Sup xbikerz,
Here’s the guy with the wild Trek gravel build rocking a suspension fork. The bike is almost finished — just a couple cosmetic details left. Took it out today for my first ride, about an hour, and honestly I’ve never had so much fun on a bike as with this one.
The riding position is super comfortable, just need a stem that’s 20mm shorter and it’ll be perfect. Handling is actually really interesting but works great — super tight turning circles are no problem at all.
Brakes are kind of a mix: mechanical rim brake in the back with a converter and hydraulic disc in the front. Surprisingly feels very safe, both brake points are dialed in together so you barely notice a difference.
Running 1×11, shifts smooth, perfect for nasty climbs but still fast enough downhill. Might go up 2 teeth on the front ring, but overall it’s spot on.
A lot of people doubted it would even work and told me it was a bad idea — I went ahead anyway and it was the best decision ever. It’s my first “crazy” build (before this I only built road bikes), and it was super fun. Almost all the parts are from AliExpress — I’ve worked with their stuff before so I’ve got zero concerns about quality.
All in all: super comfy ride, fast enough, nimble, and just pure fun because you can mash the pedals without worrying about breaking stuff like on full-carbon setups.
If you’re reading this and thinking about doing something a bit crazy — do it. It’s so worth it and it’s f***ing awesome!
by valek8
1 Comment
What’s the info on the suspension