The 4 Best Mountain Bike Front Shocks in 2021
Mountain biking is quite exhilarating but let’s admit that biking on rough, rock-strewn terrains is pretty scary, especially if your bike doesn’t have a sophisticated suspension system to absorb the shocks that await you on the trail. Keeping this in mind, bike manufacturers have improved the quality and design of suspension forks, making them better than ever and so upgrading the suspensions on your bike is a great idea to enhance your upcoming mountain biking experiences.
But how can you find the best mountain bike front suspension forks in 2020? We urge you to keep on reading to discover some of the best mountain bike suspension forks available in the market in 2020 and learn everything you need to know to make the right decision. So let’s get started, shall we?
Top 4 Best Mountain Bike Front Suspension Forks in 2020
- KASHIMA mtb fork mountain bike fork mountain bike front suspension fork for XC Mountain...
- colour: 1, matte black + gold inner tube 2, matte black + silver inner tube
- Material: Magnesium alloy
- SOURCE Category: Spot
- Specifications: 26 / 27.5 / 29 inch optional,Including Tapered Steerer and Straight...
- Material: Mountain bike suspension fork, Made of high quality Aluminum alloy+Magnesium...
- Material: Aluminum alloy
- Color: Black inner tube, red inner tube
A bike equipped with quality front and/or rear shocks offers a high degree of control even on rocky terrains which can considerably enhance your performance and lead to a memorable riding experience every time you go outdoors. For this very reason, we have done an extensive research to compile this list of the top front shocks that you will find in the market. Here is what we have:
Buyer’s Guide
Suspension forks are one of the most important components of your mountain bikes since they offer the highest degree of control on rocky and steep terrains, paving the way towards safer and comfortable biking sessions. However, it’s important to be aware of how MTB forks work and what they have to offer so that you can pick out the ones that are in line with your bike and your riding style and get the best value for your money. In this buyer’s guide, we plan to do just that as we present a breakdown of everything you need to know about bike suspension forks so keep on reading.
Structure of a Front Fork
There are essential 5 structural features in suspension shocks that are of prime importance, namely the steerer tube, crown, axle, legs, and springs. The steerer tube, typically made of carbon or steel, is the upper part of the fork and it fits into the head tube. The steerer tube can be further categorized as being tapered or oversized to provide extra stiffness but you need to ensure that the head tube of your bike is compatible with whatever you opt for.
The mobile part of the suspension are its upper legs or the stanchions which house the springs and damping components while the lower legs are held securely in the crown for optimal shock absorption. You can also find large and oversized stanchions with a diameter up to 40 mm for greater stiffness. Likewise, single crown forks have a cross brace below the head tube to hold both the legs while double-crown forks also have a cross brace on the top of the head tube to enhance the rigidity. Another feature of a front shock that enhances tip stiffness is the axle that slides through the hub to be secured or clamped to the suspension legs for better performance.
The springs are primarily responsible for absorbing shocks and minimizing the effect of bumps and jerks. Most front forks use a combination of air springs and cane creek coil-based springs to soak every shock that comes your way while you’re riding.
Travel
Bike forks move for a specific distance to absorb the shock when a force is applied to them and this distance is called the travel of the fork. Generally, greater travel means better shock absorption but since every terrain and biking style has something different to offer to the riders, the range of travel you require will vary from one terrain to the other. For this reason, forks are designed such that they offer a suspension travel suitable for a variety of terrains and biking style.
Moreover, the travel range also impacts your riding posture as an increase of 10mm in the travel shifts the head and seat angle by 1 degree to make steering easier. You can also purchase suspension forks with adjustable travel so that you can tweak it according to the circumstances.
Compatibility With Wheels And Brakes
No matter how expensive and high-end your suspension forks are, they’re plainly useless if they are not compatible with the features of your bike, most importantly the wheels and the brakes. The wheels of a mountain bike come in different sizes, each of which can fit suspensions of a certain size. Make sure to check the front wheel size before you step in the bike shop so that you can pick the one that will fit perfectly with your wheels. Likewise, brakes are another feature that closely interact with the suspensions which is why the two need to be compatible with one another for optimal performance. Most forks are compatible with both rim and disc brakes, but some models are only meant for post mount brakes. For greater flexibility, however, we recommend that you pick a set of front suspensions that can work with both pre and post mounting systems.
Damping Control
We have already talked about how travel impacts the shock absorption properties of your bike. Does that mean you should always opt for suspensions with greater travel? The thing is that greater travel reduces the level of control you have over the damping system of the bike – precisely over rebound and compression damping that dictates how fast the suspensions compress and recline. Rebound damping ensures that the fork does not move back and forth and returns to its original position while compression damping essentially absorbs the impact.
Conclusion
Decent front fork suspensions are an essential bike component as they will not only protect you from unexpected shock but will also lead to a smoother and more comfortable biking experience. We know that finding the right front fork suspensions can be quite difficult but after reading this article, we hope that your jour journey will become a lot easier. Do check out our selection of top front shocks to bag some of the best bike suspensions at an affordable price.
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