[Spitfired]

Well, I currently have a 2001 Monster T. It's in great shape and is as smooth as the day I got it, but I've been comming to realize that it's a bit much for me.
I'm tall and skinny - 6'1", 160lbs. The fork has been good to me, but I just don't need it's extra bulk and I feel like it's weight has held me back here and there.
So, the answer is either an 888r or a SuperT. The problem here is prices. I can get the Super T for $680 and the 888 for just under 1g. Brand new, 2004 models. Is the 888r really worth the extra 300? It's slightly heavier and has an additional inch of travel.
Riding style - When I race, it's at plattekill. I'm and east coast boy, and I do east coast things - a good deal of freeride and plenty of commuting to and from the trails. Occasional dropping, never much bigger than 13 feet (this being my current "largest drop")
Bike - It's going on a custom DH frame I designed. It's currently in the works.
To give you an idea, it's an east coast Turner DHR - Steel, higher BB, slightly different pivot and frame geometry.

As far as internals go, the 888's got dual hsvc where the Super only has it in one leg. Again, I ask myself, assuming I can get around $400 for the Monster, I'm looking at either a $600 888 or a $300 SuperT. I can afford either, but I'm not sure I want to. With college around the corner, I'm not sure that the additional 300 for the 888 is entirely worth it.
What do you all think? Go for the eights or the Super?

 

[Matt D]

If price is a problem, keep an eye out for used 888s. I've seen some sell for crazy low prices; too low for how new they are.

 

[Kornphlake]

Only you know if you need an extra inch of travel. If you're coming off a monster T the shrunken stanchions and qr20 axle clamp may make a super T seem slightly noodly. On the other hand if you are light and smooth you may never really notice the flex. I think the best way for you to know is to see if you can demo both at a shop and go from there. Of course if your LBS's are like the ones around here any DC fork is special order only, they won't have one on a bike for you to try out.

Super T's do have a proven track record and while they aren't without flaws it seems like most of them have been ironed out, aside from the single sided hscv which hasn't been a confirmed downgrade. I don't really see any reason to choose the 888 over a super T unless you need the stiffness or extra travel.

 

[buildyourown]

You can get a new in box 888 on ebay for <$800.
Shiver might be a good compromise too.
Got any pics of your bike. I too am making my own and would love to see your work.

 

[Spitfired]

Here's a primative image of it:

I think I'm leaning towards the super. As far as ebay goes, I'm going to avoid it. My welder/shop owner is a great guy and he hooks me up on a regular basis, so I'm going to continue to give him all the business I can.
On the issue of flex - My XC bike has an MXC on it. I concider it pretty stiff for the fork it is. Obviously, the monster doesn't move unless you hit it with a truck, but would the slimmed down super be so much flexier that I'd be noticing a difference? Would this additional flex be enough to give me any problems as far as cornering, sprinting, etc. goes?

 

[joelsman]

tire clearance would be the only other thing to consider that you haven't mentioned, supert has less than the 888,
supert should be plenty stiff and the wieght is closer than a pound I believe.

 

[Kornphlake]

Flex is something you might notice the first couple times you ride, if you notice it at all. It really won't affect your riding any, it's just something that will make one fork feel different than another.

 

[the wop]

hey I just looked in buy & sell (suspension) and there is a 888 for 650.00
he said it's only been used twice. better jump on it ! especialy if you like 13 foot drops

 

[BlackDiamond]

I'm currently riding a 888R, I don't think I've ever ridden as nice of a fork for out of the box performance. I love it.

 

[bighitfsr]

There is a lot more to the differences in suspension performance than just single vs dual HSCV.

The 888R features position sensitive compression damping and has one HSCV compression cartridge and one HSCV rebound cartridge. I've never looked inside an 888R but apparently the legs are sealed off to reduce the air volume of the legs making the 888R more progressive without needing to add huge amounts of oil to the forks. If you look at the 888R tuning info that go-ride posted up you'll see what I'm talking about (you can actually buy a metal sleeve which covers up holes on the compression cartridge to give you control over the how the compression damping changes thru the stroke of the fork).

Besides the damping differences the 888R is a bigger, stronger stiffer fork than the superT.

Keep in mind that the 8" 888R with stock crowns is a very tall fork.
Since you building your own frame you might be able to get around this issue without shelling out for aftermarket crowns.

 

[dh4life]

I would go for the 888. It is sick! Really stable, and really plush.