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Bear with me..
MsD has a Spesh Myka FS 2008 model (i think) the one where the shock pierces the seat tube via a nice little forged 'hoop'. Thing is, after riding my Wolf Ridge she is complaining that the front end on her bike is too low. The bike has 100mm RS Tora forks on it and a good stack of spacers. The forks are - to be fair - pretty damn poor so we are looking at replacing them.
Now, what would the effects on the bike be if we went down the 120/140mm fork route?
It would lift up the front end somewhat and make her feel less 'over the bars' but how much would it mess up the bike considering it is a 100mm travel frame?
I'm leaning towards the 120mm option myself but she likes the idea of the 140's 'cos thats whats on my Wolf Ridge 🙄
Edit: definitely the 2008 model - in the medium size.
how about a 29er front wheel? Higher bars/stem, less sag in the fork? Seat further back?
That would mean a new fork AND a new wheel though wouldn't it - and whilst i might appreciate the comedy value of her on a clown bike i like my sex life thank you! 😆
Sell the spesh, give her your bike and buy a new one.
Shesh, some people...
29er front wheel...she'd need a new fork 😛
17mm sagged = 1 degree so roughly 1 degree per 20mm unsagged...1 deg unlikely to ruin the handling IMO/E, unless it's already slow/slack tho others say different...you could get a shorter higher stem to make up some more difference?
May affect warranty of course, but if your Mrs isn't gnar is she likely to be snapping it?
if they are tora air there will be spacers inside which can be removed which extends the forks to 130mm.
i did this to my bike, it was transformed imo. this surprised me, i didnt expect to enjoy it so much.
Unfortunately its a Tora 'La Femme' coil fork, it's pretty basic TBH and we can't get full travel out of it which is why we want an air fork for her.
Bike is over 2yrs old so no warranty concerns and she is not exactly given to big air and drops to flat so i doubt she'd break it!
There is a Marzocchi fork on CRC for £180 in 120mm flavour, only meant for XC/trekking but i think it would suit her - Marathon R 2012 model.
get a rockshox that can be adjusted with spacers so if it does not work out you can put it back to 100 mm
some toras can be adjusted for length
My guess would be 120 would be fine, 140 might alter the handling too much
I think that too TJ, its her money though and she has gone a funny shade of grey looking at some of the prices around on forks now! 😆
I reckon a 120mm air fork, can always lessen the pressure a little if its too high, plus a higher/shorter stem and i think it will transform her bike. The Spesh rear end is quite a nice set up even with the basic x-fusion shock, just that a rather XC-orientated front end is a bit on the low side for a beginner.
We got a tora air for mrs TJ for much cheapness and its fine - and can be adjusted with spacers from 140 - 100
Edit: Just seen you want air forks... ignore me.
Can they TJ? i didn't know that, will have a mooch around on line then.
yup - deffo toras we have and deffo able to be altered from 100 - 140
this sort of fork - you just need spacers to shorten it - easy to do
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/rockshox-tora-302-item172227.html
I was going to say try some bars with a bit more rise first, but it appears that the bike uses smaller diameter grips, so I presume the brakes and shifters would all be smaller diameter too.
its just thin grips I believe Dibbs
Dibbs, she's already replaced the stock bars with a set of Syncros AM bars 'cos she liked the ones on my bike (no, she's NOT having my bike!)
Cheers for that TJ, i'll show her that link.
Just a thought - if you are going to buy new forks, then won't the steerer tube be longer (before you cut it)?
Just stick a whole load more spacers on it and cut it down as little as possible.
Or get a stem with a higher rise angle and/or riser bars.
The fork she has on at the moment is as stock, and has about six spacers on it as it stands. The stem is a low rise one though - spesh branded job at about 6 degrees i reckon.
A longer fork will be the start, then its a case of fettling til it suits her. I was just worried about how it would affect the handling if i stuck a longer fork on it.