Looking at getting a Bfe to build over the next few months, but struggling to find the right fork.
Fox are too expensive, so thinking of Rockshox revelations but not sure whether to get RL's or RLT's.
Sektors sound good but they are more expensive than either the RL's or RLT's and heavier.
Do I really need a fork that changes between 120 and 150 and should I try and opt for tapered (as this will be more expensive and I have a budget).
Any help greatly received!
Rob
Well I have a straight steerered 150mm rev RLT on my bfe which seems fine to me. I have never had an adjustable fork so I don't miss anything. It has a poplock so that is useful for climbing. Also I have a 60mm stem and it rides really well. the head tube on the bfe is quite short so my bars are lower than my friend who has a 120mm fork and an equally short stem. In fact my bars are the same height as my friend with 100mm rebas.
I know its the fashion, but my question would be whether you really need 150mm forks on a bfe? Ive got 130s on mine and I give it the works everywhere I go, it`s really well balanced and it can actually climb without trying to manual all the time. If you went back to 140 or even 130 you suddenly have a lot of options and your budget would look a whole lot healthier!
do I need a 150mm fork? no I don't, my old bike was 120mm and I managed fine. but for £300 I couldn't refuse a revelation RLT! no regrets yet
120mm ish is about right for the bfe. I liked a u-turn Pike on mine, but never really used it at 140mm.
I ran Lyriks on mine! But I'm just building it back up after swapping all the kit around and it looks like I'm going to run some coil Sektors on it, mainly as that's what I have in the workshop.
The issue isn't so much the travel but the burliness. The Lyriks are just fantastic as they are so stiff and capable. I've run Pikes before and they were fine, but the Lyriks are better (if heavier obviously).
I'm sure I'll adjust to the Sektors but I'll be saving up for some more Lytriks I suspect.
I have Sektor 120/150's on mine - they work brilliantly for me. The real question is what sort of riding you want to do. I ride xc and Surrey Hills trails. So for xc and climbing they work really well at 120, for trails with a downhill element I find they bike works really well at 150 and I get more security on jumps and drops (admittedly modest bit I'm happy for security). Its not unknown for me to forget to adjust them and I've not died ! You should also bear in mind the bike was designed for the geometry of a 120 fork.
So, depends what you ride really.
Revelations are a bit weedy for a bike as burly as the bfe.
I use marzocchi 66's set at 170mm, 24" halo SAS wheels and 3" wide Nokian Gazzaloddis.
Its ****ing shit at going: uphill, over jumps, round corners, along singletrack, down to the shops etc.
But who buys a hardtail for that eh?!?! Riding uphill??! Thats fer queers!
I use mine for riding in a straight line downhills! Where I usually just hold on and close my eyes.
I have Lyriks on mine, internally set to 140mm. To be honest, they'd be better with a shorter fork.
Ive got Magura Wotan 160mm on my BFe. Can't fault them, super stiff, super plush. And I haven't noticed any flop, or front end lightness when climbing. If you can find a pair in good condition, got for the Wotans.
Air Pikes on mine, permanently set to 140 for everything except pump track/dirt jump stuff.
It's fine going up and down, though I quite fancy some 160 forks on it.....at least for a bit to see what it's like.
By the angles I reckon a nice 150mm would be great on it. (150mm forks can be as long/short as 130-170 Axle to Crown)
Seriously? It wanders like a wandery thing with 140mm forks on it! My Alpine 160 climbs (much!) better!
Fine on mellow gradients, but very wandery on steeps.
I measured it up against my 456(150mm 36's) and by the look/see approach looked like it would work.
Picking a short Axle to Crown 150 would be similar to some 140's. Add lock down/U-Turn and best of both.
Coil U-Turn Pikes on my MK2 and its great. I run them at 140mm for most things and then at 100mm for jumping and at the BMX track.
I had u-turn Revelations on mine. The bike rides brilliantly from 120mm to 150mm, so why would you settle for less choice? Most modern forks are stiff/strong enough but the BFe can write cheques that some cheaper, poorly damped forks can't cash.