ridethecliche

Hi!

I have a 2018 giant Tcx advanced sx (size M/L) that's currently using a fork from a 2015 tcx because it was full carbon and lighter.

I'm starting to wade more into the adventure side of things and want a fork with bottle/accessory mounts. I've found something promising that's got a rake of 45 vs the 50 my fork came with. I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth trying out.

I also ride this bike on the road a lot, but have separate wheels. The tires on said wheels are narrower which should decrease the trail a bit for more spirited riding, right? Almost wondering if having less rake and more trail is going to be helpful if loading the fork a bit.

Any advice appreciated!

KerryIrons

5 mm less offset would mean slower steering. Whether this is an issue for you, only you can determine. Some people are quite sensitive to fork offset changes, while others say they hardly notice. For me, I no longer race criteriums so a slightly slower steering response would not be an issue. I would think that would also be an advantage on a gravel bike, but again it is rider and bike specific.

ridethecliche

Thanks for that feedback. It's certainly something im considering re if the increased trail would help if the fork will have more weight on it.

Broctoon

Try the bicycle steering trail calculator here.

Less rake (also called offset) results in more trail. They have an inverse relationship.

Does your current setup seem just right, a little on the sluggish side, or a bit on the twitchy side?

More trail means stable tracking but perhaps sluggishness... good for touring bikes. Less trail gives better agility but potential for twitchiness... good for a crit racing bike.

Smaller tires result in less trail, which in your case would partially counteract the effect of the new fork.

I doubt going from 50 to 45mm of rake will make a huge difference, but put in your numbers and see what it says. In any case, if I were looking for more places to mount stuff for bike packing, a little change in the bike's handling is a compromise I'd be inclined to accept.

unterhausen

I think you will be unhappy if you want to add weight to the fork. It won't be a problem once you are up to speed, but it's likely to be annoying getting started. I thought bikepacking forks often come with 55mm rake, that's going to be better with a load.

ridethecliche

Aren't those forks also on significantly slacker headtubes?

unterhausen

It's true that they were forced to go to more rake because of the poor handling that results when a slack head tube is combined with a fork with 45mm rake. But that doesn't mean it's not going to help you in your situation. Unloaded steering might be a little lively at first with 55mm rake, but I'm pretty sure you'll get used to it quickly coming from 50mm rake. Going to 45mm and adding front load is going to make that bike handle like a truck. It might even make it so you don't like the way the bike rides. To me, too much trail makes the bike feel dead, even though I know it's just the steering.