Headset configuration?

quad121m4QvXvk_
quad121m4QvXvk_ Posts: 14
edited January 2022 in MTB beginners

Can anyone advise. At the moment I am looking at changing the front folks and the steerer tube length is quite long at 225mm.
I’m looking at second hand folks but all of the ones I’m coming across are a quite a bit shorter than this. Can I change the headset to make it more ‘compact’ so I can install a folk with a smaller steerer length?

Comments

  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,805
    edited January 2022
    I'd have thought that all you need is a shorter stem.

    Edit - I read the post incorrectly. Ignore.
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  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,702
    It looks like there's a lot of spacers on there, you'll be able to go quite a lot shorter, but it will lower your handlebars. There does appear to be at last one spacer above the stem though, so you could go shorter by that amount without changing anything about the setup.
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,331
    Move the spacers from below the stem to above, measure the length of steerer to the top of the stem. But your handlebars will be a lot lower of course.
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  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,052
    Folks or forks?
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
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  • reaperactual
    reaperactual Posts: 1,185
    edited January 2022
    Crazy long steerer tube and too many spacers imo.

    Maybe your bike could be too small for you in the first place?

    How high are the bars in relation to your saddle?

    Saddle and bar at about level is a good starting point to work from.

    If you're happy with the position/height now get a base measurement from floor to bar grips and work on getting back to roughly the same bar height.

    Maybe you'll need to reconfigure the whole set up with the relevant amount of headset spacers then compensate with a high rise angle stem and/or high riser bars, I believe there are even some bars available with a big rise of 50mm should you need that much.
  • quad121m4QvXvk_
    quad121m4QvXvk_ Posts: 14
    Thank you all for answering, the bars are probably 3 inches higher than the saddle at the moment. The saddle is set at the right height for me..
  • reaperactual
    reaperactual Posts: 1,185
    edited January 2022
    If your handlebar height is comfortable and works for you as is then it's not 'wrong'.

    If not I guess you could take the opportunity to experiment with different bar heights by swapping stem and spacer positions before you replace the forks as already mentioned?

    A lot of second hand forks with cut down steerer tubes will be shorter in general due to newer frame and geometry trends.

    Alway I suppose you'll need at least a minimum length steerer tube measurement you can get away with. Find a suitable set of replacement forks then sort out a new headset/cockpit configuration afterwards.
  • quad121m4QvXvk_
    quad121m4QvXvk_ Posts: 14
    Thanks again I will take your advice into consideration when I’m looking.

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