Am hoping to make some mods to my 2018 Jam2 Ltd that will speed up the steering, but don't want to order anything before getting some input from those more knowledgeable than me!
For reference the bike is a standard XL Jam2 with a 27.5 x 2.6 Minion DHF on the front, usually around 21psi. Rider weight is c.90kg.
The problems I'm having are;
If I ride with my weight a long way forward then things improve, especially in terms of grip, but it's not viable to ride like that all of the time. I also rarely ride DH at speeds that would take advantage of the bike's fairly long geometry, so would like to change to slightly quicker steering all round.
On motorbikes I would usually start with increasing rear ride height, but this obviously isn't an option on the JAM2, so I'm looking at fork offsets to start with but open to any and all suggestions.
ETA: I'm currently looking at the RockShox 35 Gold as a possible option to try (not too pricey, fair bit beefier than the Recon RL), but the offset question remains puzzling, despite/because of this article by Worldwide Cyclery... Increasing offset decrease trail but " While a slack headtube increases stability, along with longer reach, you start to lose that front end feel and thus, losing traction. By reducing the forks offset, you are bringing the wheel back under the mass of the body, helping keep that traction, while still having a longer wheelbase and slack head tube angle."
I get that in terms of gut feel, but my mind keeps telling me that the increase in trail can only result in floppier steering. Officially confused!
For reference the bike is a standard XL Jam2 with a 27.5 x 2.6 Minion DHF on the front, usually around 21psi. Rider weight is c.90kg.
The problems I'm having are;
- the front tyre really wants to wash out when cornering on looser surfaces
- it also has a distinct desire to flop to either side on turn in
- I'm getting juddering on the front under hard braking, as if the Recon RL's 32mm stanchions really aren't up to the job
- the steering is slower than I would like, although not by a huge margin.
If I ride with my weight a long way forward then things improve, especially in terms of grip, but it's not viable to ride like that all of the time. I also rarely ride DH at speeds that would take advantage of the bike's fairly long geometry, so would like to change to slightly quicker steering all round.
On motorbikes I would usually start with increasing rear ride height, but this obviously isn't an option on the JAM2, so I'm looking at fork offsets to start with but open to any and all suggestions.
ETA: I'm currently looking at the RockShox 35 Gold as a possible option to try (not too pricey, fair bit beefier than the Recon RL), but the offset question remains puzzling, despite/because of this article by Worldwide Cyclery... Increasing offset decrease trail but " While a slack headtube increases stability, along with longer reach, you start to lose that front end feel and thus, losing traction. By reducing the forks offset, you are bringing the wheel back under the mass of the body, helping keep that traction, while still having a longer wheelbase and slack head tube angle."
I get that in terms of gut feel, but my mind keeps telling me that the increase in trail can only result in floppier steering. Officially confused!
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