fork change - how will it affect handling?

le_boss
le_boss Posts: 183
edited December 2011 in Road beginners
After this mornings ride i have decided i have to change the forks on my winter bike. basically i find the bars are just too low, making for an uncomfortable ride and back ache!

its only a very cheap budget bike, about 8 years old and has a quill stem so makes things slightly more tricky. dont really want to spend much as its not worth it. anyway, i was thinking about getting a converter to allow a 'ahead' system, and then getting a new set of forks (with mudguard clearance) which would increase the height of the front.

any idea how it would affect the handling?

any recommendations on which forks?

Comments

  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    If you can't get the height you need with the quill stem then you probably need a taller frame. Wrecking the geometry isn't a good idea.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,345
    as above, sounds like the frame is too small, but you can get replacements stems, adjustable ones, taller ones, for instance...

    http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/stems-1-(222mm)-quill-threaded-dept277_pg1/

    ...and...

    http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tall%2 ... tbo=u&sa=X

    ...should be a *lot* cheaper/easier than new forks

    if clearance for guards is tight, then try...

    http://www.crudproducts.com/products/roadracer/
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • le_boss
    le_boss Posts: 183
    Rolf F wrote:
    If you can't get the height you need with the quill stem then you probably need a taller frame. Wrecking the geometry isn't a good idea.

    bugger, had a feeling someone would say that.

    so you think a bigger frame is what i need?
    guess i can transfer all the components over.

    might look at the ribble ones. any others you can recommend?
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    If it is a cheap, budget bike, you are probably better off giving it a really good clean, taking some really good pictures and writing a really good ebay advert so some gullible fool pays you half what it cost you when it was new!

    Then go and buy on ebay the right sized bike, near to you so you can have a look at it, that someone has failed to pump the tyres up, taken bad photos and described as 'a bike'. You might make a profit on the deal :lol:

    Swapping cheapo components onto a frame that deserves better (and the Ribble frames do probably deserve better) probably isn't the best solution.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • le_boss
    le_boss Posts: 183
    well the components are all sora, so would they be worth switching?
  • Wirral_paul
    Wirral_paul Posts: 2,476
    Changing the forks doesnt mean wrecking the geometry though. If the length from the centre of the axle to the lower ball race is the same (assuming same headset) then it wont affect the geometry.

    Worth looking into if your frame can accept forks / aheadset bearings - you can then fit spacers to raise the bars to whatever height you want before cutting the steerer tube. On a cheap budget bike though - my biggest consideration would be is it value for money. May be better looking for a 2nd hand frame if your current one is too small
  • le_boss
    le_boss Posts: 183
    yeah i have just been looking around at second hand frames. thing is, most of them are not local and its not going to be possible to view. question is; is it safe buying second hand frames??
  • EarlyGo
    EarlyGo Posts: 281
    le_boss,

    How much of a budget do you have? Personally I agree with sungod that the most cost effective way is to buy a replacement quill type stem of the desired length. That could be as little as 30quid! New forks gonna be nearer 100quid. New frame & forks at least 200quid. Thereafter you'd be better of buying a whole new budget bike for 400quid! As your components are 8 years old, personally I wouldn't bother putting them onto a new frame with all the potential compatibility issues.

    Regards, EarlyGo
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Wirral_Paul wrote:
    Changing the forks doesnt mean wrecking the geometry though. If the length from the centre of the axle to the lower ball race is the same (assuming same headset) then it wont affect the geometry.

    It will be - that's the point. If there is no increased length from axle to lower crown race, then the front of the bike won't be any higher which is the point of the new fork idea! :wink:

    Also, as others (and me!) have pointed out - it is far, far easier to change the bar height on a bike fitted with a quill stem than an ahead type.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    I think folks are over-exaggerating the impact of fitting a longer fork - yes it will raise the front slightly, but to 'wreck' the handling isn't borne from my experience - I once fitted a 20mm-longer disc fork to a Kaffenback and rode it like that for over a year and I didn't die under a bus.
    For the OP, there's cheaper options than changing the forks.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • le_boss
    le_boss Posts: 183
    sorry, should probably have clarified the issue, i have changed the quill and now have a much shorter one. but the bars are still too low.
    the frame size is 56cm like my race bike, but the forks are shorter -1 inch to be precise. this is what makes it very uncomfy to ride.
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Just what do you mean by 'the forks are shorter'. Where are they shorter? Do you mean the head tube on the frame is shorter, the steerer tube is shorter or the blades themselves are shorter? This is the only one that would affect handling. Are you just wanting to raise the handlebars or what?
    You have 'changed the quill to a shorter one'. Do you mean a shorter reach one or one with a shorter section going into the fork steerer. Neither would raise the bars.
    There were quill stems in the sjs link that would raise the bars considerably.
    My Fleet.
  • le_boss
    le_boss Posts: 183
    yeah i have changed the quill for one with a shorter reach.

    when i measure from the floor up, the handlebars are 1inch lower than my race bike.
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Shorter reach will not help raise the bars. Have you inserted the stem to the min insertion mark? If so then the only option is to find a stem with a longer quill section of a quill to a-head adaptor that will let you get the required height. Last option is a cheap 1" threadless fork and stem and cut the steerer to get the correct height. You would also need a new headset. This should not affect the handling any but is the dearest option.
    My Fleet.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Monty Dog wrote:
    I think folks are over-exaggerating the impact of fitting a longer fork - yes it will raise the front slightly, but to 'wreck' the handling isn't borne from my experience - I once fitted a 20mm-longer disc fork to a Kaffenback and rode it like that for over a year and I didn't die under a bus.
    For the OP, there's cheaper options than changing the forks.

    I assumed he'd need a very long fork if raising the quill wasn't enough to do the job. But I've probably been reading too many Bikeradar cycle reviews on bike geometry :lol:
    Faster than a tent.......
  • Evil Laugh
    Evil Laugh Posts: 1,412
    http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... b&vid=6605
  • Wirral_paul
    Wirral_paul Posts: 2,476
    Are the forks the original ones for the frame??
  • le_boss
    le_boss Posts: 183
    just a thought, if i were to buy a quill converter and change it to an ahead system, would that raise the height of the bars??
  • MountainMonster
    MountainMonster Posts: 7,423
    le_boss wrote:
    just a thought, if i were to buy a quill converter and change it to an ahead system, would that raise the height of the bars??
    The adaptor itself won`t but it will open the possibility of fitting a adjustable stem which would raise the bars enough.
    My London Road

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