I’m currently running 140mm Vanilla’s on my Orange 5 but want to go up to 150mm+ with a straight steerer and 9mm QR, what are my options these days??

2nd hand Marzocchi Jr T

i wouldn’t. if its an older style five then 140mm really was the sweet spot.

An alternative is offset shock bushes if you are after a slacker head angle

Ah the qr junior t…what a beast of a fork.

Revs might fit the bill.

Anything available in 150 mm qr flavour will be gash. A change to 20 mm would allow fitment of some 140 mm pikes, which are spot on for a five.

DT Swiss.

140mm/20mm Pikes or Marzocchi Z1 150/20?

Wouldn’t touch the Jnr T, sh1te internals and you’ll lose the turning circle on your bike

Newer fork option Marzocchi 44 RC3 Ti

Ah the qr junior t…what a beast of a fork

😀

It was the only 150mm QR fork I thought had ever existed. Apparently I’m mistaken….looks like fork manufacturers never learnt from one of the worst downhill forks to ever hit the market.

It was also 160mm well sort of it was a very short 160 (maybe even 170)

It’ll be hard to find but there’s 150mm, straight steerer, QR revs and sektors. But they’re pretty bendy. TBF, if you’re riding the bike in a way that makes more travel make sense, they’ll be the wrong fork… But if you really want to, I could build and sell you a 150mm QR Sektor/Rev out of my spares, with an air spring and motion control damping. I just don’t think you should.

It’s going to make a lot more sense to replace the front hub or wheel, rather than limit yourself this much- it’ll give you a lot more choice, and access to endless good quality, inexpensive used forks. I’d whack coil u-turn lyriks in it but other forks are available.

If I was still running a QR front axle I’d be in more of a hurry to switch to 20mm than worry about fork travel.

But yeah, Pikes like he said^. With a new front hub.

Thanks for all the advice you’ve offered gents, the way forward would be a maxle upgrade but given the age of the bike (2006) by the time I’ve forked out, pardon the pun,for forks and a wheel too I may as well put that toward another bike. Would make more sense.

Going for a new bike is a good Call JohnyLad123,

You could pick up a Five frame from several shops and go for a custom build then you get exactly what you want.

Sounds choice Johnny; things have moved on quite a bit since 2006.