Suspension corrected fork
07-21-08, 03:41 PM
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Suspension corrected fork
My new frame requires a suspension corrected fork if I use a rigid fork. Can I use a regular fork or will this mess up the ride/handling? It is not going to be used offroad, for commuting only.
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07-21-08, 04:14 PM
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It will be twitchy, and your bottom bracket will be too low, maybe to the point of worrying about pedal strike. Just get the right fork.
07-21-08, 06:11 PM
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Suspension Corrected (Fork)
Suspension forks have more room above the top of the tire, to allow the suspension to move. Frames built for suspension forks are designed so that the bottom end of the head tube will normally be higher up to make room for the suspension fork's travel.
Suspension corrected rigid forks mimic this geometry, they have longer blades to hold the head tube up to the same height a suspension fork would. If you desire to replace a suspension fork with a rigid fork, you shold opt for a "suspension corrected' rigid fork to preserve the frame's normal geometry.
Suspension forks have more room above the top of the tire, to allow the suspension to move. Frames built for suspension forks are designed so that the bottom end of the head tube will normally be higher up to make room for the suspension fork's travel.
Suspension corrected rigid forks mimic this geometry, they have longer blades to hold the head tube up to the same height a suspension fork would. If you desire to replace a suspension fork with a rigid fork, you shold opt for a "suspension corrected' rigid fork to preserve the frame's normal geometry.
07-21-08, 09:15 PM
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If the MTB is a 26", how far off would it be if he went with a standard 700C wheel and fork? Assuming a 700C wheel and fork are more easily (cheaply?) acquired than a suspension corrected fork, which I presume is why he's asking. That's how folks rigged up 69ers before they were trendy, right?
07-21-08, 09:56 PM
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The headset is at the right angle ... it's just way short if you do not plan to use a front fork with a lot of travel; otherwise, if not "corrected," your riding position will always be as if your were 1-2 seconds into the small part of an offroad ride where where you're beginning to rebound after you've just dropped into a deep hole at 8-10 mph.
07-21-08, 10:01 PM
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If you're going to get a fork, definitely try to get the suspension corrected fork.
Most after market rigid forks out there are already corrected for this reason.
There is something called crown to axle length, or axle to crown.
The measurement is taken from the crown of the steer tube (where the bearing race goes on the fork) to the center line of where the axle would be.
I believe an uncorrected fork is somewhere around 400mm
For comparison, my bicycle is designed for a 100mm fork but I bought a rigid for of an 80mm suspension corrected length. It works fine. That -20mm made steering a little quicker and the BB a tad lower but it's totally doable. However, I wouldn't go from needing a 120mm susp. fork to 80mm susp. corrected fork.
Most after market rigid forks out there are already corrected for this reason.
There is something called crown to axle length, or axle to crown.
The measurement is taken from the crown of the steer tube (where the bearing race goes on the fork) to the center line of where the axle would be.
I believe an uncorrected fork is somewhere around 400mm
For comparison, my bicycle is designed for a 100mm fork but I bought a rigid for of an 80mm suspension corrected length. It works fine. That -20mm made steering a little quicker and the BB a tad lower but it's totally doable. However, I wouldn't go from needing a 120mm susp. fork to 80mm susp. corrected fork.
