To boost or not to boost?

SSmtbr

Well-Known Member
Been riding rigid a ton this year but needing to take the edge off a little from rocky north Jersey trails as I'm starting to develop some elbow and hand/wrist pain, I'm back again in the market for a suspension fork (or a Lauf - pro deal!) and have to decide between boost and non-boosted forks. My frame is a Specialized Crave with a 135mm rear and a 9mm QR front rigid fork. For the front, I have a Stan's 3.30 hub that can convert between 9mm and 15mm and even has a boost conversion kit available.

I am a late adopter to bike tech and after reading up on boost, I understand the concept but is it worth it for this setup? There are a few forks, partial kidding about the Lauf aside, that I can get a fairly good deal on but they come in 110mm spacing.

Would it be worth it to rebuild the front hub with boost spacing and be "future-proof" in the meantime and enjoy allllll the benefits and maybe save a few bucks after it's all said and done? What about just buying a conversion kit for the 3.30 and get the new fork but knowing that I won't get the "benefits" of boost and save more $$$? Or just give up the idea of boosted forks for now and work with the current standards I've got and spend a bit more $$ on a standard 100mm? I'm realistically about a year and a half to 2 years away from my next frame/bike purchase so will boost be around by then or be in the process of being phased out by something else?
 

shrpshtr325

Infinite Source of Sarcasm
Team MTBNJ Halter's
nah N/A is better . . .



o wait, not what you meant,

if it were me, i would take the simplest route (i never have any good experience with conversion kits) and buy a fork that fits the existing wheel. OR buy a new wheel to go with the fork with the boost spacing.
 

Ryan.P

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Boost forks will be quit a bit more dollars and with a 135 rear just get a 15x100 fork on the cheap . Using a boost fork with adaptors will gain zero advantage so save some cash
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
IMHO, going from QR9 to TA15 will be more of an improvement. If your existing wheel can be upgraded, I'd go that route due to the lesser expense.

Boost is kinda tough, because most bikes that have those forks also have Boost rears as well. Worry about that when you get around to buying a new bike. By then, some other new "standard" will appear... :confused:
 
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