Front suspension advice

leechapman83

Hello everyone any help on this is much Appreciated, so I have a 2017 cube analogue 29er size 23 inch frame, recently road it to buy some new grips and whilst in the bike shop I had a query about some play in the rockshox xc30 front fork, basically they said it would need striping and see what needed replacing, tbh I would rather buy a new front fork as I feel I need somthing a little more robust as Im riding the bike quite hard, I would appreciate any recommendations for a replacement front fork, I know you should always try and spend the most you can afford and being honest I have upto £300 which I know isn't a lot but want something a step up from the xc 30 which are around £100 pound online, thanks in advance for any help

leechapman83

Am pretty set on getting the recon rl after finding them online for bout £180 only thing that is bugging me is that I love the pop lock on my bars and not sure if the recon rl supports that!! Any idea?

steve_sordy

Don't bother with the lack of a pop lock, or lockout as they are also called.

I have had forks with a "lockout" on them, but after experimentation I have never used them again. Most lockouts do not actually lock out the travel and completely stop it moving, instead they are a high level of low speed compression damping.

What is it for? To prevent bobbing when hero pedalling uphill. If your pedalling style is not smooth then it may also assist when on the level. I only ever used a lockout on smooth ground, like tarmac. Most bikes I have had in the last ten years have a setting called "firm" that does a better job than a lockout, but I still rarely use it.

Why do I no longer use lockouts? I would grind up a steep climb using the lockout and then forget to disengage the lockout before hurtling down a steep and rough trail. That seldom ended well. Pain is a good teacher and I soon decided that I got very little benefit and a lot of pain from using the lockout, so I stopped.

Learn a smoother pedalling style, no more hero heaving up hill whilst standing on the pedals. It is much more efficient to sit in a high gear and grind it out. That way you conserve your energy for the fun stuff.

leechapman83

Thanks for the reply Steve, tbh that's how I've damaged the xc30 that's on, by keeping them locked out on rough terrain and would only really unlock them on really bumpy downhill sections, it's just I've always found even the firmest setting in the xc30 is still to soft for me so would tend to have it locked out 90 percent of the time thus resulting in it being damaged, I now know that even traveling on flat trails unless tarmac the fork should be left unlocked, any recommendations then? My current xc30 has qr

reaperactual

oxoman said:

Rockshox Recon RL Solo air are better than you have and 32mm stantions. Under your budget if you can find them.
Make sure that whatever you get are compatible with your bike frame and wheel axle configuration. Any decent local bike shop should be able to help you out. As you have already surmised its pointless stripping and repairing as not cost effective.

As oxomam recommended. Forget about lockout and find
suitable Rockshox air forks with wider stantions which are more robust. Find ones to fit frame and wheel hub standards. Within you're budget if you shop around, some good deals to be had for quick release forks.

leechapman83

Nice one cheers, from having a decent look online It looks as if the only choice for qr is xc30 or recon rls, thanks for the advice 👍🏼

steve_sordy

I'm guessing that your previous fork had a coil spring. If the metal coil spring was not strong enough for your weight (and it wouldn't be if it was the standard one), then the fork would compress too much and I can see why you used the lockout all the time.

When you get your next fork, make sure it has an air fork. This will allow you to pump up the left side (where the air spring is located) to suit your weight. Go for 25% sag, the %amount of the travel that the bike sags just under your weight. The use of an air fork allows anyone of any weight to get exactly the right strength of air spring simply by pumping it up with a shock pump. You need a shock pump, the bike shop will have them or you can get them on line. They should last you for a very long time. Mine is 12 years old and still without fault.

Look on YouTube to see how to set sag.

JBA

Poplock is just another thing to clutter up your handlebars. Yes, it's convenient, but it only takes a second to reach down and turn the knob on the top of the fork leg.

Recon RL for £180 sound like a good buy.

leechapman83

Ah thanks very much yous, yeah Steve it was coil spring pleased you mentioned that about defo going for an air shock as I'm a big rider 14st +. tbh now knowing my fork should really be left unlocked I'm not that fused bout bar mounted lock, so pleased I will be able to tailor the feel of the front end even when fork is unlocked , exactly what I'm looking for. Problem now is finding a decent fork that accepts qr dropouts. Any suggestions other than the rl? I mean would you say to go for the gold varient if which ever I choose or would even a silver version of the Judy or rl still be a decent step on from my xc30

leechapman83

Btw it had currently a 100 mm of travel, how much of an impact on the bike would 120 mm travel fork have on it with regards to handling??

steve_sordy

leechapman83 said:

Btw it had currently a 100 mm of travel, how much of an impact on the bike would 120 mm travel fork have on it with regards to handling??

I could waffle on about increased leverage, loss of frame warranty, yada yada. But it will be fine. You will enjoy the extra travel and it will make descending more fun.

leechapman83

Kinda feel like the bars could come up towards me a little anyway, it's a 23 inch frame lm 6ft, it was bought 2nd hand so no warranty ect, I'm led to believe my qr skewers can be adapted to a fork with closed drop outs! So if I go from 100 to 120 mm travel would it simply lift the front end of the bike 120mm?

reaperactual

Some hubs can be converted to use thru axles. You have a Shimano front hub which are cup and cone and cannot be converted to any other standard from quick release. To fit new forks with thru axles you will need a new front wheel/hub.

Raising your travel from 100mm to 120mm will raise handlebars by an extra 20mm than they are now and slacken head angle by 1 degree on bikes geometry which won't effect bikes handling enough to notice in real terms.

steve_sordy

leechapman83 said:

......... as I'm a big rider 14st +. ..............

14 stone is not big, it's normal. I am 6'1" and weigh 15 stone in my riding kit. 14 stone is however too big for a fork with only 30mm stanchions. They will twist when cornering and they may even stutter when compressing during a ride. Going for a 32mm air fork is the right thing to do.

dave_100

Hi, newbie here and caught this thread, does anyone know what type of fork as regards size 1 1/8 or something else and whether mine is tapered or not,its a Carrera Vulcan e bike 2020 model and I want to upgrade it as its a bit clunky, any suggestions would be most appreciated on an affordable and noticeable upgrade, the ad blurb on the original fork spec is very limited

JBA

The Suntour XCM fork only comes with a straight 11/8” steerer.

reaperactual

Very limited worthwhile upgrade options available with 1 1/8 straight steerer tubes and quick release dropouts.

Take a look at these forks. An improvement on the ones you have now as they will be lighter, have air rather than coil spring and remote bar mounted lockout for £166:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SR-SUNTOUR-Epixon-Suspension-Travel/dp/B075SJWQCT/ref=asc_df_B075SJWQCT/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=399578606044&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5869263977572824206&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006912&hvtargid=pla-858978995416&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=88836928007&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=399578606044&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5869263977572824206&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006912&hvtargid=pla-858978995416

These are decent but this particular version only has 100mm of travel although maybe you could find a 120mm option:-

https://www.deporvillage.net/rockshox-30-gold-rl-27-5-solo-air-manual-100-mm-fork-qr-axle-9x100mm-fork-black?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4cuvyrqx6gIVhaSyCh3mpAT_EAsYASABEgLWpPD_BwE

dave_100

Thanks guys, much appreciated advice

The Rookie

JBA said:

The Suntour XCM fork only comes with a straight 11/8” steerer.

reaperactual said:

Very limited worthwhile upgrade options available with 1 1/8 straight steerer tubes and quick release dropouts.

However the Vulcan comes with a 44mm headtube and as such a change of lower headset will mean it can take a tapered fork.....

dave_100

Thanks once more,I'm considering tapered