Ritchey carbon forks + 23mm wide rims + 28mm tires

[SlackMan]

I've searched the web looking for answers to this specific question and could not find any. So, does anyone have personal experience with Ritchey carbon forks + 23mm wide rims + 28mm tires...and short reach brakes? If you had it work, would you share the rim/tire combination and which short reach brakes? Known combinations that did not work would also be very useful.

BTW, I don't have a Ritchey fork yet, so other forks known to work with the 23mm wide rims + 28mm tires + short reach brakes would be appreciated. Thanks.

Shane

[echelon_john]

I've built up a Ritchey Comp carbon fork with A23s and Roly Polys; definitely enough clearance.

The Enve 2.0 fork fits big tires very well; will easily accomodate the same setup described above.

Alpha Q forks had less clearance but you could still squeak a Roly Poly on a 23, but without a lot of room for picking up dead chickens on your tire.

The ENVE is a really nice fork if you can swing it.

Edit: Dura Ace 7800/7900 on the setups I described.

[Ralph]

My frame builder is using a Ritchey WCS or Pro UD fork on frame he is currently building for me. (haven't decided which one yet). Not sure about clearance for 28's, but do know the fork is very hi quality. Believe Comp model has aluminum steerer.

[SlackMan]

Thanks so much echelon_john. It's great to know what works. I could swing for an Enve fork if it's really that much better than the Ritchey ones. Can you give some sense of the dimensions on which it's better?

And thanks, Ralph. The Ritchey forks seem to be high quality and light weight. And there are some new Pro ones being sold on ebay for less than $200.

Shane

[echelon_john]

I'm a clydesdale, and have ridden both the ENVE 2.0 and the Ritchey Comp on the same frame. (Haven't ridden the pro). The ENVE just feels stiffer and more positive to me.

If you're light, then the difference would probably be less apparent.

[SlackMan]

Thanks. I usually weigh 165-ish, so I might just give the Ritchey fork a try.

Shane

[Ralph]

Keep in mind....my research shows 3 different Ritchey road forks. WCS, Pro, and the base Comp with aluminum steerer. Other than the entry level Comp, not sure (yet) how the PRO and WCS differ.

[SlackMan]

Ritchey claims clearance for 28mm tires with all of their forks, but that's on 19mm rims. On wider rims, they have seen some clearance issues. I am guessing that the tire/rim combination mentioned above that works would work on all the Ritchey forks, but yes, it is just guess.

Shane

[casparwhittey]

I just finished building up a bike with a Ritchey Comp carbon fork, and I'm running 26mm wide wheels (Flo 30's) I had sitting around, with 26mm tires. Haven't taken the calipers to the tire to see how much wider the tire sits on these rims (suspect the 26 is closer to a 28), but clearance is maxxed out. There was a slight rub until I had the wheels trued up.