After snapping my Marzocchi's in half I'm thinking of going rigid. Now, I probably should go for Kona Project 2's, but I'm thinking either Salsa Cro-moto's, On-One carbon or Element/Nukeproof/Whitebros/Superstar/Axima carbon. They must have v-brake mounts, but what length? The frame is a 2001 Kona Pahoehoe which had 80mm Marzocchi z3's on it giving a head angle of 71 and a seat angle of 74. So, Salsa's are 425mm, On-Ones are 440mm and the rest are 445mm except the WhiteBros which also come in 425mm. Any help or experience most appreciated.
What length rigid fork for Kona?
- Thread starter jupiter
- Start date
I run a 2000 Cindercone. I bought a set of P2s (new) which I assumed were the right length. To cut a long story, they are shorter versions, looking as though they are for older bikes and don't have the jacked-up front you would expect.
I run it as a singlespeed on bash roads (pretty much all there is round here).
The bike handles fine, even at low speeds. I only discovered all this after putting it next to the wife's older Fire Mountain and seeing how the tubes all seemed steep.
I run it as a singlespeed on bash roads (pretty much all there is round here).
The bike handles fine, even at low speeds. I only discovered all this after putting it next to the wife's older Fire Mountain and seeing how the tubes all seemed steep.
A 2001 Pahoehoe has the same geometry as Konas have had since 1994, so the quoted head angle of 71 deg is taken with a P2 fork of 41cm a-c.jupiter":344paao2 said:
If you think that sounds as though it can't be right considering the length of the Z3s, I agree with you, but the source is tech@konaworld.com so I think it must be right. When challenged as to why Kona used a head angle that was in effect so slack with the suspension forks they actually fitted, Tech said 'it works'. When challenged further, he said something along the lines of 'look, the race team use it, the test team like it, thousands of customers like it, that's good enough for us. If you don't like it, there are plenty of other brands.' So I think we can take it he was being quite serious.
So of the forks you quote, the Salsa is 1.5cm too long and will give a head angle of 70, the On-One is 3cm too long and will give a head angle of 69. I think what tech was saying was that a slack head angle is fine with a suspension fork, as the angle will get quite steep when the fork compresses, as it will when ridden properly. However this obviously doesn't apply to rigid forks. Personally I would advise you to use a P2 and stick to 71 deg, but of those you quote only the Salsa is worth considering IMPO.
