Changing your Mountain Bike Forks is a good method of upgrading your off-road bike. Nowadays, forks customarily come with suspension systems, to help with a bike’s handling and maneuverability on rougher terrain. Mountain bike forks are classified according to the technology incorporated in them. Some bike forks include 4X and Jump suspension forks, Freeride / Mountain suspension forks, Freeride / DH forks, XC suspension forks, and Cannondale Lefty’s. Each type of suspension fork has its own advantages and drawbacks, and is developed for specific surfaces and uses. Major facets of suspension forks include travel, which is the measurement for the movement of a suspension coil from action to rest.
Jump and 4X forks are typically short travel, coil-sprung forks. The coils move from eighty to a hundred millimeters normally and are made to cushion heavy landings without too much front-end compression, enabling the rider to right away recover and continue riding. These are stable forks whose weights are directly in proportion to their durability. These suspension forks are the most durable.
Freeride Lite or Mountain suspension forks travel more than cross-country forks, with movement up to around six inches at maximum. These forks are expectedly heavier than other fork types, rendering lockout even more serious. With these forks, most riders have a tendency to go with coil-sprung forks versus air-sprung ones. The coils do make the forks heavier, yet less at the mercy of damage once subjected to robust impacts.
Freeride or downhill forks are ‘double-crown’ suspension forks which can move up to 10 inches apropos travel. Plenty of the forks with this technology have coil springs for more durability. Freeride forks also enable the user to customise his or her ride by changing the springs, and thus changing travel, which influences handling as well . However downhill forks should not be employed in cross-country bikes, as these bikes are not developed to stand up to the pressure these forks give. Freeride forks can snap the frames of cross-country bikes.
XC cross-country forks typically have low degrees of travel, and are built for light weight. These single-crown suspension forks have, on the average, from 80 to one hundred millimeters of travel. Forks built for cross-country bikes now increasingly utilise air springs, whereby air pressure takes the place of elastometers or springs. Since these aforementioned elements are no longer present or needed, the bike’s overall weight is lighter. These types of suspension forks are also simpler to adjust. However some riders and makers still use elastometers and coil-sprung forks as these require less maintenance and take more punishment than XC cross-country forks.
Cannondale Lefty’s and Headshocks have more moderen suspension fork technology, which integrates all mechanisms inside the frame of the bike. The fork is kind of trustworthy, with some higher-end variants coming with lockouts for straightforward adjustment. These forks typically result in more reactive handling, with active suspension and better traction.
Top Mountain Bike Forks
- Marzocchi 55 R 160mm (140) Travel Fork
- Magura Durin 120mm Marathon Fork
- Magura Durin Race Fork - Ex Demo
- RockShox SID Team Dual Air Fork with Poploc
- Marzocchi 55 RC3 160mm (140) Travel Fork
- RockShox Pike 426 Coil U-Turn Fork
- Marzocchi 44 ATA Micro 100-140mm Travel Fork
- RockShox Reba Team 29er Dual Air Fork
- RockShox Recon Race Fork OE 2009
- Marzocchi 4X World Cup 100mm Travel Fork
