t see a reason not to use the lower guards.

Air Spring:

This fork is tuned by Rulezman so the air spring is adapted slightly and comes with an actual dyno readout. While this readout looks as close to a coil as possible, there is no way an air spring will ever match coil performance.

A line on a graph is one thing, but a fork in the rough is another. A coil sprung fork simply reacts better and has less friction when going up and down than any air spring on the market. Every time I go back to coil on my NSR-tuned or Avalanche-tuned Boxxer’s (the Formula Nero C was also fantastic), they have a little edge here.

Actual air-spring curve at 65/130psi.

Actual air-spring curve at 75/150psi.

Damping:

The RRT fork drops the standard open bath Intend damper and uses a Manitou Mezzer closed cartridge modified to fit.

Of course, this is a custom-tuned fork so the damping force is tailored to my riding weight and speed. I’m currently running 25% sag on the fork and the damping provides an exceptional platform to push against when loading and turning the bike. I’ve barely moved more than 2 clicks on any setting. On high-speed impacts, it eats up everything, and stays planted.

Manitou Mezzer closed cartridge is modified to fir the RRT fork.

HSC/LSC and rebound adjustment, plus custom anodised adjsuters.

Flex:

Ahh, the old flex argument about USD forks. First off, overall this is probably the stiffest single-crown USD fork ever made thanks to the Stiffler, massive crown, legs and thick titanium 20mm pinch-bolted axle - the upper portion of the fork (from seals to the stem) must be stiffer than any standard fork available. Possibly the new Push USD fork is stiffer but I haven’t seen one of those in the flesh yet.

Fore-aft stiffness is simply better on a USD fork, this is especially noticeable on square edges. Lateral or twisting stiffness is going to be lower. I don’t think this is a real problem as a fork or frame shouldn't be too stiff or it cannot comply with the terrain - remember your suspension only works up and down in a straight line, but bumps on the trail are rarely perfectly straight.

I believe the main reason people feel a USD fork is too flexy on the trail is caused by insufficient damping force - when you have enough high + low-speed damping then 99% of this feeling goes away.

Though, there are some camps to consider:

1. Bike park riding on fast smooth berms you will probably feel better on a conventional fork.

2. If you ride natural terrain you will likely prefer the USD. The more off-camber, rooty and slippery the better.

3. Weight and speed matter: If you're 110kg and pinned then get a Fox 40. If you’re a 50kg cruiser, get a USD.

I’m somewhere in the middle at 73kgs and relatively fast. I would say the stiffness is ideal for me: it feels predictable everywhere at all speeds and any kind of terrain. There have been a few moments, maximum 0.5% of actual riding time when I have felt the fork squirming and struggling, but these are moments when I’m hanging on and struggling myself in an awkward rocky/rooty/greasy drop into a corner like you can find on Dolmen/Pianarella/Ruggetta trails in Finale Ligure. In these moments the only thing that will save you on any fork is just gritting teeth and gripping bar.

The rest of the time the fork tracks brilliantly and the lean angles on cambers and corners that can be achieved safely are higher on this fork than any single crown competitors.

Verdict:

This is probably the best single crown fork that money can buy; you may get close by building a custom fork with a tuner but nobody else seems to offer a specific package ready to go. Starting with the massive made in Germany chassis it’s off to a good start. Add to this the tuning and preparation and it’s exceptional.

On the trail, the stiffness offered in the upper portion of the fork is the only thing close to a dual-crown fork on the market: more stiffness here gives you the confidence to charge a full DH speeds where a normal fork and a flexy steerer can leave you feeling vague and unsure. The friction is extremely low and small bump sensitivity is incredible. Bottom-out resistance is also exceptional even when running 25% or more sag.

There’s enough support on the low speed side for anybody to push against and the high-speed damping glues the wheel to any bump regardless off its angle and speed. Traction across rough cambers is unbeatable and it will rarely deflect of anything.

Overall it’s exceptional with no weaknesses, it will do everything you ask and fill you full of confidence. Like always, if there is anybody out there who thinks they can make a competitor please get in touch and I’ll buy one to test.

Funding

I buy all the products you see on my site at full price or through online sales and these independent reviews are 100% crowdfunded by you guys buying competition tickets. This month, you can win a Limited Edition Manitou Dorado SC RRT number LE09! This retro-replica fork is can be won along with the cappucino coloured LE05 featured here bolted to the mighty Nicolai Nucleon.

To win, all you need to do is head to my competition site, answer a simple question and you have an extremely good chance to win: current odds at the time of publishing this article are 1/47 for the single fork and for the 1/77 Nucleon!

Global shipping is also included so entrants are invited from anywhere in the world.

The giveaway is guaranteed to happen on the end date regardless of how many tickets are sold. No extensions, no minimum ticket sales.

These competitions fund my reviews which I believe are the only truly independent MTB reviews online. All of the prizes and all of the products you see are bought by me - no sponsored posts, no freebies and no back-handers.

Thanks, Paul.