Forks - Amount of travel

nonnac85

Is it bad to change the length of travel - at the mo I have 100mm. Have seen 2007 recon 327 for £170 in good condition, right steerer length etc but its 120mm travel. what effect will this have on the bike (Hardrock 2007)
thanks

KonaMike

I have Tora 318's on my Fury with travel adjust from 85 to 130mm but I tend to keep them set at 100 most of the time,the only time I wind them out a bit is for very rocky downhill sections,if I try the longer travel for general riding it messes up the geometry of the bike.

milkywhite

It'll slow the steering down...make it not as snappy. You can compensate for this a bit with a shorter stem to some extent. The bike should be better downhill and more stable at speed.

Increasing travel can invalidate frame warranty, so if this I'd contact Specialized before you fit them.

Also, an increase in travel doesn't necessarily mean changing the goemoetry. Axle to crown length of the fork is the more pertinent dimension. Probably is longer, but it's worth checking.