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I know there is many threads on this but here I go. I have a 2007 Specialized Rock Hopper. I love the bike but would like more travel. Rather than drop $2000 on a new bike, I would like to upgrade since its still a sweet ride. The fork is a Rock Shox with I believe 100mm of travel. Here is a link to my bike.
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?a … spid=22165
My question is how bad would it mess up the geometry of the bike if I switched out the fork to a 160mm travel shock such as this.
http://www.blueskycycling.com/product5531_39_- … eadset.htm
Although the front axle is a 20mm instead of he 9mm I currently have. I enjoy downhill the most, but I have alot of xc trails and do need to still climb and flatland with my bike. Any insight?
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You are probably going to notice a pretty large difference if you switch out a 160mm fork for your current 100mm fork. Downhills will be a bit more fun but uphills are probably going to suck unless you make some major changes to your stem and bars . (Not to mention the front hub change you will need to make if your current hub won’t convert to 20mm.) The new geometry will have your weight much further back on the bike making the front wheel more likely to come off the ground. Dropping your bars a bit will combat some of this. The extra 60mm of travel is going to create a good amount of pedal bob while standing that you will also have to get used to unless you pump your preload way up on the fork or the fork comes with a SERIOUS dampening system. Hiking the preload way up kills the responsiveness to smaller bumps, so there is a trade off.
An alternate solution might be to purchase an adjustable travel fork. They will be more expensive but it will allow you to flip back and forth in between travel ranges depending on your current riding situation and you won’t have to take the penalties associated with poor geometry. Many companies offer some version of this technology. Just look around at everyone’s line ups and you’ll see all the different choices out there.
Before switching out your fork you should probably do a little bit of research on your frame. Drop an email to Specialized Tech Support and make sure that the frame of your bike is strong enough to handle the stresses of a longer travel fork. Many bikes are not designed to handle the different angle of stress that a longer travel fork places on the weld between the down tube and the head tube. I have seen frames ripped apart because of the extra stress. No sense in destroying a bike you enjoy riding.
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Very informative. I think I will send them an email. Thanks for the response. I have seen the selective travel forks.
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Make sure you find out how big of a fork your frame can handle.
The changes in geometry could help a bit with downhillin. It’ll raise the front up a bit and bottom bracket. A higher bottom bracket means that you’ll clear rocks easier, but won’t turn as good. You can get used to that. You’ll just learn how to turn better instead of relying on the geometry of the bike to help you out.
The fork will be weird at first on the uphills, but you can get used to that too. I have an XL GT IDRIVE 5.0 that has a marzocchi 66 fork on the front of it. It has about 7" of travel. It took a bit of getting used to climbing, but all you really have to do is lean in more towards the handlebars and use your legs and hips more instead of pulling on the handlebars. It’s not as hard as people say it will be. And as far as standing up and pedaling on a mountain bike in concerned…….i don’t think many people do it unless they are racing XC. Getting a fork with adjustable travel and lockouts will just end up costing a lot more money for something that you probably wouldn’t end up using enough to warrant the price difference. I’d just get the fork you want and get used to it. It’s not that hard to change body positioning while riding uphill.
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