My 2014 Fox 32 Foats CTD Evolutions which were FIT upgraded are so noodley (word found on STW) that I am going to upgrade. The new 34 Floats at £800 are expensive and I just want the replacement forks to be stiff both laterally and also when I brake. The 32 Floats when bikepacking would bend nearly an 1" at the drop outs as they used to bend back and rub on my under mounted jetboil.
I have been a Fox user for over a decade and have read good things about the Rockshox Pike RCT3 forks.
Comments / Suggestions?
What travel?
Pikes work very well at 120mm, but it's possible the Factory 34s might edge it at 140mm.
Just checked and that is probably the blocker. The factory forks on the bike were FLoat 32 100mm travel.What travel?
X Fusion Trace have 34mm stanchions and can be reduced to 100mm.
Great forks which are stiff and not too heavy.
http://www.freeborn.co.uk/x-fusion-trace-29-fork-2015?gclid=CIqU9ePz6tICFQE4GwodvAoGLA
Ummm. Never heard of them.X Fusion Trace have 34mm stanchions and can be reduced to 100mm.
Great forks which are stiff and not too heavy.http://www.freeborn.co.uk/x-fusion-trace-29-fork-2015?gclid=CIqU9ePz6tICFQE4GwodvAoGLA
X Fusion have been around in the Uk for about 5 years and can't be that bad as Cotic spec them.
After doing further research I have come to the frustrating conclusion that if you only want 100mm travel you are limited to xc based forks. As a 29er has bigger wheels and therefore longer stantions, you would have thought fork manufacturers would offer a wider range.
xc forks for loaded bikepacking are too flimsy and flexy.
Why not get a pair of rigid forks for bike packing?
I was also considering that, but I need to be convinced. On my last trip I was glad I had suspension upfront and worry that on long multi day trips over rought trails rigid forks will play havoc with hands / wristsWhy not get a pair of rigid forks for bike packing?
SRAM/RockShox with Torque caps though will require a new front hub, increases stiffness around the axle/hub so should be good. I think they were first out on the upside down RS1.
A friend of mine did the Tuscanny Tour lsst year fully loaded with a pair of Niner carbon forks without issues. I have a pair on the front of my SS and with a big tyre up front it is surprising how much abuse they'll take.
I swapped the Float 32s on my 29er Fuel for Pikes - it made a huge improvement. I looked at Float 34s but couldn't justify the price difference which was about £300 at the time - I think I paid £450 direct from Canyon
X Fusion Trace have 34mm stanchions and can be reduced to 100mm.
Great forks which are stiff and not too heavy.
I can vouch for these. Been using them for 6 months now (came fitted to the Rocket Max) and much better than i expected. Stiff enough with fairly basic damping but it works very well. There's a roughcut version that's meant to be more sophisticated if you're partial to a twiddle. I've a set of Pike RCT3s on the smaller bike and they do look better but there's not much in it performance/stiffness wise (i personally prefer the support/feel of the Trace overall as the Pike seems to work great in some areas but can feel soft/spongy in others - the Trace is more consistent. As mentioned they can be internally adjusted in 10mm steps (mine from 100-140)
Given my current Float 32s are QR axle and 1 1/8" steerer I have already accepted I will need a new wheel built. Both my QR dynamo wheel and normal riding wheel cannot be modified from QR.SRAM/RockShox with Torque caps though will require a new front hub, increases stiffness around the axle/hub so should be good. I think they were first out on the upside down RS1.
I am probably going to go down this route as well as it is easy to swap forks out for a bikepacking trip. Having a better fork up front is still on the cards though as I would like the flexibility of being able to use suspension up front or rigid. Could then have the opportunity to switch out depending on the type of terrain you are riding on the trail.I have a pair on the front of my SS and with a big tyre up front it is surprising how much abuse they'll take.
That was my master plan, until I discovered they do not offer a 100mm travel option. A 130mm option would be incorrect for my bike and raise the front end 30mm. Which does not feel correct for a bike that came with 100mm travel floats.I swapped the Float 32s on my 29er Fuel for Pikes
On reflection, I might have to look into the X-Fusion Trace RL2 forks.
After doing further research I have come to the frustrating conclusion that if you only want 100mm travel you are limited to xc based forks. As a 29er has bigger wheels and therefore longer stantions, you would have thought fork manufacturers would offer a wider range.
As above, X-Fusion trace have 34mm stanchions and can be internally adjusted down to 100mm. They're definitely not XC forks.
If you ask nicely, they will adjust the travel for you, but it's not that hard to do it yourself.
Thanks. Will investigate further.As above, X-Fusion trace have 34mm stanchions and can be internally adjusted down to 100mm. They're definitely not XC forks.
Along a similar note I am curious as to how much difference a 32 15mm tapered fork feels when compared with the same 32 1 1/8" QR one.
The 15mm bolt will make a lot of difference, the tapered steerer much less so.
I've had a few x-fusion forks with Trace's on the front of my 29er for a couple of years (running at 130mm). Echo what's been said here, stiff fork, basic but consistent damping, reliable, easy to service (except one stupid tiny allen nut) and great value. Freeborn will sort you out the travel adjust before shipping.
A Pike 27.5" 120mm air shaft will drop 29" Pikes to 100mm travel. Part number 11.4018.026.011
😀A Pike 27.5" 120mm air shaft will drop 29" Pikes to 100mm travel. Part number 11.4018.026.011
what about Marzocchi 44s switch t/a 110 - 140 and i think can be left in 110 and if you need a longer travel its there