Trek 970 MTB needs a new fork....

I have a '94 or '95 Trek 970 MTB. Back in '96, I had the fork
replaced with a Rock Shox Judy FSX. Several years ago the elastomers
wore out and gave me no damping and I had a friend replace them with
the ones I had left over in my kit. Just recently, I noticed that
they've worn out and disintegrated again, but I'm unencumbered by
replacements now. At some point along the line, I also replaced the
original cantilever brakes with XT V-Brakes.

I don't ride on the trails all that often (twice in the past few
years) and lately I've just used it as a commuter, but I still want
the option of doing trail riding. The local store offered me a couple
of options: rigid steel $110 installed, and an inexpensive suspension
one for $170 installed.

Back when I got my Judy, I seem to recall that the cheap ones were
[censored], is that still the case?

I think I have a threadless steerer, but I don't know if it's 1" or 1
1/8". How can I tell?

I was looking at Nashbar and saw a few things that might be
interesting (Carbon rigid MTB fork?), but I probably don't want to
drop too much money into it....

-alan

--
Alan Hoyle - [email hidden] - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.

Alan Hoyle said:

I have a '94 or '95 Trek 970 MTB. Back in '96, I had the fork
replaced with a Rock Shox Judy FSX. Several years ago the elastomers
wore out and gave me no damping and I had a friend replace them with
the ones I had left over in my kit. Just recently, I noticed that
they've worn out and disintegrated again, but I'm unencumbered by
replacements now. At some point along the line, I also replaced the
original cantilever brakes with XT V-Brakes.

I don't ride on the trails all that often (twice in the past few
years) and lately I've just used it as a commuter, but I still want
the option of doing trail riding. The local store offered me a couple
of options: rigid steel $110 installed, and an inexpensive suspension
one for $170 installed.

Back when I got my Judy, I seem to recall that the cheap ones were
[censored], is that still the case?

Yes. It's much, much better to have an average rigid cromo fork than a
cheap suspension fork on a bike that sees the kind of use you describe.

Quoted message said:

I think I have a threadless steerer, but I don't know if it's 1" or 1
1/8". How can I tell?

Threadless stems clamp around the steerer and have bolts that make this
pretty obvious. Threaded stems clamp inside the steerer.

1" threadless steerers have a 1" outside diameter, 1 1/8"'s have 1
1/8". Remove the top cap, the little circular plate above the stem.
Look down and you can see the stem clamping around the steerer. There
may be a shim between the 2. Hold a ruler across the stem's opening and
eyeball the steerer's outside diameter.

Quoted message said:

I was looking at Nashbar and saw a few things that might be
interesting (Carbon rigid MTB fork?), but I probably don't want to
drop too much money into it....

Skip it. Note that you should get a suspension-corrected rigid fork if
your bike came with a suspension fork, and a non-suspension-corrected
one if not.

Quoted message said:

-alan

--
Alan Hoyle - [email hidden] - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.

Alan Hoyle said:

I have a '94 or '95 Trek 970 MTB. Back in '96, I had the fork
replaced with a Rock Shox Judy FSX. Several years ago the elastomers
wore out and gave me no damping and I had a friend replace them with
the ones I had left over in my kit. Just recently, I noticed that
they've worn out and disintegrated again, but I'm unencumbered by
replacements now. At some point along the line, I also replaced the
original cantilever brakes with XT V-Brakes.

I don't ride on the trails all that often (twice in the past few
years) and lately I've just used it as a commuter, but I still want
the option of doing trail riding. The local store offered me a couple
of options: rigid steel $110 installed, and an inexpensive suspension
one for $170 installed.

Back when I got my Judy, I seem to recall that the cheap ones were
[censored], is that still the case?

Yes. It's much, much better to have an average rigid cromo fork than a
cheap suspension fork on a bike that sees the kind of use you describe.

Quoted message said:

I think I have a threadless steerer, but I don't know if it's 1" or 1
1/8". How can I tell?

Threadless stems clamp around the steerer and have bolts that make this
pretty obvious. Threaded stems clamp inside the steerer.

1" threadless steerers have a 1" outside diameter, 1 1/8"'s have 1
1/8". Remove the top cap, the little circular plate above the stem.
Look down and you can see the stem clamping around the steerer. There
may be a shim between the 2. Hold a ruler across the stem's opening and
eyeball the steerer's outside diameter.

Quoted message said:

I was looking at Nashbar and saw a few things that might be
interesting (Carbon rigid MTB fork?), but I probably don't want to
drop too much money into it....

Skip it. Note that you should get a suspension-corrected rigid fork if
your bike came with a suspension fork, and a non-suspension-corrected
one if not.

Quoted message said:

-alan

--
Alan Hoyle - [email hidden] - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.

Nate Knutson said:

Alan Hoyle wrote:

Quoted message said:

Yes. It's much, much better to have an average rigid cromo fork than a
cheap suspension fork on a bike that sees the kind of use you describe.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I think I have a threadless steerer, but I don't know if it's 1" or 1
1/8". How can I tell?

Quoted message said:

Threadless stems clamp around the steerer and have bolts that make this
pretty obvious. Threaded stems clamp inside the steerer.

The stem on my bike has the bolts internally and hides them with a
plastic cap on the side. It seems to be a 1 1/8 steerer. A friend
offered me his old suspension fork for even less money than a new
rigid fork. As I'd rather spend the money on a something else (and
still have something that would be decent off-road since my bike was
high-end for the time and has had components upgraded), I might just
go with that instead of anything new.

-alan

--
Alan Hoyle - [email hidden] - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.