Gravel suspension forks have been around for a while now, and in that time have progressed from clunky reverse-engineered mountain bike forks to the more refined options available today. I have not taken mine off of my gravel bike in months, and I am starting to wonder if I ever will. At this point some would say that I should have just bought myself an old ‘90s hardtail, but that’s a lazy comparison that neglects the progress made in geometry, frame layups, and general componentry.
As they become more widely adopted, and as my love for them grows, I thought it a good time to explain what gravel suspension forks do that makes the ride better for me.
A quick definition: A gravel suspension fork is a short-travel fork, with 30-50 mm of travel (for now), and an axle-to-crown measurement more suitable for gravel bike geometry than mountain bikes. For the purposes of this article, I am referring to forks that use a telescoping system as opposed to a leaf spring, such as a Lauf, as they do not have the functionality to be rider-tuned.
Some history: I didn’t want to like them
My first gravel bike was the OG Specialized Diverge in 2014. It shipped with 32 mm Roubaix tires, tubes, and road gearing. I accepted the discomfort of 32 mm tires for a year, maybe I didn’t even find it uncomfortable. I must have punctured 100 times before moving to tubeless, paper-thin 38 mm tires, which was where I stayed for another few years before bikes changed and gravel tires grew.
I was happy on 45 mm tires for a good three years, sometimes even 40 mm in that period when I wanted to go fast, because that’s what we all believed was fast, right? I rejected the idea of ‘making my gravel bike look like a hardtail’ and was adamant I was comfortable enough. Eventually, though, I got out of my own way and ordered a RockShox Rudy to test. If memory is correct, I thought that I would prove myself right, that it’d be a waste of effort and weight and that I would remove it quickly and be able to say, ‘I told you so.' How wrong I was.
Against my wishes, I quickly fell in love with the way the fork encouraged me to ride, how hard I could push my bike and also how it reduced my body fatigue. Instead of quickly re-selling the Rudy as first assumed, I have instead bought a Fox 32 TC and Cane Creek Invert CS since, to test and understand. I love them all in their own way and cannot imagine not having one of these three at my disposal. Thankfully I am not in a position to have all three so I can’t confuse myself even further.
This is not a review of suspension options though, that is coming. Instead this is an article about why suspension forks make me happy, because that is what riding our bikes is meant to do.
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