Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

fork with boost axle? or not?

Jump to Latest
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
L

Lochnes

· Registered
Joined
·
130 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
looking at both buying a new fork and building a new wheelset. Rims already ordered (ryde trace 25 asymetric).
So: should i upgrade to a fork with boost spacing and buy also boost hubs? Rear is still 142x12

Ride mostly heavy XC including races.
Was planning on buying a 120mm Yari. cant afford the pike, i am 200 lbs so revelation is on the iffy side (or so they say) and more expensive. reba i am not impressed with.

the boost 29/27+ fork is 50 euro extra. the DT 350 hub in boost will cost 20 euro extra. So 70 euro extra which is 10 percent of my total upgrade budget.

will it make me only 10 percent extra or happy or double happy if I buy boost for front?
Will i notice any advantage on wheel strength, or will i notice the liitle extra grams more?

I"m i coward and no mountains nearby so dont do downhill or big jumps.
Tend to land on my face so stiffer wheels dont help much with that.
 
#2 ·
there is zero chance you'll notice the weight. If anyone claims they do, they're lying. Will you notice the stiffness? I doubt it, it will be more noticeable than the weight but the only reason I say that is because I'm 100% certain no human is capable of noticing that little weight while riding.

It didn't seem like you said if you were running 27 or 29.
I wouldn't pay 70e for a very slight gain in stiffness. What might be worth something (not sure if it's 70e or not) is ability to run wider tires (though you already have the rims, and they are narrow enough it's probably not going to make a difference), and future-proofness (my crystal ball says 110 will become the standard axle spacing eventually. Even if not you can space 100 out, you can't make 110 axles smaller).

I don't know that I'll buy another 15x100 fork; but I'm not xc racing and the option of running really wide tires is appealing to me. 110 seems more versatile; but I doubt it will make you more than 10% happy.
 
#5 ·
Lochnes said:
running 29. Currently have a 2.4 bobcat tyre upfront, do not see myself going wider because 2.4 is also the max on the back.
Click to expand...
Another vote for a non-BOOST fork. If you want to save some money get a cheap front hub. Front hubs are front hubs. Just a piece of alum with bearings. Every "expensive" front hub I have had did not out perform the "cheaper" ones.

You can get a "cheaper" hub for 1/2 the cost of a DT.

ps. Not knocking DT we have 4 wheelsets in the garage with DT hubs :)
 
#6 ·
If I were buying a new fork I'd probably go ahead and get the Boost spacing. Theoretically the wheel will be stiffer and stronger and it will match up nicely with your new Boost frame that you will probably buy in a couple of years. #futureproof
 
#7 ·
While you don't see yourself going wider than 2.4 today, you're going to be riding that fork going forward. You haven't tried any wide tires or even wide rims yet.
I'm using a 2.7 tire on a 15x100 fork now. If I was going new 100% I'd want the wider space for the tires I can't try now and the many more coming in the future. I'd also build a minimum 35mm inner rim width wheel front and rear. Even a 2.4 benefits from more sidewall support.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
thanks all so far..
the replies seem to run the same range of thoughts i have myself..
"boost is futureproof"
"nice for your next bike/frame"
"why spend more then you need now" (and probably by the time you buy a new bike the new sta datd is outdated anyway)

regarding the 25mm rims: didnt go any wider because they were heavier and that would kill all weight savings. run 25 internal now with 65mm wide tires and in absence of snow and sand seems ok.

any more thougtjs are welcome, will pull the trigget after newyear and probably let the best deal / delivery time decide.
 
#10 ·
Performance improvements in sidewall support from an at least 30mm inner rim when paired with a rounded profile tire will be so far beyond what you 'lose' from the small amount of added weight. No more foldover at lower pressure gives improved traction when cornering and no abrupt washouts. Instead your front tire will lose traction more slowly giving you options to recover instead of wiping out. More confidence to push it and that means more fun.
And even more tuneability is available with Plus 2.8-3.25 tires. You could be trying tires at 10-12.5 psi.depending on what terrain and bike speed your trails are. Applies to 29+ too.
Read this thread-
http://forums.mtbr.com/26-27-5-29-plus-bikes/27-5-plus-experience-1031181.html
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
eb1888 said:
Performance improvements in sidewall support from an at least 30mm inner rim when paired with a rounded profile tire will be so far beyond what you 'lose' from the small amount of added weight. No more foldover at lower pressure gives improved traction when cornering and no abrupt washouts. Instead your front tire will lose traction more slowly giving you options to recover instead of wiping out. More confidence to push it and that means more fun.
And even more tuneability is available with Plus 2.8-3.25 tires. You could be trying tires at 10-12.5 psi.depending on what terrain and bike speed your trails are. Applies to 29+ too.
Read this thread-
http://forums.mtbr.com/26-27-5-29-plus-bikes/27-5-plus-experience-1031181.html
Click to expand...
ok, but wouldnt it be better then to make it 27.5 plus instead of 29 plus and put some 35mm 27,5 rims in there?
can also order some nice rydes or BOR for 25 euro a piece and spoke those on my old hubs..
 
#12 ·
You get that option. I'm using a 29 x 3(2.7" actual) Panaracer Fat B Nimble as a front on a 30mm inner wheel. I'd rather use a wider tire on a 49mm or so inner rim wheel. Can't until I get a Boost fork.
My trails are techy with rocks and roots without big jumps or long fast downhills. So I don't spec for forces that would come up if I rode in the mountains. Another wheelset in a wide 27.5 for that terrain might be needed. I use CB Chinese carbons to save weight and for stiffness. They almost build themselves because the stiffness makes truing so easy. But they aren't too stiff so as to make the ride harsh.
 
#13 ·
I was forced to get boost fork, because 27.5+ Manitou Magnum was only way to get latest Manitou tech for 29" bike. It has same axle-to-crown dimension as 29" fork and can take up to 2.4" 29" tyre. Price is/was good in Bike24/crc but they are out of stock on longer travel models.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Bit the bullit and bought the non boost fork + hub. Was an 16 percent difference in total and now at least i have a backup from my old wheel if my wheelbuilding skills turn out to be less then stellar.
 
#15 ·
What is the weight difference for boost vs. 15mm thru? I'm looking at a 2017 SID World Cup fork and have to choose Boost or Thru. My hub is American Classic Thru and can be converted to boost with a re-dish. Where is the extra weight at? In the hub or fork? The main reason I'm upgrading from a 2012 SID is to drop weight. 200 grams to be exact. I don't want to lose that benefit from going Boost.
 
#17 ·
Worth it to you Le Duke? My main reason for considering it is really only to future proof and preserve some resale value. I'd personally rather have the grams the the potential stiffness. I'm going to have to spend a few bucks on the axle kit and re-dishing my wheel to make it work.
 
#18 ·
I don't have one. Just didn't seem worth it to me. Have no interest in running anything bigger than a 2.35, and selling a fork to buy another, to lose ~150g didn't seem worth it. My max dollars per gram shaved is $2/gram.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
#19 ·
craigebaker said:
Worth it to you Le Duke? My main reason for considering it is really only to future proof and preserve some resale value. I'd personally rather have the grams the the potential stiffness. I'm going to have to spend a few bucks on the axle kit and re-dishing my wheel to make it work.
Click to expand...
Assuming you're just going to re-dish your non-boost am classic hub, you aren't going to get any additional stiffness (that comes from wider flanges, which means a different hub shell). Anyway, if you're concerned about stiffness, at all, you wouldn't be buying a SID.

So it's future-proofness and/or resale value vs grams tradeoff.

To me, someone who's willing to spend whatever a new fork costs to save 200g is a pretty hardcore weight weenie; I'd guess you'd be happier with the lighter fork. I can't see 15/100 being fully obsolete within the lifetime of a fork, and knowingly choosing the option that doesn't serve your needs as well but you expect will have higher resale seems silly (especially on something that depreciates as fast as a fork).

unless you are already scheduling replacing your frame and/or wheels...
 
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
About this Discussion
18 Replies
10 Participants
Last post:
Joules
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
posts
16M
members
534K
Since
1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Discussion Downhill - Freeride California - Norcal Shocks and Suspension Passion