fork change

cremator

hi all bit new to this so not sure if in the right place .so i got a new bike boardman mx race hybrid bought it to travel to to work on now find myself out on the road with it and likeing this road thing so now i think i have bought the wrong type of bike.anyway bit late now i changed the tyres for 28 gatorskins which made alot of difference and the pedals now i want to change the forks at the mo got suspension forks and want to change to ridged forks is this possible would this be possible please many thanks

simon_masterson

It's possible. Most people don't have the tools for working on headsets (there are a few of them, they're quite expensive and they're good for nothing else), so if you don't know anyone, you'll need to pay a shop to do it, but the hardware involved isn't expensive. Decathlon and Planet X and others sell cheap forks.

cremator

hi thank you for your reply i can go to LBS maybe they can help at the mo i hve discs fitted can i get forks that will acomodate these what sort of charge should i be looking at for a set of forks and fitting

homers_double

Despite what the purists say you don't need a press to install a headset(and it sounds like you don't need to.)

The only problem is you'll have buy a fork to counter the travel on a suspension frame or your geometry will be all over the place.

cremator

sorry whats all that mean

homers_double

If you have suspension forks your frame will compensate for X mm of travel, a rigid fork assumes 0mm travel however you can get rigid forks to take up X.

x = suspension travel

cremator

ah got it thank you

Mad_Malx

You don't need to change the headset, but you will need to swap the crown race from the old fork onto the new one (or find an identical one). This is quite easy, but needs a bit of force & care - lots of advice on web. I used an old flat screwdriver, hammer and a bit of plastic pipe.
Most swap-in rigid forks are sold stating what suspension they replace, they are not as long as the sus forks they replace because the suspension is assumed to sag for optimal position.

cremator

hi thank u my forks are 490mm long they are nex sr suntour with lock out on them cant seem to find anythink on web loads of forks but not sure what i need

Mad_Malx

I think yours are 63mm travel suspension.
The measurement you give - you're measuring the total height?

The standard measurement is crown to axle, which is centre of where the axle bolts in up to the crown race:


But you do also need to check the steerer is long enough - if new it's usually too long and you cut off, but second hand can be a problem. You also need to check you have the right mounts for your brakes (disc or bosses for cati/v).

Surly have a good selection.

Mad_Malx

^Just spotted you have discs, so need to have disc mount on the fork. I'd recommend you go for Cromoly, which will give a bit more spring and be lighter than cheapo standard steel.

Edit - lots of Kona P2's around too, these are quite stiff because of the geometry but good quality.

cremator

ok many thanks how much should i be looking to pay for the forks and fitting from lbs

Mad_Malx

Not a clue about fitting price, I bodge it myself.

ebay has lots of kona p2's but you need to check size carefully. Anything from £20 up I would guess. I bought some new a while back from the bay I think for about £35

Mad_Malx

NB - make sure you get ones for your wheel size!

cremator

lolok think i had best go to lbs as i am not sure i am meauring it right wheels are 700

holiver

carboncycles.cc do loads of forks for what you are after.

cremator

hi thanks for that had a look but not sure where to start

nathancom

Doesn't the suspension have a lock out?

cremator

yes but not that good also my main concern is the weight of them