You will find many different types of bicycle forks in the market. But the most significant 2 forks among them are tapered forks and non-tapered forks. If you look carefully, you will see that there are many differences between these two forks, including size, volume, height, weight & many more things.
In today’s complete article, you will know about different types of bicycle forks and the differences between these forks. As you may know, a bicycle fork is an important part of the entire bicycle, and every rider should have proper knowledge about this part. So for your convenience, I have brought today’s article, through which you can easily understand various important information related to this topic.
What Is A Bike Fork?
The fork is the long rod that connects the front wheel of a bicycle. The bike fork is calculated by how much mm it can drop. A fork is usually 100 mm, 120 mm, and 140 mm. There are several types of forks. And you know that- the front wheel is attached to the fork and keeps the suspension from jerking. Here are some fork types-
- Coil Fork: This fork has a spring inside it. As a result, when braking, the front end is lowered and helps to stop the bike quickly. Besides, the fork ups and downs itself on high and low roads to ensure a flat feel to the rider. And, this fork is 60 To 70% down by the mm written on it.
- Air Fork: This fork has also a spring inside it, but the air chamber ensures that it rises and falls. Its performance is twice that of a coil fork. As mm is written on it, mm e is down. And it works much smoother than coil forks but the fork needs to be aired every few months.
What Is A Tapered Fork On A Bike?
By definition, you can say that a bicycle fork with a straight steerer can never be a tapered fork. A bicycle’s tapered fork is manufactured to specifically fit the taper which is about a 1.5″ measurement i.e. according to this the tapered fork of the bicycle is measured.
One of the main advantages of having a bicycle’s tapered steerer tube is that its more conical shape is more resistant to bending from downward forces. Due to this, the fork becomes very stiff, especially the front and rear of the Tapered Fork. Looking at the tapered fork is designed to take on the purpose of fitting properly with the taper itself. These forks measure 1 to 1/8″ on the top and 1.5″ on the bottom.
Also, a tapered fork is a fork that allows for a smoother transition from the bicycle’s front steerer to the blade. It also offers a way to create a specially stiff front end to accomplish crisper handling.
Stiffness can be easily increased by using such tubes on the bicycle. The main reason is that a tapered tube can always be stiffer than a particular type of tube. So if you want to consider it, you’ll find several other significant advantages for it, besides being able to increase cornering accuracy and find ways to increase all kinds of feedback while riding.
What Is A Non-Tapered Fork On A Bike?
The fact that the bicycle column is straight and non-tapered means that it can easily be cut to any length you want to use on any height structure. Regardless of the length of the bike’s column, the column cap and side-by-side base will fit properly.
Most commonly, round-type columns are made of fiberglass, PVC type, and sometimes wood. Furthermore, you’ll notice that a non-tapered fork on a bicycle fits a specific type of standard 1″ to 1/8″ head tube. Additionally, this type of non-tapered fork fits properly on the top and bottom of the bicycle.
Differences Between Tapered And Non-Tapered Forks
- Non-tapered forks are a straight type of steerer tube, through which the original frame of the bike can be properly connected to the forks of the bicycle. They range from 1 to 1/8 inch in most cases, and in some cases up to 1.5 inches.
Taper forks, on the other hand, usually start at 1.5 gauge on the bottom and go from 1 to 1/8 on the top. It always offers greater stiffness with minimal weight gain. So you will find these types of bike forks mostly on mountain roads, downhill, and also on xc bikes for high-end travel.
- Non-tapered forks with EC 44 or 40 bottom assembly 1 can also be used on tapered forks with 1/8″ size bicycle head tubes with a 44 mm ID. Standard type non-tapered forks have the same diameter at the top and bottom. In most cases they were originally manufactured specifically for a 1″ steel bicycle steerer. They also have threaded headsets that allow the installation of standard type non-tapered forks.
Widespread adoption of integrated type headsets and threadless headsets has seen head tube diameters increase from size 1 to 1/8″ on the top and a lot on the bottom. From 2012 to 2013, tapered heads for bicycles were introduced. The mass of the tubes was taken, which was measured from 1 to 1/8″ towards the top and from 1 to 1/2″ along the same diameter. Also, a large tapered oversized fork can accommodate properly. That’s why every rider must use a proper and suitable tapered fork for the bicycle as the carbon steerer for the bicycle is glued to a lug when welded to the fork crown.
Advantages & Disadvantages Of A Tapered Head Tubes
👉 Benefits:
Tapered head tubes have many advantages. With so many advantages, riders constantly consider using this type of head tube on their bikes. Keeping the riders in mind, these types of head tubes keep coming into the cycle products market.
1. Bigger Headset Bearings
- Riders will get a much larger diameter with tapered head tubes as it allows the larger type of bearings to be installed more easily.
- One of the reasons that larger size bearings are associated with greater strength and tolerance is that the stress can be spread more evenly over a larger surface area. As a result, any headset with tapered head tubes can be expected to be more resilient. This property is one of the main reasons why tapered head tubes have won the market, especially in the MTB market.
2. Immobility & Stiffness
If the parameters, material, and thickness of the two tubes of the bicycle are very similar, then the tube with a larger diameter is more resistant to torsion. And so it’s kind of stronger, tougher. Thus a head tube of a stiffer material greatly reduces the cycle’s input lag and also tends to snap more of the front end. As a result, the bike becomes constantly more responsive.
3. Additional Choice
Tapered head tubes are becoming more standard by the day and are also becoming more widely varied.
When a cyclist selects the correct tapered head tube the user is “future-proofing” whatever setup they have. If, on the other hand, cyclists are going with a straight headtube, the number of high-end forks available is greatly reduced.
4. Stiffer and Vaster Downtube
As it can be seen that the lower part of the head tube of the bicycle is mostly connected to the down tube. That’s why tapered head tubes tend to allow larger downtubes to be installed perfectly. Due to this stiffness can be increased towards the entire frame.
👉 DRAWBACKS:
While you get a lot of advantages with tapered head tubes, you also get some disadvantages. Everything has some good sides as well as some bad sides. However, there are very few downsides to these types of head tubes. And, it is important for you to be aware of all those things.
1. Some Incompatibility
The switches and resulting forks you’ll find on tapered head tubes can often cause a variety of incompatibility issues. All these problems can be a bit worse for you.
The angle of these head tubes is greatly relaxed. On the front end, you’ll find it’s about 10 mm higher. One particular reason for this is that the cup of the adapter that is in the head tube sites mostly on the outer parts of the head tube. And, these changes can have a variety of adverse effects on bicycle geometry and riding performance.
2. Irrational Stiffness
For bicycles with rigid forks, a tapered system applies pressure to make the rides a little stiffer, which should be done a little harder.
Advantages & Disadvantages Of A Non-Tapered Head Tubes
👉 ADVANTAGES:
As a biker, you should know about the advantages of non-tapered head tubes.
1. T-Shape Structure
You will find the T-shape parts in the non-tapered head tube structure. Its manufacturing formula is made in a very unique way. Due to which this cyclists can complete their cycling very easily and also comfortably. This T-shape structure makes the non-tapered head tube a favorite among many riders.
2. Crystal Use
Crystals are mostly used in non-tapered head tubes. You may know that by using these, riders can easily complete their riding. Due to the use of these, one can experience a very comfortable feeling while riding.
3. Cylindrical Double-Clad
Riders will find a cylindrical double-clad to their liking in a non-tapered head tube. And thus, a cyclist can enjoy many benefits naturally.
👉 DISADVANTAGES:
Non-tapered head tubes have more disadvantages than advantages. That’s why very few riders use these types of head tubes. It is natural that everything will have good and bad sides. But it is also important that you know about the disadvantages of non-tapered head tubes.
1. Constraints Of Head Tubes Structure
Non-tapered head tubes have more structural limitations than most other heats and this is very noticeable to the riders. Because of these limitations, many riders are not properly comfortable using non-tapered head tubes.
2. Geometry Of Junction
One of the main disadvantages of non-tapered head tubes is junction geometry.
The geometry of these head tubes is considered too weak for different types of hard riding. So it is inevitable to encounter various reduced mechanical problems.
3. Loss Of Streaming
The use of non-tapered head tubes can lead to various types of streaming damage while cycling.
4. Shifting Issues
During cycling, the speed of the bike may need to be constantly shifted and this is a very important factor. But when tapered head tubes are used by a rider, various shifting problems are encountered which is never desirable.
5. Head Tubes Wall Thickness
These types of head tubes tend to have the same wall thickness as CT strings.
6. Thermal Complications
A particular problem with these types of head tubes is overheating.
If the head tubes of the bicycle overheat during cycling, the temperature can also rise towards the handlebars, which can make your cycling time worse.
Final Words
Throughout today’s complete article, I have tried to give you all the important and unknown information regarding Tapered forks and Non-Tapered Forks. Hope you have read today’s complete article very carefully. And, after reading the complete details of bicycle forks, besides reading the different types of forks, you can get proper knowledge about the differences.
In short, today’s article has specifically helped you to master all the important information about different types of bicycle forks. And, undoubtedly, that will help you a lot in your future cycling life.
