5

Is it possible to put a rigid fork onto a 120mm travel hardtail without upsetting the handling?

I used to ride a Kona P2 fork on a 96 AA frame, which I suppose was designed for a max. of 100 mm travel and that worked fine.

I have to get a new frame, am eying up some rigid ti frames but the ones I like a designed for 120 mm travel, so I am a bit lost.

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
6

You can purchase suspension-corrected rigid forks which are designed to work with the geometry that suspended frames offer (Essentially the axle-crown measurement places the head tube where it needs to be. Pretty simple.) There are a few manufacturers out there, but my favorite is Surly (in terms of quality and in value. They offer several forks for 26"-29" with disc and canti options.)

http://surlybikes.com/parts/troll_fork

While installing a non-suspension-corrected fork might not totally ruin the handling of a particular bicycle, it would be VERY noticeable (as 120 mm is a good bit of distance to be dropping the front end of a bike.) It will be worth the investment.

Improve this answer
2
  • Even a suspension corrected corrected fork will feel and handle differently than a fork with suspension. The Surly forks that I've seen are suspension corrected for 80mm. 40mm is still a noticeable difference in the front of the bike, but it's something that you can adjust to pretty quickly.
    – jimchristie ♦
    Commented Jan 20, 2013 at 16:24
  • The 26" Troll fork is corrected for 100mm, but most of their other 29" forks are corrected for 80mm.
    – WTHarper
    Commented Jan 20, 2013 at 17:05

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.