So I heard you guys like big tires...(CX fork tire clearance geekery within)

[eBAUMANN]

On Sunday I discovered the 3T Luteus II fork (https://www.3tcycling.com/road/en/bike-components/forks/luteus-ii-team-stealth/) existed, there was one listed for sale in NYC.
I did some quick digging and was blown away by what appeared to be ACRES of space for fat rubber.
So, naturally, I bought the fork in the name of tire-science.

Its a 15mm thru axle fork, with a 395mm A-C, and 50mm of rake, which is the only thing that made me hesitate a little.
After some consideration, I decided that with a larger tire and riding that accompanies said larger tire, a little more rake might not be such a bad thing, as it would also help mitigate any toe-overlap issues I might encounter from doubling or tripling my tire volume.
I barely notice a difference between 45 and 47 so hopefully the transition from 47 to 50 will be similarly insignificant, hopefully.

Anyways. I have this wheelset with some tubular 29er tires glued up.
Im not sure the exact size of these tires (not marked and my calipers are in the shed) but they didnt even come close to having adequate clearance in my TRP fork - side knobs rubbing, no space up top, not happening.

In this 3T fork, there is about 1cm of clearance on every side of the tire.

Official specs indicate this fork plays nice with 2.1x650b and 44x700c but I have a sneaking suspicion that I could probably squeeze 2.1" 29er tires in there...just barely.

So I guess this is really a PSA: There Is a New Clearance King in Town.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8025/28970390171_5f35a53572_b.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8345/28760289640_527965f754_b.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8857/28760287330_a01866e8fd_b.jpg

2.1" 29er tubulars...
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8659/29643679101_f82d5f261f_b.jpg

[exapkib]

That. Is. Cool.

Can't wait to hear more about how it rides. What bike will you be putting this one on?

[sparky33]

:hello:

Doing your part to improve the human condition!

fwiw this is the fork on the OPEN U.P.

[jtbadge]

Insane. The size of the tire makes it look like a regular cross fork with a 1 1/8" steerer. I did a double take when I saw this on insta.

[eBAUMANN]

fwiw this is the fork on the OPEN U.P.

so it is!

It makes a 40c nano look like a road tire! ha!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8874/28762166990_22c6714890_o.png

[559Rando]

Very cool...Thanks for sharing!

[Ti Designs]

For what it's worth, the cheap way of following the guys with the right tires for the conditions is to completely forget what's on your own bike and just follow them into anything and everything. This may require the vulcan mind meld, and once in a while you'll draft a tree...

[ispy]

Very nice.

Have you (or anyone else) been able to compare this to the Enve CX fork (http://enve.com/products/cross-fork-disc/)? (Thru axle but 12mm). Enve claims theirs fit 45mm/700c (1mm larger than 3T) but then says fits only 2.0"/650b (smaller than 3T) :confused:

[eBAUMANN]

Very nice.

Have you (or anyone else) been able to compare this to the Enve CX fork (http://enve.com/products/cross-fork-disc/)? (Thru axle but 12mm). Enve claims theirs fit 45mm/700c (1mm larger than 3T) but then says fits only 2.0"/650b (smaller than 3T) :confused:

Likely a matter of lateral clearance (for the smaller tire spec on enve), the blades on this 3T fork are bowed out a bit to truly accommodate a 650b tire with some side knobs. it seems it was designed specifically with this sort of use in mind, the fact that it is spec'd on that Open frame mentioned above supports that theory.

I have not had a chance to compare with an enve fork, specifically because they use a 12mm axle, and im firmly in the 15mm camp (cause i have other bikes that use 15 and i dont want to have wheels that cant be used on all of em).

[ecaspole]

I have the Enve CX fork, the biggest tire I tried that doesn't rub is the Maxxis Maxx lite 29x2.0 but it just barely has clearance. More often I use 29x1.8 Specialized Renegades.
I tried 1.95 Renegades but it's a very "tall" tire and rubs on the fork crown.

[eBAUMANN]

Just test fit a 29x2.25" teravail sparwood, it fits, with about 1cm all around.

This fork is blowing my mind a little.

Also, actual weights out of the box:

440g - bare fork
540g - fork with 15mm axle

[jambee]

Thanks for sharing Eric.

What is still mind blowing to me, is that all these carbon vendors did not manage to bring out a carbon fork with a few simple add-ons:

1. Proper tabs and crown hole for a mudguard
2. Mid-fork rack mount.

I'm going to be first in line for such a fork.

With the new Specialized Sequoia, Big S showed that it's possible. It's now someone else's turn!

[sandyrs]

Thanks for sharing Eric.

What is still mind blowing to me, is that all these carbon vendors did not manage to bring out a carbon fork with a few simple add-ons:

1. Proper tabs and crown hole for a mudguard
2. Mid-fork rack mount.

I'm going to be first in line for such a fork.

With the new Specialized Sequoia, Big S showed that it's possible. It's now someone else's turn!

Specialized, as ever, wasn't the first to do it, they just get the credit because they're so ubiquitous.

http://www.ninerbikes.com/rdogravelfork

This doesn't have a full hole on the crown so mounting a light there is a no-go but it has full provisions for fenders. Have you ordered yours yet? :)

[ColonelJLloyd]

Specialized, as ever, wasn't the first to do it, they just get the credit because they're so ubiquitous.

http://www.ninerbikes.com/rdogravelfork

This doesn't have a full hole on the crown so mounting a light there is a no-go but it has full provisions for fenders. Have you ordered yours yet? :)

Wish they made that in black/matte. I also wish Whisky would have put Anything type bosses on a version of the No. 9. I'd have bought a Firestarter except that they're not available.

[jambee]

Consider me intrigued.

I would love to understand why Niner did not install a crown hole and why are they not advertising the maximum tire width that will fit in there.

I'm also quiet surprised that they use 45mm rake and not at least 47mm which is my requirement to replace my current ENVE fork.

But it does look awesome. I would really love to find a carbon fork that I can "just" mount a Nitto Mark's Rack M1.

[livingminimal]

Not to drift, but I have no idea why anyone is opting for a 12mm TA design when 15mm already has a gazillion hub choices...

In any event, this is putting my 42cm max Lynskey fork to shame. :p

[eBAUMANN]

I'm also quiet surprised that they use 45mm rake and not at least 47mm which is my requirement to replace my current ENVE fork.

Its 2mm, you wont notice, trust me.

Not to drift, but I have no idea why anyone is opting for a 12mm TA design when 15mm already has a gazillion hub choices...

Because enve, thats why, people have a hard-on for anything they make.

[sandyrs]

Consider me intrigued.

I would love to understand why Niner did not install a crown hole and why are they not advertising the maximum tire width that will fit in there.

I'm also quiet surprised that they use 45mm rake and not at least 47mm which is my requirement to replace my current ENVE fork.

But it does look awesome. I would really love to find a carbon fork that I can "just" mount a Nitto Mark's Rack M1.

2mm of rake is not going to make a difference, and the RLT uses this fork and claims 1.75” tire clearance all around.

If you look at the RLT 9 page (http://www.ninerbikes.com/RLT9) you can see that there is a hole on the rear of the fork crown for fender mounting. I also wish they would just do a full hole though.

[jambee]

I feel like a "that's what she said" will be appropriate here...

So I sent NINER a question about max tire size. Lets see.

[greengage]

Thanks for sharing Eric.



What is still mind blowing to me, is that all these carbon vendors did not manage to bring out a carbon fork with a few simple add-ons:



1. Proper tabs and crown hole for a mudguard

2. Mid-fork rack mount.



I'm going to be first in line for such a fork.



With the new Specialized Sequoia, Big S showed that it's possible. It's now someone else's turn!



Rodeo labs just put out their Spork. Might do what you need. Gads of clearance, mid rack mounts, fender mounts, flat mount discs, and pizazz!

http://www.rodeo-labs.com/rodeospork/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jambee]

This fork absolutely NAILS IT. The price point is also awesome. I wish the Rodeo boys will take my money already!

[guido]

Alas the Luteus has only 50mm rake...

[AllanVarcoe]

Wow! That Rodeo Spork is perfect!

[eBAUMANN]

Alas the Luteus has only 50mm rake...

only?
thats more than i would have wanted...

-----

spork looks ok...kinda boxy maybe...and I'm not sure what makes them more "trail ready" than anything else on the market, because they are heavier?

[greengage]

only?

thats more than i would have wanted...



Maybe "only" as in "without any alternative choices"? But, maybe not.
English: making everyday conversation confusing for 1000 years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[eBAUMANN]

2.1" 29er tubulars...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8659/29643679101_f82d5f261f_b.jpg

[-holiday76]

great looking bike. That IS a lot of clearance.

[thirdgenbird]

I want that.

[Fatty]

Crossed over into mountain bike territory.

[Coaster]

I've been looking for a replacement for my canti Easton cx fork to switch to disk but keep clearance for my 45s and tabs for my fenders (multi wheelset commuter/dirt do-all). I got excited about that spork but I have a straight steer tube. I like whisky's straight cross fork but no tabs for fenders...

[greengage]

I've been looking for a replacement for my canti Easton cx fork to switch to disk but keep clearance for my 45s and tabs for my fenders (multi wheelset commuter/dirt do-all). I got excited about that spork but I have a straight steer tube. I like whisky's straight cross fork but no tabs for fenders...


FS: Tange Prestige Carbon CX Disc Fork

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=http%3A%2F%2Fforums%2Ethepaceline%2E net%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D188298&share_tid=188298&share_fid=60324&share_type=t



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sparky33]

2.1" 29er tubulars...



https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8659/29643679101_f82d5f261f_b.jpg



Are those road or mtb cranks?

[Neil]

Rodeo labs just put out their Spork. Might do what you need. Gads of clearance, mid rack mounts, fender mounts, flat mount discs, and pizazz!

http://www.rodeo-labs.com/rodeospork/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Massive hat-tip to you for this - I'll be buying a couple of pairs of these to test, and likely OEM'ing them on our Path Racer. Awesome.

[bobswire]

2.1" 29er tubulars...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8659/29643679101_f82d5f261f_b.jpg

That has to be a BLAST to ride!

[eBAUMANN]

Are those road or mtb cranks?

road

[sparky33]

road



Whoa. Now I'm impressed.

[Coaster]

FS: Tange Prestige Carbon CX Disc Fork

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=http%3A%2F%2Fforums%2Ethepaceline%2E net%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D188298&share_tid=188298&share_fid=60324&share_type=t



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Awesome - thanks! I figured I couldn't be the only one...

[TunaAndBikes]

Specialized, as ever, wasn't the first to do it, they just get the credit because they're so ubiquitous.

http://www.ninerbikes.com/rdogravelfork

This doesn't have a full hole on the crown so mounting a light there is a no-go but it has full provisions for fenders. Have you ordered yours yet? :)

Rodeo labs Spork is a pretty rad + sorta inexpensive option too!

EDIT: shoulda read the rest of the thread first!

[eBAUMANN]

Whoa. Now I'm impressed.

Ha.
It also has a lugged bb shell and s-bend stays.
Which does...not...compute for almost every other builder I've shown it to.
Took a lot of work to make it work.

[unterhausen]

yeah, that's not easy. What stays did you use? Or I assume you bent things?

[eBAUMANN]

yeah, that's not easy. What stays did you use? Or I assume you bent things?

pretty sure they were long taper s-bend spirit stays from an RS kit...i think, i would NOT recommend trying this with true temper s-bend stays as those stays are NOT ROUND/OVAL at the bb side of things, they have a flattened inner profile that makes fit-up in a lugged chain stay socket a NIGHT MARE.

to get these to fit, i had to obviously removed the cast bridge between the sockets, then bend and pound the sockets into shape around the stays. it wasn't fun but it worked.

[unterhausen]

nice, I have a lugged big tire bike on the back burner right now because the whole chainstay issue was hurting my brain. Do you think you could fit a compact crank on there, or are you taking advantage of the single chainring being further outboard?

[ColonelJLloyd]

Curious. Is there such a thing now as an off-the-shelf "plate" for the DS chainstay from framebuilder supply sources?

[eBAUMANN]

nice, I have a lugged big tire bike on the back burner right now because the whole chainstay issue was hurting my brain. Do you think you could fit a compact crank on there, or are you taking advantage of the single chainring being further outboard?

pretty sure i used a 52/36 crank to check clearances when i built it, so yea, should be able to fit whatever you want. i did have to smush the stays a bit for end-of-crank-arm clearance, as the inserts give you a rear end that is effectively spaced around 145mm...very wide.

Curious. Is there such a thing now as an off-the-shelf "plate" for the DS chainstay from framebuilder supply sources?

nope, I've never seen a "stock" one for sale anywheres. seems like each use would be fairly specific/specialized, so a builder would likely just want to just start from scratch.

[sparky33]

Slow day today, so I'll mix some bike parts:
This is what the Parlee gravel/cx fork looks like with a 27.5x2.2 Maxxis Ikon (54+mm wide on a WTB Asym i19 rim). Hey look at that! 2mm of clearance is definitely not enough...and now we know.

[sandyrs]

Slow day today, so I'll mix some bike parts:
This is what the Parlee gravel/cx fork looks like with a 27.5x2.2 Maxxis Ikon (54+mm wide on a WTB Asym i19 rim). Hey look at that! 2mm of clearance is definitely not enough...and now we know.

Thanks for posting this. It's always good to have more info out there! It seems like the sweet spot for many of these bikes is around 27.5x2.0.

Has anyone confirmed the actual clearance of a TRP cx fork around 27.5" tires? I don't imagine a full 2" tire would fit but if it does that would be fantastic news for me.

[Coaster]

Hill dancer was kind enough to let me know that the Whiskey #7 has hidden threads for eyelets and at the fork crown to accept fenders. That solved my issue for both fat tires and fenders with a straight steerer. I picked it up and I like it. Dropouts are thick though, I'm a little scared about how much engagement my qr is getting. Here are a few shots in commuter mode showing how the fender attaches.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161128/103a848c0122a6ab4d2194a97ee685fb.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161128/46501ad36e41b5adc93adc861cde8506.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161128/8f7cc120389d245eca0a6382ad826523.jpg

[cadence90]

^
I guess you wanted a silver hs top and a black bottom but I'm curious: is it OK to mount a CK NTS top cup upside-down on the ht bottom? Are those cups interchangeable, up/down, if one is not concerned about the graphics?

[jtakeda]

^
I guess you wanted a silver hs top and a black bottom but I'm curious: is it OK to mount a CK NTS top cup upside-down on the ht bottom? Are those cups interchangeable, up/down, if one is not concerned about the graphics?

yup no problem

[cadence90]

yup no problem

Thanks; learn something every day. :beer:

[Coaster]

^

I guess you wanted a silver hs top and a black bottom but I'm curious: is it OK to mount a CK NTS top cup upside-down on the ht bottom? Are those cups interchangeable, up/down, if one is not concerned about the graphics?



Actually not planned. Used to be all silver but the bottom bearing seized solid and I couldn't get it out for the life of me. LBS had that single black top kicking around for some reason so I gave it a try rather than buy a whole new set. About 20k miles like that and no problems so far...

[cadence90]

Actually not planned. Used to be all silver but the bottom bearing seized solid and I couldn't get it out for the life of me. LBS had that single black top kicking around for some reason so I gave it a try rather than buy a whole new set. About 20k miles like that and no problems so far...

Excellent.
That Whisky fork looks ideal for your needs.
Is the crown rear-drilled only?
Because it looks to me that the Whisky No.7 canti cx fork I may pick up as a back-up is fully-drilled (which I need) + has a straight steerer and hidden fender screw inserts. They look like nice forks.

[Coaster]

Excellent.

That Whisky fork looks ideal for your needs.

Is the crown rear-drilled only?

Because it looks to me that the Whisky No.7 canti cx fork I may pick up as a back-up is fully-drilled (which I need) + has a straight steerer and hidden fender screw inserts. They look like nice forks.



Yes - rear drilled only on the crown.

[ptourkin]

A good option if you want mounting on the fork for bikepacking and dyno

http://salsacycles.com/files/components/FK6008_1920x720.jpg

http://salsacycles.com/components/category/forks/cutthroat_carbon_fork

Also, their Firestarter Carbon Fork

[ColonelJLloyd]

The carbon Firestarter is awesome.

It's really only suitable for a MTB frame, though, right? Wouldn't the 483mm A-C throw off the geo of a CX/gravel/all-road type frame designed around a 395-400mm A-C?

[ptourkin]

The carbon Firestarter is awesome.

It's really only suitable for a MTB frame, though, right? Wouldn't the 483mm A-C throw off the geo of a CX/gravel/all-road type frame designed around a 395-400mm A-C?

This is true. Some people are thrown off by the Cutthroat frame because it's suspension corrected which is why this fork fits. Hoping for more solutions with available fork mounting and dyno routing. Maybe something like this: https://www.instagram.com/p/BNXqEmDhSdy/?taken-by=condorcazador