Tech XC riding biased fork advice wanted.

I’m looking to ideally drop some weight on my 100mm travel FS frame and ideally speed up the steering a touch.

SID 120mm forks with 46mm offset are easy to source online, however should i be looking at 51mm offset forks to drop both weight and lighten up the steering (51mm offset SIDs i can online find via import from the USA = lots of money).

Are the benefits of 51mm offset worth it, to benefit my running something a Pike in 51mm and living with the additional heft? Essentially will i get lighter, faster steering in a fork that is otherwise just more portly compared to the SID?

Any real world experience out there of 46 vs 51mm comparisons?

Slacker head angled bikes benefit from longer offsets to decrease wheel flop at low speed.

Slightly longer wheelbase easily offset by quicker feeling steering. It’s a big benefit on my wagon wheeled AM bike. Not sure if that’s desirable on an XC bike or not

I’m in the pickle of not being able try before i commit to buy. Looking at the 2015 Kona line up, bikes like the Honzo are specced with 46mm offset forks yet they have 68 degree head angles at 120mm. Would that be a cost cutting / availability exercise or a true handling decision i wonder.

My Tallboy runs a 70 degree head angle, 100mm rear travel with 120mm up front.

Looking at availability vs cost, it looks like i’m left with either a light weight 46mm offset SID, heavier 51mm offset xfusion slant, or heavy 51mm offset Pike fork?

Do you want a light bike or a nice handling bike?

Both?

Does the 51mm make that much difference?

Does the 51mm make that much difference?

The 51 offset makes quite a difference to a 46 offset but not as much as the difference between a Pike and a SID.

Recommendations, best sensibly priced 120mm 29er fork with 46 or 51mm offset?

51mm is probably Bike24 or Bike discoun for Reba.

Spearfish is now saying that 46mm is ‘accepable’ on their website.

I have an Ibis Ripley and they recommend a 51mm offset fork. I wanted a SID so just bought a 46mm offset one. It’s fine TBH. Always thought the steering was a tad too fast on the ripley demo I tried anyways.

The Pike I have is 51mm offset but it’s an extra 20mm more travel+slackens bike so needs quicker steering.

In the real world, are you genuinely going to tell the difference

Or go in the middle – Manitou Tower is 48mm offset.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191305420664?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Just got some of those, they took 10 days and arrived in one piece 🙂 They also do the RCT3 version.

Bump – still unsure, though now certain i’m going for a pike reduced to 120mm.

Any real world opinions either way?

How about a head angle changing headset?

I know the fashion is to slacken the headangle but they can also be used to steepen the head angle too.

So how about the 46mm offset forks and 0.5 or 1 degree steeper headangle?

Not the same thing.