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

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.