Stiff 29er suspension forks. Any advice of QR over bolt through?

I currently run fox float 32mm stanchions with a 1 1/8″ steerer and QR wheel. When I am loaded up for bikepacking I do notice far too much flex and was wondering whether the time has come to upgrade the forks and maybe the QR rear wheel frame to a bolt through.

I appreciate that it won’t be cheap to upgrade frame / forks and have another dynamo wheel built up and would really like to hear from those that have moved from QR to bolt through and how much stiffer did it make it?

Ta

Loaded or not, there’s a noticeable difference in QR and 15/20mm forks.

Frame I’m not so sure about. Possibly makes a difference if you’re really pushing the handling.

If you’re going for a different frame anyway then you might want to consider Boost in which case you’ll be going through-axle by default.

Loaded or not, there’s a noticeable difference in QR and 15/20mm forks.

Frame I’m not so sure about. Possibly makes a difference if you’re really pushing the handling.

If you’re going for a different frame anyway then you might want to consider Boost in which case you’ll be going through-axle by default.

Sorry if this sounds vacant, but do you have to pair a boost hub with a boost fork / frame?

Only reason I ask is that the Shutter Precision PD-8X dynamo hub is 100mm / 15mm

My motivation for the frame is that my cube carbon has been a real pain as there rear QR has to be tightened really tightly, otherwise, it makes a noise when I am out of the saddle pedaling hard. Tightening up the wheel tightly has now made the inside edge of the frame aluminium dimpled from the knurled face of the wheel (hope that makes sense) as a result I have to keep readjusting the disc brake caliper so as to recenter it.

No reason you couldn’t run a Boost frame and 100mm front. One of the advantages of Boost hubs is a stiffer wheel. If you feel you’ve currently a problem, that may help too

Or the other way around, a 142 or 135 frame and a boost fork.

One of the advantages of Boost hubs is a stiffer wheel. If you feel you’ve currently a problem, that may help too

When bikepacking I certainly notice a flexy front end problem. So much so that the bars and forks seem to be disconnected. I can be climbing out of the saddle and the bars will twist slightly, but the front wheel seems to lagging behind. Not dangerous, but not ideal.

What about trying a beefy qr like the bolt up one that DT Swiss do?

^ what i was going to suggest.
QR fox 32s are noodly as hell IME of a set of QR 140 floats. when i swapped them out for old pikes with 20mm maxle i started over-steering everywhere – i was actually turning the bars too much compensating for the flex in the forks.
go 15 bolt through, and especially if you up the stanchion size too, you’ll notice a big difference i’d expect.

Del – Member

QR fox 32s are noodly as hell IME of a set of QR 140 floats

Or 15mm for that matter- they’re an XC fork stretched too far. It’s why they made the 34, they couldn’t make a competitive 32mm fork so in traditional Fox style they turned the crapness of their old product into a selling point for a new one, while Rockshox and Magura looked on bewildered and kept making 32mm forks that were just as stiff as a Fox 34, but which were suddenly out of fashion because they were too thin.

What about trying a beefy qr like the bolt up one that DT Swiss do?

Will look into that as that might mean I can keep my current frame. I am currently running an Easton Haven rear wheel and I popped the end caps off and it looks like it will take the 10mm DT Swiss axle if I get some 10mm end caps for the hub.

QR fox 32s are noodly as hell

I didn’t realize that was such a common observation. I am going to investigate getting a set of float 34s for my current frame. Although the frame came with a straight 1 1/8″ steerer on the Fox 32s the bottom bearing and fork crown racer do look like it will support a 1 1/2″ tapered steerer.

I am also open to other non Fox suggestions for forks as for the last decade I have been using Fox forx.