Hi all, I have a 1999 Specialized Hardrock that I'm somewhat emotionally attached to, however I feel I've just about outgrown the components, particularly the fork. The included fork is a somewhat dismal Rockshox Jett with ~45mm of travel. Unfortunately, it seems that just about every high quality modern fork comes equipped with at least 80mm of travel. How much of a bad idea would it be to put something like a Fox F80 fork on the bike? Would it completely destroy the character/ride quality of the bike or worse damage the frame?
Hardrock Fork Upgrade
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Hi all, I have a 1999 Specialized Hardrock that I'm somewhat emotionally attached to, however I feel I've just about outgrown the components, particularly the fork. The included fork is a somewhat dismal Rockshox Jett with ~45mm of travel. Unfortunately, it seems that just about every high quality modern fork comes equipped with at least 80mm of travel. How much of a bad idea would it be to put something like a Fox F80 fork on the bike? Would it completely destroy the character/ride quality of the bike or worse damage the frame?
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the fox is an awsome fork, personally i would just go with a Reba rlt ti 100 mm, its lightweight and its alotta bang for your buck!
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1,507 Posts
You can pick up a new Tora 318, 80mm coil sprung fork for a couple hundred and it'll be a huge upgrade over what you have.
I found a nice used Tora race air spring 100mm fork for my hardrock and loved it, I actually swapped it over to my niner when I built the new bike.
I found a nice used Tora race air spring 100mm fork for my hardrock and loved it, I actually swapped it over to my niner when I built the new bike.
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18,476 Posts
You sure the Jett's a 45mm travel fork? I could have sworn it was more. Maybe 63mm or even 80mm.
1999 is old enough that there were a few different headset standards still in use. What does your bike have?
If it's truly 45mm, any new suspension fork is a bad idea. But I think an 80mm fork would be fine. There are no worthwhile suspension forks being manufactured with a 1" steer tube. So if that's the size head tube on your frame, you're not replacing that suspension fork with another suspension fork. A few rigid forks are available.
Figure out all the stuff you want to buy and price it before you get started. Hop on some bikes that cost the same.
I have an old ride that I'm emotionally attached to, but would still like to retire. When I can afford it, I may strip it to build a new bike, and put the frame on my wall. Sooner or later, all old hardware gets to the point where it's more trouble than it's worth to keep it going.
1999 is old enough that there were a few different headset standards still in use. What does your bike have?
If it's truly 45mm, any new suspension fork is a bad idea. But I think an 80mm fork would be fine. There are no worthwhile suspension forks being manufactured with a 1" steer tube. So if that's the size head tube on your frame, you're not replacing that suspension fork with another suspension fork. A few rigid forks are available.
Figure out all the stuff you want to buy and price it before you get started. Hop on some bikes that cost the same.
I have an old ride that I'm emotionally attached to, but would still like to retire. When I can afford it, I may strip it to build a new bike, and put the frame on my wall. Sooner or later, all old hardware gets to the point where it's more trouble than it's worth to keep it going.
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147 Posts
I contacted Specialized, and they said that it was indeed a 45mm fork (confirmed by bikepedia), and that the maximum travel the bike could support would be 50mm, and no decent fork manufactured today has a 50mm fork. However, it is both according to bikepedia and memory (I don't live with this bike, it lives at the old man's house back in CA) the steerer tube is 1-1/8" threadless, so theoretically it will support a new fork, just potentially screw up the geometry...based on what I have read, it will slacken the head tube angle and raise the bottom bracket, so the bike may not be as responsive and well poised, the question is just by how much. It's a shame that Specialized doesn't publish the actual geometry of the bikes anymore.
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18,476 Posts
People are usually okay going up one size in terms of travel length. So a 65mm fork might still be okay, but you'd feel a change. 80mm is not something I would try.
From clicking around some, I think your fork should be around 420mm axle-crown. But you shouldn't trust me on this - you really need to measure it. Being off by 10mm is enough to change the geometry enough that you'll feel it.
The good news is that older suspension-corrected forks were really pretty stingy with axle-crown height. The Surly 1x1 fork, for example, is 413mm axle-crown, and relatively cheap. Since you already have a 1-1/8" threadless headset, it should be able to be a direct replacement. Being a little shorter is not a problem - the geometry on front-suspension bikes is generally designed assuming the fork will sag when the rider gets on. If you need to, you can always tune the ride height that last little bit with headset choice and tire sizing.
From clicking around some, I think your fork should be around 420mm axle-crown. But you shouldn't trust me on this - you really need to measure it. Being off by 10mm is enough to change the geometry enough that you'll feel it.
The good news is that older suspension-corrected forks were really pretty stingy with axle-crown height. The Surly 1x1 fork, for example, is 413mm axle-crown, and relatively cheap. Since you already have a 1-1/8" threadless headset, it should be able to be a direct replacement. Being a little shorter is not a problem - the geometry on front-suspension bikes is generally designed assuming the fork will sag when the rider gets on. If you need to, you can always tune the ride height that last little bit with headset choice and tire sizing.
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539 Posts
didn't the Sid forks from a few years ago have a 50mm option? Maybe you could find one in Ebay or something...
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193 Posts
ive been thinking of going o a different shock on my 11 as well or was even wondering if you could upgrade the existing xtr to make it work better ??
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