Recently I have been browsing suspension forks for a build I am working on (27.5" Hardtail). I have noticed that suspension brands, primarily RockShox and Fox, are phasing out the 27.5" suspension fork. I was curious what people think about that.
On one hand, with the recent popularity of the 27.5+" tires (I believe these necessitate the same or very close clearances to 29" tires), it makes sense the suspension manufacturers would try to slim down the line up to increase profit. However, when working on designing frames, the 27.5" forks have a shorter axel-crown measurement, which in my experience seems to allow for a steeper head tube angle.
I am also curious if you all are choosing 29" forks more regularly in order to give customers the 27.5+" tire option, or if you would prefer a regular 27.5" tire on the frames you design. Thanks for reading and I appreciate any responses!
I’ve seen no indication that RockShox are phasing out 27.5" forks.
Having a look now at what’s available and there are plenty of 27.5" options with travel from 80mm to 200mm across the range - Judy, Recon, Psylo, Reba, Domain, Pike, Lyrik, ZEB and even BOXXER.
And I don’t think that will change anytime soon as I can see updated models still under embargo with release dates well into 2025.
On second look, I notice it more with Fox than RockShox. I might have just been seeing past year’s models on sale, which probably had me feeding into that.
Fox’s factory series in 36+ diameter does seem a little light on the 27.5’s though.
I imagine this is a hot take, and im an outlier, but I honestly wouldn’t bat an eyelid if the 27.5" wheel size disappeared entirely.
I suppose I do remember very occasionally feeling limited when drawing a bike, by the fork length, and the length of steerer-taper giving me a minimum front end height (before stem/bar drop) . but so-far its never been enough for me to consider reducing the wheel size.