"davebee" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Will putting a front supension fork with an 85-100 mm travel mess up the geometry of my bike which
> currently has rigid forks? Obviously there will be some change in the geometry and suspension will
> significantly change the feel, but will the changes "work"?
It will change the geometry, you may or may not notice it but if you do it will mainly be on
flat ground which is not the natural habitat of mtbs. Also the change of geometry may be
preferable to you.
I've just changed my fork from 80mm (70 more like in practice) to one that adjusts from 63 to 108
and find that leaving it on the longer travel is great downhill and not much of a detriment going
up, you adapt without thinking, so feel a preset 100 travel fork wouldn't cause a problem. I'll get
a better idea of the usefullness of the short travel option when the local, relatively untechnical,
trails dry out and I use them again.
In short, I wouldn't worry unless your frame is very old and/or not designed for suspension forks at
all. AFAIK most decent frames of the last few years have "suspension corrected geometry" i.e. higher
head tube and longer forks. To see if your bike fits this category measure the distance between the
top of the tyre and the underside of the fork beneath the steerer, if there is
>70 mm with fat tyres then the frame is "suspension corrected".
--
Regards, Pete