Which carbon 29er fork?

[stephenmarklay]

I see options from Ritchey, Enve, Niner, Salsa etc but I have no experience with them.

Does anyone have an experience as to what to look for? This is for my Salsa El Mariachi. I do need to be able to run at least a 2.4 with it.

I would like one that I can actually mountain bike with. Nothing extreme but mountain bike nonetheless.

[SlowPokePete]

I've had a few Niner's, and currently have one, have had no problems, pretty sure a 2.4 will fit.

First two were straight steerer, current is tapered, all QR's ...

Can't comment on the others, but I've put a lot of miles on all of the ones I've had a Northeast rocks and roots technical trails (Blue Mountain, graham hills are the locals...) with only good things to say.

SPP

[bmeryman]

Any of them will certainly be mountain bike capable. I've used a bunch of them and here are my thoughts:

Salsa - Nice fork. The Firestarter Carbon comes with anything cage mounts which might be handy depending on your needs. (Note that not all of them have in the past, so check to make sure it does have the mounts if that's important).

Niner - I'm not sure if it's still true, but I believe the Niner is the lightest rigid mtb fork/thru axle available at the moment from a reputable brand that'll actually stand up to serious mountain biking.

Enve - This is a wicked good fork. Like most things they've done, it's excellent and fairly lightweight. Expensive too. Plus it's got that rad (removable) fender integrated.

Ritchey - This one's a bit frustrating. When I was looking I didn't see an option for a thru axle which was important to me. So I haven't ridden one. But it's a good weight and I like the box crown look. Which leads me to:

MRP - Their Rock Solid is the fork that I ended up with. I've got an All City Log Lady and I wanted to make it a touch lighter while preserving the box crown fork so it was either Ritchey or MRP. I ended up having Hot Tubes color match the fork for me.

Any of them will be good options. Certain options are cheaper and/or heavier, but they should all be able to clear a 2.4. Regarding weight, axle-crown, axle compatibility, and tire clearance though, it's best to check with the manufacturer. It seems like the options have been changing a little bit, and certain length/axle combinations are no longer available. Have fun with whatever you end up on though; they're all rad in their own way!

http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/ae263/maximumunicorn/IMG_0496_zpsoeiyukgz.jpg (http://s978.photobucket.com/user/maximumunicorn/media/IMG_0496_zpsoeiyukgz.jpg.html)

[JAGI410]

Whisky

[eBAUMANN]

Whisky

Id also suggest looking into whisky...quality product, nice shape, fairly priced.

[peanutgallery]

Why rigid?

Get a Reba with a lockout for around the same $. Life will be infinitely better

[stephenmarklay]

Why rigid?

Get a Reba with a lockout for around the same $. Life will be infinitely better

I have a lockout but the lockout is not truly lockout. I would also like to upgrade the bike as far as weight. It is a 30 pound bike and I would like it to be 25. Although, that would be an upgrade fork and perhaps truly locks.

[Burning Pines]

I have a niner fork on my Salsa and it does a good job attaching the front wheel to the frame and it isn't broken yet. It is light for sure and could probably clear 29+. I use a 2.4 ardent with plenty of room

If I were buying new I'd probably get whatever's most reasonably priced and has the Geo and axle system/spacing I needed. Does ninety still even make the 29er fork? I only see the cross/gravel one on their website now.

[weisan]

Personally...again, I stress "personally", I have no problem buying this thing, ymmv.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/232352711568

[stephenmarklay]

Personally...again, I stress "personally", I have no problem buying this thing, ymmv.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/232352711568

Most people are like me, motivated by fear of loss more than they are of potential gains. In this case I am motivated to look elsewhere due to fear of loss of my teeth :D

[ColonelJLloyd]

I have been impressed with my Whisky No. 9. 15x100, tapered and fits a true 3" tire.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4207/34585759773_a4eaf72d2a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/UGe4qZ)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/UGe4qZ) by ColonelJLloyd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/51002114@N03/), on Flickr

[stephenmarklay]

I have been impressed with my Whisky No. 9. 15x100, tapered and fits a true 3" tire.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4207/34585759773_a4eaf72d2a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/UGe4qZ)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/UGe4qZ) by ColonelJLloyd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/51002114@N03/), on Flickr

Nice!

How does that big tire mesh with the smaller rear?

[ColonelJLloyd]

I'm new to MTBs so I simply don't have the riding experience to comment with any real value. To me I don't notice anything negative from mixing the two sizes (that's a 29x2.35 on the rear). However, while the front wheel rolls over stuff in remarkable fashion I do feel like I'd gain better handling with a 27.5x3.0-3.2 tire. I've ordered a Flow Mk3 rim to match the rear and will build up a second front wheel with a 27.5 Scraper or similar for variety.

[weisan]

Most people are like me, motivated by fear of loss more than they are of potential gains. In this case I am motivated to look elsewhere due to fear of loss of my teeth :D

Nah...that's the kind of myths and misconceptions we keep pushing around to one another. Eg. Buy a new car.

:D

[stephenmarklay]

I'm new to MTBs so I simply don't have the riding experience to comment with any real value. To me I don't notice anything negative from mixing the two sizes (that's a 29x2.35 on the rear). However, while the front wheel rolls over stuff in remarkable fashion I do feel like I'd gain better handling with a 27.5x3.0-3.2 tire. I've ordered a Flow Mk3 rim to match the rear and will build up a second front wheel with a 27.5 Scraper or similar for variety.

My Salsa was not designed for 27.5+ but I have read some folks doing it and enjoying it. I the they had a 2.8 rear and 3.0 front. I would love to try that.