Fork You!

I have a plastic front fork that is 1000% better than my steel ones,
It corners and handles like nothing else but it is an enve 1.0 taper.
I also added these for less weight and better performance

All your steel forks are old 1" noodles in SL and what not through aren’t they?

Steel tech has improved too, I’m talking modern steel here

No complaints about the steel fork on my primate either. But that’s modern steel, 1 1/8 steerer etc…

Yep 1.5x1 1/8 for life now

Any one making a 1.5 crown out of steel yet? Genuine question

Na, paragon do a steel tapered steerer for unicrown forks though, OK for fat bikes or something with heaps of rubber. Else would handle like granite.

Way too stiff for most things, don’t get me started on the stiffness marketing bullshit

Hey Keith, what are your views on the marketing of stiffness in a bicycle?

He has a very rigid opinion.

he’s a rigid bloke.

(carbon forks >> steel forks, as long as you’re not an idiot designer.)

Stiffer is >>> flexy >>> too stif
I agree carbon >>> steel forks allways

Horses for Courses - don’t forget the quality lackey loy.

Quantify your claims carbon kiddies

HAL vs KUMO

No animosity here, I just want to hear what they have to say

Any bicycle frame or fork can be made better with carbon ask Shane perkins if he prefers cornering on his bt or his kalavinka, forget what the old guys are selling you.

The truth is carbon is better, but is it to everyone’s taste? No, is it aesthetically pleasing to some? No
Does every one care or put performance first ? No

That’s why steel is still used and is great, I personally love it but to say it out performed carbon in any way it can’t see how.

And yes I would pay and will buy new steel frames.

Ok, give me some reasoning or engineering though!

Everyone is on carbon because that is what the big cats sell you, they can pop them out fast and make a larger margin, and hence have the marketing budget to make up the crap and put their bikes under the pros.

PF30 being sold as a performance increase? Bullshit, it saves $2.50 on production costs as you don’t have to bond a threaded insert in a carbon frame.

Massive downtubes being sold as aero and stiff? Bullshit, they fit more, larger branding decals.

Carbon forks being marketed as stiff? ok, why though? and why are their stiffness profiles arse about face?

Grab any carbon fork and squeeze the dropouts together, now do it with a good steel fork

carbon has it’s place ;p
you can mix it with iron and it makes this really cool alloy, forget what it’s called… still, steal …something like that…

Put a hub between the fork tips and try to squeeze it, engineering where needed I guess.

You are still going to get stink loads of lateral deflection

Reynolds Composites Impact Testing: Reynolds Composites Impact Testing - YouTube
Steel Fork Impact test: Steel Fork Impact test - YouTube

Most steel forks wouldn’t pass a CEN/ASTM/CPSC test