fork travel

[speckledtrout]

hey guys. i need some help with a question i have regarding fork travel. right now i have a stumpjumper with a Fox Talas 100-140 mm fork. Would this fork also work on a Santa Cruz Blur XC? The shock on the blur has 4.5 inches of travel. I know that 120 mm would be fine, but is the Talas just too much fork for the bike? Any help or input is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[guero]

if the fork has travel adjustable, it should be fine. i have a 04 talas on my superlight with 125mm of travel, but i usually keep it cranked down about 5 clicks to put it closer to the 110mm of travel range...i always keep it there, even when descending.

[speckledtrout]

but if i used it at its full 140 travel would it screw up the geometry of the bike too much?

[guero]

depending on the steepness of the climbs you are doing, i'd probably adjust the travel to accomodate the geometry (trails such as cholla), for longer sustained climbs (blackstar) i wouldnt really sweat it, but still would prefer to adjust the travel on the fork.. i wouldnt think descending with 140mm of travel would be a problem.

[silverspot]

Going down you should be OK with 140mm travel. My buddy has a 5 spot with a pike. He usually keeps it at 130 or so while climbing, etc and sets it at 140 for the downs. You could prolly get away with keeping the talas at 130 for everything.

[2wheel_lee]

Because the Talas is adjustable, it will work very well on that frame. You can keep it at the lower 100 or 120 mm settings for most all of your rides. I think the 140 may raise the bottom bracket a little too much, but that's ok...you still have the 100 and 120 settings.

[Pato]

I say go for it. If you're a more all around rider who will suffer through the uphills just to go down the hills fast it would be perfect. Since it's an adjustable travel fork you can leave it at the 100mm setting for most of your riding then increase it to 140mm for the rough DH sections.

I currently run a TALAS RLC 130mm on my Epic which is a whopping 90mm in the rear and the geometry feels much better than when I had the F100 RLT on there. I usually leave it all the way out at 130mm unless it's a long, steep climb.

My $0.02. Hope that helps.

Duc

[allison]

Another option is to email/call Santa Cruz and ask their opinions!

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by allison

Another option is to email/call Santa Cruz and ask their opinions!

maybe a warranty issue if a fork over 120mm is used

Allison is right contact SC

[speckledtrout]

I currently run a TALAS RLC 130mm on my Epic which is a whopping 90mm in the rear and the geometry feels much better than when I had the F100 RLT on there. I usually leave it all the way out at 130mm unless it's a long, steep climb.

thanks for the input. i guess that was my question. i know that up to 120 it'll be great, but i was worried that 140 would totally whack it out.

Originally Posted by allison

Another option is to email/call Santa Cruz and ask their opinions!

Good Lord, you are brilliant!

[Edog]

http://www.santacruzbikes.com/blurxc...?faq=1&ID=0036

What size fork should I use on my Blur XC?
We designed the Blur XC specifically for modern 100mm forks. Anything less will handle a bit too quickly for most tastes. Anything longer than 105mm will have too much leverage over the light weight tubing, and will void your warranty.

[Pato]

All things being the same, an increase in 20mm of travel will yield ~1 degree slacker head angle. The more important measurement is the A-C length. For example if you had a 120mm Marzocchi fork (which are notorious for having a high A-C length) and switch to the 140mm TALAS, the change in geometry and BB height would probably be negligible or in the very least, not noticeable.

When you contact SC, ask what the recommended/maximum A-C length is allowed on the Blur. I would doubt that an increase from 120mm to 140mm (less than 0.8") would void the warranty though. Many frames are designed to take more travel up front than in the rear. I could and probably am wrong though.

Duc

[allison]

Have you considered the Blur LT, then?

[Pato]

Originally Posted by Edog

http://www.santacruzbikes.com/blurxc...?faq=1&ID=0036

What size fork should I use on my Blur XC?
We designed the Blur XC specifically for modern 100mm forks. Anything less will handle a bit too quickly for most tastes. Anything longer than 105mm will have too much leverage over the light weight tubing, and will void your warranty.

I guess I was wrong after all. I can't imagine a 4.5" rear travel frame designed with a 3.9" fork in mind. I guess that's just the DH'r in me talking.

Sorry ST. Ignore my last post.

[speckledtrout]

Originally Posted by Edog

http://www.santacruzbikes.com/blurxc...?faq=1&ID=0036

What size fork should I use on my Blur XC?
We designed the Blur XC specifically for modern 100mm forks. Anything less will handle a bit too quickly for most tastes. Anything longer than 105mm will have too much leverage over the light weight tubing, and will void your warranty.

The new Blur has more rear travel, so a longer travel fork is okay. i called Santa Cruz and he said up to 120 is fine on the new Blurs. Anything else is too much.

Allison, I considered the LT when I bought the Specialized last year. It seems like the perfect bike for me except for the fact that even the size small's standover height was too tall for me. booooo.

Truth is, i'm not even for sure getting the Blur XC. I've been eyeballing it for a while and there's a size small frame in impeccable shape on ebay, so if i can get a good deal on it, i'm gonna snag it and sell the Stumpjumper frame. I guess my main reason for this thread was in looking ahead if i were to win this frame. I love the components on my Specialized, so ideally i would just swap everything over, but the fork length concerned me.

[allison]

Originally Posted by speckledtrout

The new Blur has more rear travel, so a longer travel fork is okay. i called Santa Cruz and he said up to 120 is fine on the new Blurs. Anything else is too much.

Allison, I considered the LT when I bought the Specialized last year. It seems like the perfect bike for me except for the fact that even the size small's standover height was too tall for me. booooo.

Truth is, i'm not even for sure getting the Blur XC. I've been eyeballing it for a while and there's a size small frame in impeccable shape on ebay, so if i can get a good deal on it, i'm gonna snag it and sell the Stumpjumper frame. I guess my main reason for this thread was in looking ahead if i were to win this frame. I love the components on my Specialized, so ideally i would just swap everything over, but the fork length concerned me.

How tall are you? For SO, Specialized is one of the best.

Look into the Canzo 29er. You can ride mine around the Fontucky lot the next time you are out there. It's got crazy SO and it's a small. I'm not selling it, but maybe you'll like it

[Pato]

Originally Posted by speckledtrout

It seems like the perfect bike for me except for the fact that even the size small's standover height was too tall for me.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the SO height on a frame. If everything else feels good and you can stand flat footed over the bike, you'll be fine. As a matter of fact, I have one bike where I have to tippy-toe to stand over it, but the rest fits well and I like it.

When was the last time you crash landed standing over the frame? Take it from someone whose had his fair share (and probably everyone else's share of crashes ). My boys have never had an encounter with the TT. You'll get used to less than optimal TT clearance.

I would try one out if at possible first though.

Duc

[Jman]

I have to agree, my Heckler is pretty tall and it feels awkward right up to the time I throw a leg over it and start pedaling. In fact I was actualy thinking of racing it at Fontana but the FSR is faster and more sure footed on the uphills.

It's a very strange thing and I've thought about selling the frame many times but when I ride it, it feels great.