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Old 10-08-05, 09:24 AM
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stapfam
Time for a change.
 
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: 6 miles inland from the coast of Sussex, in the South East of England
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Bikes: Dale MT2000. Bianchi FS920 Kona Explosif. Giant TCR C. Boreas Ignis. Pinarello Fp Uno.

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The answer is both. The cheaper, or lighter weight single crown forks will not take the punishment that Offroad tandeming will throw at it. The cheaper units are not up to grade, and the lighter weight units will not have the strength.

What is more important is "Will the manufacturer warrant his forks for tandem use?" and "Are heavy enough springs available?"

I have used two forks. Initially I used a Marzocchi Freeride dropoff as both points were covered. They were good enough until I put Disc brakes on the Bike. Then I found the forks flexing a bit too much for comfort, and they were only QR, which is not the ideal for a Top grade Disc unit.

Then I went to Boxers, and once again they were covered by both points. The triple crown definitely stopped the flexing under braking, and the 20mm axle gave me more confidence. Actual suspension was the same on both forks, and to be honest, if I gone for 20mm axle in the first place on the Marzochi's, I probably would not have changed them. Saying that- they were flexing a bit too much for my liking, so how long they would have lasted is any ones guess.

Please remember that I do use the Tandem aggressively, and all my components go through it. If you are not contemplating Rocky downhills taken at 35+ ( and the plus is a good plus), You are not prepared to put around 2lbs of extra weight on the front end of the bike, and your trails are generrally smooth, Then a good quality single crown that has heavy enough springs and has the manufacturers warranty for tandem use is good enough. I would still recommend the 20mm axle though if Disc brakes are used, or if you want the extra confidence of a solid axle with Rim brakes.
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