UKC

Hello,

I've trawled the internet for an answer to this question and it has left me wheely confused.

Am I right in saying that the only difference between 29er and 700c forks is the clearance for tyres? I have a bike (Giant Roam 2010) and want to replace the coil sprung forks with air sprung. There seems to be way more options for 29er, but the fact a few 700c specific forks exist makes me think they are vital for 700c wheels?

Advice and puns welcome.

Cheers

In reply to adventure_vulture:

You will struggle to find decent suspension forks specific to 700c manufacturers just dont make them, apart from basic entry level forks.

As 29" rims and 700c rims are as near as dammit the same diameter, you could use 29" forks without issue.

There will alot of space/clearance as you'll have much narrow tyres than they were designed for and they will probably have a longer axle to crown height resulting in a higher front end and slacker head angle.

In reply to adventure_vulture:

Just checked, mountain bike forks will be taller, the roam has forks with 63mm of travel while most 29" forks will have a minimum of 100mm of travel. The forks will be at least 37mm longer probably more (lower legs may be longer and the crown may be bigger)

In reply to adventure_vulture:


29er and 700c are generic terms for wheels that have the same inside rim diameter (622mm IIRC). 700c have historically been used on 'road' bikes hence the rims are thinner, and tires of smaller volume. 29ers are a newish mtb standard, so rims are wider and tires are typically fatter than 700c standard.

So yes, the main difference is 700c forks would be built with less clearance, hence swaping for an mtb fork shouldn't be too much of an issue, as mtb forks should have adequate clearance for smaller volume 700c tires.

The fork crown to axle distance may be greater than the forks you have, which would mean the handle bars are somewhat higher, which could effect the handling but probably not to a massive degree.

One thing to check is the steerer tube diameter on the existing fork. Most modern mtb suspension forks are now 'tapered', and only fit frames with a compatible head tube.

A cheapish bike from 2010 (such as your Giant) is unlikely to have a tapered fork fitted I would guess, but best check first. Take it to the LBS if unsure.

In reply to Oli Greg:

Depends what you want the forks for.

I have the rockshox paragons (air sprung) on my 700C bike (its a marin San Rafel DS3). They are pretty nice. Ok not the same beast as my air sprung mountain bike forks but more than good enough for off road stuff up to around mid level red run.

You are correct that the main difference with using 29er forks on a 700 C bike is it would raise up the front end with the added travel. The OP probably wants forks with 63mm of travel to maintain the bikes geometry. The 29er forks will probably be more expensive, heavier (and made to take more of a beating) also.

In reply to adventure_vulture:
check out the rockshox paragons, I have them and they are a massive step up from the suntour forks I had on my 700 C bike

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/rockshox-paragon-tk-solo-air-forks-9mmqr...

The reviews are good and I think they are great value at £135 delivered (reduced from £199)

In reply to adventure_vulture:
Also you want to be careful changing the forks much, greater length or travel may well damage your frame, invalidate your warranty and affect handling.

In reply to adventure_vulture:
X Fusion quite likely sell a fork with a straight steering tube which would fit your frame, but as Curley Stevo says, make sure your replacement fork is the same length, you could possibly get a longer one to fit by letting some air out and fiddling with the damping to get it to ride okay, but it may not be perfect.

In reply to all:

Thanks for all the sound advice! I'm primarily using the forks for an off road tour later in the year. I'd also be keen to use them on blue /red trails a few time a year as well, so it looks like the paragons are the way to go. I'll lay off the heavy abuse until after the tour!
Cheers