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Is this a strange / dangerous way to ride??

1K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  Tessaiga 
#1 ·
Hi, I'm a real beginner here so bear with this question...

Say you have a frame that is designed for a 100mm travel fork.

Can you use.... say a 140mm travel fork designed for 26 inch wheels but run a 24 inch front wheel instead while keeping the rear at 26 inch?? :eek:

Riding it on light XC rides and urban commuting...

Can this be done?

Is it dangerous to me or damaging to the bike?

Has anyone here done this before?

Go easy on me if this sounds silly or suicidal OK...:D :madman:
 
#3 ·
I'd say a hearty "No" on a 24" front. They're bad enough at the rear trying to fall into holes, hang up on ledges, and stall the bike on a slow climb. You put one on the front of a 26" wheeled bike, and it'll stink the place up. As to the 140mm fork, just put it on and see how badly it affects the geometry. You might actually be able to live with it. I had an '01 Superlight recommended for an 80-100mm fork that I ran a 130mm fork on with no real handling issues...in fact I thought the bike handled better overall for a trail bike. You can also lower your stem, use a low rise bar, and some other creative methods to deal with the longer fork. You might be surprised that it could work out. The 24" wheel on the front is just a bad idea IMO.
 
#4 ·
You can do it, but it doesn't make much sense. You will be gaining travel, but the smaller front wheel will not roll over obstacles as well as a 26", so you really would not benefit from the extra travel. As far as geometry changes with longer forks, you should check with the frame manufacturer first. It is generally acceptable to go + or - 20mm from the stock length, but some frames may not be able to take the extra stress on the headtube.
 
#5 ·
Standard caution to think about when using a longer fork than recommended, depending what kind of riding you're going to do with it, is you might put too much stress on the headtube due to the increased leverage of the fork. As to a 24" wheel I can't think of why you would want to do that, might be a fun experiment but I doubt it'll feel very good.
 
#6 ·
You're probably confusing quantity and quality of travel. A high end 100mm XC fork will feel really really good, a crappy fork will feel like a pogo stick or harsh no matter how much travel it has.

Better to tell us the bike and the fork and your budget and get opinions that way.
 
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