Should I mount my fork BACKWARDS?
 

OK, so my SWB recumbent was designed with 650c wheels and a fork with no rake. I'm replacing the fork and wheels with 26" MTB stuff so it'll be durable enough to handle my weight.

The problem is that the (rigid) MTB fork that I've got has some rake, and the original fork didn't. If I mount this new fork "conventionally" (with the fork rake in the direction of bike travel), I'll have just about zero trail, making a bike that some call "squirrely-handling" even more so.

The thought that came to me was that I could mount the fork "backwards" (with the fork rake pointing toward the REAR of the bike). If I do that, I increase the trail significantly, thus (theoretically) increasing the bike's straight-line stability. On the other hand, an already SWB bike becomes even shorter wheelbase via this modification. Will the increased steering trail be completely offset by the shorter wheelbase, or is this a viable option?

Other considerations: The new fork is bossed for "V" brakes. Can I just mount the shoes backward as well and have this contraption work properly?

Thanks!

I would suggest mounting the fork in the standard direction first, then ride it to see how it works. I would be surprise if it actually makes the bike "twitchyer" as opposed to "slower" handling. If the result is "twitchyer", I would opt for straightening the fork legs. Having dropout alignment tools will help get it right. Also, wait to install brakes until you've found the right fork configuration.
Good luck and let us know what finally works for you.
Dr. D

I tried the shopping cart style steering with my LWB Tour Easy with its copious amount of rake and road style fork. The first thing I noticed was the fork lifted the front of the bike and increased the rake even more. While sitting on it (stopped), I tried turning the bars. It felt like I was balanced on a razor blade. Any turning of the fork and the front of the bike dropped down abruptly and was too difficult to straighten back up since I was lifting the weight that was on the front wheel. I didn't think it would improve while in motion, so that's as far as I went with it.

That's not to say it won't work with a steeper head angle (although, I suspect that 0* rake would be necessary) and a straighter fork. My bike wasn't the best platform to try this on. Since you are installing the fork anyway, it wouldn't be a big deal to duplicate my experiment. If it seems OK sitting still, it might work while moving.

Thanks for the feedback - I think I'm going to try the fork "conventionally" first and see how it goes. If there are problems, then I'll worry about changing things.