STP 120mm fork for Trail Riding
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I don't see why not. I had my Tora set at 120mm up until a few days ago. Since I have a DH bike now I figured I'd lower the STP back to 100mm and put the 50mm risers on that (it feels good with those bars) and the lower ones on the DH bike.
I actually had a Pike on the STP for a bit too, and then decided I liked DH enough to build up a DH bike.
To me it felt good at 140mm, certainly made the difference on DH track. I was debating between leaving it at 120mm or lowering back to 100 for a while, I think for what I'm likely to use it for now 100 probably feels best but 120 probably isn't really that different, if the bars were slightly lower I might have left it at 120.
Here's a few pics for you, the STP is now my XC / trail bike. Hopefully one day I'll be game to build or try some jumps since that it's primary design.
Most current pic I have, shows the tora at 120. (yeah I cut the 30mm spacer to get that)
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the other pic coming when I find it (blah slow dialup)
I actually had a Pike on the STP for a bit too, and then decided I liked DH enough to build up a DH bike.
To me it felt good at 140mm, certainly made the difference on DH track. I was debating between leaving it at 120mm or lowering back to 100 for a while, I think for what I'm likely to use it for now 100 probably feels best but 120 probably isn't really that different, if the bars were slightly lower I might have left it at 120.
Here's a few pics for you, the STP is now my XC / trail bike. Hopefully one day I'll be game to build or try some jumps since that it's primary design.
Most current pic I have, shows the tora at 120. (yeah I cut the 30mm spacer to get that)
the other pic coming when I find it (blah slow dialup)
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Here's the other pic, with a pike on it sitting next to the Alias with the tora on it at the time.
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Obviously the seat is higher for the trail rides, the post is somewhere between 350-400 long so I don't have super long legs to start with. And one reason why I chose it as a super versatile bike. Wouldn't give it up for the world now. (got rid of the Giant Alias to get the DH bike, and pu tome of it's bits on the stp). Unlike a pure XC frame at least you can comfortably rund bigger tires and you can also put a longer fork (in Aus some models are specced with 140mm pikes) if you choose.
Obviously the seat is higher for the trail rides, the post is somewhere between 350-400 long so I don't have super long legs to start with. And one reason why I chose it as a super versatile bike. Wouldn't give it up for the world now. (got rid of the Giant Alias to get the DH bike, and pu tome of it's bits on the stp). Unlike a pure XC frame at least you can comfortably rund bigger tires and you can also put a longer fork (in Aus some models are specced with 140mm pikes) if you choose.
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27 Posts
That is esactly the answer I was looking for!!!!! I currently have a 120mm marzoochi oem fork off my old marin that i plan on using until I upgrade my trancex for a talas. I just want a fun do it all jump on and go hard tail for messing around on the trails/ town and I think the STP single speed is exactly what i'm looking for. Hows does the bike handle with the 120mm fork and how do you like the pike on it. The fork i'll be pulling off the trancex will the Fox 32 F120R but i'm open to other suggestions lol
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Travel wise I thought the handling was just as good at the 140mm setting as it was at the 110 ( I had the 454 air u-turn pike), and most of the time I had it around 125mm for the trail and road (140 before I got the higher bars because low bars just didn't feel right). I played around a bit with the settings and could feel a difference between 110 and 140 but nothing that I thought was detrimental. Really going to 120 wouldn't have a huge mpact once you factor in the little bit of extra sag.
If you got the coil pike I believe the u-turn was adjustable from 95-140, so even more versatile, well that's what the '08 STP Pro (Aus) came with as stock, seemed geared towards 4x racing though.
Speakin of handling I did definitely notice that the Alias didn't feel quite right with the Tora on it at 130mm travel, it felt like anything more than 120mm wasn't good at all, just saying because I think I would have noticed if the same was the case with the STP.(nb Alias HA is 71, STP 69).
Now that I have changed the Tora from 120 back to 100 I think the steering is a little quicker and of course it feels that bit lower, but I haven't been for a decent ride since the change.
Funny enough I had mine set up as SS for a short while, but with 11/32 ratio it was too hard around here, too many hills to push up, and after one decent ride I found that for the first time I was getting sore knees, not a good thing, so now I'm running 1x9 as you can see. But on a road ride (15k's to town) the singlespeed took about the same amount of time as when it was geared.
I think there is an assumption that the STP can't take more than 100mm travel, probably because the US never got the STP Pro model like we did in Oz for '08...
In my opinion apart from the size (seat tube) it's not a great deal different from the concept of the Transition Vagrant, Banshee Scirocco etc
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If you got the coil pike I believe the u-turn was adjustable from 95-140, so even more versatile, well that's what the '08 STP Pro (Aus) came with as stock, seemed geared towards 4x racing though.
Speakin of handling I did definitely notice that the Alias didn't feel quite right with the Tora on it at 130mm travel, it felt like anything more than 120mm wasn't good at all, just saying because I think I would have noticed if the same was the case with the STP.(nb Alias HA is 71, STP 69).
Now that I have changed the Tora from 120 back to 100 I think the steering is a little quicker and of course it feels that bit lower, but I haven't been for a decent ride since the change.
Funny enough I had mine set up as SS for a short while, but with 11/32 ratio it was too hard around here, too many hills to push up, and after one decent ride I found that for the first time I was getting sore knees, not a good thing, so now I'm running 1x9 as you can see. But on a road ride (15k's to town) the singlespeed took about the same amount of time as when it was geared.
I think there is an assumption that the STP can't take more than 100mm travel, probably because the US never got the STP Pro model like we did in Oz for '08...
In my opinion apart from the size (seat tube) it's not a great deal different from the concept of the Transition Vagrant, Banshee Scirocco etc
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