Forum menu
One of my mates is just getting into to biking and has got himself a really nice s/h Heckler.
The frame is in great condition and all the kit on it is pretty good quality but the previous owner has made some "interesting" spec choices. The 100mm stem and 660mm bars are easy enough to change but the main issue is the 130mm fork.
Its a decent enough fork, a Rockshox Revelation. I've had it apart and its okay internally too, but it really is too short. Hecklers are already on the steep side to be fashionable these days and the fork isn't helping
Having just forked out for a new stem and bars my mate isn't that keen on spending more money on a fork.
Could I fit a spacer to the bottom of the head tube (I know a normal headset spacer wont work) does any one make a spacer that fits in the bottom of the head tube like a headset cup (a really high stack lower headset cup would do the same job) This would lengthen the axle to crown length and slacken the HA
It seems like a really simple way to slacken the head angle of a bike
cant revelations be set to 140/150 if you reconfigure them internally?
Pretty sure Hope did a +5mm bottom headset cup.
Hecklers are already on the steep side to be fashionable these days and the fork isn't helping
Does fashion matter? Does he actually dislike how it rides?
On-One used to do a +5mm headset too, dunno if they still do.
cant revelations be set to 140/150 if you reconfigure them internally?
I thought of that but its an older 130mm U-turn model, I can't change the travel
In the past I've had to bodge a spacer so that the forks would clear the frame (dj bike).
I had a small spacer (6mm) machined that sat between the crown race and headset bearing. It worked absolutely fine for a couple years. Once the headset was preloaded there was no play. It probably wasn't a mechanically sympathetic solution but it worked.
do you want to increase travel or sort the head angle? would you be able to fit an angleset headset ?
I thought of that but its an older 130mm U-turn model, I can't change the travel
You maybe cant but TFtuned could, they offer a simple coil conversion on most forks, they keep the chassis, throw away the internals and put inside a virtually maintenance free coil setup at whatever travel your mate wants, seeing as its a Revelation he could go to 140mm or 150mm...depends how long he wants to keep the bike and how much he wants to spend but it'll still be cheaper than a new fork.
Chris King do a +5mm baseplate too.
Work Components headset would get you a degree slacker headtube angle.
Can't you just try an alloy 5mm stem spacer under the crown race?
Older Hecklers ran very well with a 140mm Pike.
So to my mind there's two choices:
1) Leave it as it is and just ride. 10mm is bugger all. You'll more than likely notice no difference. Just because modern fashion is different, doesn't mean to say an older bike is any worse than it ever was. And that's not a bad bike. 🙂
2) Sell the Revs and buy a used coil Pike for the same money. Job done. 🙂
do you want to increase travel or sort the head angle? would you be able to fit an angleset headset ?
There's nothing "wrong" with the length of the fork, there is plenty of clearance for the fork crown.
But the bike feels a bit twitchy and on its toes - the front end feels more lively than my Superlight
An angleset would probably work too but at £75 we are in s/h 150mm fork territory.
What about something like this: [url=
Extender[/url]
Its a pretty ugly solution but has the chief virtue of being very cheap.
Older Hecklers ran very well with a 140mm Pike.
The question is, how old is this one.
My ancient one (2002) runs very nicely with 130-140mm forks, and if its one of those, then stop worrying and start riding.
But if its the newer one with a 150mm back end then I wouldn't be surprised if it became quite a handful to ride. Mine was awful when I had adjustable forks and forgot to re-extend them after a long climb!
Buy a bigger front tyre. That will raise the front end and probably the extra grip will help things feel less 'twitchy' too.
Also put some more air in the fork to reduce sag.
As a note I just put 20mm longer forks on my bike, sure I can't really tell the difference in handling. They are pretty much permanently under a degree of compression so front end height and head tube angle are constantly changing during riding.
I'm not 100% sure of the age
It looks like this:
[img]
SCONTENT-B-LHR.XX.FBCDN.NET So it might be the 2006 model with 143mm rear travel
130mm up front and 143mm rear seems odd. Though maybe its just my mountain biking OCD. My bikes are the other way 150mm front and 140mm rear and 120mm front and 100 rear
maybe its just my mountain biking OCD
Yes, the question is does your mate who's just getting into biking actually notice it, and is he riding trails that "need" 150mm travel???
£20 worth of offset bushes (from bloke on pinkbike) will slacken the HA more than a longer fork and drop the BB a bit too.
Has he actually complained? or are you "fixing" your own issues with his bike?
Rather than change the fork/headset, simply shortening and widening the bars/stem as you already have, and spending £20 with [url]
OFFSETBUSHINGS.COM could be enough to tweak the handling, won't break the bank and is all reversible if he doesn't like it.
As an aside, how is the fork behaving? would it benefit from a bit of a "home service" some fresh oil, an extra 5psi? just to ensure it's working as it should, properly functioning suspension can impact the handling as much as angles and ride heights...
Mine is that style frame but 125mm travel. If your mate's one has a 2" travel shock then its 125mm, I think the 143mm travel came just by squeezing a 2.25" shock in of the same length.
Which I reckon (whilst ready to be shot down) means that if it was a 143mm one then the static geometry will be the same regardless of shock and it will just end up slacker if you were to end up fully compressed.
FWIW, I've currently got a Revelation at 140mm on mine, I dropped it from 150mm because it was a bit too "chopper" on climbs. Changing fork length affects more than just head angle. Before that I had a 130mm Manitou, but, it's length was about the same as the Revelation at 140mm.
So I agree its a little odd to have the back end having more travel. But I don't think anyone will die 🙂 Find a +5 headset bottom cup/crown race and just ride. But bear in mind I also have a 660mm bar and 100mm stem on mine so my opinion may be suspect 🙂
Leave it as is, they ride very well despite the apparent 'handicap' of what the geo chart might have you think.
I think I've got one of the +5mm on-one headsets in the spares bin that I bought so the adjusters on a fork cleared the downtube on an old bike. Given that the old hecklers ran well with 140mm fork, and you'd probably be running 30% sag on a bike like that, that'll put you within 2mm of the ride height of a 140mm fork. Doubt you'd notice that. Drop me a mail if you're interested - addy in profile, I don't have any 1 1/8 head tubes or forks in use anymore.
^^
This. (Stato)
It looks like the 140mm one, yes.
Personally I'd leave it alone or fit a Pike. I wouldn't try and "fix" it with anglesets or suchlike. Those are great bikes and they aren't made any worse just because there's somehing new
Yep, as above - it'll be fine as it is. I've had a couple of that era. First one I ran with 130mm Bombers and a Fox Float, second was built with 5th Element coil shock and u-turn Lyriks run mostly at 120-130mm. Cracking little bikes.
Cheers guys.
I'll probably just stick a fatter front tyre on then.
I've already given the forks a lowers service, it was actually in really good nick internally nice and clean, no marks on the stanchions just a bit dry. The previous owner has either looked after it really well or hardly ridden it.
I rode one of those hecklers until recently with a 140mm Pike (70mm stem/ 740mm bars) and before that a 130mm Fox Vanilla (100mm Stem/685mm bars). The best incarnation was the Pike with a works -1 degree headset.
I tried 150mm but it felt too slack and off the back for me on a frame that size (6ft on a large). 130mm was great in twisty stuff but felt nervous on fast downhills. But that could have been the terrible compression damping in circa 2003 Fox Vanillas which were a bit......divey.
If your mate wants some fully functional 454 air u-turn Pikes and the works headset (for size L heckler frame) he can have them for £100.
Or just the forks for £50.
Magura used to make spacers. I had a 5 mm high 1/18th one when I had a set of Thors. I ran it so I wouldn't rip off the valve if the forks rotated (I crashed).
All forks are more or less the same A-C length when fully compressed.