Modifying a bike for low trail.
 

Hello all. :)

There's a discussion at the Surly's Google group about putting on an LHT frame a fork with more rake than the standard one has (43 mm) to make of it a French randonneur style bike. I am wondering if this really could be so simple or rather if there isn't much more to do to turn a LHT into a low trail bike and have it handle well. After all, wasn't the whole frame designed with high trail in mind?

Thank you for your opinions on that matter. :)

As far as the steering is concerned it is the front end that is doing the heavy lifting. If your target bike also had a 72 degree steering angle, putting a different fork on it would get you there, but the fork has to be designed to have the same height, the extreme would be putting a 29er shock replacement rigid fork on there! :)

Kogswell did a lot of messing around with fork angles and even stocked some Porteur forks with different angles in various wheel sizes.

all you need is a fork with the right length and rake. There is no magic to getting low trail

Sorry, by angles I meant the rake.

I know, I was just simplifying what you said

Cool then! :)

Thanks guys.