I have a frame designed for 100 mm forks. My nearest and dearest has pinched my 100 mm manitou R7s leaving me with no forks for this frame. I happen to have a pair of revelations (120-140mm). If I leave enough sag can I use these or maybe restrict the movement oe... Any thoughts?
You will die.....maybe
They would be fine at 120mm. 140mm would probably make the steering a bit slow/sluggish.
Should be OK - try it.
~ 4% more leverage (at 120mm).
Would you ride the 100mm fork if you were 4% fatter?
I should hope not. You'll die 😉
How old is the frame? I have a Pace RC-200 F8 - designed for 90mm travel, but works with 100mm - was going to stick a 120mm set on and thought I'd check so called to ask.
Was told best not to as the frame wasn't designed for that travel and the extra 20mm would add a bit more stress to the frame which again, it wasn't intended for. They didn't say the head tube would come away but they said it did increase the risk a bit.
Up to you, I decided against it s the Pace has sentimental value to me and I figured I'd be utterly gutted if the headtube ever did part company with the rest of the bike!
I've got a set of R7's that I no longer need. They have a poplock too, if you are interested drop me an email jmurph51@hotmail.com I'm not after much for them.
I would still be using them but the fork column is too short for my replacement frame.
Of course you'll be fine! If someone gave you the very same frame with 130mm forks and told you it's designed for 130mm you wouldn't notice any difference I bet!
I'll try it. If I die speak fondly of me and sing songs around camp fires telling of my demise. Thank you for the tempting offer of the manitous but if I buy any more forks I will be banished. I'll let you know how it goes.
This old chestnut...
...an increase in axle to crown height is surely more important than the actual suspension travel, no? Of course, not all forks of similar travel have the same axle to crown height so you'll get small variations across the board.
I'd wind 'em down to 120mm and forget about it.
I have a Pace RC-200 F8
I just did a wee; childhood dream bike.
I have an old Handsome Dog XC01 HT; swapped 100mm fork for a 125mm Vanilla I rebuilt; brilliant. Go for it!
PJM1974 - Member
This old chestnut...
Indeed - given the max stress comes when the fork is compressed, the travel of the fork doesn't matter. The point is people who ride longer forks tend to ride harder/heavier on them, making a frame breakage more likely.
Brant has accepted this here, so it's FATC.
you should be fine in the 120mm setting. the steering will become more wallowy in the 140mm setting and you'll find that your weight is over the rear wheel more.
my hardtail frame was designed for a 120mm fork but i've been running a 150mm fork on it for over 5 years without any problems.