Ride trails. Will tour. If that occasional overnight backpacking adventure appeals to you, the latest Tailfin Suspension Fork Mount (SFM) is designed to play nice with your suspension fork. The product people at Tailfin believe that the best touring bike you’ll ride, is the one you own. And for mountain bikers who need an occasional fork leg carry system, the SFM kit is ideal.

The best mountain bike forks are much larger in diameter than traditional steel gravel or adventure bike forks. Tailfin’s SFM clamps work with forks in the 30-36mm stanchion range, featuring a 38-45mm lower leg size.

Helium-filled luggage

Tailfin opens-up trail touring route options

The SFM clamps promise to carry water bottle cages or cargo on each side of the fork lowers.

“But what if I want to explore some singletrack or mild trail?” Well, that’s where the Tailfin clamp design proves its worth.

In comparative testing, the SFM clamps managed to keep their mounting tension at nearly three times the deflective force. That means you can roll down mild singletrack with your SFM mounts, loaded to 3kg, without having to worry about suffering a structural failure and have water bottles or overnight kit pinging into the ferns.

Not actually much wider than your pedals

Light and strong

A secure fork carry mount that resists slippage is crucial.

Having a water bottle twist and move into the rotational pathway of your spokes, can trigger wheel damage or a crash. The same principle applies to fork carry mounts that move and angle onto the stanchions, creating a scratch risk.

Tailfin is offering two versions of its SFM clamp system. You can go ultra-lightweight with the carbon clamps, which price at £50 and weigh 82g.

For nearly half the carbon clamp’s price, there is a more traditional steel SFM system, at £30. It weighs 128g and is without question the more appropriate choice if you are riding a steel hardtail.