Mountain Bike Forks

By: Gen Wright

Changing a mountain bike fork is a good way of upgrading your mountain bike. These days, forks customarily come with suspension systems, to help with a bike's handling and maneuverability on rougher terrain. Trail bicycle forks are classified according to the technology incorporated in them. Some bike forks include 4X and Jump suspension forks, Freeride / Mountain suspension forks, Freeride / downhill, XC suspension forks, and Cannondale Lefty's. Each kind of suspension fork has its own advantages and disadvantages, and is developed for precise surfaces and uses. Major facets of suspension forks include travel, which is the measurement for the movement of a suspension coil from action to rest.

Jump and 4X forks are usually short travel, coil-sprung forks. The coils move from eighty to 100 millimeters normally and are made to cushion heavy landings without too much front-end compression, enabling the rider to instantly recover and continue riding. These are stable forks whose weights are directly in proportion to their sturdiness. These suspension forks are the most durable.

Freeride Lite or Mountain suspension forks travel more than cross-country forks, with movement up to around 6 inches at maximum. These forks are expectedly heavier than other fork types, rendering lockout even more serious. With these forks, most riders tend to go with coil-sprung forks versus air-sprung ones. The coils do make the forks heavier, yet less subject to damage once put through powerful impacts.

Freeride or downhill forks are 'double-crown' suspension forks which can move up to 10 inches in terms of travel. Many of the forks with this technology have coil springs for more durability. Freeride forks also enable the user to customise their ride by changing the springs, and therefore changing travel, which influences handling also. However downhill forks should not be used in cross-country bikes, as these bikes are not developed to stand up to the pressure these forks give. Freeride forks can snap the frames of cross-country bikes.

XC cross-country forks sometimes have low degrees of travel, and are built for light weight. These single-crown suspension forks have, on the average, from 80 to one hundred millimeters of travel. Forks built for cross-country bikes now increasingly utilise air springs, wherein air pressure takes the place of elastometers or springs. Since these already mentioned parts are no longer present or needed, the bike's overall weight is lighter. These sorts of suspension forks are also simpler to adjust. However some riders and makers still use elastometers and coil-sprung forks as these need less upkeep and take more punishment than XC cross-country forks.

Cannondale Lefty's and Headshocks have more moderen suspension fork technology, which integrates all mechanisms inside the frame of the bike. The fork is quite trustworthy, with some top-end variants coming with lockouts for straightforward adjustment. These forks typically result in more responsive handling, with active suspension and better traction.

Article Source: http://www.collectibles-articles.com

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