Tweek

What are the advantages of a fork that has adjustable travel length such as a Fox Talas with 100-140mm adjustment? From my understanding I always thought it messes up a bikes geometry and handling doing that.

I'm looking at the 07 Spec SJ FSR Expert it has that specific fork the bikes front end sits a little higher than the Comp model with a 120mm fork, obviously due to the 20mm of extra travel. Does this mean the Expert has a lot less handling than the Comp?

Hopefully someone can clear this up for me.

gattm99

Well the idea behind adjustable travel is that more travel is better in some situations and less is better in others. Generally a bike handles more quickly with shorter travel but that isn't always better. I've got a bike with 100mm fork and one with a 70mm fork, they handle quit differently. I perfer the handling of the longer travel fork almost all the time.

C Law

Well I have the pre 07 Talas adjustable from 90-130 on a Ellworth Distance and I find

1. When you are going on extended climbs, dialing down to 90mm really helps the handling. No wandering and helps 'bring down' the front end for easier climbing. Plus it is easier to get the weight forward on steep climbs.
2. When riding mixed singletrack I tend to leave it at about 110 to provide a good balance of handling characteristics with enough travel to handle the job.
3. On extended descents I crank it up to 130 for a relaxed front end and usually lower the seat down as well. It really makes the bike feel like a freeride bike. At least to me.

So, in your example, one bike is spec'd with the TALAS that can be adjusted anywhere in the range of 100 to 140. So it means the expert has a more versatile fork on it in my opinion.

a2psyklnut

The 'Rule of Thumb' is that 20mm change in suspension will change the head tube angle by 1 degree.

With that, you can effectively adjust the head tube angle on your bike by 3.5 to 4 degrees depending on your travel setting.

You might be on a trail that has a majority of smooth curving turns where you can crank up your speed and fly. You might want a slacker head tube angle to slow down the steering and make the bike more stable at speed.

Or, you might have a super technical tight twisting singletrack through closely spaced trees where your top speed is slower, but handling is critical. Crank the travel down and the bike will improve in it's handling.

On the descents, you'd adjust it all the way out to 130 to give you the full amount of travel, and slow down the steering to it's extreme.
etc.