Fork rake

[Jay Torborg]

I've got a frame that I'm planning to build up as a rain bike. The fork that came with the frame has a 45mm rake, but the fork I'd like to use is a 43mm. What will be the effect of using a shorter rake? I assume that this will increase the trail and therefore make the bike a bit more stable but less responsive. Is this true? Any other effects?

Thanks,
Jay

[Richard]

go to www.anvilbikes.com and you'll find a spreadsheet and discussion (short and understandable) about geometry, including rake and trail. The spreadsheet calculates trail or rake, depending on the inputs you make.