140mm fork on an 036?

[Midwest-MTBer]

I've just been able to get my 036 out on the trails this year with a shorter stem and it's improved the ride vastly. I'm wondering if I threw a 140mm fork on if it would slacken up the head tube angle and make the ride even more fun during descent.  Or would this completely screw up the geometry of this bike? I guess my main concern is the rear travel will only be 120mm still and that it could feel odd? I've never really looked that long and hard into the number crunching of geometry, so any input is appreciated.

[bxcc]

What do you have for a fork on it? If it's easily changed to 140, I say go for it. If it involves buying a whole new fork, then that's a tough call. My wife's TB3 is 130f / 110r and it feels great. I wouldn't worry too much about having more travel in the front vs the back. It would suck though to buy a fork just to have it not work like you hope.

[Midwest-MTBer]

I was actually able to pick one up from a guy locally for a really good deal. I figure that I can try it out and if I don't like it I can sell it for at least what I bought it for. I was digging around the old mtbr posts and I actually found one of the original 036 threads where carbon8r built his with a 140mm fork. Most people in my research either think it's awesome or don't like the idea of it. I guess I'll have to decide for myself.

[charlesrg]

What would it be the offset of the 140mm fork ? I've a 100mm fork with 51mm offset. If the offset is greater than it should be fine. If using the same offset it might make it more prone to fly over the bars (endo).

[gohloum]

The biggest problem I see with a 140mm fork on an 036 is the difference of travel.  If you are running 130mm or higher, you are doing All Mountain/Enduro trails or that style of riding, which means you are bottoming out the rear suspension way before you have traveled through the front.  Think about it this way.  Would you drive a truck offroad that was setup for stadium racing front suspension, but has the rear suspension of a rally car for the rear?  You are mixing 2 disciplines on a single setup which in my opinion is a disaster waiting to happen.  The 036 frame is an XC designed frame... Nothing more and nothing less...  I believe you could possibly benefit from a 110 or 120 mm travel fork if you want to push it, but beyond that, you are going to push the frame itself beyond its limits.

[cmv]

So, if one were to build an all mountain full suspension bike (looking for max front travel), what frame would you recommend?

Thanks..

[Midwest-MTBer]

Well, going against the advice of some people and with the advice of others I decided to put the 140 on. I already had a short stem at 60mm so the bike now feels faster and more playful. I didn't notice a major difference during ascents, but downhill I felt the fork soaking up lots of bumps. I've only done one ride, but I already feel like this has changed the feel of the bike. I didn't really feel like the fork was off balance from the rear shock, but maybe that's just because the trails I rode didn't need the rear as much as the front. I'm going to give it more rides, but just in terms of dork quality, I feel a massive difference upgrading from a Fox evolution to Fox factory. The trail mode is just much much better. I'm not concerned with breaking my frame because I don't plan on turning this into a DH bike. I'll do rough stuff, but I know the bikes limits.

[Midwest-MTBer]

Mounted and ready to ride.

[carbonazza]

I wish you big roots and rocs to try

Are you happy of these tires? I have some spares here that I never tried.
Do they compare to another brand/model you know?

[Midwest-MTBer]

Quite honestly these are my first set of mid to higher end tires. They go tubeless really well and I haven't had to re seal them for almost 6 months. In terms of ride I'm happy with them. I wish I had a little more grip leaning over in loose stuff, but that's pretty demanding. I'm probably going to replace them at the end of the summer. When I do I'll probably search for some feedback on here.