[WoodstockMTB]

Has anyone experimented with fork offset on their HD3? Or even given much consideredation to what it should have been originally?

Turns out I've been riding with a 42mm offset Pike all these years. Looking to replace the fork now and it looks like my options are 37mm or 46mm. Pretty much equal distance from where I was.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Pretty sure 46 is specs for HD3 so it seems you'd want to go in that direction

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[doismellbacon]

Has anyone experimented with fork offset on their HD3? Or even given much consideredation to what it should have been originally?

Turns out I've been riding with a 42mm offset Pike all these years. Looking to replace the fork now and it looks like my options are 37mm or 46mm. Pretty much equal distance from where I was.

Anyone have any thoughts?

My HD3 has had a 42mm offset Pike on it its whole life, first at 150mm but now at 160, but I've done lots of experimenting with offset over decades of mountain biking, including on several Ibises (Mojo, SL, HDR) with a number of forks from Fox, RS, and X-Fusion, so I can make some general statements based on my experience and preferences.
My setup for the last year has been Pike 160 42mm offset w/ a -1 degree headset, and I LOVE the way the bike works in this configuration best of all... It's still a very snappy handler, climbs like a champ, but gained a lot of chunky downhill composure vs the original 150mm/std headset config. If I were in your shoes, but with my current setup, I would definitely go 46. Not that I'd really want to reduce trail much, or any, but still I think it would be a better option than a 37 since the front-center on this bike is already pretty short by current standards and the 37mm offset would make it that much shorter. The 37's came about to help mitigate the long front center produced by the current steep seat angle / slack head angle trend, thereby maintaining a little better weight distribution between the wheels... your bike doesn't need that.
If you haven't tried a -1 headset, you should. The Works Components unit has been flawless and is pretty affordable, and that slacker head angle will also mesh better with a longer offset fork. My 2¢

 

[doismellbacon]

Pretty sure 46 is specs for HD3 so it seems you'd want to go in that direction
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I could definitely be wrong, but thru my fuzzy memory I seem to recall Fox forks at the time of release were 44mm and Pikes were 42

 

[Chasintrane]

Looking for a lg non-boost HD3 frame.

Anybody grab one recently when they were being blown out?

NOS preferred.


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[macduff]

I've been contemplating doing a mullet build with my HD3 for a while given I had some 29er bits lying around such as a spare front wheel & tyre, though did little about it until I stumbled on a set of 29er RS Pikes Select+ on 1/2price sale. a quick dont think it though button press and these were with me in a couple of days. Quick fit to check before cutting the steerer down to a sensible height pic below. 1st ride showed no improvement or degradation of my strava times over a local trail where I have the most ridden crown, though I wasnt pushing just going with the flow. It feels subltly more work to climb and I'm pondering whether an angleset headset may help, 1) bring the front back to its original hieght and give a more uptodate headtube angle. I need to get my fav front tyre on a Magic Mary Soft so I can push a bit
harder in the local trails.

 

[doismellbacon]

I've been contemplating doing a mullet build with my HD3 for a while given I had some 29er bits lying around such as a spare front wheel & tyre, though did little about it until I stumbled on a set of 29er RS Pikes Select+ on 1/2price sale. a quick dont think it though button press and these were with me in a couple of days. Quick fit to check before cutting the steerer down to a sensible height pic below. 1st ride showed no improvement or degradation of my strava times over a local trail where I have the most ridden crown, though I wasnt pushing just going with the flow. It feels subltly more work to climb and I'm pondering whether an angleset headset may help, 1) bring the front back to its original hieght and give a more uptodate headtube angle. I need to get my fav front tyre on a Magic Mary Soft so I can push a bit
harder in the local trails. View attachment 1947513

Very cool! What's the travel and offset on the fork? I'd strongly urge you to try a -1 headset. Please keep reporting back as you get more miles and make more changes!

 

[macduff]

Its a 130mm travel and 42mm offset . I was pondering if I'd need 140mm but there is little in the way of big air or heavy prolonged rock gardens so I'm going to remain at 130 for now which appears to be close (within 5mm ish) to the A/C height of the Fox36 160mm fit4 forks the RS Pikes replaced. I've fitted 3 tokens to these pikes as I have the same fork on my hardtail and I find it a little harsh with just 2 tokens.

 

[macduff]

Its a 130mm travel and 42mm offset . I was pondering if I'd need 140mm but there is little in the way of big air or heavy prolonged rock gardens so I'm going to remain at 130 for now which appears to be close (within 5mm ish) to the A/C height of the Fox36 160mm fit4 forks the RS Pikes replaced. I've fitted 3 tokens to these pikes as I have the same fork on my hardtail and I find it a little harsh with just 2 tokens.

Well after 2months of trying to gel with the Hd3 in mullet mode I've swapped back to a 27.5 front. Over those 2 months I fitted a 1deg angleset dropped the bars to the lowest I could but I couldnt get the steering to feel natural. I lost confidence in riding it and was significantly slower over local trail Strava segments most of which I have the local legend crown and occasional age group PB. I recent rode these with my 29er Ti Hardtail to see if was a mind thing and speeds /times were back in my normal ball park, confirmed this afternoon when I rode them on the HD3 with the 27.5 front refitted. I've still got the 29er 130mm Pikes and angleset headset fitted so it was just the wheel diameter change that brought me back to my good segment times. I suspect the increased trail and raised BB (up by 10mm with the 29er front wheel) made the steering feel like a tiller and it was difficult to be accurate with it making it want to flop causing more exaggerated steering movements, or thats my assessment of it noting I'm no bike geo expert.