rigid forks for rockhopper expert 2009

dimmockg
dimmockg Posts: 471
edited November 2013 in MTB buying advice
have a 2009 hopper expert, here:

http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/bikes/ ... pert#specs

forks stated as 100mm travel, am I correct in thinking these:

http://www.carboncycles.cc/?s=0&t=2&c=92&p=788&

or these:

http://www.carboncycles.cc/?s=0&t=2&c=43&p=960&

or these:

http://www.carboncycles.cc/?s=0&t=2&c=43&p=196&

would compensate correctly for the 100mm travel?

The hopper is becoming my commute / hack bike now

cheers

Comments

  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    All good choices. The carbon is a bit lighter and smoother - 44.5 for more relaxed handling, 42.5 for sharper.
  • dimmockg
    dimmockg Posts: 471
    thanks SS

    so the shorter fork may feel a little quicker or livelier / bit more responsive?
  • dimmockg
    dimmockg Posts: 471
    many thanks

    just need to decide which one now
  • passout
    passout Posts: 4,425
    I agree with this advice.

    Personally I'd go shorter if you are using mostly on road, fireroads or singletrack. For really steep/rough stuff I might go for the longer one - but then you may as well go for suspension if doing that I guess? I went for a shorter fork (around 80mm travel equivalent ) on my Kinesis Decade Versa which is usually built around a 100mm sus fork & think I made the right decision.
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.
  • dimmockg
    dimmockg Posts: 471
    cheers all

    the riding I'd be doing on this would certainly be 70% on road 30% off road

    the offroad being a dusty gravel track of approx 5 miles in length, maybe the odd quick drop off a kerb (assuming I may need to). Hills on the commute home - but nothing that poses any problems with my bike now set up as 1 x 10 with 36t up front

    Certainly no big drops, jumps or anything like that, in fact I'd probably adjust the above figures to 80% / 20%
  • Kinesis Maxlight XLT forks could go on your list too.

    Big fan of the ones I got on my hopper (used for commuting, but I've also run them on proper MTB duty and they're actually pretty good).

    Pretty lightweight, and nice and cheap.

    Edit: Not that there is anything wrong with those exotic ones, which are also superb value. :)
  • dimmockg
    dimmockg Posts: 471
    thanks for the suggestions and tips

    the searching / researching continues :)

    Am i right in thinking I'd certainly need to move some headset parts as well from the old fork to the new (crown?)

    Or it could be used as an ideal time to reaplace the headset :)
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Just need to swap the crown race over.