Full carbon forks with mudguard eyelets

[brucelee]

Just been looking at ribble, they do a load of full carbon forks but not with mudguard eyelets - anyone give me some pointers. I'm going to put these on a surly LHT for a bit before they end up on a racing bike. I don't use low riders and LHT forks are VERY heavy (1020g). Is there general wisdom on full carbon forks on tourers I should be aware of ? I have a choice of canti or calliper brakes so that's not a problem. Must clear 700x28 with mudguards.
Cheers,
Bruce.

[ChrisButch]

Spa have an own-brand carbon fork which has everything you specify. It's the one they use on their Audax bikes.

[RickH]

Watch out for the fork length - LHT forks are 390mm axle to crown. a "racing bike" may be designed for a fork length of less than 370mm (example: the Kinesis DC21 designed for use with short drop callipers is 369mm). The wrong fork is likely to screw up the geometry and handling of one bike or the other.

Rick.

[CREPELLO]

Just been looking at ribble, they do a load of full carbon forks but not with mudguard eyelets - anyone give me some pointers.

Yes...http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... EDAFORW200 Be warned - their oversize appearance looks very odd next to the skinny steel tubes of the LHT - IMO. I had a pair for my steel Spa Audax and had to send them back because of this . The skinnier Spa forks look fine and ride fine as well. But check rake and fork length is compatible with the LHT.

[BrianP]

Genesis Croix de Fer 2015 carbon fork any good?

http://www.shop.18bikes.co.uk/m14b0s543 ... 15%29-2015

[keyboardmonkey]

Just been looking at ribble, they do a load of full carbon forks but not with mudguard eyelets - anyone give me some pointers.

Yes...http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... EDAFORW200 ...

I'm fairly sure that model still comes with metal steerer. From the Ribble web site - "Description: Carbon blades with alloy steerer". OP wants full carbon forks.

Genesis Croix de Fer 2015 carbon fork any good?

http://www.shop.18bikes.co.uk/m14b0s543 ... 15%29-2015

"Description: Carbon fibre legs, aluminium steerer" I had a look at the Spa Cycles carbon forks and I didn't notice a clear statement that the forks were full carbon.

Brucelee - what is the reasoning behind wanting full carbon rather than forks with a metal steerer? Weight? Is the claimed weight of the Black Rain forks at 684g putting you off?

[brucelee]

Watch out for the fork length - LHT forks are 390mm axle to crown. a "racing bike" may be designed for a fork length of less than 370mm (example: the Kinesis DC21 designed for use with short drop callipers is 369mm). The wrong fork is likely to screw up the geometry and handling of one bike or the other.
Rick.

Yea, I wasn't aware the difference was so extreme, this looks like a deal breaker since a lot of sites don't specify axle to crown. I think I'll shelve this idea and pick a fork specifically for the racing frame that gets purchased. The spa one has axle-crown of 375mm as well.
I just wonder why the LHT fork is so heavy though, all the weight is in the steerer tube, it's like a lead pipe. I just weighed a set of Dalesman forks with a long steerer tube and they come in at 790g ! I thought all the strength was needed at the crown.

Brucelee - what is the reasoning behind wanting full carbon rather than forks with a metal steerer? Weight? Is the claimed weight of the Black Rain forks at 684g putting you off?

The desire for full carbon was motivated by weight : this seems one of the cheapest ways to shave weight.
Thanks anyway.
Bruce.

[CREPELLO]

Just been looking at ribble, they do a load of full carbon forks but not with mudguard eyelets - anyone give me some pointers.

Yes...http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... EDAFORW200 ...

I'm fairly sure that model still comes with metal steerer. From the Ribble web site - "Description: Carbon blades with alloy steerer". OP wants full carbon forks.

Oops - I somehow managed to miss that (someone else posted a picture of a fork with alu steerer).

Brucelee, give Condor Cycles a ring. Their Fratello audax bikes comes with a fork that would fulfill your requirements and they may sell them seperately. Don't relie on their website for info. But TBH, if you are going to buy a 'racing' frame, just by it whole, complete with forks. You'll save money and it will be the correct fork for handling. A race frame won't come with mudguard eyelets though. That would be an audax frame.

What are you trying to achieve, apart from saving weight on the LHT? Will it still be a loaded touring bike? If not, have you looked at saving weight in the wheels and tyres?

I think that your quoted 1020g for a steel fork seems to be the average these days. That is with a long and fatter 1.1/8" steerer. Is the Dalesman fork you weighed a 1.1/8" ahead steerer? That sounds like the weight of a 1" threaded steerer, which is narrower and shorter.

[brucelee]

What are you trying to achieve, apart from saving weight on the LHT? Will it still be a loaded touring bike? If not, have you looked at saving weight in the wheels and tyres?
I think that your quoted 1020g for a steel fork seems to be the average these days. That is with a long and fatter 1.1/8" steerer. Is the Dalesman fork you weighed a 1.1/8" ahead steerer? That sounds like the weight of a 1" threaded steerer, which is narrower and shorter.

I think I've gone as far as I can go with wheels and tyres - except maybe lose a few spokes off the front wheel. As I said, I still use it for lugging heavy stuff around but all the weight is over the back wheel - I don't have luggage on the front and even if I did, it would be very light by comparison.
Yes, the dalesman is a threaded steerer, but why such a massive difference in the strength (and weight) of the steerer tube on these types of fork ?
Cheers,
Bruce.

[samsbike]

Thorn do some forks as well carbon and steel so it maybe worth a gander on their site.

[531colin]

from memory, LHT is 72 deg head and 45mm offset.
If you fit forks 20mm shorter, you will steepen the head angle about a degree....full racing geometry!

[Freddie]

Pardon my forwardness, but aren't you trying to put lipstick on a pig?

The Surly is a heavyweight (probably too heavyweight for most) touring/lugging machine, putting a carbon fork on the front really isn't going to change that much and will likely mess with the geometry in the process. This is not to say the Surly is a bad frame, but it seems like it wasn't quite the thing you were after and this kind of modification is probably just good money after bad.

[brucelee]

If you fit forks 20mm shorter, you will steepen the head angle about a degree....full racing geometry!

If your correct about this, I might go ahead and do it. Mind you that would bring the pedals even closer to the ground wouldn't it.

Pardon my forwardness, but aren't you trying to put lipstick on a pig?

The forks are going on a racer eventually, I want to try them out first. If I like them, I might get another pair for the racer or a different pair for the err... pig (That might stick). This is all experimental. I'm inclined to see the forks on the LHT as a weak point a) cos there so heavy and b) they're incredibly rigid. Are they stronger than carbon forks ? I don't know, but I'd like to.
Bruce.

[Mick F]

....full racing geometry!

From my memory, full racing geometry is 74deg.
My Mercian is 73deg. Are you saying that it's a full racer?

[531colin]

Well, heres an "endurance road" with nothing steeper than 72.1 deg.....http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/road/endurance_race/domane/domane_5_9_compact/#....click "fit and sizing"

......search all the geometry tables you can find, and you will be no clearer!