How should I choose a bicycle fork?

Your fork connects the front wheel to your bike via a steerer tube that goes through the bike's frame headset. The steerer tube connects to your handlebar and stem, and you can then control and steer your bike. Different types of bikes require different types of forks, so choosing the right fork for your bike is important. This buying guide is designed to help you do just that.

Road Bike Forks

Replacing your road bike fork can have a big impact on how your bike feels in terms of handling, weight and comfort.

What are the benefits of carbon fiber road bike forks?

Most aftermarket forks are made of carbon, a material known for being light and strong. Carbon fiber road bike forks also do a great job of reducing road hum, which contributes to comfort on long rides. So adding a carbon fork to a road bike is a great way to reduce the weight of the bike while improving comfort.

Full carbon road forks vs aluminium road forks

The full carbon road fork features a full carbon construction, including the steerer tube. These tend to be the lightest but most expensive road bike forks. If you cut the steerer tube yourself, be sure to use a suitable carbon cutting blade. Some forks have carbon fiber legs, but with aluminum steerer tubes, which provide almost the same performance as full carbon fiber, but with a slight increase in weight and lower cost.

Which fork size is right for me?

When shopping for a new road bike fork, check that the steerer tube and brake mounts are compatible with your current setup. Most modern bikes require either a tapered steerer tube (1.5" bottom, 1 1/8" top) or a straight 1 1/8" steerer tube. Older bikes may require a 1" steerer tube like a Raleigh 1" A-head and threaded fork.

Most road bikes come with caliper brakes, but disc brakes are also becoming more popular, for which you need a disc compatible fork.

Mountain Bike Forks

How should I choose a mountain bike fork?

Whether you need an MTB fork for trail racing or downhill gear, there are plenty of forks to choose from. If you want to keep things simple, a rigid MTB fork might be the answer, but most people opt for an MTB suspension fork for the extra comfort and performance. You need to choose the right fork for your bike based on how you ride and the steerer criteria your bike was designed with. It is usually best to replace with the same kind.

A frame that comes standard with a 100mm trail fork simply can’t handle the stress of a 160mm travel all-mountain or enduro fork. Plus, it can negatively affect your frame geometry and make the bike handle very poorly.

Coil and Air Springs

The fork provides suspension travel via air or coil springs. Coil springs provide predictable and smooth performance, but air springs have the advantage of being adjustable for rider weight. How much the fork compresses under your weight (called "sag") is important because it allows the fork to extend into the depression and absorb bumps. Being able to tune this is important for optimal performance. Air springs also tend to be lighter, which means they are the most common choice for anything but extreme downhill use.

What is a damper on a bike?

The damper is an important part of the fork, taking energy from the shock and controlling how it is released. Many manufacturers offer forks that look similar but with different dampers, with cost-effective and more expensive versions that offer different levels of performance.

What is a steerer tube and what are the standard sizes?

The steerer tube is the part of the fork that goes into the frame and gets clamped by your stem. Steerer tubes come in many different standards. Many older frames used straight 1.125” steerer tubes, but tapered steerer tubes have become more common in recent years from 1.125” on the stem end to 1.5” on the lower end. These provide more stiffness and strength, but Not compatible with old frameworks.

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