LHT & Front suspension fork?
 

Has anyone ever installed a suspension fork on a LHT? I saw a post in CGOAB about a Thorn suspension fork that allowed someone to have 2 bikes in one by swapping out the fork.
Too cold to ride today so I am reading and thinking!!

Which wheel size does your LHT have? Even with a low travel fork the axle to crown seat height will increase. I'm less concerned about the handling change but more about the body's shift back behind the BB. Some riders are more some less sensitive to how they fit the bike. Andy.

Mine has 26" wheels.

Then your choices are vast. For not too much you should be able to get a low travel (unfortunately this almost always means a fork built for a low price point) and find out what you think. You will likely loose the low rider mounts and possible the fender ones too. Also if you're running cantis the housing stop might become an issue. Andy.

Why do you want suspension? Suggest that you consider a cushier front tire or both tires...?

Just messing around. Read about a guy "turning" a touring bike into a mountain bike. I suppose if I want a mountain bike I will just add one to the stable!

In terms of the fork, there would probably be few issues as long as you didn't go silly. A 100mm travel fork would probably be too tall but an 80mm fork probably wouldn't. Longer travel equates to more stress on the frame. Mountain bikes usually have more material... either as gussets or as more material in the tubes... around the head tube to accommodate the forces that a long travel fork can place on the frame. I doubt that the LHT is buttressed in the same way.

The real problem is going to be finding a worthwhile 80mm travel fork. You really want something that is more than a pogo stick. You want a fork that you can lock out when you don't want to use it.

There also might be a brake issue depending on what kind of brakes you want to use. Just getting a new quality fork with brake bosses for linear brakes can an issue. Getting a fork with bosses that can handle cantilever brakes really isn't possible anymore. You could always go to a hub mounted disc but you need to make sure the levers you use are compatible with the brakes, i.e. if you have cantilever brakes, you'll need a road disc while linear brakes will require a mountain disc.

Tom, yea, If you now want a 29er MTB, buy one.
the LHT was not designed to have a suspension fork .. more like an 80's Pre suspension MTB..

though, some like, German Tout Terrain's Silk Road, Were made to use a suspension fork,
as an Option.

The lack of being designed for suspension didn't stop us from putting them on. The LHT is a pretty beefy frame and should handle a reasonable suspension fork.

Tandem Tom's LHT is a 26" wheel, by the way. See post 3.

just you screw up the designers steering handling raising the head tube ..
lower angles . more chopper flop ../

Not with a short travel fork of 80mm or less. Shock sag puts the height increase at more like 60 mm (2.4"). If you went crazy and put a fork that had 100mm or greater travel (3" when the sag is taken into account) on the bike, you'd start messing with the steering. 80mm is mostly unnoticed by the rider. A 80mm shock equipped bike doesn't even really need a suspension corrected fork to ride properly.