fork travel

avid89

Hi all i just need a little guidance with regards to fork travel and how much travel i can have. Basically i like to do big drops on my hardtail and these will vary anywhere between 2ft and a definite maximum of around 10ft, anymore is just crazy. Now all the bike mags i've read keep saying that the more travel you have the better the fork will be at it's job, absorbing impacts. But at the same time they're also saying you can't run a big fork without ruining the handling of your bike and potientially damaging the frame. Now my bike has 140mm (5.5in) of travel. Now heres the question- can i run a travel adjustable fork with a maximum travel of around 160mm for all my big drops then wind the travel down for regular riding so it dosen't handle like a pig? Something like the fox 36 van TALAS?

Thanks in advance
p.s this is my bike
http://www.specialized.com/gb/en/bc/SBC ... d=08PBikes

nicklouse

you need a different bike really. and i would not bother with a longer travel fork on it.

things will break as you are just making an even bigger lever.

Andy B

From Spesh's website (general fork Q&A, not P series specific)

"You will want to use a fork that is within 10% of the original fork's travel length. This will ensure that the geometry & handling of your bike remains similar"