Bicycle Mechanics - steerer length- how crucial?

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redmist
07-25-04, 11:44 AM
hello all-

i've asked this question on the mountain bike forum but didn't get a definitive answer. maybe i asked in the wrong forum.

i am looking to buy a suspension fork to replace a rigid fork that came with my bike (2002 trek bruiser). the fork i want to buy is a used white brothers, and i am getting a good deal on it. the one problem is that the steerer length of the white brothers fork is 181.25 mm long and i've looked up the specs of my present steerer on my rigid fork on the trek site and it says that the original steerer length is 183 mm. will i have a problem putting on this fork if the steerer length is 1.75mm shorter? if it does fit with no problems, will this affect the geometry of the bike in a bad way?

thanks for any help!

MichaelW
07-26-04, 11:30 AM
First, is this a threaded or a threadless headset, or are you changing from to the other.
Assuming a threadless design (and assuming both steerers are the same diameter), if your current setup has some spacer rings, you can remove these to make up for the shorter steerer. You bars will be a few mm lower, but the front-end will probably be raised by the sus fork anyway.
If you are unsure, then consult your local bike shop.