S
Shaun Rimmer
Guest
A while ago I posted here asking if any of you folks thought fitting a brake booster to a set of
Bombers (I'm running discs) would stiffen them 'torsionally'. Don't get me wrong - these forks are
pretty darned stiff to start with, but they ain't no rigids when it comes to railing around corners,
or crossing ruts......
After some debate here as to the merits of this idea, a certain kind soul (Cheers again dude!) sent
me one all the way from Boise.
It looked mighty pretty when I got it, and I couldn't wait to fit it and see if it did
what I wanted.
I went to fit it, tools in hand, but alas, it wouldn't even nearly clear my big front tyre
(height-wise). I devised a couple of aluminium plates to raise it up though, and soon enough, I had
it fitted and looking sturdy.
I'd missed out on a good bit of off-road testing because of that, and had until Sunday, only any
testing done on my road commutes.
I did find the steering felt tighter banking the corners, but the forks were hardly being pushed.
This Sunday came around, and Kath, her daughter and I were picking up my sister's kids to take them
to a local park, for a 'green issues' event there, and that gave me the opportunity to hit my old
stomping ground, Billinge Woods (above the park) on my bike, and meet them down there afterwards.
I had some drive train issues (other post) that bugged me on the 1 mile ascent to the top of the
hill, but apart from that, the bike seemed to be performing well, and was tracking the loose washed
out and rutty gravel fire road well. I got to the top, played about a bit, then set off on the
downhill single track.
This first section (again about a mile) is nice and twist, with rocks, ruts and roots the whole way
down. I stood and hammered a bit, then coasted a while, and the bike railed the corners nicely -
seemed much tighter and more steering responsive than before. Pity my skills are way down there -
coulda gotten much more out of her.
Anyhow, this first bit, and the subsequent mile long stretch both offer plenty of sudden steering
opportunities, and I must say, I really noticed a difference. The further along I got, the more I
found I could steer later and quicker than I had been able to in the past, and flipping the front
wheel out of ruts that went in different ways than I had to go, was so much less of an effort.
Now, this booster is only a fairly light unit, and of course they are designed to stop fork legs or
seat stays spreading under the load of V'brakes being applied, but it's made more than enough
difference to me - I reckon if someone out there has noodlier forks than these, and a fat, heavy
booster kicking about, the difference for them will likely be greater.
Well, hope this is of interest to some of you. ',;~}~
Shaun aRe - This report is based upon my first hand experience(s), and is by no means put forth as
conjecture, hearsay, or pure bollocks of any kind.
Bombers (I'm running discs) would stiffen them 'torsionally'. Don't get me wrong - these forks are
pretty darned stiff to start with, but they ain't no rigids when it comes to railing around corners,
or crossing ruts......
After some debate here as to the merits of this idea, a certain kind soul (Cheers again dude!) sent
me one all the way from Boise.
It looked mighty pretty when I got it, and I couldn't wait to fit it and see if it did
what I wanted.
I went to fit it, tools in hand, but alas, it wouldn't even nearly clear my big front tyre
(height-wise). I devised a couple of aluminium plates to raise it up though, and soon enough, I had
it fitted and looking sturdy.
I'd missed out on a good bit of off-road testing because of that, and had until Sunday, only any
testing done on my road commutes.
I did find the steering felt tighter banking the corners, but the forks were hardly being pushed.
This Sunday came around, and Kath, her daughter and I were picking up my sister's kids to take them
to a local park, for a 'green issues' event there, and that gave me the opportunity to hit my old
stomping ground, Billinge Woods (above the park) on my bike, and meet them down there afterwards.
I had some drive train issues (other post) that bugged me on the 1 mile ascent to the top of the
hill, but apart from that, the bike seemed to be performing well, and was tracking the loose washed
out and rutty gravel fire road well. I got to the top, played about a bit, then set off on the
downhill single track.
This first section (again about a mile) is nice and twist, with rocks, ruts and roots the whole way
down. I stood and hammered a bit, then coasted a while, and the bike railed the corners nicely -
seemed much tighter and more steering responsive than before. Pity my skills are way down there -
coulda gotten much more out of her.
Anyhow, this first bit, and the subsequent mile long stretch both offer plenty of sudden steering
opportunities, and I must say, I really noticed a difference. The further along I got, the more I
found I could steer later and quicker than I had been able to in the past, and flipping the front
wheel out of ruts that went in different ways than I had to go, was so much less of an effort.
Now, this booster is only a fairly light unit, and of course they are designed to stop fork legs or
seat stays spreading under the load of V'brakes being applied, but it's made more than enough
difference to me - I reckon if someone out there has noodlier forks than these, and a fat, heavy
booster kicking about, the difference for them will likely be greater.
Well, hope this is of interest to some of you. ',;~}~
Shaun aRe - This report is based upon my first hand experience(s), and is by no means put forth as
conjecture, hearsay, or pure bollocks of any kind.
