Fork Recommendations
Hello everyone. This is my first post. I'm new to somewhat serious road biking. I have a nice, aluminum bike, but decided to build my own steed.
I obtained a really nice 90's Scapin "Geo" frame...very light steel frame. I need fork recommendations and a little direction. I think I want to stay away from a carbon fork, as I don't want to shell out big money for a quality carbon fork. I also want to stay away from cheaper priced carbon forks. I kind of live by the "you get what you pay for" mantra, and I don't want to risk a serious accident due to a faulty Chinese manufactured fork. I've considered the Ritchey Comp, which is at the higher end of my budget. But even then, I'm a little concerned about the longevity of a carbon fork and the catastrophe that can occur if one breaks when I'm traveling along at 20+ mph.
So I think I want to go with a steel fork. And that's where I need recommendations. The frame has a 1" diameter head tube and is about 5.25 inches long. I don't mind a threaded fork. But since the frame is somewhat "high-end" for the time period, I'd like to match it up with a more high-end fork. Any recommendations? In that regard, I will need recommendations as to how long the steerer tube on the fork should be, at the least.
Thank you so much!
Comments
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I wonder how people cope with the thought of their carbon forks snapping when descending at 50 mph plus. I have had more failures in steel frames than the carbon ones I have owned
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a carbon fibre fork will be at least as safe as a steel one (which will have welds, be subject to corrosion etc.) and may be stronger
imo if it's a 'classic' style frame, the columbus minimal could be a good match
columbus is a long established quality company, your frame may even use columbus tubing
spec: https://www.columbus1919.com/en/portfolio/minimal-en/
good discount...
my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0
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I'm not going to get into a huge argument about one type of material vs another because as soon as you mention one material is better another person will chime in that they broke more of one than another, which is all BS, anyone breaking that many bikes or forks is doing something wrong. I've been riding for over 50 years and never had any type of material break, and that includes a decade of racing.
Want to watch forks fail? Watch this: Rivendell Bicycle Works - Fork Wars on Vimeo
Having said that, the lighter the weight of a fork in this case, the better the chances of it failing.
I was a bit hesitant as well when I bought my 2013 Lynskey that came with a Lynskey branded CF fork, so before I took possession of the bike I had it swapped for a ENVE 2.0, this is a fork that was originally designed for a tandem, so I knew it would hold my weight without breaking; the new 2.0 is no longer rated for tandem use, not sure why or what they changed in the design.
I think today if you want a very strong CF fork you would have to look at a fork that is intended to be used on gravel bikes. Zinn Duro makes the strongest CF fork on the market, but it isn't cheap, you won't ever have any second thoughts of it failing! Another fork is Lauf JAF Gravel Fork.
Not sure what happened, but suddenly the above paragraph turned to bold and large print?!
Anyway, all these forks will run you over $500.
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