[sanjuro]

I am buying a new lightweight hardtail, probably a Seven custom, and I am considering putting on a 5 inch fork, like the 2007 Marzocchi XC600. I figure with the ETA, I have the climbing covered, and 5 inches is more than enough for local descents.

Mostly I am worried about how general xc riding feels. This will be a custom setup so the head angles (I think 70) will be appropriate for 5 inch forks.

I am going to "trail riding", some aggro stuff, and racing possibly. I was wondering if anyone else has a 5 inch fork on their XC hardtail?

 

[reflux]

XC hardtail and five inch forks aren't two things I typically put together. That being said, I've actually had two hardtails setup in that manner. The best riding bike was a Surly Instigator with a psylo 5" fork on the front. It felt okay on the ascents, but great on the descents. The other was a Dean xc hardtail with a Fox 5" up front. I received the fork in 5" mode, but I didn't have the know-how to reduce the travel. I was so excited to ride the fork that I bolted it on as is, and rode it in in 5" mode for about a year. The geometry was all messed up--I wouldn't do it again. The hardtail feels perfect now that I have a 4" fork on it.

 

[sanjuro]

Well, that is my thinking, but most hardtails are setup for 3 inch forks, which totally throws off the geometry with a 5.

Frames like the SC Chamelon are built around 5-6 inch forks, but it is more burly than what I want (and I have an older Norco Torrent anyway).

I am hoping Seven will be able to solve this problem for me...

 

[Westy]

Don't Marzocchi single crown forks typically have a longer axel/crown distance than other brands? Maybe you should consider building the bike around a Fox or other 5" fork allowing a bit more flexibility as a 4" Marz would afford a similar geometry as another 5"?

 

[sanjuro]

good call. i like ETA though...

 

[Westy]

Well another thing to think about is usually bikes with longer forks have slacker geometries so things don't get all squirrely when the fork compresses. For most bikes a 5" fork with a 69 deg HA will give you a 70 deg HA with a 4" fork. It all kind of works out, unless you want a steeper HA with the 5". BB height and SA get all funked up though, maybe going for a steeper seat angle would be a good idea?

 

[bjanga]

Since it is custom, you will have a relatively lower BB to compensate, yes?

 

[skinny mike]

i ride my merlin xlm, which is merlin's flagship xc race frame, with a talas in the 5" mode. it feels much better to me because i prefer a somewhat slacker bike for riding around here. i'm kind of wondering why you want xc angles with a longer fork though, i would actually rather set it up so it has slacker angles at full travel to make descending a little less squirrelly. i know having a slacker ride made the descents on the mt. snow xc course much easier as some were very technical. you should get an indy fab though.

 

[pdawg]

The Fox Talas would get my vote for a fork. Very low axle to crown height for the travel. Maybe still some good deals on the 130mm forks with 3mm adjustment. '07 Talas may be a bit tall and lacks the granular adjustments.

I ran a Talas R on my XC bike for a few seasons and overall it felt quite balanced.... even at full travel (where it was most the time).

 

[mtncycle]

I put a 5" z1 on my Jamis Dragon, which originally came with a 63mm fork, and it was the best thing I ever did. The first few rides it took a while to get used to climbing with a longer fork, but it didn't take long to adjust and now I'm so much faster on the downhills. I wouldn't consider riding without at least 4 or 5 inches anymore.

 

[BIRDMAN111]

get an minute. period.

 

[sanjuro]

A Manitou Minute? Do a search newb...

edit: here you go http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164340&highlight=manitou+minute