Mountain Biking - Front Suspension

Hi there,

I was just wondering about my bikes front suspension. This is the first mountain(ish) bike ive had, infact its more of a hybrid bike. however, when the front brakes are applied, the front suspension also moves slighty backwards and forwards aswell as up and down. Is this just a silly question or will there be something wrong with the shock thingies in the bottom part of the fork?

Many thanks,
J

A bit of play is pretty normal...but really just a LITTLE bit. If is extremely noticeable or does some kind of "clunk clunk" thing....probably needs a rebuild.

thanks for the quick reply. yes it is only a very tiny amount, about 5mm probably.

whoa...wait, 5mm at the top of the lowers (where the smaller stanchion tube goes in) or 5mm at the dropout? At the stanchion, should be less than 1mm. Some more information may be helpful for us. Is it a new or used bike...and what fork are you running on it? Some pictures would be good too.

Hi again. it is just a slight movement when you apply front brake and rock the front. no clunking and at the top i think( where the stanchion tube goes in) i dont think theres hardly any movement at all. its only when you look at the top you see that it moves forward about 5 mm i think. i'll try and get some pictures. btw the fork is nothing fancy. its a quest zoom 140 and the bikes about 18 months old.

thanks again,
JAMES

I'd say just a flexi fork if you bought this at a reputable bike dealer..Even a non suspension fork will flex some if you lean on it with the brakes locked.. also could be a loose headset. also when the suspension compresses it will appear to go forward from above.

I did work on a wal-mart next bike that had a suspension fork with canti brakes and the thing moved 2cm or so (not an exaggeration).. I made them take it back to walmart for safety reasons. This was a brand new bike and they sold it like that, and it had canti brakes. weird

As dirtpedaler said, i immediately though of your headset. Make sure the headset is tight, and see if the condition improves.

-rob

I'd say just a flexi fork if you bought this at a reputable bike dealer..Even a non suspension fork will flex some if you lean on it with the brakes locked.. also could be a loose headset. also when the suspension compresses it will appear to go forward from above.

I did work on a wal-mart next bike that had a suspension fork with canti brakes and the thing moved 2cm or so (not an exaggeration).. I made them take it back to walmart for safety reasons. This was a brand new bike and they sold it like that, and it had canti brakes. weird


I have seen this on some cheaper bikes, too. They were nearly new, & the front shock not adjustable, &&& super weak. No suspension would have been better than this. What brand name bike is it ??

I have seen this on some cheaper bikes, too. They were nearly new, & the front shock not adjustable, &&& super weak. No suspension would have been better than this. What brand name bike is it ??

think it was a next brand or maybe ozone I don't remember, came from wal-mart.