[bigandcanadian]

I have a 2004 giant yukon, that I have been upgrading ever so slowly, and now the last thing on my list is the suspention... i was wondering if there was a way of determining how much is too much in the way of travel... right now there is sun xc 75 that bottom out every time I ride and I was looking at some z1's but was wondering if the 5" was too much and would change the sloap of my bike too much and eventually crack the fram.... help

 

[FM]

I have a dekerf implant hardtail with a 5" Z1 fork on it.... it rocks! I can do all kinds of things on it that I wouldn't normally try on a HT. and it's a lot stronger than a FS bike of the same weight. However, this bike was designed for a 4"+ fork and abusive riding. You giant is designed around a 3" fork and more all-round XC riding... a 5" fork, especially the very tall Z1, would likely chopper the angles WAY out, making the bike a handful on anything but downhill terrain. I tried a 6" fork on my implant and I could hardly ride a straight line with it... you actually had to press down on the bars to steer without losing control.You giant would likely feel the same way with a 5" fork. In general, you can go maybe 1" more than the frame was designed for, more than that and handling goes bad.

Also theres the added stress of a longer fork on your head tube- you might end up with a permanently creaky headset or broken frame.

try a good 4" fork though, like a marzocchi MX. I've ridden several XC hardtails with that fork on it, they all rode great.

I have a 2004 giant yukon, that I have been upgrading ever so slowly, and now the last thing on my list is the suspention... i was wondering if there was a way of determining how much is too much in the way of travel... right now there is sun xc 75 that bottom out every time I ride and I was looking at some z1's but was wondering if the 5" was too much and would change the sloap of my bike too much and eventually crack the fram.... help

 

[bigandcanadian]

thanks man, I just needed to hear it from another person... I'll check out the mx

 

[Ruskyi121]

I own a norco wolverine and it came with the 75mm xc 60 too and i upgraded to Marz MX Comp ETA. I didnt really feel any difference in handling but the fork is much, much much, much better. The cool thing is that iv got the one coil one air so i can pump it up to different pressure depending on what kinda riding im doing. Iv done around 5 foot drops flat on this fork and its still in one piece iv even done some dj. I weigh 150 pounds so im not that heavy tho but i tell u its a damn strong fork, and anyone else who owns it will tell u the same thing. Plus its an award winner!!!

 

[man w/ one hand]

I started out on a Giant Rincon...

Started upgrading stuff as it wore out/busted. I bought a used Zokie Z3 QR20 w/4" of travel. Then I replaced all of th' internals w/Z1 stuff & made it 5" of travel. Bike rode fine. You'll need to shorten up the stem to make the steerin' quicker, but it will ride fine, unless you are riding XC exclusively. Then it will feel a'lil slacked out. I would look @ some 5" forks w/adjustable travel. You won't regret it. Yukon frame should hold up fine till you start droppin' 4-5' to flat. Then it's gonna bust after awhile. My old Rincon frame is hanging in the building w/no cracks or bends, only one ding. It held up to 4' drops to flat consistantly.

Just my .15, (adjusted for inflation during war times).

 

[bluronthetrails]

I am also slowly upgrading my Giant Rincon. 4" of travel is good, 5" is also ok, but any more for an HT is a little too much.

Just my .15, (adjusted for inflation during war times).

LMAO. LOL thats funny dude...Guess I'm in your boat. anti-war to the bone err, to the pocket? same here....

 

[mikey42186]

5 inches is fine

I have a 2004 giant yukon, that I have been upgrading ever so slowly, and now the last thing on my list is the suspention... i was wondering if there was a way of determining how much is too much in the way of travel... right now there is sun xc 75 that bottom out every time I ride and I was looking at some z1's but was wondering if the 5" was too much and would change the sloap of my bike too much and eventually crack the fram.... help

Hey, I definitely don't think 5 inches is too much for a HT on the climbs. I can hold a straight line climbing all day long on my Trek 4500 with the Manitou Black Platinum set at 120mm. Not to say I always do. Many times I do lower the fork, but it isn't because I can't hold a line with it taller. I like the feel a little bit better with it lower. However, on the downhills, You really want to have a fork that has the travel to eat up the bumps without bottoming out. Of course, I would recommend something like the Black for a HT seeing as how I own one. Basically anything with adjustable travel from around 90 to around 120 would be my idea of the perfect fork for a HT. I ride alot faster and much more aggressive now than I ever did on a 3-4 inch travel bike. I've been trying to ride every day for the past couple of weeks, and I love the travel adjustment option more each time I ride. I might agree that more than 5 inches is a bit much for a HT unless it is a DH Hardtail. However, I can only say it isn't too much for a DH Hardtail. As far a your giant goes, I don't know how a regular XC HT would handle with six or more inches of travel because I have never ridden more than 5. But, to reiterate my point, when I first got my fork, I never adjusted the travel and I don't ride any faster uphill now than I did then. I have just learned that I like dial it down to 100 uphill for comfort. 120 DH every time though. That will never change.
Happy Trails! Mikey42186