Serotta F3 6.5 vs 8.5

[pjmsj21]

Lost in the shuffle and excitement of a new bike purchase was the fact that the Concours CS, that I recently purchased, came with the 6.5 fork, even though the frame is a nominal 62cm frame. I am an one of the old farts on the forum at 64, am 6'0" (long legs short torso) and have gotten down to a svelt (for me) 185lbs.

I understand that the 6.5 is the softest of the three forks and I ride an 8.5 on my Fierte IT which seems fine. Am I likely to notice a big difference between the two?

The Concours frame seems to be built with tubes that you would expect for this size frame and weighs 3.6lbs which seems reasonable for it's size. I was just a bit surprised that Serotta would have paired this fork with this size frame.

Thoughts or opinions?

[ty7180]

I thought I remember Mike, who made these forks, writing on this forum a while back that the 6.5 is 20% stiffer? than the Enve 2.0 so you should be good. I am a big guy and have ridden a 6.5 and 8.5. I cannot tell a noticeable difference. For what it is worth, I have also ridden a 10.5 and found it too stiff.

[pjmsj21]

thanks...I appreciate your feedback and experience.

I thought I remember Mike, who made these forks, writing on this forum a while back that the 6.5 is 20% stiffer? than the Enve 2.0 so you should be good. I am a big guy and have ridden a 6.5 and 8.5. I cannot tell a noticeable difference. For what it is worth, I have also ridden a 10.5 and found it too stiff.

[alancw3]

i am 6'4" and weigh about 195 lbs. had the 6.5 on my corsa and it felt plenty stiff to me. before i got the bike i thought i would have to upgrade to an 8.5 as i like a stiff feeling ride. no longer have that bike but would hesitate to get another with a 6.5 f3 fork.