Telescopic fork: All suspension forks that operate by tubes sliding
inside other tubes
Telescopic
fork: All
suspension forks that operate by tubes sliding inside other tubes.
Steerer tube: The center tube of a fork that rotates on the headset
bearings inside the frame’s head tube.
Fork legs: The two upper members of the fork that connect to the crown
(also called the stanchion tubes).
Fork crown: The bridge that connects the steerer tube to the legs.
Tripleclamp: A motorcycle term that refers to the fork crown “clamping”
the two legs and the steerer tube together.
Dual-crown fork: Also called “double, tripleclamp fork” uses a pair of
crowns; one above the head tube and the other below to support the fork legs.
Through-axle: A large-diameter axle that either threads or clamps
directly onto the fork lowers for extra rigidity.
Fork seal: A plastic insert that grips a sliding surface to prevent air,
crud, or fluids from migrating from one area of the fork to another.
Dust wipers: Looks like a fork seal, but functions primarily to prevent
abrasive material from entering the fork.
Fork boot: Either a corrugated tube or a cap that covers the sliding
surface of a fork leg to prevent abrasive particles from entering the fork.
Air fork: Generally refers to a suspension fork that uses compressed air
as its main spring in lieu of a coil spring.
Spring fork: Uses one or more coiled steel springs to suspend the fork.
Damper: Any type of friction device used to control the rebound forces
of the fork spring. Most forks have hydraulic dampers that force
light-viscosity mineral oil through various restrictor circuits to create
damping forces.
Washer stack: A number of wafer-thin, flexible steel washers used to
restrict the primary flow of fluid through a hydraulic damper.
Damping clickers: External knobs used to control the flow of fluid
through the fork’s damper. Clickers are used to set the fork’s low-speed
damping.
Fork arch: A bridge that connects the right and left sliders of a
telescopic fork to increase its torsional stiffness.
Spring preload: An adjustment that pre-compresses a fork’s coil-type
main spring. Preload is used to preset the exact amount that a fork will settle
under the weight of its rider.
Lockout: An external device that prevents fluid from flowing from one
side of the damper to another, and thus prevents the fork from moving.
Sliders (The fork lowers): The part of the fork that is attached to the front
axle—generally refers to the castings that telescope over the legs of a
conventional fork.
Inverted fork (Upside-down fork): a design developed for motorcycles
that uses large-diameter legs for added stiffness. The smaller-diameter lower
tubes telescope into the uppers. E.G. Marzocchi Shiver
Negative spring: A short-travel air or coil spring that works in the
opposite direction of the main spring to soften the first part of the fork’s
travel.
Oil-bath damper: A hydraulic damping cartridge that is immersed in shock
fluid. The cartridge draws and vents into the surrounding fluid “bath” as it
cycles.
Cartridge damper: A sealed hydraulic damper that is contained within a
fork.
Stroke (Same as fork travel): The entire distance that a fork compresses.
Fork sag: The distance that the fork settles into its stroke under the
weight of the rider and bicycle (same as “ride height”).
