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Sounds like a strange s n m title but thinking whether to change carbon fork on front of singular puffin to something giving some shock absorption -mastodon seems the go to fat bike suspension but heavier and maybe more travel than needed. Lauf lighter and more expensive but maybe better for bikepacking and lighter trails ( big gravel ? )
Any thoughts or experience from the collective or just put a bigger tyre ( 3.8 or 4 at mo ) on and run softer ?
Thanks
It really depends on the sort of riding your doing.... Long days and bike packing would suggest the lauf and short, sharp, gnar rides go with the Masterdon.
There is a massive difference between the two. Masterdon's are prob the best performance fork, lauf are great for weight and comfort.
Depends if you want the fork to do the traditional job of a sus fork, i.e. to enable faster riding over rough terrain with adjustable compression & rebound or just something to stop your shoulders/hands etc getting fatigued over long distances but gets out of it's depth on more serious trails
Good points ..... both would be the answer but ride it more on the local moor singletrack than on longer smoother bikepacking / fat gravel so that probably pushes to mastodon ? Not sure if my spare 29+ backpacking wheel set would fit the masto tho ?
Cheers for feedback
i have a lauf on my fat bike. bought it for comfort and it works perfectly for that. it can get a bit bouncy, but not that bouncy as it doesn’t have a lot of travel.
it requires no servicing and is light and simple. i’m pleased with it and no regrets choosing it over a telescopic fork.
I put a Bluto on a medium size puffin, the compression dial had to be filed down to stop in from contacting the down tube.
Probably only happen in a crash but worth considering as the mastodon is a wider fork.
Lauf is a comfort adder, Mastodon is proper forks.
Up to you, what are you really after, what are your expectations and needs.
Mind you, I have Mastodon Pro and love it. Would never swap for something like Lauf as in my eyes it is just glorified, very, very expensive - more expensive than Mastodon - pogo stick.
Cheers!
I.
I'd agree with Ivan but then, I've not ridden a Lauf. I do have a Mastodon on my fatty and it's worth noting that with the Pro damping versions, you're getting a really high performance damper in your short travel fork, a combination that I think is pretty mush ideal for trail - packing type duties. Mind, you can buy the 100mm Mastodon and shorten it even further to 80mm. I've kept mine at the 100 and reckon that's about right. For me, damping control is more important than outright travel, which is why I suspect I'd not get on very well with the Lauf anyway.