Advice needed - steel fork or carbon fork for new hybrid bike?

Tawse57

First time poster, long time lurker, so please be gentle with me folks.

I am looking for a new flat-bar hybrid for a mix of 5 - 7 miles each way commuting and also for longer trips. I am mainly wondering about whether I should stay with steel/aluminium forks, as my current Specialized hybrid is, or whether I should be considering opting for carbon forks.

Two bikes I have in mind at the moment are the Marin Fairfax SC2 with a steel fork and the Cannondale Quick 4 with carbon forks. Both have rim brakes.

Let me give you a bit of a background about where I will be cycling.

I will be cycling mostly around the Swansea Bay area - this will include mainly tarmac / concrete cycle paths in parks, along the sea-front cycle-path around the bay and through the city streets.

There is a good cycle network in this area with the council often dropping the kerbs at junctions - but there is still always a small kerb with a height of about 1/2 inch to 1 inch. I currently tend to just cycle over most of these lowered kerbs, occasionally having to lift my forks for those lowered kerbs which are still higher than most.

I have lots of hills. I cycle down hills each day, either through parks on tarmac / concrete paths or down tarmac / concrete cycle paths next to roads. I also, naturally, cycle on roads. Likewise, I have to then return up the hills every time. Some of the hills are steep. Many of them are long, slow climbs.

I cycle in all weathers - rain, sun, sleet and the gale force winds that blow around Swansea Bay sea-front. The sea-front in winter often has large areas of sand - little sand-banks - blown up from the beach onto the cycle path. The wind can blow in all directions.

But the area I cycle also has lots of paths which are sinder / gravel paths as well as pathways, such as on the Llanelli cycle path going into Pembrey, where the path is made either from tiny bits of fine / sharp gravel or worn away grass where earth, roots and stones are on the path. Currently I have no qualms about going on these slightly off-road paths with my current hybrid as I know the forks can take the knocks. I enjoy throwing my hybrid around if I can.

So I am wondering whether a carbon forked bike would be able to cope with all of the above??? Or should I stick with a steel fork? That's my main question and for which I am mainly seeking advice.

I will be putting a pannier rack on the rear. Because I go up and down hills I would like as little weight as possible but I also need the bike to stand up to my needs.

I am considering rim brakes rather than discs because of the blowing / settling sand on the Swansea sea-front cycle - I am concerned that the sand would just gunk up the disc brakes and/or I would just go through disc pads super fast as the sand gets between the pads and sand blasts them away. I notice that virtually all the other regular commuters - many of whom are serious weekend racers or MTBers - have rim brakes on their commuting bikes also.

I don't want a road bike. I don't want to be bent over the handle-bars.

My current hybrid has 38c Schwalbe eco-Marathons. The Marin Fairfax has 32c and the Cannondale Quick 4 has 30c.

That's about it. Apologies for writing such a long-winded rant. If you have read this far thanks.

Oh, one last point. I need this to be a bike that I feel at ease leaving secured outside the same shops where I leave my current Specialized hybrid. Hence the Marin Fairfax is considered as, apart from looking like it will suit, is something that I can buy in the mid-£300 range. It does not stand out either, being grey / silver.

The Cannodale is something that I can get for around £500. But comes in bright lime green and I fear it attracting too much attention.

So, over to you gurus for helpful advice please.

Thanks,


T.

CitizenLee

Most CX and gravel bikes come with carbon forks these days, which will be more than capable of handling the terrain you've described. Tyre size/pressure makes a difference too

Tawse57

CitizenLee wrote:

Most CX and gravel bikes come with carbon forks these days, which will be more than capable of handling the terrain you've described. Tyre size/pressure makes a difference too

Thanks for replying.

I had considered a CX bike but they seemed to be priced well above what I wish to pay.

I would not wish to have a £350 bike stolen but I would cry if a £1,000 CX bike was stolen. The CX's I have seen in my two local bike stores seem to start around the £1,000 mark and go upwards.

CitizenLee

Sorry I should have been more clear - it was more to highlight the fact that carbon forks can handle a bit of rough, rather than to suggest a CX bike.

Put the bike on your house insurance (check they cover it when away from home) and buy a good lock for when out and about

Tawse57

CitizenLee wrote:

Sorry I should have been more clear - it was more to highlight the fact that carbon forks can handle a bit of rough, rather than to suggest a CX bike.

Put the bike on your house insurance (check they cover it when away from home) and buy a good lock for when out and about

Ah, I see now. Yes, that is a good point.

Wouldn't a CX carbon fork be significantly stronger than one on a hybrid though - a hybrid carbon fork just not meant to do anything other than tarmac roads?

Just trying to get this clear in my own mind.

Thanks.

CitizenLee

I wouldn't have thought there's much difference between them strength wise, certainly not until you get up to the high end/pro level bikes. Hybrids are basically light MTBs with 700c wheels and are meant for use on the road as well as tow paths, forest tracks etc, so along with being light a carbon fork will help dampen some of the buzz.

I was actually considering a Cannondale Quick Disc 2 hybrid recently which has a carbon fork, and a lot of the product photos of it are off road...

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6X2U8gRy9yA/maxresdefault.jpg

Go carbon

Bottom briquettes

Carbon fibre can be up to 8 or 10 times stronger than steel. A carbon fork will generally be lighter as well.

https://www.quora.com/How-much-lighter- ... nger-is-it

This compares some high strength versions of Aluminium, steel, and Carbon fibre.

Tawse57

CitizenLee wrote:

I wouldn't have thought there's much difference between them strength wise, certainly not until you get up to the high end/pro level bikes. Hybrids are basically light MTBs with 700c wheels and are meant for use on the road as well as tow paths, forest tracks etc, so along with being light a carbon fork will help dampen some of the buzz.

I was actually considering a Cannondale Quick Disc 2 hybrid recently which has a carbon fork, and a lot of the product photos of it are off road...

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6X2U8gRy9yA/maxresdefault.jpg

Go carbon

Thanks again. Much appreciated. You have really helped.

Tawse57

Bottom briquettes wrote:

Carbon fibre can be up to 8 or 10 times stronger than steel. A carbon fork will generally be lighter as well.

https://www.quora.com/How-much-lighter- ... nger-is-it

This compares some high strength versions of Aluminium, steel, and Carbon fibre.

Thanks.

That's really useful to know. I will have a good read.

fenix

Look at footage of pro cycling races like paris roubaix - raced over cobblestone sections. CF forks cope really well on there.

I'd not have worries.

For your use though I'm not sure you'd notice what fork you had. Presumably you'll have chunky tyres on - that'll soften the ride a lot if you use sensible pressures.

Tawse57

Fenix wrote:

Look at footage of pro cycling races like paris roubaix - raced over cobblestone sections. CF forks cope really well on there.

I'd not have worries.

For your use though I'm not sure you'd notice what fork you had. Presumably you'll have chunky tyres on - that'll soften the ride a lot if you use sensible pressures.

Thanks. That's a good point.

bonzo_banana

My vote would be chromoly steel but then I'm a heavy rider. There is an excellent resource of information about carbon fibre frames and forks on youtube called Luescher Technik (might have spelt that wrong) but he is an Australian engineer who shows many issues with carbon although does love the material. On a recent video it was stated that carbon forks were more dangerous than carbon frames as more likely to fail and likely to lead to injury. The issue with carbon is not it's strength it is it's brittle nature. A normal steel or aluminium bike can fall over and you give it a quick check and ride on but with carbon that is not the case it needs to be examined and possibly scanned for fractures, cracks etc. Carbon manufacturing is not consistent either with quality varying immensely as it is a labour intensive manual process to manufacture them.

Of course the reality is there isn't an issue most of the time and a Carbon fork will likely serve you well. The way I would look at it though is, is the bike going to get a hard life, possibly knocked over, small accidents etc will you always have control on how it is treated or not. Carbon needs extra care not just more careful accurate torquing of bolts etc but how it is treated in actual use. Also do you need the weight saving? That is the main and possibly only benefit of carbon forks over steel forks. If you don't care about the small weight saving of carbon forks then you really don't need them. You don't get carbon forks on touring bikes normally as one small accident could be the end of that tour. Ultimately it's about speed vs durability nothing more than that.

Tawse57

Bonzo Banana wrote:

My vote would be chromoly steel but then I'm a heavy rider. There is an excellent resource of information about carbon fibre frames and forks on youtube called Luescher Technik (might have spelt that wrong) but he is an Australian engineer who shows many issues with carbon although does love the material. On a recent video it was stated that carbon forks were more dangerous than carbon frames as more likely to fail and likely to lead to injury. The issue with carbon is not it's strength it is it's brittle nature. A normal steel or aluminium bike can fall over and you give it a quick check and ride on but with carbon that is not the case it needs to be examined and possibly scanned for fractures, cracks etc. Carbon manufacturing is not consistent either with quality varying immensely as it is a labour intensive manual process to manufacture them.

Of course the reality is there isn't an issue most of the time and a Carbon fork will likely serve you well. The way I would look at it though is, is the bike going to get a hard life, possibly knocked over, small accidents etc will you always have control on how it is treated or not. Carbon needs extra care not just more careful accurate torquing of bolts etc but how it is treated in actual use. Also do you need the weight saving? That is the main and possibly only benefit of carbon forks over steel forks. If you don't care about the small weight saving of carbon forks then you really don't need them. You don't get carbon forks on touring bikes normally as one small accident could be the end of that tour. Ultimately it's about speed vs durability nothing more than that.

Thanks - that is interesting. I will have a look at his videos and articles.

The more I read the more I am concluding that, for a commuter / shopper bike that will get left at bike racks and knocked about, that steel or aluminium forks are best. For a bike that you can take care of and protect it from falls, knocks, etc, then carbon has some excellent plus points.

My bike was resting next to a bench on the sea-front this afternoon - a gust of wind suddenly sent it flying. I picked it up and thought no more of it. Now if it had been a carbon fork on it rather than steel or aluminium then I might now be very worried indeed.