Fork stanchion diameters

I’m fantasising about buying my dream bike and have started saving (woot!) however on the spec table it says it takes forks of up to 36mm stanchion diameter… Now I had my heart set on a rockshox totem, (lowered) which has brutally burly 40mm stanchions. Does anyone know why there’s a limit? Has anyone broken it? 😉 help? Thanks in advance!

I thought forks and frames were rated against travel not diameter?

Surely the diameter makes no difference?

Less flex in stanchion = more stress on headtube, maybe?

I haven’t heard of a limit before either though.

What bike/frame is it? Totems are pretty serious forks, how far were you planning to shorten it?

It puzzled me too, especially as the flexiness of a wheel should compensate cor the added stress of a bigger stanchion. The fram is a nicolai argon am, rated for 150-160 forks. The totems drop from 180 to 150 so I was either going to leave it at one 150 or fit a spacer- according to research it can be done! 😀 although let me know if you’ve heard otherwise!

We actually measured some Lyriks the other day as pikes are 35mm vs Lyriks which have always been quoted as 36mm.
Well… Maybe mine have worn out as mine measure 35.a bit.

Lyriks are a better fork at 160 than the totems.

brant – Member

We actually measured some Lyriks the other day as pikes are 35mm vs Lyriks which have always been quoted as 36mm.

Always?

http://www.sram.com/rockshox/products/lyrik-rc2-dh

Not so much. Rockshox have been calling them 35mm for as long as I can recall… I’ve only been paying attention to massive forks for a couple of years but I can’t remember anyone other than internet folks calling them 36. Certainly not since the 35mm Boxxers came out though.

Planet X have them as 35mm and we know the website’s never wrong 😉

I always thought that Pike/Rev/Reba/Tora/Sektors were 32mm and Lyriks 35mm.

I thought old pikes were 32 new (2014 ) are 35

The fram is a nicolai argon am, rated for 150-160 forks

That’s a new one on me – not sure when that was added. I’ll ask next time I’m speaking to them. The important measurement has always been the maximum axle to crow measurement for warranty before.

The argon makes an amazing bike, I’ve got one and love it, you wont be disappointed, but do you really want forks that long on a hardtail?

simons – yep, on the nicolai website under the ‘specs pdf’ it rates the max axle to crow length which correlates to a rockshox 160mm lyrik (it actually has that listed!) however i wonder if the ‘150’ is because other fork manufactures have longer ac lengths for 160mm? Please correct me if i’m wrong though, i’d hate to make a mistake!

Captaindanger – I’m still working on it, going to be riding some bikes around the peaks (soon to be my new home!) before making a final decision. However i’d like the option for when i live in the alps for a year and do the megavalanche. Also with a name like yours i’m surprised your not encouraging even crazier combos 😆

:edit: also good to hear! whats your setup like? 😀

brant – Member
We actually measured some Lyriks the other day as pikes are 35mm vs Lyriks which have always been quoted as 36mm.
Well… Maybe mine have worn out as mine measure 35.a bit.

Lyriks are 35, they share seals and other parts with Boxxers, RS sell them as 35mm kits.

simons_nicolai-uk – Member

That’s a new one on me – not sure when that was added. I’ll ask next time I’m speaking to them. The important measurement has always been the maximum axle to crow measurement for warranty before.

I’d have thought the same – I was babbling about this earlier – Cotic say the travel, not the A2C is the issue on their frames.

A longer larger diameter fork makes you ride like more of a cock.
160 of course means 35 or 36mm stanchions.
Though I have a set of 148mm Pikes now which are about same as a 150 Rev in length. But much more fun 🙂

A longer larger diameter fork Bigger wheels makes you ride like more of a cock.

fify 😉

brant – Member

160 of course means 35 or 36mm stanchions.

Or 34, or 38, or 40 😉

Slightly off at a tangent but anyone know why fox only do 650b forx in 34mm stanchions?