Further to the bike upgrade project thread, as I mentioned, I will also be upgrading the fork on my wife's bike. There is a 2008 model Rockshox Recon SL on there now, with 80mm travel. I would like to put something lighter on there, with more "sophisticated" ride. On the latter, I don't get the impression that the Recon has the most plush and silky feel to it, although I have not ridden the bike. But a more advanced fork seems like a very worthwhile investment and should improve control in tricky terrain like rock gardens, gravel beds, root-bound trails, etc.
The biggest question regards fork travel: if I increase travel to, say, 100mm, will this mess up the geometry of the bike? I know I will get a more slack front end, but I am not sure how much. 1 degree? More? This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the bike is plenty agile as it is so may not lose much there, but may gain a bit of descending stability.
Further, this will raise the BB height somewhat, which is also not necessarily a bad thing (not sure on this, though).
But what will also change, and this is where I am most concerned about the possible drawbacks, is that the seat tube angle will be altered, and the front end of the bike will be higher.
Overall, I do not want to adversely affect the overall balance of the bike and its handling. The bike fits my wife perfectly -- the shop took almost 3 hours to properly fit the bike to her body and riding style, and after more than 3 years of riding, I have not changed a thing except for raising the bars by a couple of centimeters to alleviate some shoulder and neck pain. She feels very balanced and in control in all terrain. She loves the way it handles in tight singletrack, climbing, accelerating....the works.
So, guys, if I mess up the geometry and balance, I'm in the proverbial doghouse. And winters are very long and very cold here in Canada
Otherwise, on other tech details, I will try to get adapters for the hubs of the Mavic Crossride wheels to a allow QR15 fork to be used. This should be possible, and if so, would be great. If not, I am stuck with 9mm QR.
As for brands and models, I can get a good deal through a local shop on Rockshox SID models, which I hear are well respected. My father-in-law has a SID on one of his bikes, and swears by it. Solid, trouble free, easy maintenance, great performance. Am I on the right track here...?
Otherwise, there have been some good deals on Magura lately, which have an excellent reputation and a great warranty and customer service.
Another option: our youngest daughter's bike has an older Marzocchi race fork that is a seriously nice piece of hardware -- light, extremely smooth feel, very adjustable, great build quality. If I can find a similar one, I wouldn't hesitate.
Any thoughts...?
Thanks to all in advance for the help.