[Closed] What is teh minimum fork length you would ride with?

if bikes came with sensible head angles in the first place, 100mm would be fine.

[i]if bikes came with sensible head angles in the first place, 100mm would be fine. [/i]

Good point. I'd be happy with a 100mm for most riding if not for the twitchy handling.

Well, personally, I'd prefer one that was long enough to join my bike to my front wheel.

The minimum? 80mm on a lightweight hardtail.

I've happily ridden 80mm suspension and 80mm corrected rigids in the peak before, and would do again. But I must admit to liking 130mm most of the time.

Round a bout 0mm I think.

I'm currently riding a sagged axle to crown length of 460mm. Hope that helps. 😉

PeterPoddy - Member
Well, personally, I'd prefer one that was long enough to join my bike to my front wheel.

I'm glad it wasn't just me thinking that!

Good point. I'd be happy with a 100mm for most riding if not for the twitchy handling

Depends on the trail and how fast you want to go. I've ridden some loops that have been 95% off road in the Lakes on a 80mm XT hardtail, because they involved a long slow drag to the top of the pass, a good few miles of seriously tech but not slow-ish singletrack and a wide open decent which gave plent of time to pick the smooth lines.

Other tracks I've been on 130mm hardtails hanging on for dear life as the fork/my body cant cope with the repeated big hits. Cant name the tracks, but one, I suspect was a footpath, through a disused quarry north west of Conniston heading south, the other was the rootiest, rockiest, twistiest trail I've ever ridden from the top of Grizedale forrest to the shore.

One ride perfectly suited a stiff 80mm fork, the other would have been fetter on an even bigger bike (although it would have made the other 28 miles of undulating singletrack and big climbs utter hell).

I down-graded my travel to 100mm from 130. Suits me fine. Anything less and I'd consider its payback to be a net negative when considering weight.