Am i daft to buy QR forks?

Im going to be building up a new 120-140mm steel hardtail and need new forks as i only have 100mm ones at the min.

I ride natural trails peaks and sheffield trails.

Problem is i only have QR wheels and my budget won’t stretch to a new wheel as well as forks.

I know 15/20mm is stiffer/more reliable etc but for my riding is it a necessity?

Do i buy QR now and get out and ride or do i wait and save up for a front wheel and 15/20mm forks?

also i’d rather not change the hub on my existing wheels.

Thanks guys and gals

get out and ride now, upgrade if you feel you need to later on and have the cash.

personally I cant tell the difference between QR and bolt through though most folk say they can.
QR will be fine for your needs – if you are heavy rider or a big hitter from huge drops then worth the wait otherwise go for it. QR will be phasing out for high end long travel [ above 100mm] kit though

I dont think QR will ever fade out for anything under 140mm. most Shimano Deore level hubs are QR, I think that shows what is going to happen in times to come.. Not much, Shimano clearly believe in the 9mm QR system or they would make all of there hubs interchangeable.

well, on a 120-140mm steel hardtail frame, you would like the strength of a bigger axle, as it enhances the ride, after i went to 20mm from QR, i can tell you it makes a big difference. on bumpy stuff and turns it remains more controlled, feels stiffer and is more stable. i remember having the wheel flex until it rubbed on my forks with quick release.

if youve got a good pair of wheels already, you can still get good qr forks, and that would be a good setup. it depends what sort of thing your riding, – for xc use, qr is fine, for more downhill/all mountain/jumping then i think you would be better with bolt through

so in my opinion, its worth geting 15/20mm. in your case i think the best plan of action would be to just put the 100mm forks on that you have, ride it like that whilst saving for some 20mm forks and wheel.
i hope this helps

If you don’t want to / can’t afford to change your wheels you’ve answered your own question.

Personally when I moved over to a QR15 fork I could tell the difference over my older Revelation QR’s

Same. I’ve only got a 20mm Bolt-thru recently, and only because QR Pikes don’t exist. Can’t tell the difference really, and QR never seemed out of it’s depth (my local trails were the Dyfi and general natural Welsh stuff so not exactly trail centre kitty-litter).

Only ever had one front QR fail, and that was because my Gorilla hands over-tightened it.

If you destroy one, by all means upgrade, but there’s no *real* reason to replace QR with 20mm unless the fork you want is only in 20mm

i remember having the wheel flex until it rubbed on my forks with quick release.

that is a serious amount of deflection you are claiming there. It would not be occurring at the front axle QR point so either the entire wheel was bending and bending back or the forks were.

I’ve built three 456 frames now and they all had QR. I deliberately went QR for compatibility with my other bikes. If you’re really bothered about it, maybe start with normal QR then get a DT Swiss 9mm bolt-thru hub (or Specialized Stout hubs) as they’re a bit stiffer and more secure but still work in standard 9mm QR dropouts.

Personnally I dont feel the differnce between the two and for the riding your doing I dont think you will either. Looking at test results you only start feeling the difference when hitting stuff at higher speeds in excess of 25mph even then its only when cornering and larger rock gardens. I think a lot of it is mental as I changed to 15mm and thought it was stiffer but then a few weeks later jumper back on a bike with QR and couldnt tell the difference

i have 2 bikes one with one without
the one bolt through bike does track a little better but its not a massive difference

I’ve seen reports that 15mm is actually no stiffer than QR. 20mm makes a difference as the axle is actually clamped in the dropouts which it isn’t on 15mm. It’s definitely safer and more secure and it looks like it will be standard as fork manufacturers will be rolling to all models as the lowers are redesigned (Magura are using it down to XC race forks this year).

However, you’re never going to have any trouble buying QR hubs so it’s not like a QR fork will be unusable.

will riding q/r spoil your rides? dont know but it doesn’t spoil mine. just ride what you can afford and don’t over think what you need.

I managed to convince myself I noticed a difference between 15mm and QR, but it could have been any number of other factors, and at the end of the day i’ve ridden 32mm stanchion 130mm forks with QR and had no problems. Buy a shimano QR, do it up on the tight side of what they recommend and be done with it.

no major jumping or drops, can’t do them ha, to be honest im happy with quick release it’s never stopped me riding before.

I definitely don’t go fast enough round corners to feel the flex.

The fork i will be going for is a hell of a lot cheaper in QR too which is a major benefit.

thanks for the input everyone really helped.

Only reason I changed to 15mm from QR was down to the security it offered over a QR set up after I’d read a few articles. In my opinion, I don’t think a front QR has a place on a modern Mountain bike, but that’s purely my opinion from the articles I’ve studied.

by 20mm forks and make me an offer for the 20 mm wheel I took of my pitch after about 5 months use. I’m in sheffield

15mm does work out just a little stiffer than QR, when comparing the same forks, there’s been a few tests of that. But then 15mm also turns out to be both heavier and less stiff than the 20mm equivalents, with only 1 redeeming feature that most people don’t take advantage of. Abortion of a standard, so inevitably it’s winning 🙄

I’d buy another set of QR forks, because I have some nice QR wheels. But if you’re speccing a new setup it makes sense to go for a bolt-through, there’s no real disadvantage and there are some advantages. Not enough that people should be running out and replacing old QR kit though.

nosedive can’t find your e-mail. fire one over to me at moseydo@hotmail.co.uk if you dont mind.

It’s definitely safer and more secure and it looks like it will be standard as fork manufacturers will be rolling to all models as the lowers are redesigned (Magura are using it down to XC race forks this year).

Can you clarify what you mean there? Magura website suggests the 2012 forks are all either QR or 15mm.

Andy

Northwind the problem is i don’t have forks at the minute i sold the Recon 100mm to put towards new forks thinking i’d just go QR.

My front wheel is one that came on a Giant, think it’s a tracer hub, so is QR only.

Ideally i’d buy front wheel and forks but it’s not an option.

Joiner off here is a cracking rider and not shy on the dh, about 12.5 stone also. Rides QR forks and flies.

Stiffen up with a 9mm thru axle from superstar?

Don’t worry, just ride with what you have got and enjoy it, spending money doesn’t make you a better rider.

at the minute i don’t have a fork but i do have a QR wheel.

Maybe i should look at second hand forks and buy a wheel too.

ygm

Think I’m going to look at QR 100-140mm Sektors. Should be spot on for a Prince Albert.

15/20mm = emperors new clothes.

Can you clarify what you mean there? Magura website suggests the 2012 forks are all either QR or 15mm.

They’re offering a choice now but I suspect in a few years it will be 15mm only.

i used to have 2002 monster Ts – stiff as ****

between them and now ive had 04 888s
07 sids
08 sids
05 rebas
pace rc31a
marzocchi z150s

and ive ridden most forks over the last 10 years at some point or another…..

now monsters to sids i noticed …. and sids to rebas i noticed …

z150s and monsters / 888s i noticed no difference – its all in your head …

if you can do your skewar up correctly and check it periodically i see no advantage to running 15mm or 20mm …. did a week of descending as fast as i possibly could in the alps on the z150s with a dreaded hope skewar in them – not a single issue ! – reading on here i should have died many times over for daring to run a qr fork!

can tell you it makes a big difference. on bumpy stuff and turns it remains more controlled, feels stiffer and is more stable. i remember having the wheel flex until it rubbed on my forks with quick release.

you were doing it wrong. Did you make that up to justify your purchase ? your wheel builder should be shot … the only way that happened was your were actually in 1996 and running indys judys sids or pace rc range

I have 130mm Magura Menjas on my Soul – Waaay stiffer than my old bombers.

Can’t say it ever holds me back, but I have never riddeen bolt thro enough to notice.

The dual arch design prob makes more difference.

QR it is then cash in the bank saved and out riding = one happy me!

I’m 95kg and never been described as delicate. I’ve run QR for god knows how long and never snapped one or seen one snap (prob will now…). Get a decent skewer, not some lightweight fancy crap, do it up tight and you’ll be fine.

Nect question where can I get hold of an xt skewer?

Here: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=shimano+xt+skewer

Walked into that one!

I already looked and only found deore and xtr.

Spin – Member

15/20mm = emperors new clothes.

Weird. 20mm axles are one of the few upgrades I would actually pay a premium for. Good improvement imho.

In comparison, I can’t recall much improvement from oversized handlebars for instance.

I can totally see the benefit for anyone who does downhill or uplift days etc.

My riding is xc, trail, etc

I guess its more of a choice for my style than a necessity on a AM/DH rig.

I run a 2002 Marzocchi Z1 on my HT. I build my own wheels and they are stiff enough with a QR axle not to rub the crown in turns.
in fact, most decent wheels are.
QR forks are fine. marketing bullshit is not.

I wouldn’t worry! I doubt Steve Peat was downhilling with anything other than QR clamps a few years ago!

Ive just bought a pair of QR 2007 Fox Float RL 130mm for £150 – would recommend to anyone! They get smashed around the trails just 20 miles north of you with no probs!