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Old 06-22-11 | 01:05 PM
  #23  
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BCRider
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,559
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From: The 'Wack, BC, Canada

Bikes: Norco (2), Miyata, Canondale, Soma, Redline

Not really. Unless they are some top level fork it means that they are available in models with one of those travels. But you would still need to stay with the shorter 80mm travel. And even if you did get some top end model with selectable travel you would be limited to using the shorter travel length so it didn't lift up as high.

You see, all forks will collapse down under full compression to about the same distance. That being limited by the clearance needed between the lower side of the crown to the axle for the wheel and tire and the cross bridge of the fork. So to get longer travel they need to make the extended length longer. And that means it lifts up the crown and the frame needs to be designed to work with a fork that has the crown that high up. Your frame was designed to use either a rigid fork or a short travel suspension fork. You can no more put a long travel fork on your frame than a downhill bike intended to be used with 130 to 150mm double crown forks can put a short 50mm travel fork on and still ride properly.

The final limiting factor is that you don't want to increase the axle to crown distance by more than maybe 20 to 30mm. Even that much will have an effect but likely it won't be too much to mess things up totally. But when you're looking at a 50mm or more increase in the axle to crown distance you can expect the bike to handle poorly with such a change.
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