Upgrading Your Mountain Bike Forks

Posted in Biking by Lets Ride on March 27, 2011 4 Comments
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So you want to upgrade your mountain bike huh? Well, a good place to start is with the forks. If you still have rigid forks with no shocks, then I feel for you, however, nowadays almost all mountain bikes come with a front suspension. You always have to make sure you get the right equipment so here’s the breakdown…
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Forks are classified in respect to the technology used for different bike styles, to include Freeride (lite or mountain forks), Freeride (downhill forks), XC forks, 4X and jump forks, and the new technology of Cannondale Lefty’s and Headshocks (These are pretty amazing). One of the main consideration when designing specialized forks is called travel, thats the measurement of how far the suspension coil moves from top to bottom. Each type of bike calls for a different amount of travel and rigidness.
Free ride lite or mt forks travel around 6 inches max. They’re alot heavier than other fork types and with these forks, most riders prefer coil-sprung over air-sprung. Yes, the coils cke the bike heavierbut are less likely to get damaged during throttling impacts.
Free ride or Downhill forks can travel up to 10 inches and use coil springs to ensure sturdiness. With these forks you can change the springs out, which changes the travel, in turn having an affect on handling. Your bike is now customized!! You should never put Freeride forks on a XC bike though, these bikes are not designed to handle the pressure that freeride forks create. Freeride forks can very easily snap an XC frame.

XC forks have very minimal travel, and are designed to be as light weight as possible. More and more the forks made for XC bikes are using air pressure vs springs or coils, making the overall weight of the bike lighter and the overall maintenance easier.

 

Jump and 4X forks are usually short travel, coil-sprung forks with about 80 to 100mm travel typically. These forks are made to soften heavy-impact landings with minimal front suspension compression which, in turn, allows you to recover faster from sketchy landings. These suspension forks are the most sturdy available.

Cannondale Lefty’s and Headshocks are a newer more modern technology in front forks. Their science has incorporated mechanisms inside the frame, which makes it a more reliable piece of equipment. There have been many reviews and they’ve all said the same thing, more responsive handling and better traction. There’s some great vidoes on youtube covering the lefty forks.

 

FINAL THOUGHT:

 

If you’re trying to upgrade your mountain bike your forks is a great place to start. Having a tremendous effect on handling, newer more advanced technology can improve your riding abilities. I always recommend doing your research thoroughly before you buy.  You want to make sure you’re getting the right equipment for your bike and your riding style.

 

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