I just can't get behind this thought.
I can buy a second hand fork from almost any semi-recent bike and it'll fit in my bike. If I try and do the same on a dirt bike I'm fabricating something to make it fit (or I'm buying the fork, front brake, front wheel and still hoping that I can make it fit somehow). Dave mentioned this in the article and I agree that just cause it's bad in dirtbike land doesn't mean it has to be bad in mtb land but I'm saying it's not that bad in mtb land.
Yes things have changed over time, I also don't really appreciate the incremental improvement that's not really an improvement (2% stiffer bb interface?) but it's really not that bad with standards. A threaded bb fits a threaded bb, hub standards are still standards even if there is 8 of them, a tapered fork is a tapered fork for the most part. Some care is required when selecting parts but at least I can find what standard is used and ask for that part and be pretty confident that it'll fit.
Aug. 25, 2021, 9:54 a.m. - Greg_M
I just can't get behind this thought. I can buy a second hand fork from almost any semi-recent bike and it'll fit in my bike. If I try and do the same on a dirt bike I'm fabricating something to make it fit (or I'm buying the fork, front brake, front wheel and still hoping that I can make it fit somehow). Dave mentioned this in the article and I agree that just cause it's bad in dirtbike land doesn't mean it has to be bad in mtb land but I'm saying it's not that bad in mtb land. Yes things have changed over time, I also don't really appreciate the incremental improvement that's not really an improvement (2% stiffer bb interface?) but it's really not that bad with standards. A threaded bb fits a threaded bb, hub standards are still standards even if there is 8 of them, a tapered fork is a tapered fork for the most part. Some care is required when selecting parts but at least I can find what standard is used and ask for that part and be pretty confident that it'll fit.