120mm to 100mm fork?

declan1

Hello!

Roadie at heart here so don't know much about this kind of thing!

My mountain bike currently has 120mm forks - RST Gila Plus T7s (I can feel you cringing already).

I would (obviously) love to change these, but I have a rather restricted budget. I can spend MAX £200 but preferably £150.

I have spotted some Recon silvers on Merlin, and XC30/32s amongst others, but they are all 100mm.

Will this make a dangerous difference to the bikes' handling? I don't know whether you can go 20mm down on travel without any serious consequences.

Thanks for any help!

kajjal

Check the bike manufacturers website, this will normally advise.

rockmonkeysc

You will loose some stability but gain sharper steering.

declan1

RockmonkeySC wrote:

You will loose some stability but gain sharper steering.

Hmmm. I have a 100mm stem on it right now as the frame is too small for me (6'1" riding a 17" frame). I can't get a bigger frame due to budget constraints but I feel comfortable on this one. The 100mm stem makes it fairly slow and stable so perhaps the shorter fork will make the handling better?

Do you think having the shorter forks with the longer stem would place me over the front too much?

cooldad

Under budget, decent forks, and 120mm
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/85 ... -coil.html

cooldad

Or slightly over, and air.
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/85 ... 120mm.html

declan1

cooldad wrote:

Under budget, decent forks, and 120mm
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/85 ... -coil.html

I like the look of those Raidons - would they be equivalent in performance to the Recon Silvers? The extra travel would certainly be nice!

coulddobetter

Would personally go for air fork as you can tune it for your weight . If the coil spring isn't right for you you are stuck with it .

cooldad

declan1 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Under budget, decent forks, and 120mm
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/85 ... -coil.html

I like the look of those Raidons - would they be equivalent in performance to the Recon Silvers? The extra travel would certainly be nice!

Pretty close and certainly much better than what you have now.

ednino

You'll get something much better for that money buying second hand

but they'll probably need a service

declan1

cooldad wrote:

declan1 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Under budget, decent forks, and 120mm
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/85 ... -coil.html

I like the look of those Raidons - would they be equivalent in performance to the Recon Silvers? The extra travel would certainly be nice!

Pretty close and certainly much better than what you have now.

I think this might just be the one. Thanks for finding it!

rockmonkeysc

If your frame is too small then why not sell it on ebay and get another on ebay for the same money.
The right size frame will be much better to ride.

declan1

RockmonkeySC wrote:

If your frame is too small then why not sell it on ebay and get another on ebay for the same money.
The right size frame will be much better to ride.

It's an 07 Saracen Mantra 1, and the frame is scratched to pieces. I'd be lucky to get £30 for it I reckon. I've got my eyes on an On-One Inbred when budget allows!

rockmonkeysc

You could probably get a used inbred frame for around £50. The right size frame will make more difference to how well your bike rides than a new set of forks.

declan1

RockmonkeySC wrote:

You could probably get a used inbred frame for around £50. The right size frame will make more difference to how well your bike rides than a new set of forks.

I really need new forks to be honest - the RSTs are either virtually rigid, or I take a spring out and they bottom out rather often. They're just rubbish! I will definitely get a new frame sometime as it will feel better to ride (hopefully)!