Canondale SL3 fork upgrade help!

billkingston
billkingston Posts: 4
edited June 2013 in MTB buying advice
Hello all!

I've got a Cannondale SL3 2011. The front forks are a bit knackered 'RST Deuce', looking to upgrade to something that is great on local (Surrey/Kent) trails, but can also handle a bit of downhill in the alps once a year.

Is there anything you guys recommend? I was looking at some of the 2012 Fox Talas 120 - 150mm but I think that might be a bit much - and exceeds the max fork length for the bike? (I'm guessing this is 100mm since the SL3 came with this?) How far do you think I can go? Is adjustable the right way to go?

Any advice appreciated

Comments

  • Greer_
    Greer_ Posts: 1,716
    Have a scroll down, there;s a few similar threads if you want more (the same) opinions. But for a 100mm fork, I'd say 120mm max. Best bet is a rockshox recon gold or a reba, but it depends on your budget?
    Orbea Alma Team Carbon - Strava -Specialized Allez Sport
  • billkingston
    billkingston Posts: 4
    Hey thanks , looked at the Reba - think I need to do a little more research, for some reason I really fancy the Fox though - are they evenly matched as a brand do you think? Or is one better than the other?

    Do you think adjustable should be avoided?

    Budget around £350ishish
  • Greer_
    Greer_ Posts: 1,716
    Personal preference really - I don't like the short service intervals fox have - seen too many with worn stanchions. Adjustable travel for an XC frame isn't great, I really wouldn't go above 120mm - you risk upsetting the geometry and trashing the frame. For £350 you could get a Reba RLT or else a Sid - but the Sid is a more lightweight fork so if you plan on going to the alps the reba would be better (more trail orientated) - neither would cope with 'downhill' though, only riding down hills, you'd risk wrecking the bike and yourself on a proper downhill course. If thats what you're planning, a hire bike would be better!
    Orbea Alma Team Carbon - Strava -Specialized Allez Sport
  • billkingston
    billkingston Posts: 4
    Thanks for that info really helpful, I also got this back from Cannondale:
    The maximum travel fork the Trail SL will take without invalidating your warranty and risking the life of your frame is 100mm, as fitted. Fitting a longer-travel fork is not an upgrade, it is a complete change of geometry and ride characteristics. The Trail SL is designed to run 80-100mm of travel, and endure the stresses passed from the fork into the frame in this configuration, fitting a longer-travel fork will change how these stresses act on the frame, in ways that it was never designed to cope with. Also, this will result in a severe change of ride position, unweighting the front wheel, make the steering laxzy and front-wheel grip lessen. climbing will also suffer as your weight is pushed up and over the back wheel, increasing the risk of ‘looping out’ and again lowering contact pressure between front wheel and trail.

    If you want to upgrade your fork, look toward any air-sprung 100mm Fox, Magura, or Rockshox fork, these will be an automatic upgrade over the basic coil fork on your bike currently. The improvements in fork performance of air over coil will be enough that it will feel like you have more useable travel anyway.

    So I think I'll take a mixture of everyones advice and get a "2013 Rockshox Reba RLT PushLoc Remote Air Spring Fork Black 26er 100mm"

    Thanks!
  • EH_Rob
    EH_Rob Posts: 1,134
    I put a 120mm Reba on a 2011 SL3 and it was fine.
  • OJS
    OJS Posts: 130
    Careful before you buy as I think your model has a 1.5" steerer.

    So you will need to either get a fork with a 1.5" straight steerer or buy a reducer headset. If you have the "SI - System Integrated" headtube (should say SI at the end of the top tube if you do), you will have to get the cannondale specific reducer kit (standard reducers do not fit), which you can source through qwertycycles. The Cannondale reducer is about £45 if I remember righty.

    There are a few good bargains on CRC at the moment for straight 1.5" forks though, so worth a look there first. There is a Reba on there that is 120mm QR and can prob be spaced down to 100mm easy enough.

    I do have a Cannondale reducer that I can sell you if you need it - only used it for around 6 months on my RZ120 before I sold it on with the original 1.5" fork replaced. Let me know if interested and I can save you some cash.

    Cheers
  • EH_Rob
    EH_Rob Posts: 1,134
    you don't need a cannondale specific anything, i had a hope step down headset that worked just fine.

    check out merlin for forks too.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Cannondale's 1.5 bore is different from other 1.5 bores though, confusingly! Not much in it, and sometimes you can get away with tolerance - but sometimes standard ones don't work.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • OJS
    OJS Posts: 130
    I think it depends on whether or not the headtube is SI or not - only the models that are designed to be compatible with the lefty are I think. If it is not SI then a standard Hope reducer will work. If it is SI that does not work as the inside of the headtube is a different size (slightly bigger than 1.5") as it has two cut outs at the top and bottom where the cannondale specific headset bearings sit.

    On the RZ I ordered the hope reducer and it did not fit - so was just making sure the OP did not make the same mistake.
  • EH_Rob
    EH_Rob Posts: 1,134
    you might be right about other dales. i did the same thing to the same model of bike as the OP using a hope step down.

Categories