Seven 5E mid-reach fork question & tapered mid-reach carbon fork?

[fa63]

Could anyone tell me what the biggest tire that will under this fork is? Seven website says 28 mm, but that doesn't sound right as I can easily fit a 28 mm tire under their regular road fork.

Thinking about a new bike to run big tires on (up to 35 mm), but disc brakes really don't do it for me so I am thinking about going with mid-reach rim brakes.

Which bring me to my other question: I also really like the aesthetics of a 44 mm head tube. Does anyone make a mid reach carbon fork with a tapered steerer? I guess I could always go for a 44 mm head tube then use a CK Inset headset and run a straight 1-1/8" fork.

Thanks!

[tumbler]

Which bring me to my other question: I also really like the aesthetics of a 44 mm head tube. Does anyone make a carbon fork with a tapered steerer?


Enve makes a non-disk tapered fork. Not sure if 35s will fit, but my standard Enve 2.0 has quite a bit of clearance.
http://enve.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ForkRD2_main_2-800x532.jpg

[happycampyer]

This is a 35mm tire (Compass Bon Jon Pass) on a wide rim (Hed Ardennes SL) on the Seven 5E touring fork:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-nJVPJ2s/0/L/i-nJVPJ2s-L.jpg

I think a 44mm headtube with this fork (or any other fork with a 1-1/8" straight steerer) is going to look strange.

[fa63]

I think a 44mm headtube with this fork (or any other fork with a 1-1/8" straight steerer) is going to look strange.

I think you are right; not sure a straight 1-1/8" fork will blend in aesthetically with the 44 mm headtube. But the clearances look great!

Thanks.

[fa63]

Enve makes a non-disk tapered fork. Not sure if 35s will fit, but my standard Enve 2.0 has quite a bit of clearance.


Thanks for the suggestion. I realized my original description was wrong; I meant to say "mid-reach" non-disc tapered carbon fork. I have fixed that in my original post now.

[sandyrs]

Kinesis specs this tapered mid reach fork with fender mounts on the 4s.

http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/Catalogue/Forks/Road/TRACER-15

[happycampyer]

One thing to note with a tire this big, I have to deflate the tire significantly in order to take off/put on the wheels, and that's with a release at the brake and the lever (Campagnolo). If it's to change a flat it's no problem, so long as I remember to install the wheel before pumping up the tire. When I need to remove a wheel to transport the bike, it's a bit of a pita.

A 32mm tire on a standard-width rim is about as wide as I can get without having to deflate the tire for removal or installation of the wheel.

[fa63]

Kinesis specs this tapered mid reach fork with fender mounts on the 4s.

http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/Catalogue/Forks/Road/TRACER-15

You may have just made my day :D

[pbarry]

This is a 35mm tire (Compass Bon Jon Pass) on a wide rim (Hed Ardennes SL) on the Seven 5E touring fork:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-nJVPJ2s/0/L/i-nJVPJ2s-L.jpg

I think a 44mm headtube with this fork (or any other fork with a 1-1/8" straight steerer) is going to look strange.

Seven could use your image on their site or blog. :)

[sandyrs]

You may have just made my day :D

:banana:

[thirdgenbird]

I will second happycamper. I'm still glad I went with medium reach brakes, but this is a downside.


I assume this is a custom frame? If so, are you sure you want to lock yourself into a fork that may be hard to replace down the line? I would be tempted to go straight 1 1/8th so I could always fall back on a custom steel fork.

[fa63]

I assume this is a custom frame?

That is still to be decided. Ideally, I would find a used Hampsten Strada Bianca Ti in my size, but those are quite rare. And those are built around a straight 1-1/8" fork, which I am OK with if I can find a Hampsten.

The idea of a 44 mm headtube came from my second option, which would be a custom Rock Lobster frame. I like the aesthetics of the larger head tube on an aluminum frame with large tubing. Paul mentioned that he wasn't aware of any medium reach tapered carbon forks, which is why I asked here to see if anyone else was aware of such an option.

With a 44 mm headtube, I would still have the option of running a 1-1/8" straight steerer fork (although it probably won't look right). I was also thinking about having the frame built to have disc mounts just in case, and having the 44 mm headtube would give me more options for a disc fork down the road. Paul also mentioned he could build a tapered mid-reach steel fork but suggested those are quite heavy. But that idea is kind of tempting as well.

Thanks.

[thirdgenbird]

A rock lobster with medium reach brakes would be pretty cool.

[tv_vt]

The Seven 5e mid-reach fork is awesome, expecially on a Strada Bianca. http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=139273&highlight=bianca

It's not a light bike, but it's a great bike.

[happycampyer]

It's not a light bike, but it's a great bike.

Out of curiosity what does yours weigh? Mine weighs in at around 17 - 18lbs depending on wheels and tires (the same as my 650B hydro-disc Firefly). Not super light, but not that heavy either for what it is and what it's designed for.

[tv_vt]

I'll have to check tonight, but it's over 18, for sure. It is a big frame, equivalent to a 60cm roughly. And the DA7700 parts aren't as light as newer versions.

[fa63]

You guys need to stop teasing me with the Hampsten goodness :) The reality is I can't really justify a new one. It would be great if I could work out a trade with my Seven, but that is a very long shot. Oh well...

[TimD]

From a friend who is familiar with the design of the Seven forks:

Tire clearance is actually good up to about 40mm on the fork (depending on tread type and rim width). The limiter tends to be the brakes and clearance around the area of the main fixing bolt. Basically, some brakes have more material in this area than others. That picture of the TRP brake with the 35mm tire clearly shows a 40mm tire could pass through with little issue (again, depending on tread type and rim width.)

Conversely and by example: On a bike with SRAM Red calipers, a 35mm tire JUST rubs the brake. 32mm tires are fine. So, the question is more of a brake clearance question than fork clearance question (for reasonably sized tires).

Another concern is the chain stay clearance (width) and seat stay clearance (at the brake bridge, for the same reason as above). While the fork might have clearance for a 38-40mm tire, it is possible that the rear of the bike might not. Checking the specs from Seven should note this. If not, a quick call to them call might.

[jbay]

Could anyone tell me what the biggest tire that will under this fork is? Seven website says 28 mm, but that doesn't sound right as I can easily fit a 28 mm tire under their regular road fork.A 28mm wide tyre is the widest that will work with mudguards/fenders on the 5E mid-reach fork.

One thing to note with a tire this big, I have to deflate the tire significantly in order to take off/put on the wheels, and that's with a release at the brake and the lever (Campagnolo).That's why I use Tektro's R539 brakes, with the real quick release. With the quick release open, they will take any tyre that fits in the fork. To be sure, to be sure, though, I pair them with TRP's RRL brake levers, which also have a quick release!

From a friend who is familiar with the design of the Seven forks:

Tire clearance is actually good up to about 40mm on the fork (depending on tread type and rim width). The limiter tends to be the brakes and clearance around the area of the main fixing bolt. Basically, some brakes have more material in this area than others. That picture of the TRP brake with the 35mm tire clearly shows a 40mm tire could pass through with little issue (again, depending on tread type and rim width.)That is actually incorrect. The limiting factor of the 5E mid-reach fork it not radial clearance, but lateral - i.e. the width between the blades. The widest tyre I feel comfortable running in the fork measures 33mm wide. That gives a modicum of room for mud, tyre runout, rim dents etc. - you know, the kind of things that might occur if you are using a bike, so-equipped, to its full potential. A 35mm wide tyre passes through if everything is perfect and it will have plenty of radial room. A 40mm tyre? No way.

Conversely and by example: On a bike with SRAM Red calipers, a 35mm tire JUST rubs the brake. 32mm tires are fine. So, the question is more of a brake clearance question than fork clearance question (for reasonably sized tires).I don't think that example is particularly relevant. A SRAM Red caliper has a nominal maximum reach of 49mm. A Seven 5E mid-reach fork requires a nominal 57mm reach brake. The pads in that brake will be somewhere in the middle of their range - it depends on the rim width used - but probably with an effective reach of 53 or 54mm. Regardless, I would just repeat my previous point that blade-to-blade width is the limiting factor when it comes to maximum tyre size with this fork.

-- John

[happycampyer]

Seven could use your image on their site or blog. :)They probably would rather not have a picture of an Eriksen-built Hampsten on their blog (which is probably why you added the smiley).