Running a 29" fork on a 27.5" frame?

KiwiRider450 · May 29, 2018

Hi fellas,
My friend is looking to upgrade his bikes forks and had a question that I couldn't help him with, so I thought his was the right place to come!

He has found two different forks for his 27.5" frame bike, both with 120mm travel, same as the stock one. The problem is one is a 29" fork, and he can get it for a much better price than the other 27.5" one.

He was asking if you can run the 29er fork on the 27.5er frame without having to worry about putting too much force on the head tube?

Is there anything else that he would have to worry about with this combination?
Thanks!

RonSonic · May 29, 2018

It wouldn't put excessive force on the HT or anywhere else, but it will jack up the front of the bike by almost an inch.

ocdjg · May 31, 2018

What he said. Basically it will slightly mess with the geometry of your bike a bit but that's about it. I'm assuming you'll be keeping the 27.5" wheel on there. If so it won't be an inch increase. I currently am using a 29" fork with a 27.5" wheel on my bike and it works perfectly fine for me.

R_Pierce · May 31, 2018

The offset is likely different as well. Which will more than likely be noticeable in the handling department. Still, depending on the price difference it may be well worth it.

Schulze · Jun 2, 2018

It will slacken the head angle and raise the bb. Raising the bb will make the bike more stable in a straight line but less nimble in the corners.

RaceTripper · Jun 3, 2018

FWIW: My Heller Shagamaw GX-1 27.5+ came with a 29er fork, for the very reason that I can alternatively run 29er wheels on it if I want to.

Geralt · Jun 3, 2018

It will slacken the seat tube angle, too. If he already has his saddle pushed forward that could be a problem. If not, it will probably be okay.

Running a 29" fork on a 27.5" frame?

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