Mountain Biking - Classify the KHS Alite 500 :)

How would you classify the Alite 500? This is the bike I just got on saturday and i want to know what the bike's truly meant for. I know it's a 'mountain bike' but if you dig deeper is it an all mountain, or trail kinda bike? Please help, and would getting the Marzocchi AM 3's (140mm) fork change it's abilities(boundaries)?

thx in advance, Mullet, Mr.Mullet:D

Just to be sure; this (http://www.khsbicycles.com/04_alite_500_07.htm) one?

It's a low level general trail mountain bike. It is not up to the abuse of putting a much taller fork on the front. Don't do it; bad things tend to happen when you double the fork travel on a frame not intended for such. Not to mention it'll steer like a barge. NTTIAWRT.

You'd have been better served spending the extra dough for an aftermarket fork on a better/burlier bike in the first place.

I'm really confused right now because the site says 70mm travel, while i measured bike and i got 120mm travel (no joke) so i'm just wondering if khs beefed it up for canada (US co.) or something, I'll try and post some pictures of it soon. Maybe they mean the actual stanchions only go down 70mm, while the rest stays up, but that theory doesn't work on my bike cause there's already markings (from the lube) around the 90mm mark( i measured)and it still didn't bottom out now i'm really confused cause my bike DEFINITELY has more tha 70mm of travel, so 120(to the crown) to 140 can't be too bad. And it's also weird cause i can visibly see if i look at the pic on their webpage then my bike, i can see that my bike has a steeper angle, so... yeah


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i think... it's classed as.... a bicycle!

Thanks for coming, next caller please.


/okok - travel measurements sometimes include or exclude negative travel depending on who's disclosing it, so dont get too worked up by the amount of travel. suffice to say it's good for general trail use, but try not to bash it up too hard. upping the fork would likely raise the front end, but that kinda depends on the whole length of the fork (to hub) and not merely on the travel of the fork. i dont think an AM3 would put too much undue stress on the headtube.

k, thanks for the info. When I done with this fork (maybe a year) I'll try to get the AM3 fork, 'cause right now jensonusa has the 07's for $197, and when the 08's come out (2 weeks) I'm sure they'll lower the price further still.:)