TransWikia.com

Changing from rigid to suspension fork

Bicycles Asked on April 14, 2021

https://whitebikes.com/ax-290-ff-20/b/2461/

This is my bike and I’m planning to use suspension fork on it, I’ve converted it to ebike. My budget is approximately 100€/120 dollars. Do you have any recommendations what kind of suspension forks I should look at? I’ve heard that coil forks need less maintenance compared to air ones. I don’t ride any hardcore mtb trails etc.

Some that I’ve looked myself 50-100mm travel ones are these reputable brands?:
Morzocchi txc 2
Zoom Vaxa 30 595S

3 Answers

The type of fork you choose will tend to be based on your riding style, budget and what will work on your bike.

It might be good to consider ebike suspension forks

Whilst E-bike forks remain largely the same as their regular counterparts, it’s important to acknowledge that E-bikes are slightly different. E-bike suspension forks are usually designed to provide extra comfort, rather than actual cushioning off-road. Given their intended use, they are often more affordable than regular suspension forks since they feature less complex designs.

bikester.co.uk (not a recommendation for this site or it's products)

Suspension Fork Type - Air vs Coil

Air

Pros:

  1. Generally lighter than coil
  2. Easy to adjust
  3. Especially good for cross country or trial riding

Cons:

  1. Progressive spring rate - the more it is compressed the stiffer it becomes, not as smooth on big hits. This issue has been addressed in some air forks/shocks
  2. Stiction - the force needed to initiate the compression cycle can be high. This issue has been addressed in some air forks/shocks
  3. Generally harder to maintain than coil
  4. Generally more expensive than coil

Coil

Pros:

  1. Linear spring rate
  2. Generally smoother feel even on the biggest hits
  3. Generally cheaper
  4. Generally easier to maintain than air

Cons:

  1. Harder to adjust - the very cheap versions have no adjustment at all
  2. Generally heavier than air

Summarized from:
http://www.bikeroar.com/tips/coil-vs-air-mountain-bike-forks
https://enduro-mtb.com/en/best-mountain-bike-suspension-fork-2021-review/

Correct answer by David D on April 14, 2021

I don't believe you have much success in selecting a suspension fork. Looking at the bike, a suspension fork with exactly same geometry as yours would have approximately zero suspension. There is simply no room for a suspension fork with unchanged geometry. If you change to a suspension fork, it will change the geometry of your bike which will affect the steering characteristics. For example, the seat tube angle is changed (so you may run out of fore/aft adjustment in your seat post), the head tube angle is changed (so the fork trail affecting the steering characteristics will probably not be what the fork manufacturer intended), the bottom bracket height will change (so you will find it harder to mount and dismount due to increased bottom bracket height).

Every frame will have different requirements for a fork. If you see a fork, you need to carefully look at its dimensions and analyze what the fork trail will be and how the bottom bracket height and seat tube angle will change. Only with such an analysis can you determine if the new geometry of the frame/fork combination is acceptable.

A bike frame designed for suspension would have reduced head tube height from the lower end, making room for suspension below the head tube. For such a frame, the intended fork length is longer.

Answered by juhist on April 14, 2021

Juhist's answer correctly describes the trouble you're signing up for in your endeavour. Remixing your bicycle's whole geometry is not undertaken lightly.

One thing you may not have considered is a suspension stem. Redshift makes one that is on sale just inside your price point. There are others forthcoming, and a big list of styles and discourse at CyclingAbout, including some downsides:

Why should you avoid suspension stems?

The biggest issue is that any downward force to the handlebars will result in energy loss. This is not great for people who like standing up on the pedals, but shouldn’t be much of a problem for people who spend most of their day in the saddle. An issue that the 90s suspension stems suffered was movement under heavy braking. I presume that this effect is lessened on the latest generation of products given how much less suspension travel there is.

I don't think energy loss is much of a concern for an ebiker. You can just throttle up rather than stand on the pedals.


Please note that I have not used a suspension stem myself. If I were in your place, I'd put 5-20€ toward a pair of cycling gloves before I spent 100€ rearranging the front of my bike.

Answered by Michael on April 14, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP