Forum menu
[img] 
[/img]
After changing the forks on my Enduro I had a spare set of 145mm Nixons so decided to slap them onto the Soul for a play. They're not really 145mm I think (there was a recall on them to fix an issue when using tall tyres which is supposed to have reduced the travel to under 140mm) plus they're set with a reasonable amount of sag.
So which will it be?
1) Ok - a little wandery on steep climbs, but fun downhill
2) Too horrible to ride
3) Check my medical insurance 'cause I'm going to need it?
[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-15-cotic-soul-frame-with-repair ]I refer you to this 'For Sale' post...[/url]
Might be relevant?
you area going to die, but only because you are using 2.1 speedkings on a long travel hardtail 😀
The Soul *may* snap...
The only other frame I've got that is ok with anything longer than 80-100mm forks (other than the Enduro) is an Inbred. Should I try them on that instead or is it also likely to either a) break or b) be crap?
On the Speed Kings - I used to run Conti Verts 2.3's on it but the Speed Kings 2.1's are just as wide and at least as good while being a lot lighter. I've got some 2.3" Eskars I could stick on it though...
Rode it this morning and while it didn't break, I didn't get much of a chance to find out what it's like.
[b]Note to self[/b]: next time you decide to let a little bit of air out of the forks half way through a ride then check you really did pack the shock pump, not just thought you'd packed it. That way when you let all the air out by accident then you won't have to ride home on [b]very[/b] short travel forks...
let me see...
paving slabs and gravel: tidy and free of weeds.
wall: clean, although pointing may need some attention within a few years.
bike: muddy (good), ubiquitious oppulent display of headset spacers, daft long forks.
everything seems normal here...
(there are plenty of people putting longer forks on less resilient frames, but keep an eye on things around the downtube/headtube if you insist on riding it like this)
Here's a picture actually out on the trails (and just before I let all the air out of the forks and turned them into a 20mm travel set):
[img] 
[/img]
I think I'll send the bike's usual forks (old Talas 80-125mm) away to get serviced and run the Nixons until I get them back. When it does I think I'm going to treat the old girl to a complete re-build as it's build up with hand-me-downs from the other bikes at the moment as I pinched most of the original build kit for my Enduro.
All pass on the compliments on the paving and gravel as SWMBO looks after that sort of thing. Hate to think what they'd look like if it was down to me!
I ran my Soul for a while with 140mm Revelations, don't know what the axle-to-crown is on those forks though. It didn't snap 😉 And it rode very well indeed, but since I'd feel like a right arse if I bent the frame in half I didn't use the option much and eventually went back to 130mm. It won't instantly snap and it'll depend a lot on how you ride but I felt like if I was riding hard enough to warrant the extra fork length, I was probably riding too hard for the bike to be happy with it, if you know what I mean.
don't know what the axle-to-crown is on those forks though
The axle-to-crown on the Nixons is less than on the 140mm Pikes I've got.