Happy New Year! I am doing something a little different today. I am going to answer some reader questions. I’m going to talk about if it makes sense to repaint your frame to breathe new life into. I’m also going to talk about the different types forks and which one is the right one for your bike.

Also, based on some inquiries, I’m now offering Bike Consultations, you can find more information about it here.

Should You Paint Your Frame to Breathe New Life into It?

With the used bike market being pretty terrible right now, you might not want to sell your bike, but that doesn’t mean you need to keep your bike looking the same. If you have a metal frame you can repaint it. Either paint or powder coat are both good options. Either option applies to the info below. Repainting is a great way to breathe new life into your bike. Below I will go through the pros and cons, so you can decide if it makes sense for you.

The first question to consider is if you have the mechanical ability to break your frame down to a bare frame? Everything from headset cups to dropout and axle bit’s need to be removed. If not, that will add some expense to your project depending on how much you can do on your own. The level or difficulty will depend on the frame. If it has external cable and brake routing it’s pretty easy, if the routing is internal, it adds another level of difficulty. It’s also a great opportunity to install internal dampening tubes. They are easy to install, and they do a great job to keep the noise down. This is also a good time to get your fork and/or shock services since they will be off the bike anyway. If it’s a full suspension bike you will also need to replace the pivot bearings. If you can do some of these things but not all, do what you can, and pay a shop to do the rest.

The next thing to consider is the condition to of the frame? If there are deep gouges or dents it might not make sense to paint it. Those blemishes will still show when painted. They paint or powder coat will mute them a bit at least.

If you are the original owner check the manufacturers warranty to see if repainting will void the warranty. If it does, is that worth it to you? Personally I would not void the warranty. You might never use it, but it’s nice to have. I wasn’t the original owner of the frame I powder coated.

The next thing to consider is if there is a painter within a distance that you are willing to drive to get it painted? You can search for painters or powder coaters in you area. Check each of the websites to see what kind of work they do. Some will even have a bike frame in their gallery. Shops that do car or motorcycle parts are a good place to start. If they have done a bike frame prior they will know they need to tape off the headset, seattube, bottom bracket, and any suspension or pivot holes.

If you can answer yes to all the questions above, they last question is how much are you willing to pay? I got a frame powder coated in 2019 for $150. It was a single color, and it included the media blasting to strip the old paint off, and full coverage powder coating. They were a little sloppy with the powder, so I had a bit of cleanup to do. In the end, the bike went back together pretty easily. and the orange color I selected looked great. See below.

Bike I’m Eyeing: Cotic Rocketmax

What the fork is that?

Whether you are fairly new or riding for a little while, forks can be confusing. You have single crown, dual crown, straight steer tube, tapered steer tube, different stanchion diameters, different dropouts etc. There are lots of different options when it comes to forks, so choosing a replacement can be confusing. If you buy the wrong fork, it can also be costly.

Straight vs. tapered steer tube. Most quality bikes today have either a tapered headtube or a oversized straight headtube. You need one of these to run a tapered steer tube fork. A tapered steer tube goes from 1.125” to 1.5”. A tapered steer tube will be stiffer than a non-tapered version. With the advent of 29” wheels and longer fork legs something was needed to help the front ends track better, and that’s where the tapered steer tube comes in. Just to complicate things more, a straight steer tube fork can be used in a tapered headtube with an oversized crownrace, but not the other way around.

Stanchion diameter also plays a role in the forks stiffness. The stiffness I am talking about here is the forks ability to hold a line or track through rough terrain. Thicker stanchions also reduce fore and aft play with longer travel fork. Generally forks with 32mm stanchions will only go up to about 120mm travel. Forks with 34mm stanchions will usually be in the 120-140mm travel range. 36mm stanchions will usually be found on forks in the 140-160mm range. Forks with 38mm stanchions will usually be in the 170-190mm range. These are more guidelines than rules. Some manufacturers use 35mm stanchions for forks ranging from 120-160mm.

Again in the name of stiffness there are dual crown forks. Generally speaking they are only found on downhill or park bikes. They are heavy and limit steering, but they are very stiff for a 200mm fork. Dual crown forks will usually be 170-200mm range. Most today are 38mm stanchions, but there are still a few 35mm options they are great forks. On all forks some of the stiffness comes from the amount of stanchion thats inserted into the fork crown. On most single crown forks it’s about 2”. On dual crown the fork legs extend above the bottom of the headtube to a second clamp on top of the headtube. This effectively makes the insert length 5-6” creating a very stiff front end. See the image below.

The dropout type be the next option. There is standard quick release, 15mm through axles in 100-110mm in length, and 20mm in 110mm length. 20mm axles are not really used outside of dual crown forks today. Standard QR won’t be found on forks much longer than 100mm, and 15mm axles are used on all quality single crown forks. Your fork dropouts needs to match your front wheel. Boost and 110mm are the same. I have seen this written both ways.

The fork damper is probably the most confusing part. The damper is the brain of the fork. It makes it go up and down, and how it interacts with external trail input. Most forks will have a rebound speed adjustment that allows you to control how fast the fork springs back up after compressed. Too fast and you feel like you are getting rattled off your bike. If it’s too slow it’s part of they way back on the second, third etc. bump causing you to bottom out on those hits. Forks in the next tier up will also have a lockout. The lockout will keep it firm for longer smoother climbs on riding on roads or fire roads. That knob will click going from open to closed to allow some fine tuning depending on where you are riding. Finally low speed and high speed compression adjustment will be on the nicest forks. If you are unsure how to set these, check with the bike manufacturer. Most have suspension setup guides on their websites. I will start there, and fine tune from there. I also keep a note in my phone with PSI, number of clicks from full open on my available adjustments, and number of tokens. It makes it easy to double check if something feels off, or set it back up after service.

The most important thing when buying a new fork, is to be sure it’s in the range your manufacturer recommends. Most will give you a range. One of my bikes has a range or 140 to 160. A fork anywhere in that range will work without adversely affecting the way the bike rides. If you can’t find that info listed anywhere reach out to the manufacturer. If you put on a fork that is too short or too long it can negatively affect the way it rides and it can void your warranty.

Did you miss some of the previous issues? Here are some of the most popular ones:

• MTB destination trip planner

• Trail Etiquette and Transmission review

• Dealing with changing trail conditions.

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