Technical > General Technical
Suss fork on Nomad Mk2 for extending touring (South America) - experiences?
cycling4chapatis:
Cheers for the replies!
Somehow still not sure about some crucial parts.
To clarify: not keen on a trailer, I've read all the pros, but worry enough about bikes, never mind adding 50% more wheels.
Also read about the racks on forks business. I know it is possible, but equally see that attaching weight to the end of a spring (whether coil or air doesn't matter) puts strain on it when it does its thing (obviously the weight wouldn't affect sag being attached to the outside). So would prefer to go with only handlebar bag and bottle cages at the front.
Coming to the fork again: so the current Nomad brochure has the Magura Menja as the V-brake compatible option.
I gather from various Thorn brochures that Andi&Fi's sus fork equipped bikes get used in trips up to couple of months I take it?
What is the (roughly) service interval on forks? (I'm of the obsessively caring cycle mechanic kind that is happy to clean/ lube/ adjust to ward off evil spirits). What do people typically end up doing with a fork on tour? Nothing? Grease/ oil every 1000ks? 10,000ks? Pump it up once in a while? Can someone actually tell me what can so horribly go wrong with a air sus fork rather than a coil one? Assuming no impact (a steel fork wouldn't take kindly to be run over by a truck either), what can really go wrong that can't be fixed with some carried along spares?
For illustration, before Africa I read myself silly on the 700c/ 26" debate. We already had 700c bikes, whatya gonna do? Had some 36spoke, thick as spoke wheels handbuilt (nothing wild 150Euro for a set, hub, rim, spokes that is) and off we went. Carried about 10 spare spokes each in the seat-tube - they are still in there 6000k's later. What put my stressing to rest was a comment I read that people go on world tours with motor-bikes and 4x4s with a lot more finicky, expensive, specialised bits and they don't go ape about - oh-my-good-I-need-to-be-able-to-repair-my-bike-after-godzilla-chewed-it-with-less-good-looks-than-McGiver.
Someone, somewhere, needs to have done 10,000ks on tour, with luggage, with a sus fork - where are you???
StuntPilot:
Hi! I have been through the search too for suspension options for my Raven Tour. I can hear the frustration at not having some first hand long distance feedback on sus fork use! I am sure some intrepid member will show up!
Sorry I will not be able to add that experience. However I can point you in the direction of someone who has and add a few snippets. Elsewhere on the forum sus forks have been discussed so hunt around (see Dan's links).
The Magura Menja is a superb fork, not that I have one but I do have the Magura Odur fork which is exactly the same construction but with a coil spring. You will not go wrong with a Magura (solid double arch construction, made in Germany and of excellent quality). If you can I would try and find the Magura Odur. That way you only need to carry a spare spring, and even then that is not strictly necessary (if the spring goes (unlikely), you just stick in a bit of wood dowel or a stick in the fork until you can get the spring replaced). For maintenance of the spring - a bit of grease now and then.
The Magura Menja gets great reviews too and spares would include some seals and a way of re-pressurising the fork. More complicated hence I searched for ages for the Odur spring version. I managed to get hold of a new 85mm version Odur from a shop in Estonia! Keep Googling/eBaying and you may find one. It does not matter if its a 2007 model - all good.
The 'someone who has' experience with the Magura Odur is Tom Allen on his rides across Mongolia. Great viewing ...
http://vimeo.com/18567650
He uses an extrawheel trailer. Personally I would not use a trailer, but add a suspension compatible rack on the front as Dan has suggested. The videos are great at showing the extrawheel trailer and Magura Odur fork in action. I don't think he serviced the sus fork at all on his trip!
His site has some more detail on the fork and alternatives ...
http://tomsbiketrip.com/how-to-build-the-perfect-expedition-bike-part-1/
And his review ...
http://tomsbiketrip.com/magura-odur-100mm-front-suspension-touring-fork-review/
I would also go for a suspension seat post such as the Thudbuster ...
http://www.thudbuster.com/
or SR Suntour NCX ...
http://www.srsuntour-cycling.com/dstore/products/Seatposts/3045/NCX/SP8-NCX.html
Now where is that actual Thorn owner who has done the miles with a sus fork? ???
(PS: Love the DeFender mudguards Pete!)
NZPeterG:
Hi All,to tour with Suspension Forks.
Right 1st off I have only cycled 1500km's so far on my Nomad (Tom) But I have 10's of 1000's of Km's with Suspension Forks on Mountain Bikes all over the world, most racing hard in mud and dirt!
Air forks are great and light! I Love them and would have a pair on my "Tom" for weekend Mountain Biking! But have not find any good one's with V-Brake mounts.
Air Spring Forks to tour with them is all OK but you need to take a Shock Pump (a tyre pump will Not work), and maybe a full rebuild kit (with oil to lube air piston seal), Plus you need to check your forks air pressure weekly.
Coil Spring Forks with Coil spring forks all you have to do is just ride them week in week out. You can take a set of fork seals if you like? But if they start to leak you can just keep riding (wash the oil off from time to time). inside the forks you have (in most) oil in a sealed damper unit, if it leaks it just leaks into the inside of your forks and the damping stops working you can keep in riding all the way home (it will be a pogo :o).
Most forks today have a little oil in each side of the fork to lube the inside (and spring) if your fork seals start leaking it's this oil that you see coming out, you can keep riding still the insides will dry out a little and you may wear the inside of you forks out (bush's which can be replaced once your home) but to keep your forks working good all you need to do is clean them (weekly is good)
With Air Forks you can have the air piston seal blow :( and that is it! game over unless you are good at pulling forks apart, clean, and rebuild with new seals and oil's (there is a oil just to lube the air piston).
Service your forks? once a year or about every 5000km's this is pull them apart, clean, change oil's, check oil seals.
I hope this is a help to you all, I once pulled Fox Forks apart and custom tune them to the rider! charging part's inside from STD set. It was good money but I was missing my riding time so stopped.
Plus I have over 25 plus years as a Motorcycle Engineer working on Dirt and Motocross bikes.
Pete
:-)
NZPeterG:
I forgot about wheel size and wheel builds?
1st wheel size? I have had 26", 29" and 700c wheels on loads of bikes over the years!
I also read up about which size to run with for my cycle ride down Africa last year, and ended up running 700c X 42mm tyres? But once in Africa find that very few places had 700c tyres or tubes (after being ill I Sold off my spare Tube's @ $10 US each :P ).
(my 12,000km ride was cut short too only 2000km's after getting a little ill :-\ read my Blog about it)
So when I started planning for a return Solo Tour I charged to running 26" wheels as most places had 26" tyres and tubes.
Spokes? and number of Spokes?
With having 26" wheel's 32 spokes are all that is needed (a well build pair of 32H wheels is very Strong), the main thing is the have your wheels build with only the best spokes! (like DT Swiss or Sapim) and only use DB spokes (Double butted) (they are far stronger than straight gauge)
How do I know all this well I get My wheels Build by one of the Best Wheel Build's in New Zealand! Here is a link to my wheelset 8) http://kiwipetescyclingsafari.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/wheels-build.html
I hope this helps :)
Pete
:o
NZPeterG:
A few more things
I would also go for a suspension seat post such as the Thudbuster ...
A thudbuster seat post is very good but so is a Brooks
Also I have been thinking about running a front carrier and I have changed my thinking ::) I would only use a Handlebar Bag keep it light up front and have fun on the Dirt roads and tracks.
Pete
8)
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