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Hi, I have a Cube Attention 2011 (think £700 hardtail and that's what I've got) and am thinking of buying a new fork on the grounds that a) my current one is shot and b) I want a bit more travel (I currently have 100mm, I'm looking at 120-140mm). I was talking to the boss of the LBC today and he suggested buying some on the net and then they'd fit them for £15 which seems quite reasonable. However, I don't really know the criteria for buying forks aside from making sure it fits the bike (obvs), travel (which I'm a bit bothered about), and weight (which I'm not remotely bothered about).
So, my question is - what sort of things/features/specifications should I be looking for when selecting a new fork? Alternatively, does anyone have a suggestion about something I could read to get a grip on the subject?
Also, does the extra 20-40mm significantly affect the geometry of the bike to the extent that I won't be able to get used to it within a few rides?
Cheers
most manufacturers do not recommend increasing travel more than 20mm. It can ruin the geometry and stress the frame more than its designed to leading to a failure.
Firstly you need to make sure the fork will fit with your frame and wheels. So check the steerer size and length and check what axle it takes.
Next you need to decide what features you want. Air springs are lighter and more adjustable. Coil are more sensitive. Hydraulic rebound control would be a minimum requirement for me and compression adjust would be nice to have.
Then look at other things like weight, stiffness etc ..
A budget and intended riding type would help us to recommend some forks to look out for.
You may agfect the warranty but unless your riding gets bigger then there won't be any more stress on it.
The length will slow the handling, id go to 120 but not more.
Otherwise tell us your budget as above.
You could look at axle to crown height, rather than looking at differences in the increase in fork travel. It's a far more useful measurement.
There are some good deals on manitou minute forks at CRC if you can find a suitable set, otherwise rockshox reba's are attainable for good prices online too. You'll notice a lot of weight loss from the rockshox darts and better damping with either choice, there are others out there but that's what I'd go for.
In my experience, better suspension is more useful than more suspension. If your bike is designed around 100mm, stick with that. Do you want a better tracking fork? One with lock out? What would you like to improve about your old fork?
Thanks for all the replies. To respond to the qs above:
What do I want to improve? I guess better handling/tracking and to not bottom out so easily and so jarringly. I was under the impression that this meant I needed more travel but I guess potentially it means that I actually want an stiffer/more adjustable fork. I was talking to another MTBer the other day and he brought up the point about stressing the frame with increased travel so I may stick with 100mm.
Budget? about £250-300.
Riding style? I guess cross-country, e.g. pennine bridleways, Hope cross, etc., and the less technical side of trail-centre stuff, e.g. Marin/Coed-y-brenin in North Wales.
PS - part of the reason that I said "my current forks are shot" originally is that I've been advised by the LBC that the reason my bike is pulling slightly to the right is an irreparable problem with the forks, but I've forgotten the details of that conversation I'm afraid.
I'd be looking for 120-140 with a view to reducing travel to 120-100 by way of internal spacers.
A 140 fork will be more adaptable in terms of possible future frame upgrades.
Personally I'd stick to 100/120mm travel for that kind of bike and use.
You should be able to get brand new Rockshox Recon Gold RL or Reba RL for around that price.
Both have the same features but the Reba will be lighter.
Both have an air spring so you can easily adjust it to your weight. They have rebound control and low speed compression adjust with lockout. Basically ticked the boxes for all the key areas.
[i]I was talking to the boss of the LBC today and he suggested buying some on the net and then they'd fit them for £15 which seems quite reasonable.[/i]
Reasonable? Seems bloody cheap, especially if they're going to be cutting down the steerer.
Fork-wise, take a look at Merlin.