State Bicycle Co. Monster Fork v2 - Final Word

 Note: State Bicycle Co sent over their Monster Fork v2 for test and review at Guitar Ted Productions at no cost. Guitar Ted is not being bribed, nor paid,for this review and all opinions are his own. 

The State Bicycle Co. Monster Fork V2 has been ridden in various terrain and set ups now so it is time to give you all my final word on this carbon fiber fork for gravel/bikepacking uses. 

In case you haven't seen the previous update on this review, you should probably check that out as there will be numerous references to that post. You can find that update by clicking HERE. 

The Longer Offset Ride Quality: So, what does the longer offset do to the ride? I kept the wheel and tire exactly the same as I had it in the shorter offset setting so there would be less variables. One thing that moving the drop out chips does is that in the longer offset setting, the fork axle to crown increases. Not by a lot, but it does, and this affects the head angle, amongst other things, so the overall trail of the front end geometry was increased. This had the effect of very slightly making my bike more stable. I had to try a few things to make sure I was actually feeling this correctly because the trail wasn't all that different than before, but there it was. A very slight difference maker, to be sure.

As I've stated before though, this feeling goes away quickly as we adapt to these minute changes in handling. So, in my opinion, the longer axle to crown is more notable for making the fork into a slightly longer lever which forces can act upon which translates into a slightly smoother ride. This and being able to slot in a larger tire, if desired, are the "big deals" about the offset differences, not the almost imperceptible handling changes.

The Monster Fork v2 with its three-bolt accessory mounts makes my bike more versatile.

I tried the accessory mounts out by using two bottle cages and adding two water bottles. This extends the versatility of this particular bike which did not have these mounts on its original fork. In certain cases this would allow me to go further self-supported than I could previously. Obviously, if you wanted to, one could attach racks to hold cargo as well, making a bike into a bikepacking capable bicycle, where before it may have been limited like my Noble GX5 here. 

Clearance with a 700 X 50mm Cazadero on a i23 rim.

The added weight doesn't seem to really affect handling, that is, unless you are adding something heavier to those mounts, like a full canister of food or a larger Nalgene type bottle. With the capability to handle a claimed 55lbs maximum, you might feel a bit of steering inertia if you try weighing the fork down that much, but any fork would have this issue with a heavy load. 

I did try some different tires on a inside rim width of 23mm and found that I could actually fit a 29" X 2.3" tire with plenty of clearance. For fun, I measured the head angle with the big 29"er tire and it came out at just a shade under 69°.

Final Word: The Monster Fork v2 is a capable, versatile fork with a unique 'flip-chip' drop out that affords the rider a choice to have larger tires or just a longer fork for a different ride feel. The accessory mounting points are a welcome addition to a bicycle that may have not had those included in the original fork design. It could be a fork that takes a bike that wasn't all that capable in stock form and open some new doors to different uses.

While I like tweaking things like geometry, there may be some reasons why you would not want this in a fork. Anytime you take the beautiful simplicity of something on a bicycle and introduce something a bit more complicated, there are compromises. I feel that this is what the drop out design on the Monster Fork v2 has done here. I had experienced difficulties with wheel installation and removal with one hub brand and none with two other brands. That sort of thing typically does not happen with a traditional dropout design. 

Clearance with 29" X 2.3" Ehline on i23 rim.

The chips also can be set into their carbon fiber molded pockets a bit askew, or not tightened down enough, which can cause issues with wheel installation and removal. This can also cause a vague feeling when tightening the through axle as well. 

The ride feel and handling in both offset settings is perfectly acceptable. You may note a change in certain aspects of your bike when you switch the offset, as the change in axle to crown height does affect several things about a bicycle. Once you understand these things it really is not a big deal to address these issues. 

I give the Monster Fork v2 a passing grade, but it could be that the aluminum chips will cause issues either with a current wheel set a rider owns or with wear of those parts over time. My feeling is most riders will choose an offset setting and never look back again. In that case the chips may not be a big deal. The asking price for the Monster Fork v2 is more than reasonable for the features set, but it depends on whether or not those features are attractive to you and applicable to your riding style/needs. 

This is why I give this fork a passing grade, because it does what it says it should do, but with the added complexity and niche feature of a changeable offset, it is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Check it out if you have a bike that came with a plain fork that you want to add a dash of changeability to and a whole lot of versatility to. The Monster Fork v2 may just open a few doors that were closed before.