Serotta F3

[bobswire]

What is (if anything) the significance of the number 5 on this fork? Is that grade of stiffness like from 1-10?

http://i47.tinypic.com/2pq3nsx.jpg

[dave thompson]

IIRC Serotta offered the fork in 3 grades of 'stiffness'; 6.5, 8.5 and 10.5. Yours is a 10.5, the stiffest.

[bobswire]

IIRC Serotta offered the fork in 3 grades of 'stiffness'; 6.5, 8.5 and 10.5. Yours is a 10.5, the stiffest.

Thanks Dave, not mine. It is listed at Ebay for anyone who's interested.
Being under 150 lbs and my type of riding I think I'd prefer the noodle of the bunch 6.5.

[Serotta_Carbon]

There is no particular significance to the .5 suffix that I'm aware of. Must be something the Mad Men in the marketing dept came up with....

Regarding the "noodle" 6.5 fork. Although it's the softest lay-up in our line up it's far from a noodle.

30% stiffer than Enve 1.0
19% stiffer than Enve 2.0

[Elefantino]

I had a 6.5 on a LaCorsa and it was no noodle.

[pdmtong]

I'm 170# and have a F3 in the 8.5 layup. it rides great and it not too stiff for me

That said, I think 10.5 is for the 200+ crowd.

IIRC the F3 was quite a step up from the F2 fork.

[pdmtong]

There is no particular significance to the .5 suffix that I'm aware of. Must be something the Mad Men in the marketing dept came up with....

Regarding the "noodle" 6.5 fork. Although it's the softest lay-up in our line up it's far from a noodle.

30% stiffer than Enve 1.0
19% stiffer than Enve 2.0

mike, thats informative both in the realtive stiffness versus the defacto non-serotta standard and also the variance between the 1.0 and 2.0. I had no idea the 1.0 was that much softer, I though it just cost more since it was made USA instead of asia.

[bobswire]

There is no particular significance to the .5 suffix that I'm aware of. Must be something the Mad Men in the marketing dept came up with....

Regarding the "noodle" 6.5 fork. Although it's the softest lay-up in our line up it's far from a noodle.

30% stiffer than Enve 1.0
19% stiffer than Enve 2.0

I was being facetious in my reply to Dave but If I was to buy one the 6.5 would be my choice.

[Serotta_Carbon]

I was being facetious in my reply to Dave but If I was to buy one the 6.5 would be my choice.

No worries! Didn't take it personal....

Just trying to be informative....

[jpw]

Serotta cross fork?

[rbtmcardle]

0 feedback on the ebay seller... but if its in the condition described seems like a smoking deal for a big guy. My F3 is an 8.5 and rides perfectly - provides confidence inspiring handling

[happycampyer]

mike, thats informative both in the realtive stiffness versus the defacto non-serotta standard and also the variance between the 1.0 and 2.0. I had no idea the 1.0 was that much softer, I though it just cost more since it was made USA instead of asia.The 1.0 used to be made in the USA, but from what I understand, it has been made in Asia for several years now.

[572cv]

I'm at about 170, and the 8.5 F3 fork on my Meivici has a very nice feel. These are stunningly good forks.

[SPOKE]

The F3 series is my favorite carbon fork......

[dekindy]

I am one of the 200 pounders with the 10.5. I am satisfied with the smooth ride and have had no performance limitations. Best feature is the Serotta quality and confidence that gives me in carbon over steel; would not have that feeling with many other brands.

[tv_vt]

Maybe Serotta-Carbon (Mike) can answer this question for me.

I have an Alpha Q Z-Pro fork on my 60cm Fierte IT. Got it after using a pretty noodly Reynolds fork. With a total steerer tube length >300mm, I wanted a stiff steerer tube, which the Z-Pro has. But it's also quite stiff in terms of ride feel.

So I've been thinking of making another change in forks, maybe putting in an Enve 2.0. But what about the Serotta forks? I think they're going to be way more expensive, and I'm not sure what stiffness I'd get. Probably 8.5, but then how would that compare to what I have on there now, if you're saying a 6.5 is already stiffer than the Enve 2.0 fork?

Any info would be appreciated.

One more question - why aren't Serotta forks shown on their website now? I don't see any detailed info about them. There's nothing that would let someone know you can buy them separately.

Thanks,

Thom

[Serotta_Carbon]

Maybe Serotta-Carbon (Mike) can answer this question for me.

I have an Alpha Q Z-Pro fork on my 60cm Fierte IT. Got it after using a pretty noodly Reynolds fork. With a total steerer tube length >300mm, I wanted a stiff steerer tube, which the Z-Pro has. But it's also quite stiff in terms of ride feel.

So I've been thinking of making another change in forks, maybe putting in an Enve 2.0. But what about the Serotta forks? I think they're going to be way more expensive, and I'm not sure what stiffness I'd get. Probably 8.5, but then how would that compare to what I have on there now, if you're saying a 6.5 is already stiffer than the Enve 2.0 fork?

Any info would be appreciated.

One more question - why aren't Serotta forks shown on their website now? I don't see any detailed info about them. There's nothing that would let someone know you can buy them separately.

Thanks,

Thom

Thom,

Which Reynolds fork did you have that you replaced with the Z Pro?

The wall thickness of the steerer tube in the Z-Pro is twice the thickness of most forks and it had a beefed up crown as well so I'm not surprised you found it to be quite stiff. It is in fact one of the stiffest forks I've ever tested.

If stiffness is your main criteria then you may not be happy with something from the Enve line.

After Alpha Q quit making the Z forks Mr. Zinn contacted us and asked us to build something similar for use on his big guy bikes. We have done so and you can find it on his website. http://zinncycles.com/Zinn/index.php/components/forks

From the Serotta line the closest offering would be the 10.5 version which has a reinforced lay-up and a 450mm steerer tube.

Regarding price either domestic option will be more expensive than Enve but keep in mind it's an apples to oranges comparison. One is a mass produced product made in a far away land and the others are low volume custom made products produced here in the states.

I'm not sure why the forks are no longer shown on the website. As far as I know they're still available. We're certainly making plenty of them here in CA...

Contact the factory in Saratoga and they should be able to provide information on price and availability. teamserotta@serotta.com

[tv_vt]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your reply! I remember Lennard Zinn mentioning the Z-Pro forks in one of his articles. Think that's one reason why I considered it in the first place.

The original fork on my IT was a Reynolds Ouzo Pro COMP. Don't think there were many of those around, and I'm not exactly sure what differentiated it from the Pro. But the steerer just felt a little noodly when I torqued it standing up on the pedals. You can see the fork on the frame at this link:

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=67154&highlight=cross-country+vermont

I don't want to replicate that kind of stiffness if I replaced the Z-Pro fork. Would be looking for something a little lighter and just a little more forgiving, but not too much softness.