Installing A 29er Fork On A 26" Bike

[DuctTapedGoat]

Don't mean to change the subject on Heaven's post, but can you explain this ? My Schwinn hybrid came with front shock, nothing on back and with spring loaded seat post. I have ridden bikes with shocks on front and rear and don't particularly like them. Just curious. Thanks !

What are you curious about?

 

[Porkchop]

Why is a front shock bad on a rigid frame ? There are bunches of that configuration being produced in todays market. you don't see many road bikes with dual suspension.

 

[DuctTapedGoat]

shocks on a stock rigid frame can bring issues

If at full stock it had no shocks at all.

If your bike had no shocks at all and was entirely rigid, it's designed to have the headset at a certain height, and the gooseneck at a certain angle.

When you put front shocks on a bike that wasn't built for them, your front end can dip down too much and flip you over the bars due to the headset lowering and your gooseneck coming near close to vertical, if not surpassing that point.

A springer front end is far different, it flexes instead of going immediately down. You can put a springer on near anything it can fit into.


The reason he is out of the woods from danger is that he's going with larger forks, which should keep when the shocks are depressed everything at near it's original design, and when not depressed, it will be above it's original design.

 

[retromike3]

longer fork, depends

there are several changes to the geometry of the bike frame that can be successfully done and not make the bike unrideable. The main problem I see it if you use to long of a front fork it might raise your bottom bracket to high and make the bike unstable. The effect would be every time you went to make a turn the bike would "dive" and not track very well.

I had this problem with my current motor bicycle. I had a front shock fork that I got when I replaced a friends front fork. I tried to install it and it made my unstable, but I replaced it with a rigid 700c cross bike fork that I had lying around. It was longer than the stock rigid fork that came with the bike but still short enough to keep the bike within specks. The bike has tracked grate and is very stable and responsive. I did have to weld cantilever studs on the "new" fork so that the V-brake clones would work though.

mike

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

To be a little more specific, I love having a front shock, but with both front and rear, the bikes I rode just felt to mushie and out of control to me. Full suspension might be an advantage for off road/mountain bikes, but I don't like them on a pavement pounder. Might be because I've never ridden one enough to get used to it. 5-7, hope I'm not out of bounds here on your post, but I think the suspension issue is to your and the rest of our advantages. Let me know if I/we need to take this discussion elsewhere.
Thanks !

No harm, no foul, my friend.

 

[Porkchop]

I knew you were a good sport !
Thanks !