Q: More and more forks seem to be coming with 20mm bolt thru axles, or with the option of having them, but are they worth the extra hassle, cost and weight? >
Cam Tullio, Modena >
A: It depends how hard you ride really. Depending on fork model a 20mm axle adds about 20-30% to steering stiffness, as well as increasing overall wheel security massively. You'll really notice this when trying to turn up off camber corners, holding a straight line through diagonal rooty/ rocky sections or generally trying to force your bike where it doesn't naturally want to go.
>The downsides are that it takes longer to get the axle out on an old skool bolted design. RockShox Maxle and the Marzocchi equivalent are no slower than a conventional QR though. If you factor in the weight of the QR skewer they replace bolt thru forks aren't noticeably heavier either. But they can cost more and you'll need a 20mm compatible front hub to go with them.
