1991 Salsa Ala Carte with suspension forks, right or wrong ?

[richardpaulbaker]

I've posted my old Ala Carte on here a few times now and generally the restored version has been greeted with very complimentory comments. But a few folks have made comment about the fact that I'm running it with sus forks ( I've had them on since 1997) and that the geometry is 'messed up'. Sure it's not how the frame was originally designed but it's worked great for me for all those years. I'm running Rock Shox Judy Xcs 1997. The Bontrager Comps that came with it were around 395mm axle to crown and the RS Judys are 420mm, so allowing for 10mm sag when you are actually riding the bike there's only approx 15mm difference. I've got a shorter ( 100mm) stem on there and it's still a very quick handling bike, and a bit better behaved on the downhills than it was originally. I'm just wondering if anyone else has tried this kind of set up on an old frame and what they thought of it?

 

[Tazio]

If it feels good to you that's all that counts. It isn't as if you are going for crazy long forks that could damage the headtube.

 

[Barneyballbags]

Re: 1991 Salsa Ala Carte with suspension forks, right or wro

Sure it's not how the frame was originally designed but it's worked great for me for all those years.

Surely that's all that matters. Sod what anyone else thinks. They're not the ones riding it, are they?

Far too many people on this forum worry about what everyone else might think of their bike, and lose sight of the fact that they're building it for themselves and not for other Retrobikers! Just saying.

 

[drcarlos]

Not in the class of the Salsa but I run Manitou 2's on my Muddyfox Sorcerer Mega, which is also 1991. I also use a shorter stem with a bit of extra rise.
Out of my 2 retro bikes it's my favourite ride. I'm old and need a bit of comfort and i'm even considering some sus forks for my pathfinder which is 1989 as I am getting numb and tingling little fingers after riding it.

Carl.

 

[richardpaulbaker]

Hi guys, thanks for the support. Over the years my Ala Carte has had many different forks on it. Starting with the Bontrager Comps that came with it ( they were ace ), then Rock Shox Mag 21s ( the seals on those blew every 5 mins), Manitou 1s ( only about an inch of travel and the elastomers degraded to useless eventually!) ,1997 RS Judy Xcs 60mm, 2002 RS Judy XC Air Assist ( these were too long- a mistake, but not for long !) The RS Judy XC 1997s went back on and they seem to work great.
The thing about it is it's a classic and very robust frame which has seen constant use since 91. The winds of change in the world of mountain bike design have blown this way and that over the years, but one thing remains. The design of the Ala Carte remains classic and industry defining. 15mm fork length difference can easily be accomodated by an excellent handling frameset and a couple of other adjustments like stem length and saddle position. Doubters should try it instead of just saying the old " Oh you've messed up the geometry there mate" without ever even riding the bike in question..................................................