700 C Rim Suspension Fork Needed! Help!

[Jim77]

(Firstly apologies to the mods for having two threads on this but I did not know how to change the title of the thread and wanted to focus on this aspect.)

I have been searching for a suspension fork for my 700c rimmed Cannondale Badboy, and I am having real problems finding anything. I am looking for something for Hybrid use and therefore do not need a very expensive one as I will not be doing anything seriously rough. This is just a comfort upgrade. I would be keen to know of any anyone could recommend. I have not set a firm budget for this but feel I don't really want to spend more than £200 if possible. The lighter the better. Travel distance is not important and can be at the low end.

I appreciate that there are some who will think I don't need a suspension fork, and I have taken their views on board, but after trying bikes similar to mine that do have them, I have decided that I would like to go down this route.

So simply; what forks for 700c are out there?

Cheers.
> Jim

 

[Gerry Attrick]

My faithful Pinnacle hybrid has Suntour Cr 8V 50mm travel forks on it which have given me no trouble over several thousand miles of towpaths and tracks. Don't know where you would source them from though but I suppose Evans have got to be favourite as suppliers of Pinnacle bikes.

 

[Jim77]

i have been searching the internet for Suntour forks as a lot of hybrids have them fitted. However they seem impossible to source online so far. My LBS can only source the bottom couple of models. Suntour do not seem to be active in the aftermarket at all.

 

[Jim77]

will all 29" forks fit?

 

[RedBike]

Yes. 700 / 29 wheels are the same diameter.

However, 29ner tyres are normally wider and aimed at MTBs while the tyres on 700c hybrids are much narrower.

Rock-shox Reba forks are excellent but i'm not sure you'll find a set for £200.

 

[Jim77]

Thanks Redbike.

This is quite confusing. I attach a link to the spec of my bike. What confuses me then is that it is called a "700", but according to the spec the wheels are 28". Please explain.

http://gb.cannondale.com/bikes/08/ce/model-8BRS.html

 

[RedBike]

You should find the actual 'rim' diameter of 700c, 29" and 28" wheels is 622mm.

It's all to do with where they're measuring from /to. Obviously larger 29" MTB tyres will give you a larger wheel than a small narrow road tyre.

 

[RedBike]

Intrestingly a 700c wheel with a narrow road slick tyre is more or less the same overall diameter as a 26" MTB tyre fitted with a wide off-road tyre.

Therefore, depending on which tyres you're planning to use you might be able to use standard 26" MTB forks.

 

[Steve Austin]

Intrestingly a 700c wheel with a narrow road slick tyre is more or less the same overall diameter as a 26" MTB tyre fitted with a wide off-road tyre.

Therefore, depending on which tyres you're planning to use you might be able to use standard 26" MTB forks.

exactly right.

REBA's can be had for the sort of price thats reasonable.

 

[ASC1951]

Therefore, depending on which tyres you're planning to use you might be able to use standard 26" MTB forks.

Won't you still have to be careful with head tube diameter, RedBike? I'm not sure about the Cannondale, but the crown races on my MTB are significantly larger than on any of my road headsets.

IIRC Cannondale did a "suspension headset" (a bit of squashable plastic) on their early Silk Roads, but it died the death.

 

[RedBike]

'Most' road and MTBs use forks with 1-1/8" steerers.

However some Cannondales (Even some of their road bikes) and 'beefy downhill' bikes often use a 1.5" steerers.

 

[Jim77]

'Most' road and MTBs use forks with 1-1/8" steerers.

However some Cannondales (Even some of their road bikes) and 'beefy downhill' bikes often use a 1.5" steerers.

Mine does have 1" 1/8 inch diameter and as you rightly said the wheels are 622/700c. (All this wheel sizing is very confusing I have been Sheldon Browning it.)

The Reba ones I have found are all about £300, which is half the value of the whole bike. Is this normal? Are there any cheaper options?

 

[simoncc]

(Firstly apologies to the mods for having two threads on this but I did not know how to change the title of the thread and wanted to focus on this aspect.)

I have been searching for a suspension fork for my 700c rimmed Cannondale Badboy, and I am having real problems finding anything. I am looking for something for Hybrid use and therefore do not need a very expensive one as I will not be doing anything seriously rough. This is just a comfort upgrade. I would be keen to know of any anyone could recommend. I have not set a firm budget for this but feel I don't really want to spend more than £200 if possible. The lighter the better. Travel distance is not important and can be at the low end.

I appreciate that there are some who will think I don't need a suspension fork, and I have taken their views on board, but after trying bikes similar to mine that do have them, I have decided that I would like to go down this route.

So simply; what forks for 700c are out there?

Cheers.
> Jim

Most 700c riders have no need or desire for front suspension forks. That's your problem. You are in a specialist market.

If you really want front suspension on your bike then I think you should go with the flow and buy a 26 inch wheel machine.

 

[Jim77]

I take your point about it being a specialist market, in after sales at least. But is their really nothing reasonably priced out there? Some similar to the forks on the Scott Sportster range for example:

http://scottusa.com/gb_en/category/2419/sportster

 

[ASC1951]

If you really want front suspension on your bike then I think you should go with the flow and buy a 26 inch wheel machine.

Or put a slightly fatter or lower pressure tyre on the front, say, a 28 or 32. It will look odd, but so do suspension forks on a road bike.

If you must have them, try and get a secondhand pair of something suitable from classifieds on singletrackworld. As you say, no point getting new ones for half the value of the bike.