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So 18 months on im still riding the stock fork that came on my hardtail, no issues with it so far. However, as confidence and progression move on i feel like im pushing them maybe to the limits or beyond. Jumps are getting bigger and drops abit higher. Currently 120mm RS Judy silvers so base range anyway. Im thinking of upgrading to a 35mm stanchion but wondering would it be of any benefit going upto a 140 travel fork too? Frame is a Trek Roscoe. Not looking to break the bank on forks but not in a position for a new bike either. Thanks in advance
140 would be outside the maximum travel for that frame, I believe. Would void the warranty (if you still have one 18 months later) were you to damage the headtube off a bigger drop. Should be fine, of course, it's not a massive difference, but worth being aware before you commit.
The warranty issue is my reservation in going longer travel wise. I have had confirmation from trek that the frame is based on 100 - 120mm fork, but even the owner of my LBS seems confident i wont have any issues going 20mm longer. My gut is saying just get a beefier as opposed to longer, although i suppose i could keep the original fork to refit should a warranty issue arise...
I've overforked pretty much all of my bikes and it's never been a problem. A 20mm longer fork will make very little difference to the stress on the frame. What will make a huge difference is fitting a much beefier fork and doing big drops. I would suggest getting a fork with adjustable travel and trying it at 140 mm to see how it feels.
My gut is saying just get a beefier as opposed to longer,
Better damping and beefier/stiffer will get you a much bigger performance upgrade than +20mm.
Quality over quantity time.
I had Manitou Mattocs on my hardtail and they were great, so good that when I upgraded my hardtail they moved onto my full sus bike(I couldn't get Mattocs in the right size for my new hardtail).
The travel can be adjusted when you have a shock pump attached so it's easy to switch between different settings in a few minutes. They're also much cheaper than an equivalent spec fork from RS or Fox.
So where would be a good starting point in terms of shopping? Im leaning more towards a higher end 2nd hand fork as opposed to new as it will probably be close to the price of the bike