Hi chaps,

Of a the bikes I’ve had, I’ve never gone taper. My Revelations at 150 with a straight steerer feel flexy when pushed pretty hard, fore aft flex.

The 32mm stanchions aren’t going to help, but has anyone back to back experience of the same fork with a straight and taper? Is there a noticeable stiffness difference?

Cheers

Ricks

Nope. No noticeable difference at all. I think you’re over thinking your riding. 🙂 I’m 16 stone and never noticed any flex to be honest. And I don’t spare the horses.
I’ve had tapered and straight Revs back to back. If anything I reckon the straight ones are a tad better as they’re a year newer and I think the damping is fractionally better. But they’re the same model, both 15mm axle.

My cove hustler has such a strong head tube with such massive weld areas how can it be flexy?

No all the above is correct. Don’t always assume that wider tubes will be stiffer and anyway, there is probably better things to spend your money on over steerer upgrades 🙂

Nope, had both and couldn’t tell difference.

I can’t tell the difference either but i prefer it, it reassures me as I’m told its better, lol.

the only difference is try finding a new straight steerer fork in 12 months time 🙂

I can’t tell any difference but never found the 32mm revs stiff at all even with a 20mm bolt.

My 32mm boxxers are flexy when pushed hard – that’s their nature – and they’re triple-clamps…

The previous forks were Monster T’s (40mm), which were ultra stiff.

I’d get taper, purely because apparently straight isn’t good enough these days, and if you ever feel like replacing your fork you’ll be stuffed.

Cheers chaps, that’s a resounding STW ‘Well…. maybe…. this one time…’ 🙂

I’ve got a 44mm headtube on the Spot, so there’s no problem there, when I get a new set of forks I’ll need to get a new bottom cup, which means the current internal cup will increase the HA by about 0.5 degrees for the same given travel, so I’ll need to knock down my spacers by 5/10mm.

No problems there. I’m thinking I’ll get a set of RCT Pikes when the time comes, I’m sure the main difference will be the damping and the larger dia stanchions, not the steerer tube.

I do remember back in the day everyone going on about all the flex is in the steerer, not the fork.

All you need to know is that a straight steerer will fit a tapered head tube, but a tapered head tube will not fit a straight steerer. 🙂

All you need to know is that a straight steerer will fit a tapered head tube, but a tapered head tube will not fit a straight steerer.

Unless you have a straight 44 steerer headtube…..

Umm, do you mean a tapered steerer won’t fit a straight headtube..?

Yeah sorry, missprint! 🙂

My 2013 revs use a straight steerer and are stiffer than my 2012 fox tapered rl forks. I’d say the legs and straight thru axle would make the fork stiffer.

I put straight steerer Revs into a C456 with a tapered head tube, quite a few people who rode it could definitely feel the extra stiffness of the tapered steerer it didn’t have.

Straight QR Revs are still stiffer than tapered 15mm 32s, it’s all relative.