We recommend choosing a fork made from 4130 CrMo steel because it's a reliable and proven material used by all the leading brands in the market.
For budget BMX forks, at least the steerer tube should be made of CR-MO steel, which is the most susceptible to bending.
It's good if the dropouts of the fork are CNC machined. The junction between the legs of the fork is typically either conventionally welded or made using the investment-cast technology.
The thickness of the dropouts can vary between manufacturers. We recommend wider dropouts for street riders who use pegs and narrower ones for park or dirt riders, where weight is more critical.
We also recommend choosing a fork for a 10mm front hub axle, which is the current standard. Older forks used larger dropouts for 14mm hub axles.
The top bolt is the upper screw that secures the fork to the stem and, therefore, to the headset and the frame. The top bolt should be firm and always tightened. However, you should not fully tighten the top bolt; leave some play to allow smooth movement of the headset and handlebars.
In older forks, a classic 'quill' was used, inserted into the fork steerer tube, which would spread and tighten against the top cap when screwed in with a bolt.
For Freestyle BMX forks, the current standard is aluminum top bolts. The fork has threads into which the top bolt is screwed. There are different types of top bolts, and each fork brand may have a different size and thread type for the top bolt. For example, M24 24 x 1.5mm.
Fork offset is also an important factor to consider when making a choice. Offset refers to how far the wheel is positioned forward in relation to the fork legs.
Offset 15mm - 25mm
For street riding, we recommend a shorter offset between 15mm and 25mm. A shorter offset makes the bike shorter and, therefore, more agile, which is helpful for tricks like a 'nose manual.' Steering is more responsive with a shorter offset, making it suitable for lower speeds.
Offset 25mm - 35mm
For park and dirt riding, a larger offset between 25mm and 35mm is a good choice. A longer offset provides stability at higher speeds and during aerial maneuvers.
Miki is going hard, but this time it came with a price – a broken ankle after a crash in Munich. That’s BMX life....
