Once you’ve got your travel sorted it’s then time to consider the fork’s features and adjustability.įork lock-out is actually worth having on a cheaper fork because the damping will be on the basic side and consequently a bit bouncy during climbs (“bobbing”). The idea of adjustable travel forks is to adjust them down in travel for steep climbs and have them at full length for the rest of the time. You can get forks with adjustable travel but bear in mind that they generally perform best when set at their longest setting.

Don’t put a 140mm fork on a bike intended to have 100mm. To keep your bike from going weird and sketchy you need to stay within the same sort of travel that the frame is designed around. Your bike frame is designed to handle at its best with a specific amount of suspension travel. The amount of suspension movement the fork has. What isn’t so easy and black-and-white is choosing a fork that suits your bike and suits your needs. Once you know you’re steerer type, wheel size, axle type and brake mount you can quickly filter out forks that won’t fit and forks that will. You just need to be aware of it and buy a suitable adapter if one is required. You shouldn’t choose a fork based on what your current brakes’ mount is though. Disc brake mountĪ third aspect is disc brake mount. Tip: if you’re shopping around for a front wheel too then it’s worth thinking about getting one that has a hub that can be converted to take any axle type available. Wheel axle typesįork axles come in three sizes: 9mm QR, 15mm bolt-thru and 20mm bolt-thru. Tip: if you have 26in wheels you can use 26in size forks (obviously) but you can also get away with running a 27.5/650B fork without messing up your bike’s handling significantly.

If you have 27.5/650B or 29in wheels then you need the corresponding size fork. Mountain bike forks come in three wheel sizes: 26in, 27.5/650B and 29in. But you will need to buy a special adapting headset. Tip: you can run 1 1/8th steerer forks in tapered head tube bikes.

Fork tube lengths