What is the advantages disadvantages between the two maxle sizes for front wheels/forks?

about 5mm

Absolutely sod-all difference in reality, but a couple of things on paper.

It’s just another ‘standard’ to make people upgrade their kit…

xiphon – spot on.

hense the previous comment:

about 5mm

because thats the only difference you’ll notice. stiffness wise you wont notice

Go 15mm. Rockshox have stopped doing 20mm for 2012, they have gone to 15mm.

Fox also only do 15mm…

Its the future….

Fox also only do 15mm…

unless you run 40’s or 36’s

Never look that high up the range, sorry! 32’s only for me.. 😉

Rockshox, a least the uk market (fishers) official aftermarket forks Reba and revelation only come with 15mm for 2012, Sektors still in both 15 and 20mm.
Whether Rockshox still produce 20mm in all forks in the US and for some O.E models, I’m not 100% sure, the aftermarket stuff is specced for the UK market by Rockshox, so they said ‘no 20mm for such and such’

Basic rule of thumb IMO would be up to 150mm 15 is fine after that 20mm would be better. But saying that never really found my 140mm QRs lacking just a touch more flexy through really rough stuff at speed.

Thanks

It’s kinda infuriating tbh… Maxle Lite at 20mm has only a minute weight penalty compared to the 15mm Maxle Lite- and that’s a new development, for years Fox’s QR15 was actually heavier, but the misconception that it was the lighter option was repeated so much that it became true (MBR once had a review that commented several times on the “lightweight QR15mm” then had a pic of the 2 on the scales showing the Maxle as lighter). And even Fox know it’s not as rugged a standard, hence no 15mm in 40s and 36s.

There’s a potential benefit in that you can build a 15mm axled
hub with either bigger bearings or a smaller body than a 20mm hub… But, since so many people end up with a 20mm hub spaced down to 15mm that ends up heavier too!

Unfortunately it’s often not the better standard that wins the war.

Whos_Daddy – Member

Rockshox have stopped doing 20mm for 2012

No.

Whos_Daddy – Member

Fox also only do 15mm…

Also no.

In the future it will be

<150mm = 15mm
>150mm = 20mm

The 15mm standard came about because it was the biggest diameter axle you could put in a Shimano hub without retooling their factories. They didn’t want to use a SRAM standard.

20mm is stiffer = Fact

I have only been looking at 2012 150mm Revelations and was told by various people (including Loco) that Rockshox don’t do 20mm in these models (just as Loco points out above) plus I haven’t needed to look at the Fox 36 & 40 range.

The 15mm standard came about because it was the biggest diameter axle you could put in a Shimano hub without retooling their factories.

Interesting. Is this an actual, quoatable Science :FACT:?

But saying that never really found my 140mm QRs lacking just a touch more flexy through really rough stuff at speed.

What? On a road maybe. QR 32s are waaaaaaaaaay flexy. I’d rather go rigid, and did as a matter of fact.