Mountain Biking - Suspension Fork Upgrade for 1" Steerer

Hello all!

I have a Specialized Rockhopper (circa '96/97) with a rigid fork that I would like to upgrade to front suspension. I have not ridden this bike seriously in almost 4 years, and want to give it an overhaul that includes new brakes, headset, and hopefully the fork. I believe this bike has a 1" threaded, and I'm looking for some options in a 1" threadless.

I have done some research, so I know all about how this will change my geometry, cost me a certain amount of money, etc. What I'm looking for is some suggestions for a decent fork (primarily light XC, no big drops, no big hills as I'm in North Florida) that will fit my bike... and please, no "go buy a new bike" is not an option. This bike is in cherry condition with decent components, so I'm not going to scrap it just for a new fork since I'm already planning on upgrading brakes and headset, anyway.

Also, I think this bike may be "front suspension ready" or something, maybe not. Either way, how much will it really raise my front, and will the potential benefits of front suspension outweigh any negatives in geometry or steering? I'll sit quietly and wait for any suggestions on makes/models... THANKS !!!

Drew

Best of luck maybee check ebay.

RST makes a good fork that you can buy a 1" threaded steerer for. They make forks in all price ranges depending on how much you want to spend.

YOur choices are EXTREMELY limited due to the 1" and current standard being 1 1/8". Just so you realize what you are getting into, new headset obviously, you said new brakes, so that means new levers. I'm betting that your old one had cantilever brakes and new style is V-brakes whcih require more pull.

So you are easily gonig to have a few hundred invested in this bike to just get it below low end new one. Why not just ride it as is, and save your money for a new bike? No reason not to keep it around as a good bike. I know this is not what you want to here.

You can get yourself a Judy TT in a 1' but that's about it unless you want a crap fork off a hybrid

old school rock shox mags can be found in various classifieds as well as on ebay. marzocchi also makes 1" forks i believe.

Sorry, I don't have any specific fork recommendations, but I am only eching what some others have said. Before you get carried away, do the math. The bike may be in great shape, but doing the upgrades is gonna cost a bit of money.

Plug everything into a spreadsheet and you will probably start seeing the costs rise. And don't fool yourself, once you have started upgrading, you will probably not stop the headset and brakes. Once you add it all up, you may find that you can get exactly what you want by buying a new bike. It will also save you the downtime while the bike is pieces. And don't forget that if you have to buy any tools, you should add that expense as well.

That said, if you want to do the work yourself because you enjoy taking your ride apart for fun (like I do), then knock yourself out. With the exception of getting the headset cups pressed into the frame you should have no problems doing the work yourself assuming you have the appropriate tools.

Of course, if you bought a new bike, you would have two nice rides instead of one. :)

- Jeff

Hey where do you ride up there? Whenever we go, we hit Tom Brown Park and the Red Bug Trail. We used to ride the Fern Trail, but I understand that the area is now a development.

I'll have to PM you next time I'm coming to Tally!

L8R

Oh yeah! Go Gators!

I had to throw that in, I'm a UF alumni, but my wife is a FSU alumni, so things are aways "interesting" around our house Thanksgiving weekend.

There are several 1" forks on eBay, I've also heard that marzocchi also makes 1" too, but I think eBay is you best bet. Chris King makes a headset modifyer to take a 1 1/8" headset down to a 1" for when you wanta upgrade that.

. Chris King makes a headset modifyer to take a 1 1/8" headset down to a 1" for when you wanta upgrade that.
Yeah it's for using a 1" fork on a 1 1/8 inch frame not the other way around :rolleyes: