got to wondering...Is there something about inverted forks that would prevent fork boots on the bottom of the fork tubes and neccesitate they use of the plastic guards. Or are the guards just preferred since the inner tubes are more susseptable to damage at the lower position?

 

Or are the guards just preferred since the inner tubes are more susseptable to damage at the lower position?

Yep........

 

im not an expert but this is how i see it

boot are old school tech, used on conventional forks.
guards are new school, used on usd forks.

if you want the all around dirt protection of a boot, look at seal savers.

 

from the mountain bike community(where I have spent many years) the consensus is this:

if you get any dirt in your fork boots, it will scratch the stanchion tube and prevent seal(or even eat up the bushings) the good modern wipers clean all the gunk off the stanchion before going into the seal, eliminating this problem.

it is considered a bad idea to put any kind of boot or neoprene cover on a fork designed not to have them as it can trap dirt and do damage to the stanchion.

-Owen

 

Uhhhhh one word....FUGLY!

 

I was thinking dorky, but all go +1 to Deejs' FUGLY

 

I was going to say that the 70's called and they want their fork boots back, but my wife's 2006 XT 225 has them sooooooo......LOL

 

I'd much rather have plastic guards than boots. Just a cosmetic-based opinion, though.

 

 

Wanna scientific reason?

The travel to slider ratio is way different.

Upside down forks leave very little of the slider exposed when fully compressed. So where's the boot gonna fit?

With regular forks the slider goes all the way up to the triples.
plenty of room.

Maybe,