Front fork question???

[spazjensen]

How are you able to tell what size shaft that your head tube utilizes. I may not have terms correct, but I hope that you get the idea. When I say shaft; I mean the tube of the fork that actually connects with the front end of the bike. I’m looking to buy a new fork for an Ironhorse Warrior.

Any help is appreciated.

[castnpedal]

Odds are the diameter of the steerer tube of the fork on that bike is 1 1/8" – that is a common ‘standard’ for a lot of forks and seems to be what that bike has been outfitted with in the past. A quick Google of the currrent fork and its specs should get you the solid answer and tell you what the next fork should have in that regard. The ultimate way is to uninstall the current fork and measure it. That will also get you the correct length of the steerer tube, so the new fork can be cut to that, or if you pick up one that is already cut down will insure you don’t get one that is too short.

[GoldenGoose]

Not sure the year of your Warrior but the last three year’s models have all used a 1 1/8 inch headset. Headset size will be the same as the fork tube diameter and the same as the diameter of the tube clamp on your stem. If you have an older model or just want to know all the specifics on your bike, try bikepedia.com. It’s a cool site that one of the mods posted a while back. It has the specs for most bikes made in the last 15-20 years. BTW, be careful not to buy a fork that is too much of a change in travel from your old one if you replace it. It can put too much stress on the head tube of the bike frame and cause frame failure.

[spazjensen]

Thanks for the answers.
When you say "not to much of a change in travel", what exactly would you call to much travel change?

The fork that is on there only has 5" worth of travel. I’m a big guy to (6′-2 270 lbs.) and my sheer load can take out at least half my travel. I was wanting to go for something close to 7 or 8" of travel if possible, and the next fork would be gas charged instead of fluid. Any recommendations would be helpful as well.

[GoldenGoose]

I normally hear that you shouldn’t go with any more than a 20mm change in travel over your previous fork or it will change the head tube angle too much and will put added stress on the frame. 1 inch is about 25mm in case you were wondering. If you have a 5in shock right now, be careful going over 6in. Contact Iron horse before you put anything larger on it. The longer you make the front fork, the more it raises the front end of the frame and changes the angle of the head tube. If you are confused, try picking up your front wheel without moving your rear off the ground and look at what it does to the frame in relation to the ground. Remember that those welds were made with specific angles in mind to absorb stress.

BTW, if you have 1/2 of your travel on your current fork taken up from the "sag", or your normal body weight, you need to increase the air pressure in your fork or replace the spring (if it is a coil shock) with something more heavy duty and desgined for your weight. In most cases the sag is suposed to be somewhere around 30mm. Example: my 2006 Manitou Nixon with 145mm (about 6 in.) of travel recommends 29-37mm of sag depending on your riding conditions.

It depends on the specific make and model for the exact number. If you are wanting more travel because you are bottoming out your current fork, try correcting this on your fork first. If you post the year and model, I can help you look up the specs and tell you how to adjust it if you need help.

[spazjensen]

Its a 2007 Ironhorse Warrior 4.0. The 6.0 comes with a 6" Tora fork from the factory. Also I have noticed that my angle of the head tube is somewhat greater in degree of angle than other bikes. I figured that if the same frame from Ironhorse came with a 6" fork then a 7" would not be that much more than it cold handle.

What’s your answer?

[GoldenGoose]

Since the 6.0 comes with a Tora that is adjustable up to 130mm, I wouldn’t think you would have any problem going the rest of the way to a full 6 in shock (152.4mm to be exact). However, I would contact Iron Horse before slapping anything in the 7in range. Just drop them a quick email. The frame may be designed to handle it but I’d make sure before I found out the hard way that it wasn’t. I’ve done it before and I honestly thought I was going to vomit when I realized what happened. You paid too much for the bike to ruin it over something silly that you can easily double check before hand.

[email protected]
or 1-800-645-5477

On the subject of recommended shocks…I have experience with the Rock Shox Pike line and the Manitou Nixon line. Both are strong contenders and come in the 145mm range if that IS what you decide on. I would recommend a 20mm axle if you can convert your front hub or have one that fits that size. I switched to the 20mm axle on my latest Nixon for stabilty and don’t know why I didn’t do it earlier; it’s great! The axle removes most of the torsional flex that a normal 9mm long travel fork has and actually makes sketchy/rocky sections enjoyable. My front wheel tracks as straight as an arrow and I’ve never felt more confident when steering. Both models can be expensive in the $800 range if purchased at MSRP but deals CAN be found.

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[url]http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/17218-315_ROCP47-3-Parts-59-Forks/Accessories/Rockshox-Pike-454-Coil-U-Turn-Suspension-Fork-2007-offer?utm_source=Qbike&offer=IN080QB1.htm&zmam=3075515&zmas=1&zmac=16&zmap=315&utm_medium=datafeed&utm_campaign=FTP[url][/url]

qbike.com is your new best friend.

You can find versions of both with dampening systems of various sorts. The Pikes offer a few more bells and whistles like remote lockout and adjustability if you think you want that stuff. Personally, I went with a pretty vanilla Nixon because I got it 75% off and it still does everything I need it to do with a lot less of the weight penalty as well. 😉 I’m sure you’ll find something you like that fits your riding style.

PS.-If you do go longer than a 5-6in fork, most people will recommend finding something that is double crowned for stability. The fork stanchions (legs) start getting so long that no matter how wide they make them, the fork becomes very prone to torsional flex; one stanchion goes forward while the other goes back and it turns your wheel.

Hope some of this stuff helps and isn’t just all remedial to you. Good luck on the purchase if you decide to drop the old fork.

[spazjensen]

Thanks

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