Converting a bikeE FX to 20" front wheels

The original fork on my 2000 bikeE FX was starting to show some wear, and since I use the bike exclusively on the trail I was interested in trying out a 20" front wheel which might handle the rocks, roots, and ruts better. Getting it together was a lot more work than I expected, but it works and definitely handles the trail better.


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Bike with new fork, new 20" wheel
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Bike with new fork, old 16" wheel
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I had to bend the left crank to gain an extra 0.5" of clearance
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The right crank also needed to be bent, but not as much.
This conversion is not for the faint of heart, since several mods were required to get it together. Here's what I did:

So, how does it ride? Pretty well, actually. Here's the bad: And the good: So, I'm happy with the change, but my needs are pretty specialized. I think the 20" front wheel is probably a reasonable change, especially for anybody already used to how a bikeE handles. But I don't recommend a wide-crowned suspension fork like this unless you're ready to face the risks of bending the cranks by yourself.