It's interesting, from the perspective of descending, that WC DH racers are running up to 58mm offset on their 29'er DH bikes. Just in terms of riders for whom a couple hairs of a second actually matter/is noticeable.
Wheelbase is the new HTA and all, and DH bikes are looooong, which may also be why Pole (big WB) is 0FG about offset.
I've experimented with 46mm, 51mm, and 55mm on the same (hardtail) bike, with the same cockpit, and it makes a notable difference for the first five minutes of riding until I'm used to it and then I can point out where one is advantageous over the other in certain situations if I absolutely have to - but really whichever fork was the most recently serviced would be my first choice.
I'm with Clark Gable (PVD) on this one - front center, HTA, and wheelbase are way bigger factors.
June 18, 2018, 11 p.m. - Andrew Major
It's interesting, from the perspective of descending, that WC DH racers are running up to 58mm offset on their 29'er DH bikes. Just in terms of riders for whom a couple hairs of a second actually matter/is noticeable. Wheelbase is the new HTA and all, and DH bikes are looooong, which may also be why Pole (big WB) is 0FG about offset. I've experimented with 46mm, 51mm, and 55mm on the same (hardtail) bike, with the same cockpit, and it makes a notable difference for the first five minutes of riding until I'm used to it and then I can point out where one is advantageous over the other in certain situations if I absolutely have to - but really whichever fork was the most recently serviced would be my first choice. I'm with Clark Gable (PVD) on this one - front center, HTA, and wheelbase are way bigger factors.