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Weight penalty of sus forks

Posted: 4 Jun 2009, 1:19am
by unclebaldie
Hi,
Having bought a hybrid with sus forks (Suntour XCT), I was wondering just how much extra weight the sus forks add over rigid forks?
The bike seems, to me, to be heavier than I expected (around 18kg).
As I only do road/cycle path/light trail riding, would I be better off replacing them with rigids ?

Cheers,

Phil

Re: Weight penalty of sus forks

Posted: 4 Jun 2009, 2:20am
by random37
It's going to be quite a big weight difference, and suspension is not that useful for the kind of riding you do.
But TBH I reckon if you start buying upgrades, you're throwing money at a what sounds like a cheap bike. If I were you, I'd just ride it until it was clapped out, then retire it and get something better.

Re: Weight penalty of sus forks

Posted: 4 Jun 2009, 1:38pm
by unclebaldie
Hi Chris,

Thanks for replying.
The bike is a Giant Sedona DX, so I guess at the lower end.
You're right on the weight. I did a bit more digging around. Looks like the forks add about 3-4kg to the weight, maybe more - a hell of a lot.
Won't make that mistake again, will I !!

Phil

Re: Weight penalty of sus forks

Posted: 4 Jun 2009, 3:29pm
by irc
unclebaldie wrote:Hi Chris,
You're right on the weight. I did a bit more digging around. Looks like the forks add about 3-4kg to the weight, maybe more - a hell of a lot.


It might be more like a 3lb saving. Still worth it.

This thread quotes your fork at around 5.5lbs
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=496508
This Surly fork is quoted as 1030g, maybe 2.3lbs
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ ... +Fork.aspx

Still the cheapest way of getting that much weight off your bike.

PS The Surly fork was only quoted as an example of rigid fork weight. I've no idea if it would be suitable for your bike.

Re: Weight penalty of sus forks

Posted: 4 Jun 2009, 9:24pm
by stevew
Makes a fair bit of difference. Just removed the cheap Suntour sus forks from my Scott Montana MTB that weigh 2.4 kg and replaced them with these http://www.carboncycles.cc/?s=0&t=0&c=43&p=201& that weigh .94 kg.
Nice product that looks good and rides well. Quite a transformation, especially in the weight dept. What with these forks and a s/s conversion the bike feels really lively. Must have lost about 2 kg in all.
BTW anyone want to buy some Suntour forks ?

Re: Weight penalty of sus forks

Posted: 5 Jun 2009, 5:35pm
by squeaker
Marzocchi Z4 of my (former) Kona = 1.9kg
Steel fork of new RoadRat = 1kg
(Both by my home scales.) Point being that half-decent sus forks needn't be that heavy ;)

Re: Weight penalty of sus forks

Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 2:35pm
by unclebaldie
Sorry for taking so long to reply....

Thanks for the info, guys....
Guess I would definitely save some weight if I changed the forks, but I've decided frankly it's not worth the expense and hassle of changing the forks.

I'll just be more careful when I buy my next bike....... :oops:

Thanks for all your help......

Phil

Re: Weight penalty of sus forks

Posted: 18 Jun 2009, 6:24pm
by glueman
If your local roads are anything like some of ours you may find that suspension comes in handy.

Re: Weight penalty of sus forks

Posted: 19 Jun 2009, 9:40pm
by unclebaldie
Recall reading somewhere recently about how many potholes there are in UK. Think it was something like a pothole every 120 yards. So you might have a good point, glueman !

Boing-boing...... :D