[Closed] Long travel forks- how can I stop the front washing out?

Setup is probably wrong 😀

Get more weight over the front? Get rid of some spacers maybe?

hora - you got rid of the ti456 for some travel / fork related issue.
is there something missing ?

is there something missing ?

tiny willy? Yes different subject though 😉 Plus I got rid of the 18" Ti456 as I really didnt like how it flexed or how long it felt. I now own a 16" 456 and its spot on compared.

Spacers are all ontop of the stem. run a shorter or longer stem helps avoid the front being front-wheel washout prone? Hard to describe but the front feels too tall/remote.

Stop over-thinking it & relax

You've always got problems with forks - are you sure it's not the nut behind the wheel that's causing the problem? 😉

this isn't related to it being drier and dustier recently rather than a change of forks is it, hence maybe loose gravel rather than sticky mud, what tyres you running?

Ardents- swapped over from Swampthing on the front..

[s]Get a better front tyre?[/s]

Ardents- swapped over from Swampthing on the front..

At the same time you changed the fork?

Hmmm the ardents are great. Maybe I'll try the Advantage I have spare. Im sure its the forks being too long for the frame.

At the same time you changed the fork?

Waiting for warranty new forks. Supposed to have left Tues. I had to chase twice and guess what? They only left today. Thanks guys. You love your customers.

I'm switching to Fox for the future.

mtfu.............shandypants........ 😉

Who told you about my shandyfest on Sunday? BINNNERRRRSSSSS!

Try to get your saddle further forward (on the rails, or perhaps an inline post?), even if you aren't sat down, you (at least I do) end up using it as a kind of 'reference' point for legs as to where my body position is in relation to the bike

Longer stem would put more weight to the front
Is it possible to get the stem lower/slightly more forward by flipping it upside down?

Do you have any lower rise bars, or even some wider ones to make it feel less tall, partly as they'll drag your weight forward a little, but the extra leverage/width in relation to height can make it feel less tall too

You could also put a bigger tyre on the back than the front

Good point, I tend to hover over the BB and rear and pull on the bars into corners etc (prob not what proper riders do) which means my weight is always too far back. Saddle is currently set right back. will push it fwd and run a 50 stem instead of 70 (have a collection of Thomson Stems) 8)

skills day?

2 words............................... skills course 😉

Heehee 😆

Its only on this set up though. If it was consistent then yes. Its either freakin long forks or NO riding this weekend. I chose the former.

Cente of gravity low and centred, weight the outside pedal and inside h/bar, and commit! Lean the bike under you but keep your bodyupright. Don't be a passenger. Some tyres grip better leant over a lot than leant over a little. Otherwise, try saddle forward, lower bars, longer stem(?).

Obviously, it could be the length of the forks however.

Ok Advantages (more prominent), saddle forward and keep longer stem.

Ta guys. Only need this ****ing set up until monday when my new/replacement forks arrive.

its not the forks its just becoming a dad has turned your riding ghey 🙂

My riding has always been deeply gay. Im hoping Jedi can remove some of this when I do book on a course with him 😀

How much sag do you have, and maybe slow down the rebound a
couple of clicks and maybe try a shorter stem

[i]Saddle is currently set right back. will push it fwd and run a 50 stem instead of 70 (have a collection of Thomson Stems[/i]

Hope you mean run a 70 instead of a 50? if you're runnin an extra inch of travel in your forks you're losing about a degree off your head angle, pushing that front wheel further ahead of you and reducing the pressure on it. so either go for the longer stem (but that'll also quicken the steering, so you may "snap" into corners harder than you expect and increase the chances of washout) or get onto those bars more.

If you reckon you ride too far back into turns then maybe you don't have enough flex in your arms to lean the bike right over (very common problem: weight back = straighter arms = limited sideways movement), and rely on turning the bars instead. This'll also increase the chances of washout.

If you ride with anyone else regularly get them to session some turns with you and shoot a bit of video on a camera or phone. Amazing what that'll reveal for you.

hope this helps a bit, chris@cycleactive

get rid of spacers/high rise bars possibly go to a slightly longer stem if you are using something really short.

Hey

Re POPPA, I'd say weight your outside arm

Here's something else to try roll/rotate your bars forward a tad this will pull you forward on said velo.

@cycleactive

a longer stem will slow the steering down, not speed it up! think dh bike.

@hora

try attacking the corner, centered, knees and arms bent, looking for the exit of the turn.
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I tend to hover over the BB and rear and pull on the bars into corners etc

That will cause the problem you are having.

No weight over the wheel then no grip. Try leaning into it more. It will help.

a longer stem will slow the steering down, not speed it up! think dh bike.

yeah keep your weight forward, jedi taught me this a few weeks ago. As soon as I did I was cornering MUCH faster and felt much more confident in the traction

shorter stem, wide bars, more sag, get elbows up and out, stick a foot out and go faster, oh and know you'll make it.

I tend to hover over the BB and rear and pull on the bars into corners etc (prob not what proper riders do) which means my weight is always too far back.

You already know what the problem is - NOT THE FORKS.

As already mentioned, you need to put weight over the wheel for it to grip.

With a long travel hardtail you need to "ride the fork" more; let the front do a lot of the work. Perhaps a skills course is the answer, if only to show you how much you can put through the front?

stick a high roller on the front , lean into your fork and let rip!!!

If you run a very high pressure, then dropping it half a bar (or more) can make a big difference too. And you can afford to, with a lt fork on the front to soak up the square edges.

With a long travel hardtail you need to "ride the fork" more; let the front do a lot of the work. Perhaps a skills course is the answer, if only to show you how much you can put through the front?

mildred. The forks are coming off the bike next week. My usual forks are almost 2inches shorter even at their longest setting. The frame angle is soo steep its really hard monstoring the front with these forks.

Zeus- I was running higher air assist. Will back this right off. On Lyriks set at 145 I've never had even close to a problem- hence I run an Ardent in fine/dryer weather on the front.

More sag, get forward over the fork.....

Lean forwards more and make more motorbike sounds. I find going bwaarp bwaarp helps my cornering.

With leg out a la Doddy 😀

Personally I only suffer this if I am a bit sketchy, using the brakes too much and looking down. It used to be really bad for me

When I am on form, I am looking way ahead and picking lines well. It just seems to transform my riding. The bike slides around a bit but it is an ace feeling.

Sounds more like poor riding style than bike.

A few thing sthat will help though are:
1. Learn to corner correctly (skills day will sort that, or do some reading of how to ride berms)
2. Fit good tyres, super tacky preferably or triple compound if you worried about rolling resistance, on the front
3. Run with low trye pressures, so the tyres deform more when you load them and therefore give a bigger foot print and thus more grip. Don't go so low that the tyre wobbles though, easy to do on skinny little XC rim.
4. Don't have you rebound as low as it will go, as the fork wont rebound before you get to the next corner. You want the fork to at least try to push back at you, a little.
5. A longer stem, sliding the saddle might help, doubt it, a Skills day or read how to take berms etc will.

Front end washout is about the rider and trail conditions not the machinery.