Fork Travel Vs Rear Travel.

[Drop D]

I have a 7" rear susp. travel and Im thinking of getting a Marz 888 SL which is an 8" travel fork. I am wondering if it would be a mismatch and would it affect my bikes handling? I'm kind of thinking it would be ok since the fork would be adjustable? and since I would have an 8" fork, I could later on upgrade to a frame with as much travel.... somebody please point me to the right direction

Thnx,

j.

[dstepper]

Tell us more about your bike the the kind of rides you want to take it on...is it your only "do everything" bike. Or just a gravity sled?

Dean

[Mudman]

depends on what your doing, 7'' of travel is enough for anything you want to do around Socal IMO.

[Drop D]

its a jamis diablo1.0, I do a little bit of FR/DH. and I pedal it to the top even at 47lbs. everything is stock except the paint job. Im not happy with the stock manitou stance, and since I am upgrading the fork why dont I just get something with a little bit more travel...... that is why I wanted to know if an 8" would be compatible...

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by Drop D

I do a little bit of FR/DH. and I pedal it to the top even at 47lbs.

Since it is aready heavy and you don't seem to be complaining about weight...put that 888 on there. Your bike has a 1.5 headtube...

Dean

[Mudman]

Originally Posted by Drop D

its a jamis diablo1.0, I do a little bit of FR/DH. and I pedal it to the top even at 47lbs. everything is stock except the paint job. Im not happy with the stock manitou stance, and since I am upgrading the fork why dont I just get something with a little bit more travel...... that is why I wanted to know if an 8" would be compatible...

should be fine, but theres a pretty big difference between 7'' and 8'' of travel when it comes to pedaling. My Demo 8 isn't even happy pedaling on flat- she fights with me the whole way!

A lot of people run 8'' front and 7'' rear. The V10 is 8'' front and 10'' rear. Does anyone have the same bike that you could just try out? I've seen a few people on Diablos

[Drop D]

so that travel difference isn't much of a big deal right?
Yeah, I dont really complain about weight. I figured if I weigh 180lbs and try to lose 30lbs, it'll be like having a 17lb bike

Thanks

j.

[Onemoreloop]

I am always surprised when people worry about one inch difference in travel between front and rear. The reason I am surprised is because there are so many hard tails out there with 3 or 4 inch suspension forks. That is 3 or 4 inches difference between front and rear but it works well and is a very popular combination.

[Drop D]

Originally Posted by Onemoreloop

I am always surprised when people worry about one inch difference in travel between front and rear. The reason I am surprised is because there are so many hard tails out there with 3 or 4 inch suspension forks. That is 3 or 4 inches difference between front and rear but it works well and is a very popular combination.

It could be a pretty common question for most of you here. I guess I forgot to mention that I have only been riding (MTB to be specific) since august of 2007... That I think would consider me as a NEWBIE? suspension geometry is still quite technical for me.
Thanks to all for the inputs in my decision making...

j.

[bighit8]

I ride a bighit with seven front and 8 rear, works fine. I don't think you really need the extra inch,as you try to land level and not nose heavy.The more ramped up front end will make climbing harder,harder to keep the front end down on climbs.

[Drop D]

Originally Posted by bighit8

I ride a bighit with seven front and 8 rear, works fine. I don't think you really need the extra inch,as you try to land level and not nose heavy.The more ramped up front end will make climbing harder,harder to keep the front end down on climbs.

I was opting for the 888SL due to its travel adjustability and I do think it is a lot lighter than my manitou stance. or maybe I'll end up with a 66 or domain where both have 180mm.

[Geronimo]

Obviously the extra travel will offer more dampening. The axle to crown height ( length between the axle and the crown) is what will affect your frames handling. Longer then recommended AtoC will slacken the head angle, shorter AtoC will steepen the HA. Slacker HA's are preferable for steep DH type stuff, but will make climbing more of a chore and the handling will be sluggish at slower speeds. Steeper HA = better climbing and quicker handling. The SL is adjustable so go for it, and you can set it up to your liking. There is alot of good tuning info available for them on mtbr. Are you planning on an 07 or 08 SL?

[Stray_Bullit]

My Bullit has 8" in the front and 7" in the rear... not an issue at all. Don't even worry about it, it's all good....In fact DownhillPhil has your same bike (Diablo with a 888 on the front) so I know it's no problem.

[Drop D]

Geronimo - thanks, I was wondering about that slack and you pretty much answered it before I asked anyone...

Stray Bullit - Thanks man! I'll go get me one pretty soon, just waiting for uncle sam for my refund

07 888 SL - $699 at pricepoint

[wheezy]

Shooot... I used to run an 8" Mr. Dirt fork on the front of a 6" travel Foes (they claimed it was 7" but it really wasn't)

Had to pedal it to the top, then down, then to work the next day.

Point is... you'll be just fine man. Go for it!