Girvin Expert same as Cross Link?

[singletrackmac]

Is the Girvin Expert fork the same as the Cross Link fork? If not, what is the difference?

Thanks

[Spokes]

If Ive got my forks right, the Girvin Expert is basically a mk1 and the Noleen Cross link is the mk2 version of the same fork. The main difference is the ulm. The ulm on the expert will contact the top tube on full lock, denting the frame. Where as the ulm on the Crosslink was redesigned to clear the top tube on full lock so as not to dent the top tube.
There's probably a more technical reason but that's all I can see.
They both use the same shock and have the same amount of travel.

Chris

[kiwi]

not the same.If my memory is true they use a different cm and stack height.Girvin is girvin noleen is noleen

[Spokes]

Yes I think you're right and I do know the only bits that are interchangeable are the top and bottom wishbones and the stem(steerer tube?). All else is specific. Holes don't line up.
But they look very similar in a mk1 vs mk2 kind of fashion.
Chris

[kiwi]

they do look simlar the givins were x57s(97) werent they,nollen 98 on?

[Spokes]

Yes. there is no difference in performance but I would say that the later noleen offerings are the best due to the alteration to the ulm that saves your top tube from denting.

Chris

[singletrackmac]

Well, unfortunately I was not able to pick up the Girvin Expert that I was looking at on Craigslist.  Guy wanted $200 for a 856 frame and fork (Noleen coil over shocks) with some parts. Offered $100 for just the fork, but no bite.

Fortunately, I have been feeding my addiction of watching for proflex/girvin bikes and parts on craigslist and ebay  and found a K2 Proflex 3000 for $99 listed yesterday on craigslist. I had to jam down to reno early this morning before anyone else snagged it up. I realize a may have a problem  , but I couldn't pass up the cross link fork. I really wanted one.

Would have liked to have had a "Girvin" expert fork with a unified bottom bracket, but this thing is still pretty cool, and like you said pretty much the same performance. The Noleen shock has been replaced with a Fox Vanilla R coil over, which I know nothing about, except for it's an upgrade. As you can see the spring is way too short and there is actually play in the shock from this. This needs to be fixed.

Thanks for your help, and please take a look at my next topic, because there are some funky, um upgrades    or better yet, changes  that have been made to the bike that I need a second look at to make sure it is safe before someone rides it hard.

Happy trails!

[Spokes]

Looks ok in the pics. Does the vanilla give the same travel as a Noleen? One very good thing is that you have the rubber mushroom protectors fitted on the top link to protect the top tube. They are quite sort after.
Chris

[Spokes]

Although I thought the mushrooms were only fitted to Girvins with the older ulm. Your bike is a K2 3000 which should have Noleens with the revised ulm that shouldn't contact the top tube so didnt have the mushrooms fitted. I can't see the ulm clearly enough on my phone. So you might have Girvins after all.

Chris

[singletrackmac]

...Does the vanilla give the same travel as a Noleen?...

The Fox Vanilla R has more travel than the Noleen on my Girvin AL, but I think that Noleen shock is different than most being that it is fitted on a Girvin AL.  I don't know how much travel the noleen that came with the cross links had.

The pics are measured from the top of the bumper up and the angle is a little funky but they measure as follows:
The Fox measures 2" from the top of the bumper or 2.5" from the base.
The Noleen measures 1.5" from the top of the bumper or 2" from the base.

[singletrackmac]

Although I thought the mushrooms were only fitted to Girvins with the older ulm. Your bike is a K2 3000 which should have Noleens with the revised ulm that shouldn't contact the top tube so didnt have the mushrooms fitted. I can't see the ulm clearly enough on my phone. So you might have Girvins after all.

Hmmm, thats interesting. I am not sure, but I think this bike is an '98. I wonder if K2 used the girven expert design for the first cross link forks, and then changed the design to avoid damage to the to tube.

If this is the Girvin Expert design, do you think the seal kit in the picture below would fit this shock? It says it fits the '96 Girvin CL, but I don't know if the CL means Cross Link. I thought in '96 the design was called the Girvin Expert, not Cross Link.

[singletrackmac]

As you can see the spring is way too short and there is actually play in the shock from this. This needs to be fixed.

The problem with the coil over spring is that the preload needs to be maxed out for it to even touch the top of the spring. (You can see it is maxed out in the pic) When I lift the front tire off the ground with the handle bars, the spring is able to move around just a little, which is creating play, and making it so I cannot adjust the preload. 

I should be able to figure out what length spring I need, but what weight would I need for a fork coil spring. I weigh about 220-230lbs. I am guessing I would need a different weight then the rear spring I have on the rear fox vanilla r.

[Colin]

If this is the Girvin Expert design, do you think the seal kit in the picture below would fit this shock? It says it fits the '96 Girvin CL, but I don't know if the CL means Cross Link. I thought in '96 the design was called the Girvin Expert, not Cross Link.

The Girvin AL and CL stand for Aluminium Leg and Carbon Leg , this was a name used on later Vector's.
I am pretty confident that a Girvin Al or CL is identical in all ways to a Vector.

What you have on your 3000 is a Crosslink.

I am pretty sure that a Girvin Expert is a Crosslink.

I am only aware of two ULM's the "Standard" and the "Long" for Crosslinks.

Mushrooms were fitted on After Market sold Crosslinks with a Long ULM for fitting to other manufacturers bike frames.
They were also fitted to 1000, 2000, 3000 bikes as original, dunno why as the frame is the same as the x57 to which they were not fitted........

As for seal kits, the RK005 is, as it says, for Vectors and the Girvin Al/CL forks, RK004 is for Crosslinks, but in reality you can use either kit on either fork, the seals are the same, the only additional piece in the RK004 is a small grub screw for the grease port on the pivot axles..

Col.

[whisperdancer]

Yes. there is no difference in performance but I would say that the later noleen offerings are the best due to the alteration to the ulm that saves your top tube from denting.

Chris

I'm pretty sure my Noleen CS touches the top tube when the fork is fully locked to one side.

[Colin]

There's been a few mentions of different ULM's on here, but I'm not convinced..................

My understanding:

Vector II, Girvin AL and CL are all the same forks, just with different colour/material legs, all with the same ULM, even if "Longs".

Girvin Elites are Crosslinks, Crosslinks later became badged Noleen, only two ULM's existed, "OE" and "AM".

I've never seen an "early" Crosslink ULM, if it exists, what is the dimensional difference?

Col.