suspension fork & geometry

"Skokatt" <chris@[no-spam]skokatt.com> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

would a 100mm travel fork mess up the geometry of a frame sold with an 80mm travel fork so much as
to make the bike unsafe or unrideable? seems to me that 2 cm isn't *that* much of a difference...
maybe a lower rise stem to make up the difference if needed? I am looking into upgrading my stock
RST forks to something that is a little more suited for my weight (210 lbs) and riding style
(erratic). also any input on a brand/model that you might suggest in the $200-$300 price range
would be appreciated. I'm not racing or DHing... just recreational riding.

- Chris - www.skokatt.com
_____________________________

People say I'm cruel. But I have the heart of a small child. In a jar. On my desk.

No. I've put a 100 on a bike that came with a rigid fork and hit the trails just fine. Some of the
purists may disagree, however.

Skokatt said:

would a 100mm travel fork mess up the geometry of a frame sold with an 80mm travel fork so much as
to make the bike unsafe or unrideable? seems to me that 2 cm isn't *that* much of a difference...
maybe a lower rise stem to make up the difference if needed? I am looking into upgrading my stock
RST forks to something that is a little more suited for my weight (210 lbs) and riding style
(erratic). also any input on a brand/model that you might suggest in the $200-$300 price range
would be appreciated. I'm not racing or DHing... just recreational riding.

- Chris - www.skokatt.com
_____________________________

People say I'm cruel. But I have the heart of a small child. In a jar. On my desk.

I did that on my Cannondale F1000 and it improved the ride quite a bit
🙂 -- head shok -> lefty.

David

"Skokatt" <chris@[no-spam]skokatt.com> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

would a 100mm travel fork mess up the geometry of a frame sold with an 80mm travel fork so much as
to make the bike unsafe or unrideable?

No. The only thing it will do is change the head tube angle ever so slightly to a less sensitive
angle (caster). It may, or may not be more to your liking.

Quoted message said:

seems to me that 2 cm isn't *that* much of a difference... maybe a lower rise stem to make up the
difference if needed?

This just changes how you sit on the bike.

I put a 100 mm double clamp on a frame that came with a 75 mm single clamp. It sent the front up
changing the geometry. So now the bike rides great everywhere but up steep hills. The front end
likes come up while climbing.

Fire up MTB 03

"Skokatt" <chris@[no-spam]skokatt.com> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

would a 100mm travel fork mess up the geometry of a frame sold with an 80mm travel fork so much as
to make the bike unsafe or unrideable? seems to me that 2 cm isn't *that* much of a difference...
maybe a lower rise stem to make up the difference if needed? I am looking into upgrading my stock
RST forks to something that is a little more suited for my weight (210 lbs) and riding style
(erratic). also any input on a brand/model that you might suggest in the $200-$300 price range
would be appreciated. I'm not racing or DHing... just recreational riding.

If you swap it with a 100mm Marzocchi with ECC you can have the best of both. When you lock out
the ECC for climbing it locks down the fork most of the way into it's travel. This makes climbing
much easier by steepening the head angle. When you get ready to descend unlock the fork and enjoy
the ride down! Whoo Hoo!!! Also Marzocchi's are very well suited to heavier riders such as
yourself. It will change the way you ride and you just may find yourself DHing! I did after I
bought my first Marz.

Mike

Skokatt said:

would a 100mm travel fork mess up the geometry of a frame sold with an 80mm travel fork so much as
to make the bike unsafe or unrideable? seems to me that 2 cm isn't *that* much of a difference...
maybe a lower rise stem to make up the difference if needed?

It won't make a huge difference, though if you have a slack head angle to begin with, it may
make the steering a bit slow to be comfortable. The amount of sag that you run will also affect
the steering.

I did much the same, except I slapped a fox 125mm fork onto a marin mt. vision, and put a short 45mm
stem on to make the steering feel a bit quicker. Worked for me, as I'm short in the body and even
the xc trails here tend to be insanely steep, so the added stability was (mostly) good.

Quoted message said:

I am looking into upgrading my stock RST forks to something that is a little more suited for my
weight (210 lbs) and riding style (erratic). also any input on a brand/model that you might
suggest in the $200-$300 price range would be appreciated. I'm not racing or DHing... just
recreational riding.

I'd take a look at the Marzocchi MX Comp with coil springs and ETA (Extension Travel Adjustment).
Or perhaps just the plain MX Comp, but in light of your size and style, don't go for the air
sprung option.

Basically, any mid-range coil sprung fork from Marzocchi, Fox or Manitou would be fine. It's a
question of feel and features at a certain price point, so try riding a few and deciding what you
need from the fork. Having had 2 models from RockShox, I wouldn't touch them again. Both broke.

Quoted message said:

- Chris - www.skokatt.com
_____________________________

People say I'm cruel. But I have the heart of a small child. In a jar. On my desk.

"Michael Dart" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Skokatt" <chris@[no-spam]skokatt.com> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

would a 100mm travel fork mess up the geometry of a frame sold with an 80mm travel fork so much
as to make the bike unsafe or unrideable?

seems

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to me that 2 cm isn't *that* much of a difference... maybe a lower rise stem to make up the
difference if needed? I am looking into upgrading my stock RST forks to something that is a
little more suited for my weight (210 lbs) and riding style (erratic). also any input on a
brand/model that you might suggest in the $200-$300 price range would be appreciated. I'm not
racing or DHing... just recreational riding.

If you swap it with a 100mm Marzocchi with ECC you can have the best of both. When you lock out
the ECC for climbing it locks down the fork most

of

Quoted message said:

the way into it's travel. This makes climbing much easier by steepening

the

Quoted message said:

head angle. When you get ready to descend unlock the fork and enjoy the ride down! Whoo Hoo!!!
Also Marzocchi's are very well suited to heavier riders such as yourself. It will change the way
you ride and you just may find yourself DHing! I did after I bought my first Marz.

Mike

Great advice. Mike beat me to it. I did exactly that with my 98 Klein Mantra and it rides better
that way than it ever did with an 80mm. The lockout definitely is a plus, because you can then
get a lower front end ride than you had with the 80mm, so your climbing on the very steep stuff
will be even easier as far as keeping the front end down. And in my case, I think the Mantra
should have had a 100mm to start with. It performs better that way in about all conditions. Of
course, that was pretty unlikely a travel distance on an XC bike in those days....
--
Off to ride the mountains, D H Reply to newsgroup. Spam is out of control.