[Cru Jones]

After a super long wait, I finally have my Simple up and running again. It now has a custom S&M/Blkmrkt contraband fork, 460 mm a2c, raw. I was sick of buying, breaking, and messing with suspension forks. Plus, I've been riding my bmx so much lately that I realized I don't need suspension. So, I wanted a quality rigid that was close in height to a sus fork so it wouldn't screw up the geo too much... that was a lot harder to find than it should be. I put a DMR revolver non-disc hub up front. It weighs in right at 25 lbs.

The long wait was due to one mess up by S&M (fork was misaligned coming out of heat treatment, so they had to make another) and one mess up on my part. My plan was to use my 20 mm through hub for this fork. I even had Greg Melms make me an axle to convert it to 14mm drops. But, I was stupid and didn't realize that 20mm hub spacing is 110mm. The fork is 100mm spacing. I had to get new hub for it to work (I could have done some machining, but I liked the idea of having a non-disc hub). So... I have an Aircorp hub and a custom 20mm to 14mm axle (best looking thing I've ever seen... Greg makes amazing stuff!) for sale, if anybody's looking.

 

[swerve76]

That's so fresh and simple... and clean...

 

[buckoW]

That looks great. How does it ride?

 

[RayB]

fresh to death!!

 

[jasride]

i like how they customized the a2c dimension. really makes the legs look long though. wounder what it would look like if there was some kind of arch just above the tire to break up the large gap between the tire and top of fork. looks good though man.

 

[joelalamo45]

Man that bike is badass... Moto brake setup FTW!

 

[Bikael Molton]

nice! my fork is supposed to arrive next week. Were you worried about foot clearance with the lower A-C?

 

[kOlsen]

Sure looks good with a rigid fork. How does it feel?

 

[cornfed]

I like your bike even more now. Rigid FTW! That fork is definitely taller. They look tall to begin with, even thought they are standard @435mm. Here's mine @ stock height:

 

[aeffertz]

How do you like those grips?

 

[Cru Jones]

Thanks for the good words. I love the way it feels and rides. Whenever I'm away from big wheels for too long, I forget how fun they are. Nothing feels like doing a big moto whip on bigger wheels. It's just not the same on a 20"... but, a bmx also has it's fair share of advantages.

The fork is sweet. It's just solid like it should be. It did take me a bit to get used to the huge weight difference in the front end, but now I dig it. It's like a giant bmx. It actually looks better than I thought it would, the gap isn't so bad.

Cornfed, does your fork have an inserted brace in the steerer tube? There is one on this fork. Good thing I suppose. I have no worries on the strength of this thing, but it's nice to know it's there in the event of a giant case.

rpet, I didn't even think about foot clearance changing. I do get more of a toe buzz with this fork. Maybe the a2c affects that some, but I think this fork may have more of an offset than a suspension fork.

The grips are good. But, I'll probably be going back to my trusty longnecks when these are worn.

 

[Savage_Animal]

Looks great. I miss all the white tho.

Do you happen to have a gold label for sale?

 

[Cru Jones]

Do you happen to have a gold label for sale?

A broken one.

 

[cornfed]

Yes, mine has an insert. It makes the use of a headlock impossible. I used a drive Technologies wedge which seems to be keeping my headset tight. This fork is light for sure. I noticed the weight difference immediately.

 

[Stoked]

looks good. you gonna paint it or leave raw? are those plastic peds on your 26?

 

[gackrider24]

im liking the rigid alot i want one on mine but im low on funds at the moment
ive often thought about the difference in a2c heights between 460 and 435.

any input on the different heights with a rigid?

 

[WestCoastHucker]

awwww... you got a new black seat to match your new black fork, how cute...

 

[Cru Jones]

are those plastic peds on your 26?

Yep, Animal PCs... I jumped on the bandwagon. They're cheap, light, have plenty of grip, and I think the trans black looks kinda sick.

Yeah, I'll probably leave the fork raw. It almost looks flat black because of the heat treatment. I don't know how or if I'm going to keep it from oxidizing. Right now there's a thin layer of wd40 on it. I may clear coat it, or just let it turn all kinds of colors...

 

[Cru Jones]

any input on the different heights with a rigid?

I know I wouldn't want to go any lower. I think the bbs are too low on these bikes to begin with, so going down to 435 or 425 just makes it worse. But, everybody's different, you might like, or at least not notice it too much.

 

[RayB]

Yeah, I'll probably leave the fork raw. It almost looks flat black because of the heat treatment. I don't know how or if I'm going to keep it from oxidizing. Right now there's a thin layer of wd40 on it. I may clear coat it, or just let it turn all kinds of colors...

Here's an idea I've had for some time... Not sure if it's your style, but here goes:

Get a dye-cut sticker (maybe 'BlkMrkt') and apply it somewhere on your fork. Ride the fork for awhile and let it rust a little bit. Then peel the sticker off. The rust will be the outline of the text (in raw steel). Should look pretty neat.

 

[Cru Jones]

awwww... you got a new black seat to match your new black fork, how cute...

The brake cable feels so lonely now.

 

[spec-rider88]

Nice job, Cru. The bike looks sick! I've got a Suburban that I've been seriously thinking about converting to rigid when my DJ-3 finally blows up. That Blk Mrkt fork has one of the most appealing a2c lengths to me, but do you find that it's hard to do foot-jam tricks? The tire gap just looks way too big. I've been looking at one of the Identiti forks with a very similar a2c, so just wondering. Do you still find that there's a place for your 20" and one for your 26? I ride mine both about equally, and I just don't want to make them too similar. Does that make sense? Basically, part of me says "Well, you already have a bmx bike. Why make another one with bigger wheels?" Then the other part of me wants to go ahead and try it. Thanks for any input!

 

[Cru Jones]

Nice job, Cru. The bike looks sick! I've got a Suburban that I've been seriously thinking about converting to rigid when my DJ-3 finally blows up. That Blk Mrkt fork has one of the most appealing a2c lengths to me, but do you find that it's hard to do foot-jam tricks? The tire gap just looks way too big. I've been looking at one of the Identiti forks with a very similar a2c, so just wondering. Do you still find that there's a place for your 20" and one for your 26? I ride mine both about equally, and I just don't want to make them too similar. Does that make sense? Basically, part of me says "Well, you already have a bmx bike. Why make another one with bigger wheels?" Then the other part of me wants to go ahead and try it. Thanks for any input!

I don't really do foot jams, but they are tricky with this fork. If you go toe first, you're getting sucked in. If you turn your foot sideways, it works.

For me, I wanted to make this bike as close to a bmx as possible. I grew up riding and racing bmx. That's what I know and love. I just decided to try the big wheels one day and realized that they were a lot of fun. Especially when riding big, fast trails. So, for me, I want it to feel like a bmx, except with the stability and rotating mass from the bigger wheels. There will always be a place for my 20". It's fun in it's own way and I think that it keeps my skills sharp. It's very noticeable when you switch back to bigger wheels.

I guess the bottom line is that you can never have too many bikes. And set them up to ride however you want!

 

[sixgun_sound]

I just ordered an Identiti Rebate 1420 with a 465mm axle-to-crown. They call it an 'XL'.

I was in the same boat as you, Cru. I finally got tired of messing around with suspension forks. But I didn't want to change hubs and whatnot.

If anyone else out there is looking into this, you can now get a suspension corrected rigid fork that will fit your 20mm hub. Identiti Rebate 1420 XL.

 

[v-digit]

that bicycle is delicious. good job.

 

[Leethal]

that fork isn't rigid

 

[opjones]

that fork isn't rigid

flexy?

 

[sittingduck]

Noodles?

 

[Cru Jones]

And are you talking my fork or the Rebate? Lee... you're killing us with these vague posts. Haha.

I've been happy with my fork so far. No noticeable flexing and I have cased some pretty big jumps without any bending or breaking.

 

[v-digit]

no, he was talking about the atomlab fork that whorider posted in this thread adn then deleted

 

[WhoRyder]

yes i posted a AtomLab fork here, instead of creating a new thread about it... i deleted the post and created a new thread.....

Sorry Lee!

 

[verruckt32]

On these forks that say that they use hubs with a 3/8"/10mm axle, do you just use a 9mm bolt on front hub?

Also, what is the result of using a lower (not suspension corrected) fork? What changes other than your BB height? and how does that change the handling? I thought a lower BB handles more quickly. Am I wrong?

 

[Stoked]

Also, what is the result of using a lower (not suspension corrected) fork? What changes other than your BB height? and how does that change the handling? I thought a lower BB handles more quickly. Am I wrong?

lowered fork will give you a steeper head angle. faster turning...

 

[BikeSATORI]

yeaahh.... nice!