Ok I’m venturing into 29ers & need some input re fork offsets.

I see the Pike is available with a 51mm offset or standard, would I be right in saying the 51mm slackens things even more ?
Looking at a hightower build & though the 29er version is specc’d at 140 I’m just wanting to understand how much of a effect 51m or standard would have on the bike.

Any input appreciated thanks.

Fork offset doesn’t affect the head angle in any way.

A larger offset basically results in quicker steering by reducing the trail. This may result in a twitchier front end tho so I’d check with santacruz to find out what they recommend as some frame designs work better with specific fork offset. ie Ibis Ripley recommend 51mm offset.

It does nothing to slacken the head angle, how could it? The fork axle is 5mm further forward though, which decreases the amount of trail, and makes the steering a bit quicker.

This is largely seen as a desirable trait on modern 29ers, given that a bigger wheel slows the steering response slightly, as does a slack head angle (which is why 29ers all used to have steep head angles to sharpen the steering before people experimented with geometry and fork offsets). The practice of increasing the offset isn’t universally praised though, I know of one or two designers who argue that increasing the offset makes the bike inherently less stable which they don’t want in their bikes. Horses for courses though.

I’m a fan… Means my Evil Following, set up low and slack (low linkage, 140mm MRP Stage with 51mm offset, contributes to a 66deg HA) doesn’t feel like a DH bike on the normal Singletrack, yet it’s very confidence inspiring because of the slack head angle and long wheelbase. Yes, at 10/10ths on a full on DH track a 46mm offset would be preferable as it will be slightly more stable, but we’re not talking massive changes here anyway.