a work colleague asked if you guys could help with suggestions on a suitable replacement suspension fork for his old rigid 1992 marin muirwoods mtb, the bike is in excellent condition and he is still happy riding it but would like to up grade the fork to something with a bit of bounce i imagine something with around 80-100mm of travel would be what he is looking for any ideas? many thanks for any assistance.....
mtb replacement fork
- Thread starter shaunb
- Start date
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RecordAceFromNew
Swinging Member
- Location
- West London
The issue is all the best makes have been phasing out rim brake forks for some years, and a 92 marin is not going to have discs. If your colleague wants to go disc he will have to change the wheel as well.
Imho one of the best if not the best V brake suspension forks currently on the market is this. They are light and were amongst the best XC forks on the market 5 or 6 years ago. At the other end of the price spectrum the RS XC's are probably the least worst for the money. Personally I would avoid all low cost Suntour's, which are probably the most common around, like the plague.
It is probably best to go 80mm if there is a choice to avoid affecting the steering (i.e. making it sluggish) too much.
Imho one of the best if not the best V brake suspension forks currently on the market is this. They are light and were amongst the best XC forks on the market 5 or 6 years ago. At the other end of the price spectrum the RS XC's are probably the least worst for the money. Personally I would avoid all low cost Suntour's, which are probably the most common around, like the plague.
It is probably best to go 80mm if there is a choice to avoid affecting the steering (i.e. making it sluggish) too much.
RecordAceFromNew
Swinging Member
- Location
- West London
RecordAceFromNew
Swinging Member
- Location
- West London
No problem. I know it is not a question you asked, but before ordering, if not already your friend might want to think through the technical implications of a switch.
Apart from needing new headset/spacers and stem, if the bike is fairly original and has canti up front it will have to be swapped to a V brake, because with suspension forks the only place you can put a hanger is on the brace/arch between the lowers, and most modern forks don't have the facility for it. The knock on effect of that is that new brake lever is also required because canti's and V's require different cable pull. If they are brifters then a new brifter will be required.
Given the switch is not exactly a simple undertaking, it is worth doing it properly if at all in my view. RS XC's come in different versions, the cheapest are only adjustable insofar as spring rate can be changed by swapping springs, which is not exactly easy and cheap (and which is why I said it is the least worst option). Hence if the rider is not of "standard" weight, air forks which have infinitely adjustable spring rate while more expensive may actually work out better value in the longer run. Also better forks have adjustable damping, which is pretty essential for reasonable offroad performance. This is why I can't understand why anybody would suggest going to all the trouble and putting some cheap
One final suggestion, is if the existing tyres are not fat or suitably pressured, a pair of good, fat (over 2" if the forks/frame can accommodate) tyres on with suitably low pressure may well deliver the improved offroad performance that is desired without messing with the forks. It is an inexpensive, great, lightweight solution/opportunity many miss.
sreten
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Brighton, UK
Hi,
Fat as you can go tyre on the front is what I was thinking. Not necessary to change the back,
but you can put the usually less worn front on the back. Sometimes the front will take a bigger
tyre than the back can. YMMV but sometimes its best not to change a bikes original design.
rgds, sreten.
Fat as you can go tyre on the front is what I was thinking. Not necessary to change the back,
but you can put the usually less worn front on the back. Sometimes the front will take a bigger
tyre than the back can. YMMV but sometimes its best not to change a bikes original design.
rgds, sreten.
