Nannerman Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 Since I should be moving torwards some mountains/MTB trails, I want to build up a street trials frame with suspension forks and maybe some gears, so that I can ride some trails, but ride some trials on the side. So, what are some of the suspension forks that work well for trials and won't break under the abuse? I'm also wondering what makes a good suspension fork. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danrobinson Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 gas and lock out make good forks fox 40 forks are good got them on my down hill bike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sstein Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 any dirt jump forks with an air top up system would work. You might want to lower them to around 60mm though. Also you should know that they would still feel like crap for any proper trials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.Wood Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 gas and lock out make good forks fox 40 forks are good got them on my down hill bike Yeah an 8" travel triple clamp DH fork will be awesome for trials 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinJI Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 (edited) I wouldn't advise trying to use a lock-out fork for trials, you'll just blow the lock-out, or most decent modern forks will just move before enough force hits them to damage it, which will be as good as no lock-out for trials. Personally I don't think it's a very good idea. I think you'll end up with 1 bike that's not so good at 2 jobs. The best option's just going to be to get another bike. I don't mean to be nasty, but I really don't think it'll work properly, trials and off-road riding are too far apart in the type of bike needed for one bike to even begin to be good at both. If you really are determined to do it though, then I think something along the lines of my Norco would be about as close to something usable for both as you could get, if fitted with more powerful discs and some gears you could do some messing around trials stuff on it, and it's brilliant fun off-road, even if it's not very quick: I think that'd be the way to go, if you can find a modern jump frame with a long front end, short rear end and relatively high BB (although I wouldn't go much above axle height). A stiffly sprung 80/100mm fork and dual disc, with a ~25/28t up front and a ~11-25 cassette on the back. PS, those forks are Manitou Gold Labels, I'd say either those or some Rock Shox Argyles would be the best bet, as they're both a sensible weight and built pretty tough. Edited July 11, 2012 by RobinJI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake. Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 (edited) Why can't you get one bike suited for each purpose? Edit: I have a trials bike, BMX, MTB, road bike, and a track bike/fixie. Edited July 11, 2012 by JMCD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Vandart Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Have any of you actually tried trials on a mountain bike/ Full sus? I have, alot of the answers up there are bunk, except for the one about just get a second bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalopS Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Why can't you get one bike suited for each purpose? Most people cant afford to have that many bikes and wouldn't have the space to store them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake. Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Most people cant afford to have that many bikes and wouldn't have the space to store them. True. I got them over the years though, that's how I afforded them. I'm lucky to have a big shed haha. Surely 1 MTB and 1 trials bike isn't too much of an issue with space and should cost at the max £1000 for two decent bikes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinJI Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 (edited) Yeah, like I said, I really would just go with 2 bikes. If price is the issue get handy with the tools and buy slightly run-down but decent spec second hand stuff. That Norco cost me £200, then £90 fixing the bent steerer tube and £40 replacing the stretched chain/sprocket. It was a £900 bike new, with about ~£400 worth of upgraded parts on it. Space wise, 2 bikes lent against each other really isn't much bigger than 1, I keep 2 of mine under the stairs no problem. You'd spend a reasonable amount on forks, gears and other parts to get a trials bike usable for off-road riding, and it'd still be no where near as good off-road, plus it'd now be pretty crap for trials. I'd just keep an eye out for a second hand hard-tail with a decent spec, there's bargains out there. Edited July 11, 2012 by RobinJI 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nannerman Posted July 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Thanks for so many replies! I have tried to ride trials on my mtb and I just about killed the freehub. It isn't the nicest bike in the world either. I normally ride the local mtb park on my "pure" trials bike, so I'm not too worried about the bike not being the right geo for mountain bikeing. I would just like a trials bike that is a little less bumpy on the trails, and that was a little more forgiving when I land jumps wrong. Money is the main reason for not having as many bikes as I'd like. I think I'll just build the street trials up with a rigid fork, and then stick my cheap specialized suspension fork from my mtb on to see if its worth spending money on. Then I could also change out the forks depending on where I'm riding. Thanks again for the help, I think I've got a better idea of what I'll do now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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