[mforness3000]

Hey everyone

I have a 2007 orange dos niner. Currently I have it setup with a 80 mm Reba, but am thinking about going to 100 mm. What does Salsa recommend as far as front fork travel: 80mm or 100mm? Also, how do you have yours setup? Has anyone tried both 80 and 100? And if so which did they like better and why?

Thanks, Matt

 

[herothedog]

I have had both on my Mamasita. I am not a heavy rider (135lbs) but I really like the 100mm much better. I originally started with a 80mm Reba SL and had a very minor issue with the brake mount. It ended up being warrantied and replaced with a 100mm Reba Team (I guess all the parts were on backorder for the SL, never the less I was quite pleased).

The Mamasita has a little twitch with the 100mm, only noticeable when riding no handed though.

The Salsa web site for the Dos 9er says: For use with 80mm travel 29" fork

 

[hellocook]

i got my dos niner 3 months ago. i started up with 100mm Minute fork and 17 degree 660mm salsa carbon bar.

i didn't like it at all.

than i put a maverick SC32 on it with 90mm travel, but 30mm shorter A-C than the Manitou (comparable to a 80mm Reba). the handling improved much more than i expected(i usually ride 10-30mm more travel than recommended on my bikes, always without issues) but still not how i want it.

next i started playing with the stem length but without result. once i removed the crazy 17 degree bars and replaced them with a normal riser version i made another step forward.

the dos niner is much better balanced now than in my orginal set up. however, a lot depends on your personal preferences and what trail you are riding.

 

[Fly2Hi96]

I also have the orange 2007 and ran it at 80mm for about a year and then switched to 100mm. It definitely handles better at 80mm but for what I ride I prefer it at 100mm. It's a trade off and I like the extra cush.

 

[preparation_h]

just switched a couple days ago

recently went from 80 to 100mm reba and the difference is quite noticeable. With 80 mm it feels that alot of the weight is on the front end of the bike and handling is a little slow, but not nearly as slow as the 100mm. The 100mm pushes you toward more of a trail bike feel(sitting more upright). I'm not sure if I like the 100mm, it definitely feels much more cumbersome, but I've only been on one road ride since the switch so I might change my mind in a few days.

So, I'm pretty much no help to you, but I am subscribing to see what others think.

 

[jjange68]

I run 80mm Fox it's alittle twitchy in hard corners, but I deal with it. To me the 80mm doesn't feel front end heavy it's the easiest bike to wheelie even though I'm not good at them.

 

[BruceBrown]

recently went from 80 to 100mm reba and the difference is quite noticeable. With 80 mm it feels that alot of the weight is on the front end of the bike and handling is a little slow, but not nearly as slow as the 100mm. The 100mm pushes you toward more of a trail bike feel(sitting more upright). I'm not sure if I like the 100mm, it definitely feels much more cumbersome, but I've only been on one road ride since the switch so I might change my mind in a few days.

So, I'm pretty much no help to you, but I am subscribing to see what others think.

Curious if you adjusted that "sitting more upright" feeling by dropping some spacers, flipping your stem or some other means of lowering your bars to get a similar feel like you had with the Reba at 80mm?

BB

 

[preparation_h]

not yet.

Weather got bad here. too much slop....I will report back as soon as the bike hits the trail.

 

[AK47]

I've never tried 100mm with the Reba on my Dos, but it feels great at the Salsa recommended 80mm.

 

[preparation_h]

Like the cush but...

It does affect the slowness(turning) of the bike. The bike has a long wheelbase as is, I think with this mod it adds even more. I moved the stem down one spacer and that helped with the trailbike feel, but the steering is whats irking me now. Just feels slow and cumbersome.

 

[DeeEight]

I'm running a 100mm reba and not had any problems with the steering.

 

[Space Robot]

I have a 100mm Reba on my Dos and steering doesn't feel slow to me really. I set the sag pretty low and like how plush it is.

I will say that on climbs when I lock the fork out, it wants to wander. But I don't have any really steep hills on my usual ride so it's not that much of a problem. Downhill feels solid and predictable. I have arthritis in my neck so the more upright ride is desirable to me.

If I was riding in the mountains more often, I might take it down to 80mm for the extended climbs, but for now its fine where it is.

 

[funboarder1971]

or how about cutting the spacer in half and running the fork at 90mm?

 

[BruceBrown]

or how about cutting the spacer in half and running the fork at 90mm?

Good suggestion. A "tweener" front travel measurement.

Or run a 2.4 tire like the Ralph up front (or a tall tire like the Race King 2.2) and something with less volume in the rear. I do that for certain race courses that are loaded with roots and logs to add more front suspension.

I guess nobody brought up the fork's rake/offset and how that effects the "trail". Rake at 38mm? 44mm? 46mm? Or more? Not sure how all of the math plays out, but wouldn't it be prudent if going with the longer travel (100mm) fork, one would want to choose an appropriate rake/offset to counterbalance it?

I run the older 38mm offset REBA at 80mm on my Dos.

BB