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  • Angle headset and longer forks..
  • zippykona
    Full Member

    My 2012 29 Anthem runs 100 mm forks and I’ve fitted a 2 degree headset. This hasn’t hindered the bike in any way on the ups.
    Looking at some forks but they are 120 mm .
    Firstly is the combination of headset and fork going put some weird amounts of force on the frame making it unsafe?
    Secondly will it flip flop on steep climbs?

    thols2
    Full Member

    Firstly is the combination of headset and fork going put some weird amounts of force on the frame making it unsafe?

    No, unless you abuse it. I run some 130 mm U-Turn Revelations on a 2008 Anthem (which was originally specced with 80 to 100 mm forks). It was a big improvement. However, it’s still a relatively lightweight XC frame so you can’t go smashing your way down rocky DH courses and expect the frame to last long. If you ride it like an XC bike, it will be fine.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Yup- the headset/fork combo themselves won’t stress the frame more but if it lets you ride harder then that will.

    (like, I probably wouldn’t have broken the back end on my Hemlock if I hadn’t put longer forks and an angleset in it. Obviously those didn’t directly stress the rear end but I wouldn’t have taken it downhill racing without 😉 )

    On climbing, unfortunately not really possible to know without fitting. (can you extend your current forks?) But for sure i’ve never done this and found that the losses weren’t outweighed by the gains.

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    dickyhepburn
    Free Member

    Did this to a Trak stache years ago – 1.5 angleset and went from 120-140. I’m still alive and bike is in 1 piece 👍
    Climbing is fine if you lean forward, and better than the 170mm enduro-sofa

    crashrash
    Full Member

    Climbing is not an issue. Still not sure why we were all told the front wheel would flop around due to a slack HA. After recent geo changes it has become clear that some was talking bollocks.

    Scienceofficer
    Free Member

    Its because without the additional reach of a longer front centre, your weight distribution becomes more rearward as the front wheel goes further forward.

    Its really about the weight distribution stealing front wheel grip as a consequence when climbing but the floppy fork thing stuck.

    Mercifully, its started to pass from mtb received wisdom, but I suspect it will lurk in the darker recesses of the internet for years to come.

    greyspoke
    Free Member

    Well some people (myself included) experience more wanderiness with slacker head angles and theory also suggests this will be the case.

    I disagree with the officer on the theory though. Yes there is a more rearward weight distribution if fork length is also increased, and a longer fork will also slackerise. But just slackerising with an angleset will increase the flop and that leads to slow speed wanderiness. There is a reason bikes that do not have to descend gnarly stuff have steeper head angles and this is a large part of it.

    chakaping
    Free Member

    It’s worked fine for me on a few different bikes now.

    I’d agree with scienceofficer that wandering climbing feel on overforked bikes is probably more a symptom of a higher BB and increased rearward weight. So shove the saddle forward as far as it’ll go.

    And the BB doesn’t raise as much if you have a -2deg headset at the same time anyway.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    My Remedy and my C456 both got more “wandery” on seated climbs with anglesets. I wouldn’t call it the fork flopping, I don’t think it’s a good description but I can see that people could experience the same thing and call it that.

    But like I said up the page, the gains have always massively outweighed any losses. If it were a really sweet handling XC bike like an Anthem, that might not work out the same- you could easily be sacrificing some of what it does best, to try and make it do something it doesn’t want to do. But I think it’s just a case of suck-it-and-see really.

    jezzasnr
    Full Member

    Does this have Giants OD2 headset?
    If so would be interested in which Angleset you’ve used?

    Scienceofficer
    Free Member

    But just slackerising with an angleset will increase the flop and that leads to slow speed wanderiness.

    Maybe, but its vastly overstated and IMO not a significant factor, unless you have T-rex arms or you’re drunk and forget how to steer.

    About the only place it can be an actual real problem is with no hands riding.

    zerocool
    Full Member

    It’ll be fine and most likely improve the bike.

    I’ve never ridden a bike where slackening the head angle by 2ish degrees hasn’t improved it.

    greyspoke
    Free Member

    Well I did just that (in fact 1.5 degrees) and it improved things everywhere except steep technical climbs, which became a bit less fun. If fun is the right word. But I am slow, and I mean slooow up steep stuff, if you are younger and fitter you would be going faster than me if you walked. At slow speeds these things become quite noticeable. Indeed throw some exposure into the mix and it becomes a bit of a safety issue.

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

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