benfits of 20mm thu axle forks?

Just get a PIKE then! Everyone here would agree that's a worthy upgrade for whatever reason you choose.

 

I think for DH or a clyde a through axle could make sense. I don't ride with one but most of the guys I do ride with have them. I would say unless your a clyde or into DH I would just weight for you next bike build to upgrade. Also if weight is an issue I can't see a through axle being good on a XC racer bike or HT.

I think I might upgrade someday when my current fork dies but thats because I'm a clyde and can make anything flex.

Good luck.

 

thanks an honest answer, Im currently under the 2 bill range and should probably only be 165 at 11% body fat but hey I want to date Jessica Alba too, but I dunno if thats gonna work out either..

Another Q if I get a non Maxle 20mm, can I get a maxle on its own?

 

Whether or not it is noticeable depends on your experience and riding terrain, and how much time you've spent on a QR setup. Not everyone will feel the difference, hence there isn't really much of a benefit of a 20 mm thru axle for all people, and especially not for those who don't ride aggressively.

There's a simple rock garden before the base at Mustard where I used to really be able to detect the differences in fork flex and deflection. It wasn't really a technical section, but with the rocks being imbedded into the ground, I could really feel when I'm not going where I think I should be. Again, the difference can be very subtle.

For an XC bike or even light to medium all-mountain use, a QR performs just fine, especially considering that most modern QR forks are very stiff - even stiffer than many 20 mm QR forks available several years ago. My XC bikes (SS and gearie suspension bikes) both have QR forks on them, and for those bikes' intended purpose, the stiffness is adequate.

No, front Chris King QR hubs can not be converted to 20 mm thru axle systems. I have both, and the hub shells are very different.

 

I have snapped an axle that was in my LX hub 10 mm QR
try and break a 20mm, but if your riding style doesn't really call for a 20mm keep rolling the with your set up.
if you have a pinner rim then that would be the "flexy" feel no matter what hub size you have

 

So you buy a 20 mm hub shell, 20 mm axle assembly and all related hardware...I think he'd be better off buy a 20 mm hub. I don't think there are many, if any, parts that transfer over.

 

Soap Box time

The beat to death QR vs. 20mm debate!:bang:

It seems everyone is so caught up on stiff this……..and stiff that. It is an old paradigm left over when the roadies that got into m-biking.#-o

Let’s first start off with the QR. A product from road racing. This flimsy device has no place on an m-bike. A through bolt or bolt on hub is a better choice.

20mm. Much stronger than the standard drop out. If you are hucking / DH then go 20mm. If you are CC / trail riding stick with the standard drop outs.

I hear this all the time that 20mm is so much stiffer than a standard drop out design. Oh really? Are you comparing apples to apples? The biggest difference I ever felt on a fork stiffness is when I went from 28mm uppers to 32mm.

Tires. How flexy are m-bike tires? Tire pressure?

Wheels. 20mm bubs use higher flanges than standard hubs. This means shorter spokes and stiffer wheel.


Bottom line is that if you have the same fork (except 20mm or standard) similar wheel (hub flange / spoke length) and use a through bolt / bolt on hub on the standard drop out I seriously doubt you would feel a difference on the trail.

For cc / trail riding I would much rather have a fork with 40mm upper tubes and standard drop outs than a fork with 32mm tubes and 20mm. :bang:

flame suit on8-[

 

Again, it all depends on your experience and how you ride.

I've noticed the difference when using the same size stantions (even the same brand and model of fork) and basically the same wheels (the flange diameter of the hubs is negligable).

Not me! I'll take the 32 mm tubes and a 20 mm axle (i.e., Pike), thank you.

By the way, those who want to run 7" or 8" rotors are much safer with a thru-axle fork setup. The explanations of this have been well documented (including many forks that specifically say not to use 8" rotors with forks that have a QR). The stiffness of the QR system is dependent on the stiffness of the QR. Some Specialize QRs are 9 (or 10?) mm, but most are significantly smaller.

 

I put a thru axle hub on the rear wheel because I am a Clyde and because I thought it might help minimize some of the lateral play in the FSR on my Enduro. It stiffened it up significantly, but it was expensive. With rear suspenion that doesn't have as many pivots or that has much larger bearings than the FSR and lighter rider the thru axle is probably not needed.

I have never ridden a bike with a thru axle front, but I'd love to try one of those 36 mm stancion forks with the thru axle.

 

.....

 

Again, it all depends on your experience and how you ride.

Again I am talking about cc / trail riding

Me too.

I've noticed the difference when using the same size stantions (even the same brand and model of fork) and basically the same wheels (the flange diameter of the hubs is negligable).

:-k If you say so. Were you using a QR or a though bolt like in the picture? Big difference. QR's are flexy little buggers#-o

QR, that is what's most commonly used on common forks. And for the sake if this discussion, it's the most relevant (bolt-on front hubs aren't very commonly used on mtbs). Agree - QRs are flexy!

Not me! I'll take the 32 mm tubes and a 20 mm axle (i.e., Pike), thank you.

I run this Hadley hub on my long 29'er fork (Reba) and it is stiff. The only flex I feel is in the wheels.

I don't doubt the stiffness of that hub. Although a 20 mm setup would be stiffer, but it would be even more difficult to feel the difference because of the massive amount of flex 29" wheels have combined with the longer forks.

For my style of riding - XC/trailriding - 29" wheels would not hold up, so comparing stiffness with anything with 29ers is a different dimension and pratically useless.

 

Just start road riding.

 

The front of my road bike isn't as stiff, but I can still ride wheelies on it! :lol: (although somewhat afraid that the carbon steerer tube may break).

This was a completely useless post.#-o

 

oh no

"For my style of riding - XC/trailriding - 29" wheels would not hold up"

I think I have a new sig:lol::bang:

 

That's funny!

 

...

this weak wheeled POS did a good job against the little wheels during our last Utah trip.

As a matter of fact my buddy with his 20mm forked 26" wheeled trail bike decided to sell it and get a 29'er :bang::wave:

 

Im just replying cause i want to add different color to the posting

 

thats really rude

 

Unfortuneately, I can't really show all of how I ride on XC rides, but here are a couple shots from recent beginner trailrides. BTW, note that even the hardtail shown in the second and third photos has a 20 mm axle. Of course, it also has Saint cranks, too, which are overkill for most people.

The flex I've found while riding 29ers scares the cr@p out of me. Sorry, this isn't a 26 vs 29 thread.

But looking at these photos reminds me that I need to mix up my choice of jerseys. :lol:

 

Hadley

http://www.pookgai.com/mountain_biking/62/converting_hadley_front_hub_to_thru-axle/

These hubs work on 26" and 29" wheels