Riddle me this (Kona Lava Dome fork quandry)

[Joe_Rides]

Afternoon.

I own a 19" Kona Lava Dome, in fact I recently put it up for sale on here.

But, thing is, I like it. Plus, my other mtb is more set up for "heavy duty" use so it's now quite a bit heavier than the Kona. I could do with a lightweight mtb for day jaunts & lighter use.

It's a bit too small. And the front end is a bit low for my liking. I also quite fancy running it rigid.

So bearing in mind the above, here are my options. Would welcome any opinions / advice?

Option 1 - Swap Judy SL's for 410mm P2's. The perfect fork for the bike. Problem - threaded steerer so would need to buy a threaded headset and stem to match.

Option 2 - Swap Judy SL's for 395mm random thread-less rigid forks I have. Too short? Could change stem to higher rise item? Would this set-up mess the handling up?

Option 3 - Swap Judy SL's for 450mm-ish Pace RC36 Evo II's. Keep existing stem. Probably change bars to risers.

Thanks,

Joe

 

[Joe_Rides]

Here's a pic.

The SL's are around 425mm in length so slightly longer than the P2's.

 

[RadNomad]

Re:

Best solution is 410mm threadless P2 and its matching front brake cable hanger.
Be patient, keep looking, get the triple butted P2. You can most easily tell them by the elegant curved transition of the bottom of the fork leg into the dropout. The cheapo heavier version isn’t curved.
If you’re between ballpark 5’9” to 6’1” it isn’t too small. They were designed that way.. long and low.. which of course is why they ride great and look so tasty.

 

[hamster]

Exotic carbon fork - still available with canti posts, same geometry as P2, rides a little less harsh than a TB P2. It's a subtle modernisation, but I bet you don't get so insistent on retro that you ride with a Nokia phone in your pocket...

 

[Joe_Rides]

Re:

Cheers both for the replies!

Best solution is 410mm threadless P2 and its matching front brake cable hanger.
Be patient, keep looking, get the triple butted P2. You can most easily tell them by the elegant curved transition of the bottom of the fork leg into the dropout. The cheapo heavier version isn’t curved.
If you’re between ballpark 5’9” to 6’1” it isn’t too small. They were designed that way.. long and low.. which of course is why they ride great and look so tasty.

I own the threaded P2's already although I'm pretty sure that they're not the triple butted versions. Still pretty light though, and by coincidence they're the right colour also (champagne). It's just being threaded that causes me a headache, and P2's are getting expensive now!

Exotic carbon fork - still available with canti posts, same geometry as P2, rides a little less harsh than a TB P2. It's a subtle modernisation, but I bet you don't get so insistent on retro that you ride with a Nokia phone in your pocket...

I would definitely consider this, and really like the way they look, but again they're quite pricey. I'm not a skinflint (ok maybe a bit) but the preferred option was to use what I have in the shed already.

Will have a think

 

[Minifreak]

I have a 19” Kona frame looking for some threaded P2’s, it’s the only bit missing from the bike to make it complete. The bike was going to be for sale minus forks. If you decide not to use them please let me know.

 

[Joe_Rides]

Re:

Will do

 

[Minifreak]

Re: Re:

Will do

Thanks buddy

 

[jimo746]

Re:

Id just use the threaded P2’s you already have, keeps things relatively simple (and cheap).

 

[Bawgixer]

I have threadless P2’s with along steerer that my be of use to you.
I’ll check the measurements and let you know