1" steerer tube MTB shocks



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Jon Fulbright

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I've been away from good MTB country for a few years, but I now live at the foot of the San Gabriels
near LA. My trusty Univega Alpina 5.3 is still going strong, but after a few rides (and descents!),
I've decided that a front suspension is a needed upgrade (couldn't afford it when I lived in Santa
Cruz). I was current on bike tech 5-7 years ago, but lost track during my exile.

It has a 1" threadless steerer tube, so my choices seem to be either a Judy TT or a
Marzocchi MX Comp.

I like the MX, but the guy at the shop is telling me that I'd need to upgrade to V-brakes, but the
online tech manual says that it can take cantilevers. If I upgrade to V-brakes, I'll have to get
new levers and shifters, which will push the price above what I want to spend. The front shifter
died 6 months ago, so I have a new pair of 7-speed STX combo lever/shifters that would probably
become useless.

So I have a few questions:

1) Is the shop guy misinformed, or am I mis-reading the tech manual?

2) Any opinions on the Judy TT? MX?

3) Any other options for 1" shocks worth considering?

Thanks!

jf
 
"Jon Fulbright" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> 1) Is the shop guy misinformed, or am I mis-reading the tech manual?

He's right.

Modern forks don't have a cable-stop for cantilever brakes. Canti brake levers don't pull the right
amount of cable for V-brakes.

I know there was a lever adapter at one time, and there may have even been a bolt-on cable stop you
could buy. Better to buy a V-type brake & lever for the front--shouldn't cost much.

David
 
David wrote:
> "Jon Fulbright" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>1) Is the shop guy misinformed, or am I mis-reading the tech manual?
>
>
> He's right.
>
> Modern forks don't have a cable-stop for cantilever brakes. Canti brake levers don't pull the
> right amount of cable for V-brakes.
>
> I know there was a lever adapter at one time,

Look for a "Travel Agent" - that'll adapt your levers for you. Replaces the noodle, IIRC.

> and there may have even been a bolt-on cable stop you could buy.

You might be able to find one that fits in there with your headset/spacers.

> Better to buy a V-type brake & lever for the front--shouldn't cost much.

V levers and brakes won't cost much - shifters will be a ***** to find though, if he's
still 7 speed.

> David

No offense, Jon, but your bike is probably not worth upgrading. A bike that old won't be suspension
adjusted - IE, putting a suspension fork on there will raise your front end and mess with your
geometry. The number of other changes you'd have to make, and the number of old parts you'd have to
track down, make it better off to just ride the bike, save your cash, and buy a sweet new $400-700
mountain bike that will have current standards and parts. You can make the bike into a singlespeed
as your second steed and be hardcore then, too ;)

Jon Bond
 
"Jonathan Bond" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > and there may have even been a bolt-on cable stop you could buy.
>
> You might be able to find one that fits in there with your headset/spacers.

Not for a suspension fork. It has to attach to the part of the fork that holds the brakes.
 
David wrote:
> "Jonathan Bond" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>>and there may have even been a bolt-on cable stop you could buy.
>>
>>You might be able to find one that fits in there with your headset/spacers.
>
>
> Not for a suspension fork. It has to attach to the part of the fork that holds the brakes.

You are indeed right. My bad.

You might be able to adapt one, but I wouldn't bother at this point, I think.

Jon Bond
 
"Jon Fulbright" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've been away from good MTB country for a few years, but
I now live at
> the foot of the San Gabriels near LA. My trusty Univega
Alpina 5.3 is
> still going strong, but after a few rides (and descents!),
I've decided
> that a front suspension is a needed upgrade (couldn't
afford it when I
> lived in Santa Cruz). I was current on bike tech 5-7
years ago, but
> lost track during my exile.
>
> It has a 1" threadless steerer tube, so my choices seem to
be either
> a Judy TT or a Marzocchi MX Comp.
>
> I like the MX, but the guy at the shop is telling me that
I'd need to
> upgrade to V-brakes, but the online tech manual says that
it can take
> cantilevers. If I upgrade to V-brakes, I'll have to get
new levers and
> shifters, which will push the price above what I want to
spend. The front
> shifter died 6 months ago, so I have a new pair of 7-speed
STX combo
> lever/shifters that would probably become useless.
>
> So I have a few questions:
>
> 1) Is the shop guy misinformed, or am I mis-reading the
tech manual?
>
> 2) Any opinions on the Judy TT? MX?
>
> 3) Any other options for 1" shocks worth considering?

Ebay is full of them. They're definately harder to find than 1.125" forks, and in high demand, but
there are still plenty around.

Look for an older Judy, Manitou, or Marzocchi with a 1" steerer that takes regular cantilever
brakes. Marzocchis are the best of these forks, and you can get a 1" steerer pressed in if it's not
on there already. You can tell by the picture whether the fork takes old cantilevers -- it's the one
with the bolted-on, machined brake arch. The Z2 and Atom series are probably the best ones to look
for. Superfly/X-Fly are good too but not as common.

Judy and SID parts are fully interchangeable, so you can use a steerer/crown assembly from a Judy TT
or XC with whatever Judy/SID lowers and innards you want.

I don't know as much about Manitou forks, but they're a good alternative too. Anything with the
"TPC" innards generally performs very well. There were tons of SX model forks on new bikes, and even
brand new, "take-off" OEM forks were selling for less than $100 a few years ago. So they're
plentiful and cheap, as well as decent.

The bottom line is that you should be able to find a good fork for under $100.

Matt O.
 
"Jonathan Bond" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> No offense, Jon, but your bike is probably not worth
upgrading. A bike
> that old won't be suspension adjusted - IE, putting a
suspension fork on
> there will raise your front end and mess with your
geometry.

That's definately something to consider. Measure your current fork, axle to crown. If it's shorter
than 16-16.5", it's time for a new frame.

Matt O.
 
Matt O'Toole <[email protected]> wrote:

> That's definately something to consider. Measure your current fork, axle to crown. If it's shorter
> than 16-16.5", it's time for a new frame.

You can get some suspension with a Softride stem. (Hi Jon!) It's not as much a a fork, but it takes
the edge off the hits. This works for 1" steerers and doesn't mess up geometry. I don't think they
are made any longer. Perhaps a call around to bike shops or an ad on rec.bicycles.marketplace would
turn one up.

BTW, 8 speed shifters will shift 7 speeds - the spacing is near identical - so it's not necessary to
hunt for rare 7 speed shifters.
 
> "Jon Fulbright" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > 1) Is the shop guy misinformed, or am I mis-reading the tech manual?

"David" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> He's right. Modern forks don't have a cable-stop for cantilever brakes. Canti brake levers don't
> pull the right amount of cable for V-brakes.
>
> I know there was a lever adapter at one time, and there may have even been a bolt-on cable stop
> you could buy. Better to buy a V-type brake & lever
for the
> front--shouldn't cost much.

That's correct but he could go the other way - with a cantilever cable housing stop which bolts to
the fork's brace. There are various models to fit most but not all modern forks.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971
 
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