So my stage evo recommends 44 I run with 51, the handling of this bike is different to my stage 5 totally. Difference is huge is that because of the geo or is the offset just wrong. Rsf offer a csu change at about 250 would it be worth it or am I just clutching at straws.

What year Stage 5 did you have?

I swapped my 2016 Segment frame for a 2020 Stage 5 and took over the 51mm forks. Felt really weird the first ride or two, thought the same as you but soon got used to it and the bike is ace now. If your 5 was the older geometry I’d stick with it for a bit.

Have a look at 6mm on a ruler and ask yourself if you’d really notice.

I wonder about offset… shorter is supposed to increase stability, but it also shortens wheelbase, which you’d expect to have the opposite effect.

You might notice a difference if you’re sensitive, but whether you’ll an improvement that justifies 250 quid is doubtful.

My Stage 5 frame was also made for 44mm and has geometry similar to your Evo.

My Stage5 is 2017/2018 which I run with 51, perhaps I just need to give it time, most brands who use the word evo they do ride different.

Although I run a short offset fork on a bike that comes as standard with a long offset one, I wouldn’t change if it involved spending much money.

“ I wonder about offset… shorter is supposed to increase stability, but it also shortens wheelbase, which you’d expect to have the opposite effect.”

The % change in wheelbase is tiny (the same as going from 15% sag to 25% sag on a 160mm fork). The change in trail is almost as much as from slackening your head angle by 1.5 deg

Theoretically, switching to a 44mm offset will increase trail, and increase stability by a small percentage, which might help a little if you enjoy doing no handies and so on, but reality is that once you factor in the rest of the inputs, such as the rider manipulating the balance of the bike, through many aspects (body position, input into bars, etc), stem length, bar length, tyre width, etc, etc, etc you’ll pretty much find you’ll override that 7mm offset decrease and pretty much aim to balance out at what you’re doing just now, it’s what we all do on a bike that we get used too, we just ride it how we feel it needs to be to get it round corners, over jumps, etc.

You might notice a difference if you’re sensitive, but whether you’ll an improvement that justifies 250 quid is doubtful.

You will notice a difference mainly because you know it has changed and will be very aware of it. However after 10 minutes the difference will be a memory.

Track bike so not the same but I changed from a 30mm fork to a 43mm fork and the 43mm fork made the steering ever so slightly quicker feeling but after 10 minutes it just felt normal again.

OK, I’ve just done it and shared my thoughts in the other current thread.

However, I also have a Stage 4 which is slacked out so it’s geometry is v similar to the Stage Evo.

I can’t afford to change the fork on that as well (it has a 51mm offset Fox 34 at 130mm), but I don’t feel it needs it nearly as much as my other MTBs – because the shorter offset benefits are most noticeable for me when going at top speed or riding the steepest trails.

And I tend to use the S4 for more XC-type riding.

How does the handling feel different anyway? Can you pinpoint what you don’t like?

Use an offset headset to achieve the ‘same’ result(ish) for far less money?

“ Use an offset headset to achieve the ‘same’ result(ish) for far less money?”

Totally different result. All an offset headset does is change reach, like getting a slighter bigger or smaller frame size. No effect on steering behaviour.

You have to change the fork crown or fork lowers to change the offset.

I went from a 51mm to 44mm fork on the same bike a while back.

Minor difference if you’re sensitive to these things. Some people wouldn’t notice. A change in frame geometry will be far and away more substantial.

I would regard changing the fork just for the different off-set to be a monumental waste of money.