Dorky Thorpy Blog: Thorn Mt Tura Forks Review

Friday 12 August 2011

Thorn Mt Tura Forks Review

It has been 9 years since I purchased these forks and they have been the cornerstone of my main bike ever since. I wanted a relaxed upright ride, for general everyday use, going to the shops, post office, bank, also the occasional gravel / road based journey for scenic & fitness purposes.

My Omni-Bike

They do this of course but they are a great fork off road, can take some of the widest 26" (559) tires on the market WITH mudguards, and have attachment points for everything.

Just About Fit a 2.35" or 2.4" tire.

If you would like very high handlebars on a standard MTB frame, there are only a few other contenders that will get close such as the Salsa Firestarter Steel Fork. For a rack I would recommend a Bor Yueh 201.

These Mount Tura forks open up all sorts of possibilities for ride posture as they have such a long steerer tube, its 400mm long, I used the whole length, and I am assured by thorn cycles that it is safe to do this. I went for a 2 hour ride yesterday and the forks seem to be very rigid, and there is no negative impacts that result from using an extra long steerer*. In fact when nipping over rough ground the extra height gives you a wider angle of vision, and makes plotting a route a fair bit easier, it is also easier to dab a foot out when riding upright.

The forks have loads of screw / bolt holes for just about everything you could think of, more than I will ever use, and the rear facing v-brake mounts make them look a bit different.

One slight negative point was that the v-brake mounting bolts were a little difficult to screw in, however using an "in a bit - out a bit" apprach and a can of WD40, the threads were soon loosened up, and after the copper grease they were as sweet a s a nut.

Mt Tura Forks Review - Update 23rd November 2015

I have been using these forks for a number of years now and they are the corner stone of my whole bike. They give an upright ride when using a normal frame, and that is 100% why I bought them. I have purchased 2 other Thorn forks (sherpa / raven forks) for other bikes, but these are still my favorite.

I run these at present with Big Apple Tyres mounted on EX325 Rims, and there is just enough clearance to do this. But I say just.

I have mounted a full rack of these, and 3 different types of mudguard. They are very versatile.

*About the only negative I can see, and this is guess work on my part. Is that they may put extra pressure on headsets, when used with the full length of steerer. Perhaps because of added leverage or perhaps because you have to tighten up the bearing a lot to removed slack from the large stack of spacers required. I have split cages on 2 CHEAP headsets over the last few years. These are <£10 headsets so please draw your own conclusion. I fixed this by hammering an seat post inside the steerer, fixed with metal specific epoxy (been riding on that repair for 4 years).

Damage to Steerer when using cheap headset.

I am very frustrated when I buy a frame or a fork, and it does not have fixings for racks or mudguards etc. They are hard to retrofit. You will never want for more fastening points than are available on this Mt Tura Fork. There are 8 altogether. My favorite being the crown mudguard mount which bolts in line with the stem from underneath.

Fitted with Marathon Mondials (26 x 2.15)