Forks and finishing kit..

andyh01

Hey, I can't decide whether to get off the peg Ti frame something like an Enigma Escape full bike at £4k or get frame only at £1650 and custom spec, which for same groupset but upgraded wheels headset and forkswould be an extra £1200 ish so total £5200, depending on what finishing kit I go for.

If custom spec I was looking at the Enve forks but realised the max tyre with propriety guards is 35mm or 38mm without guards. Also seems to be post mount but will take IS hydro brakes. As I want a fork thats flat mount with 160 rota without need of adapters and can take guards, I also looked at the lauf grit gravel fork (will this take a guard?) - I don't like the look but I do like idea of suspension - Are either these forks worth it or am I best just sticking with the standard build spec and save the cash?

Likewise, I was going to go with Enve handlebars (mainly to match the fork) with chris king headsets, bottom bracket and hubs with handbuilt wheels, but am I just paying for the name or are they better quality then cheaper alternatives?

I guess I don't want cheap, poor quality £20 Alu stuff (bars, stems going on a £1600 frame yet whilst I like value for money , nor do I want spend £500 on a stem when a cheaper better alternative could be had and I wouldn't notice the difference.

How much should I be looking at spending on forks and finishing kit - any recommendations?

sloppyschleckonds

AndyH01 wrote:

I don't want cheap, poor quality £20 Alu stuff (bars, stems going on a £1600 frame yet whilst I like value for money ,

Why are £20 all bars poor quality?

And £1600 for a frame is about £1000 overpriced.

mfin

If you're plastering a bike in Enve stuff then you've got money to burn, which is not a problem, some people have plenty of money. If you don't already know that this Enve stuff will make no real tangible difference then you don't know a lot about bikes, if you did, you wouldn't be asking the questions.

As you know there is plenty of cheaper but still high end finishing kit from the likes of Deda, Zipp, 3T etc that will cost a lot less.

I'd say it doesn't look like you have much reasoning going on so just buy anything that takes your fancy.

paulmon

I've spent literally hundreds of pounds on finishing kit. Best bars I've used are the £30 aluminium ones that came on my Bianchi. If you can afford it fill your boots. Same goes for Chris King BB's complete waste of money. Shimano ones do the job just a well. If you want a fancy coloured one get a Hope one and buy British.

Grill

I don't understand why Enve forks are so damn expensive. They certainly don't ride better than those half the price...