which rigid forks?

andy83

ok Ihave finally decided that im best having rigid forks for bike as dont go off road just use for fitness and commuting an t fact my current forks hardly move so are like rigid anyway lol.com will eventually start using for off road but not for at least 18 months tile i save for other bike

so what are the pros an cons of rigid and anyone any recommendations budget ain't massive and not bothered bout carbon or not
im 15st9 if this makes any difference and bike is in sig

thanks in advance

nicklouse

disc mount or V brake mount?

what is the length of your current fork? got a budget? steel, carbon, aluminium?

Personally Carbon as it helps reduce the trail buzz.

andy83

sorry should have put that

need disc brake mounts.

not really sure of current fork length but have a old diagram of current forks i done when trying to measure before. full length is 26 and half inches from top to bottom, does this sound right or have a got it totally wrong??

heres a pic of rubbish diagram ive got, ignore the hook at the bottom of one side, it is part of the fork i just never drew on the otherside lol

andy83

forgot to add budget is not massive, cheaper the better as xmas coming up and all that. was looking for between £60 and £100, nearer £60 though, not sure what can be got for this much?

as for type really not sure, anything better than the ones i have now

nicklouse

what are the forks you want to replace?

andy83

can be seen in my sig

rst T5 if that means anything

they were the standard on my gt agressor 3

nicklouse

RST ***** TC? capa?

what year is the bike?

angelic upstart

Superstar Components, carbon, disc mounts,3 sizes. £75, bargain.

supersonic

On a budget, the classic Kona P2

andy83

nicklouse wrote:

RST ***** TC? capa?

what year is the bike?

just checked and theyre RST CAPA T5 bike was the 2005 model

just looked and cant find them kona ones on wiggle or crc and only really like using them

What bout these

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Kines ... 300005318/

or should i save up and get something that is carbon, really like the look of the below but dont think they do disc mounts, plus they are in the road section

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Easto ... 360036577/

any help much appreciated

supersonic

The top fork will fit, but it doesn't state the crown to axle height. You want between 420mm and 440mm ideally to match your frame.

The second fork is for road bikes.

Have a look at this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/eXotic-Rigid-Carb ... 286.c0.m14

andy83

like those on ebay, very nice but which size would i need??

i usually get vouchers for wiggle so what you reckon to these, yes i do also like wiggle, not a fan of buying stuff like that off ebay, got stung a few times, any probs with wiggle great service

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Ident ... 360029145/

or

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/DMR_T ... 360029802/

or at a real push

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/White ... 360038741/

thanks for all your help supersonic

andy83

also never heard of exotic, they any good?? and only want forks with just disc mounts on, dont like the v brake things sticking out lol

supersonic

You don't want a dirt jump fork - be heavy and very harsh.

The White Bros fork - same as many other carbon forks, out of the same factory!

I hear good things about the Exotic. Lots of versions availbale - I'd get the disc only 42.5cm version.

lvquestpaddler

Glad I came across this post- used to ride a rigid Scott Mohaka and it was brilliant off road, especially on Cairngorm rocky/bouldery trails, as long as tyre pressures were set well.
I've had a GT Avalanche thing with RockShox Pilot forks (crappy air preload in one stanchion and no lockout)for a few years and I really hate them off road, no feedback at all at the wheel, they have ISO disc fitments(got new wheels from Merlin last year so sticking with discs)
Can anyone recommend rigids for this bike such as the ones Andy has been looking at, and how easy are they to fit?
Suppose I'll need to measure some bits before doing this- rake/trail/axle diameter etc. Is the height on the bike between axle and crown with no load on it, ie wheel hanging in mid air, or with natural "sag"...
Or could anyone offer any suggestions to a significantly better sub £200(! ) shocker with lockout?
Cheers
Barry

nicklouse

Ok the 2007 (i guess the 05 will be the same) fork has an axle to crown height of 452mm so take of your 20% sag of your travel and that will give you the type of length of fork you should be looking for for a similar handling feel to what you have now.

andy83

so if i have worked it out right i need a fork that is 361.6mm

would it be best if i got a LBS to fit them, got quoted £15 for them to be fitted the other day, spose dont want to balls them up

nicklouse

nope, if your fork is a 100mm travel for then your sah will be 20-25mm (20-25% of the 100mm)

so a 425mm fork would be perfect.

andy83

ah i see, sorry for sounding like a complete idiot

thought my measurement looked wrong

hucking_fell

angelic upstart wrote:

Superstar Components, carbon, disc mounts,3 sizes. £75, bargain.

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_ ... cts_id=101

I'm thinking of getting these for my hardtail and going single speed also.

angelic upstart

Took delivery of mine last week,sick of waiting for on one to get some stock :roll: .Good finish apart from yellow graphics.Im building up as a singlespeed for winter use,messing about with kids.

lvquestpaddler

Evans are doing the Kona P2 for £39.99- got the A-C size at 440mm from them which is fine for my bike, but have had to email them again regarding the brake fitments(ie on their ordering process there is nowhere to specify A/ IS, B/ V- brake or C/ both, I only want the A fitment option)
The carbon forks from superstar and exotic look good, decent price for carbon, but would carbon be totally rigid and not give much feedback?
Oh- are these Kona forks for dirt jumping or are they ok for singletrack XC, and do they weigh a lot?

supersonic

Kona do (or did) about 4 versions of the P2. The triple butted cromo, double butted, plain guage and jump version. The latter is harsh, the triple butted the lightest and comfiest (about 750-800g)

Carbon has inherant damping qualities.

lvquestpaddler

Can anyone advise whether the Superstar forks are IS or Post Mount?
Cheers...!

BlackSpur

Superstar components fork

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=101

lvquestpaddler

Been looking on Carboncycles.cc which is obviously the parent company for Exotic, looks like it's Singapore based. Might just get them off Ebay if I go for this option, really light in terms of weight too..
Cheers for the replies folks! I've never stripped an Ahead set, could I use the existing headset and just transfer it to the new forks?(can you tell this is a budget job..!)

supersonic

Look at Park Tools on how to swap forks. You need to change the crown race to the new fork. Time consuming, but is all straight forward. Ish!