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Changing to a different fork offset on a 29er hardtail

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Changing to a different fork offset on a 29er hardtail

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flag sfast36
Posted: Jul 28, 2018 at 12:04 Quote
I have a 2010 Gary Fisher Superfly SS frame that needs a fork. This bike was one of the early G2 bikes. If I understand correctly, that means that the bike is meant to have a 51mm offset fork. The bike was also meant to have a fork 1 and 1/8 steerer tube. I've made this situation worse by choosing a wheel with a 15mm QR axle. So I feel I have painted myself into a box here. I don't have a lot of reasonably priced fork options. I have found a tapered fork online that has a 44mm offset. It is a 80mm Fox Float Terralogic. I really like this fork and the price. I would have to use an adapter headset to make it work for this frame but I worry about the issue of using a fork with a much shorter offset. I assume the extra height of the adapter headset will help in a small way but I doubt it will make much of a difference.

What do you folks think? Any input would be appreciated.
flag titaniumtit
Posted: Jul 29, 2018 at 5:41 Quote
According to many even those in the industry it doesn’t matter much one bit!

There are diagrams on offset/trail/head angles if you care to google.

It just shows how minute the change would be and that you’ll probably never feel the difference. Stem length etc will make more of a difference to way the front end feels and your need to wrestle it or not.

Hth :-)

That’s my opinion having read and highlighted similar concern.
flag adespotoskyli
Posted: Jul 29, 2018 at 9:20 Quote
Well off set affects bike handling the same way ha does, it's equally important.

But, most 29er forks are 51mm offset even if you wanted a different off set you have to try really hard!
flag sfast36
Posted: Jul 31, 2018 at 8:11 Quote
Thanks for the help. It looks like I'll be throwing a 44mm offset fork on this thing and I'll see what happens.
flag Rusty-Russ
O+
Posted: Dec 7, 2018 at 21:18 Quote
The reduced offset forks work best on looong 29er frames. It effectively shortens the wheelbase compared to the 51. It feels more planted in the twisties because your weight is over the front axle more. Your bike will feel a little shorter but handle better it tight switchbacks most likely. Good luck!
flag JonThomas
O+
Posted: Jan 5, 2019 at 19:59 Quote
It will corner better than the 51mm offset imo. The industry is moving from the G2 offset for good reasons.
flag R-M-R
Posted: Feb 14, 2019 at 0:04 Quote
Rusty-Russ wrote:
The reduced offset forks work best on looong 29er frames. It effectively shortens the wheelbase compared to the 51. It feels more planted in the twisties because your weight is over the front axle more. Your bike will feel a little shorter but handle better it tight switchbacks most likely. Good luck!
The change in stability with a shorter offset is due to increased trail, not weight distribution. Weight distribution is affected, but the relative change is much smaller.

Each step down in trail - ex. 51 mm to 45 mm, 45 mm to 37 mm - adds comparable stability to reducing the head angle 0.5°.

Most people aren't overly concerned with a difference in head angle of 0.5° when comparing bikes and, similarly, we don't need to get too concerned about offset. I do recommend reduced offset, but if I had to choose between two forks with the same travel and different dampers, I'd choose the better damper and not give any thought to offset.
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