GROUPTEST TRAIL FORKS
Suspension forks are one of the key components that determine how a bike feels and behaves on the trail, so it’s no surprise they’re a popular upgrade. Choosing the right one is an important, and pricey, decision. Forks comprise three main parts – the chassis, spring and damper – all of which contribute to their performance, but deciphering the details can be tough and there’s a lot of potentially confusing terminology involved.
The chassis determines how stiff and strong a fork is, and is a balancing act between strength and weight. Forks with wider-diameter stanchions (upper legs) tend to be stronger and less flexy, but heavier. In most cases, one leg houses the spring, which supports the weight of the bike and rider, and determines how much force is required to make the fork move into its travel. The spring provides resistance to compression, and the damper, in the other leg, controls that resistance.
There are two main spring types in MTB forks – air and coil. Air springs are the most widely used and feature in all the forks tested here. They’re lightweight, and the spring rate (resistance to compression) can be easily adjusted via air pressure to suit different rider weights and styles. Air springs also have a progressive spring curve (see Jargon), which can be ‘tuned’ with volume spacers to provide additional progressivity. However, they tend to feel firmer early in their travel
