I’ve got a Flux with 100mm sid forks and a 100mm stem & flat bars.

its a great xc machine and a great climber but on the steep & techy parts of a ride I struggle as its a head down arse up kind of setup with what feels like a lot of weight over the bars

been thinking of going 120mm fork.

would this help matters or is 20mm too little (should I save my money)?

can I run 120 front & 100 rear without any problem? would they work well togeather?

I’ve also been thinking of going to a riser bar and 70mm stem.

how much would my sid race forks fetch (around 1 year old)

Drop your saddle and move your weight back? Cheaper than new forks. It’s XC machine so the HA was always gonna be on the steeper side. Taller fork means taller BB.

Have you considered some coaching? Sometimes a head adjustment is worth more than a kit adjustment.

(This of course is not a slight on your riding ability – just a suggestion)

going clipless hasn’t helped my confidence tbh

I also need a quick release collar as I ride quite high and cant be asred getting a allen key out of my bag and adjusting all the time.

Well I can see that the new fork won’t really help you then.

Get QR collar on there and get the saddle.

Oh and MTFU too 8)

What about putting that top stem spacer under the stem? Might bring your weight back on the steeper stuff…

Higher volume tyre on the front will be a cheap way to give you a bit more cushion and slacken it off a smidge too, and it’ll add stability. Qr seat clamp if you don’t already have one.

I have a Flux running 120mm Maxle Reba’s and Flow Rims, can recommend 710mm bars and shorter stem also

Have you considered a Adjustable seatpost??

just bought the kcnc (which cost me a packet) so cant really change at the mo – plus I’d like to keep things as light as poss.

it would help though no doubts

I have mine in 2 setups – one similar to yours, the other with wider riser bars, shorter stem, pike uturn forks, flow wheels with high rollers and a dropper post. About 4.5lb heavier & 15mins to switch over. The 2nd is a load slower over xc ground but a good bit more capable on technical stuff.

tbh your xc setup currently is quite conservative. With your 0deg stem with lots of spacers under it your saddle to bar drop is pretty mellow. A bit more confidence and it’s amazing what you can get it down – just look at the world cup xc guys. I’d think about a front tyre change and the addition of a quick release to start with and a wider bar and shorter stem next. All bar the QR will effect your pure xc performance though. Plenty use the flux with a 120mm fork and it’s fine – I did until last week when I stripped my SID forks and put the spacers in to reduce the travel to 100mm. Tis better shorter in XC mode in my opinion but I’m lucky that I have other forks available to swap in. If I only had the 1 fork I’d probably have left it at the 120mm.

Run mine with Reba Maxle with U-Turn (90mm to 120mm), 700mm bars, 80mm stem, dropper seatpost.

I’d take the dropper seatpost over the ability to dial the forks out to 120mm…Flux rides very well at 100mm and I personally don’t feel going 100mm to 120mm makes an appreciable difference. On the front, I’d take wider bars and a short stem over 120mm.

Use mine with the same spec for everything from trail riding to 100 milers.

pike uturn forks

Blimey. Do you run those at 140mm? Bit over the recommended

I tend to run them at 110mm for most of most routes – but the axle to crown of the Pike is 10mm longer for any given travel length than something like a SID so it feels a little more. I wind it out to 125-130mm for nice long descents where is feels worth it. I have to say I can’t see the full 140mm would be ideal – but the shear stiffness of the Pike in comparison to the SID is nice sometimes even if I don’t use it at full length. Would be a pain dragging the weight around if riding against the clock though.

Would love to try it with Pikes. I do have some Fox Talas with 100-120-140 and 15mmQR that would be fun to try but I think it’s best I stick with the Rebas. However, as I said, I think the Flux suits 100mm best…stiffer forks, wide bars, short stem yes but not necessarily 120mm.

Just do something, anything, to allow you to get that saddle out of the way. You’ll be able to move freely and apply some body English. £20 for a QR clamp or go all-out and get a dropper. Knock 20-30mm off your stem while you have your wallet out.

120 fork, shorter stem, wider bars Done! a combination of subble changes will make a world of difference, don’t go too nuts with it though its a xc bike, you don’t want to turn it into something it isn’t. Its a wicked looking bike btw.

My mtb blog

Unless you have really short thighs move your seat back a bit.

I think it needs a new rider!

cheers all,

ok keep forks (save me a packet)
80mm stem
700ish low risers
qr seat clamp

I’ll look at tyres when these are goosed

One quick thing to note is one of the reasons I got a dropper seatpost over just using a QR was that the Flux seattube is only reamed to about 21cm as per Greg at Turner. It depends how much seatpost you currently have in the frame but given I had about 15cm with my seatpost, it meant I could only drop it 5cm or so. You look like you have less seatpost in the frame so may not find this an issue with just a QR.

I ride a long travel hardtail.. and if I didn’t put my seat down over tech stuff I would be in all sorts of trouble regarding body position and weight distribution..

that’s deffo your simplest fix..

Why not a high rise bar? Try an old X-Lite XC from ebay for cheapness – they had a really nice rise to them. Or XC-2 for a little bit lighter.
Don’t go much wider than your shoulders for XC or you’ll be hitting all those trees when it gets tight.

Don’t shorten the stem unless the cockpit is too long – it doesn’t look like it is if you use those bar ends.

Several people on the turner mtbr forum run 120mm forks on their fluxes with no problem – it is actually 105mm at the back so less mismatched!.

What hubs do you have – you may be able to put some form of larger axle on the front for a bit more stiffness. Some hopes take a 9mm axle and so you could try that with you current forks.

Try a wider front tyre – different tyre with more grip.

I have managed to set my seatpost so it is nice for XC but I can also drop behind it if needed.

Dropping behind the saddle is something that is overdone by most people. If you go for some coaching with Jedi (better idea than new forks I reckon) he will look at your footwork and will get you to drop your heels rather than drop behind the saddle. Try it – it gives a much better link to the bike and everything feels more solid – many people do the opposite and are up on the balls of their feet instead.

Lose the idea that a couple of mm here or there makes any difference and look at what you are doing on the bike.

My Trance rides like a mini DH bike on the downs and that is mainly to the slacker head angle with the 120mm with 15mm axle Fox forks rather than the recommended 100mm forks, tiny stem and great Renthal bars! Pedals uphill nice too!!

I do have a dropper on mine to but TBH you can always stop and drop it an inch or two anyway before the good stuff.

100mm on a Trance? Surely it is 100mm on an Anthem, not a Trance?

Swap it for a 5 spot. Sorry, that doesn’t help really does it.

i run my Flux with RS Revs set up at 120mm travel…. the 120mm/105mm works absolutely fine.

i have a lovely thomson layback seatpost at the mo (one of the long ones as i am jsut over 6ft and riding a large size frame, so it’s pretty much extended for xc riding), however, on my christmas pressie list this year will be a rs reverb seatpost. it will add weight, but having now ridden the flux around affan, i think the value of being able to drop the post on the downhills will vastly outweigh any downside…. it will be like having two bikes in one!

go for a lesson with Jedi…

100mm stem, low rise bars, in line post, 120mm forks on mine, 5’11”, size large – love it.

he will look at your footwork and will get you to drop your heels rather than drop behind the saddle. Try it – it gives a much better link to the bike and everything feels more solid

I agree to a certain extent and going on a course with jedi will certainly improve your riding..
For steep technical terrain which admittedly I can only assume that the OP was referring to.. I would always lower my seat to be able to give a lower general centre of gravity and an abilty to shift weight distribution.. there’s only so much you can accomplish by dropping your heels.. and it’s not always safe to carry the bulk of your bodies’ weight two feet above the back wheel.. and often I don’t want the saddle getting in the way of all of these things.. IMO of course

the frame is quite compact (same geometry as my rocklobster) – thats why I went for a 100mm stem.

I think the biggest thing will be a qr for the post – but year a jedi course would no doubt help!

whats the prices etc? I’m in Bolton

coaching and a dropper seatpost would be the best bet, not wonder you kind technical descending hard with your saddle that high.

Yes, a dropper post is expensive, but its cheaper than a new set of teeth.

Get some coaching with Great Rock. Closer to you.

Theres a group run courses round Rivi… cant remember their name but google will help. Otherwise Ed O (great rock) runs courses at Lee Quarry, Gisburn and Hebden. Very highly recommended. If I had the cash I’d be booked in with him pronto.

how much are the courses?

Cheaper than new forks.

I know it goes against the forum rules, but…

…just ride it more. That will help it become better over all terrain.

…just ride it more.

And keep making the same mistakes?

jesus its sounds like a complete idiot bafoon on a bike – I just want to tweak a few things 😆

Face it…you just want an excuse for a “shiny bit purchase” excercise…dont you. 🙂 🙂

That bike clearly needs triple crowns & a 24″ back wheel.

Either go riding with someone more confident/competent than you, or pay for some coaching.

What you might consider ‘tech’ could probably be easily conquered on a rigid.

It’s all in the mind…