Question re Rockshox Reba fork

[Oldbloke]

My BMC TeamElite 02 has a RockShox Judy (TK Silver) fork with 100mm compression. I use it for cross country/light trails; @Levo-Lon suggested that changing to a Reba fork would be a good idea. Question-I've seen the Reba on offer for 270 euros, but it has 130mm travel-would this additional travel be beneficial or not? TIA

 

[marzjennings]

What problem are you trying the solve? The extra 30mm of travel will help absorb bigger hits, but it will change your headtube angle and slacken your steering response. Potentially feeling slightly less responsive in corners. Also I think the 02 Judy would be a straight steerer tube, whereas the new fork may have different headset measurements and may not fit your frame.

 

[Drago]

I doubt it's going to be of great benefit. Start using all the travel and as the forck compresses you radically alter the wheelbase, geometry, weight distribution and behaviour. Any minor benefit will be at the expense of these considerations, so It's unlikely to add anything positive to the overall experience.

"Cross country" is a racing discipline. If that's what you use it for (and not simply trail riding) then you need to factor in differences in weight and unsprung mass if you're riding at the edge all the time, and in that scenario I reckon it's definitely bring no benefit.

Quite a few of my students talk about upgrading forks, and none of them seem to have properly set up the ones they already have so I let them get on with it.

 

[Globalti]

When I mountain biked I had Rebas and they leaked after a few months. The retailer in Chorley snapped rudely at me that "you're supposed to maintain them" but sent them back for repair. While they were away I fitted a set of eXotic rigid carbon forks from Carbon Components and was so blown away by the improvement in handling, the light weight and the comfort that when the Rebas came back I Ebayed them. I only missed them when riding down flights of steps.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Adjust to 100mm
Reba are light and work well, the Judy are ok ,so carry on with it if your happy.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

@Oldbloke, I did similar with my XC hardtail bike going from a 2010 100mm Fox 'whatever' to a 2019 120mm Reba.

On the assumption that the Reba you're looking at will fit, ie steerer type, axle etc then as said above it will lift the front end, handle bars and bottom bracket, shorten the reach and slacken both the head tube and seat post. Magazines and online 'experts' (who have never tired doing so) will tell you of the massively detrimental and noticeable effect it will have on the ride but unless you are pushing the limits of physics I very much doubt you'll notics a few degree or mm change here and there.

However to keep my geometry factory, I fitted a -2 degree 'slackerizer' headset that put all the geometry back to standard except head angle, and in doing so kept the overall geometry more in keeping that found on modern bikes. The current trend is for 'Down Country' bikes which essentially are XC bikes tweaked to descend more confidentially yet still climb well by having longer travel (up to 130mm) and slacker head angles than pure XC rigs... which mine has been doing for the last couple of years

The total head angle degrees is now 3 degrees slacker going from 70 to 67, with the headset slackening by 2 and the longer forks accounting for the other 1 degree.

If you have the geometry figures for you bike then have a play https://bikegeo.muha.cc/ and see how much going to 130 will affect it.

I was lucky and 2 degrees was what I needed so I could use a Superstar components slackening headset - https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/shop/mountain/mountain-controls/mountain-headsets/. However Works Components doing ½ degree increments https://www.workscomponents.co.uk/

All of the above is pretty academic as sag, compression, rebound, tokens, tyre pressure, rider weight and position (and speed) will have have a bearing on kinematics once you're in motion

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