I Have blown the front forks!

[Taylor Guziewicz]

I Have blown the Stock front forks on my Rad rover. The funny part is at low speeds those damn clown tires still manage to make the ride relatively smooth. Anyways I was wondering if I could use Luna front fork as a replacement.



https://lunacycle.com/luna-lander-fat-suspension-fork/

 

[CodyDog]

I replaced mine with the Surly Ice Cream Truck Fork. You will be very limited on replacements forks because Rad's tube is straight not tapered.

I love my Surly fork. Took off about 5 lbs. off the front end and the steering in much more responsive. It feels like a different bike! IMO, fat tire bikes don't require a heavy spring fork even on dirt or gravel roads. The fork Rad provides is one of the cheapest and heavier spring forks available.

 

[Nova Haibike]

Doesn't the stock fork use a spring? They can stop working due to corrosion, the lockout can fail, or it can develop play when the bushings go bad, but they can't "blow out." What exactly is wrong with it?

 

[mrgold35]

There is an adjustment knob opposite of the fork lockout. I needed to turn that knob (I think) +8 times 360 degrees to get the feel I wanted to split the difference between trail riding and work commuting with the folk in the open position. I had to do the same for my wife's RadCity Step-Thru because the front end didn't feel stable at max speed of 20 mph because of too much suspension springiness. Way more stable at 20 mph after the adjustment on the Rad bikes.

The only thing I don't like about the spring forks is they make a "thunk" sometimes when they extend all the way out if the front tire become airborne over bumps.

Are you getting handling issues or thunking sounds when you ride over bumps?

 

[AHicks]

I had to tighten my front spring up as well. I didn't count the turns but 8 may be close for me as well.

Used to doing suspension work on some other toys I've had in the past (quads, snowmobiles, motorcycles), I set this fork up the same way. It SHOULD bottom out on occasion. That's the ONLY way you know you are using the entire suspension travel - for my purposes anyway. There is no point riding around on something so stiff you're only using the top half of the available travel for instance. You don't want it slamming down frequently, but once a day over ground you frequent often wouldn't hurt a thing.

 

[Taylor Guziewicz]

Cody dog how much did you pay for the Shirley ice cream truck for ?

I ride the rad rover quite frequently and I definitely trail ride it a lot. I have to agree with Mr. Gold 35
my problem sounds identical. Almost is if the wheel was coming loose with the quick release. Maybe one of the springs snapped in the front fork. I noticed it last winter.

Maybe The snow or salt.

 

[CodyDog]

Cody dog how much did you pay for the Shirley ice cream truck for ?

I ride the rad rover quite frequently and I definitely trail ride it a lot. I have to agree with Mr. Gold 35
my problem sounds identical. Almost is if the wheel was coming loose with the quick release. Maybe one of the springs snapped in the front fork. I noticed it last winter.

Maybe The snow or salt.

The fork was $116. I was very pleased I installed. You can really feel the weight difference on the front in. It has a much smoother feel in the steering. For big bumps you will feel it more than with the spring fork. Hasn’t been an issue for me because most of my riding is a combination of pavement, hard pack trails and loose gravel. The Rover wasnt really designed as a mountain bike but I push it now and then.

The other option for mountain type riding on the Rover would be to install a lighter air suspension fork but the once I looked at for fat tire bikes was cost prohibited. The spring suspension forks are pretty heavy.

 

[Taylor Guziewicz]

The fork was $116. I was very pleased I installed. You can really feel the weight difference on the front in. It has a much smoother feel in the steering. For big bumps you will feel it more than with the spring fork. Hasn’t been an issue for me because most of my riding is a combination of pavement, hard pack trails and loose gravel. The Rover wasnt really designed as a mountain bike but I push it now and then.

The other option for mountain type riding on the Rover would be to install a lighter air suspension fork but the once I looked at for fat tire bikes was cost prohibited. The spring suspension forks are pretty heavy.

Did you buy it from a local bike bike shop or order it online ?

what's it like when you hit street curbs?

keep in mind I am 165-170 lbs.

Thanks

 

[CodyDog]

Did you buy it from a local bike bike shop or order it online ?

what's it like when you hit street curbs?

keep in mind I am 165-170 lbs.

Thanks

I purchased the fork through an LBS. As far as going over curbs, it just a matter of shifting your weight as with any bike. The fat tires, depending on amount of air, take a little bit more shock out of bumps than a standard size tire. I weigh 186 so the arrangement would be great for your weight.

Reducing the weight of the front end of the bike by 5 lbs is huge. With that being said, the Surly fork is still a rigid fork and will not dampen bumps like the a suspension fork. With the original fork, I rode it in lock out mode most the time. I have had a very expensive air suspension fork on a Specialized MTB and loved it but those forks run around $800 and up. Rad uses a very cheap fork. I'm not sure why they even put it on a fat tire bike. Besides, the Rad Rover is not designed to be a regular mountain bike. I think the suspension fork misleads people thinking it is with the fat tires.

It's a easy and low cost conversion which lower your cost risk if you end up like the original for better.

 

[mrgold35]

I ride my Rover with the front forks open and I get about 2" of travel work commuting up to 25 mph and up to 3" when trail riding at around 10-14 mph. I keep my PSI around 21-23 and I weigh in about 270lbs+30lbs of gear/tools, accessories, commuter back pack, and rack bag with panniers. Even my wife at 130lbs gets about 1.5" of travel on her RadCity Step-Thru on paved roads (usually no extra gear other than a empty rack bag).

I've tried work commuting with the front forks locked out and it wasn't as comfortable compared to being open. All of that motion being absorbed by the cheap and heavy spring front forks was being transmitted to my arms, shoulders, and back instead. The big advantage I found with my Radrover is I can transition from different surfaces or ride rougher terrain at much higher speeds (fat tires+front forks+Cloud-9 seat+Bodyfloat suspension seatpost).

I would try locking out the front forks and do your normal riding on paved urban and dirt trail roads at various speeds to see if how comforable it will be for +20 miles.

 

[AHicks]

Even if useless on the big hits, cheap suspension mods have a tendency to help cancel out the high frequency "noise" being fed into your hands, wrists, and butt. Maybe the younguns don't notice this as much as the older folks, but this old fart really appreciates any help he can get on longer rides.....

Regarding going up a curb, I usually yank the front of the bike up, lifting the front tire as we go over, then lean forward to lesson the shock on the rear. I doubt I could bring myself to just run into one of the curbs we have around here. IF the bike wasn't stopped dead in it's tracks, that's still one heck of a lot of stress to be absorbed. Abusive is the word that comes to mind there.

Point being, on Rad's cheap front fork, my riding style would always prefer something like that over a solid fork. There was a day when I would spend the money for a quality fork (air adjust), but I haven't really been able to justify the expense yet. That's me though, FWIW. -Al