[Mr Horse]

I'm running a 120 mm fork on a steel frame which works great for general riding, but when I start hitting it harder I find it difficult to find a good compromise between travel and sag. I'm bottoming out too often and if I air the fork up enough to avoid bottoming out, the ride is way too harsh. My last major ride on the bike caused 10/10 pain in my neck, upper back and shoulders, which I've never had occur on mellower terrain using the same bike.

The correct answer would probably be ride a different bike, but would going with a slightly longer fork on the bike that I have be the wrong answer to my problems?

I'm also concerned about how it may effect the structural integrity of the bike. It's double butted but not gusseted, so am wondering if I should be concerned about snapping off the head tube or something.

 

[twodownzero]

The correct answer is to add volume spacers, tokens, or whatever your fork calls them. Adding one or two will make your fork more progressive and eliminate the harsh bottoming without killing your small bump compliance. Adding just one to my Pike made a huge difference. The good news is it also costs about 1% of what it costs to replace your fork.

Butting doesn't make tubes stronger. It makes them weaker, actually. Butted tubes save weight by removing material. If your frame needed some kind of gusset, it'd likely have one. I wouldn't spend any more time worrying about your frame design; I'm sure it's fine.

If you really want the fancy version of volume tokens, get yourself the MRP Ramp Control and you can essentially add and subtract volume spacers on the fly.

It just sounds to me like you need some basic suspension tuning advice, which you can find all over this forum for free.

 

[Impetus]

10/10 pain is not poor suspension tuning.

Go see your doctor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mikesee]

Go see your (suspension) doctor.

And while there, listen to them explain the benefits of full suspension.

 

[93EXCivic]

Yeah tune the fork for more progression.

And ignore the crap about full suspension.

 

[33red]

It would be the longuest thread.
Injuries while on FS.

 

[Mr Horse]

Thanks for all of the sound advice.

I'll try to hunt down a fork tuning thread (Manitou Magnum Comp) and see what I can learn.

FS would be nice someday.....not in the budget this year though.

I thought it'd probably be worth switching up my cockpit a bit too. I think my bars may need a spacer or two.

 

[Sidewalk]

10/10 is the most pain you could possibly imagine. For me, that is getting a leg blown off by a landmine, or sucked into farm equipment and ripped to shreds.

If that is the level of pain you are feeling, you need suspension tuning...AND you need to see a doctor.

 

[BansheeRune]

Go see your (suspension) doctor.

And while there, listen to them explain the benefits of full suspension.

And among the above, proper fit of a given bike.