Reynolds UL vs. Ouzo Pro

[theprep]

I have $500 in FUN money from selling some wheel sets. Gave some $ to the March of Dimes and still have enough $ for the new Reynolds UL to put on my Love No. 3. It comes in the 45 mm rake Dario likes and was designed by the same guy (Lopez?) who gave us the Ouzo Pro.

I think the fatter fork blades would look better next to the big Scandium tubes and it should drop about a quarter pound from my bike pictured below(18.1 to 17.8 lbs):

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=351696&postcount=1

One of the things I like best about the Ouzo Pro (479 g) and Colnago Star (483 g) (both weights with expansion devices) for that matter, is how utter solid they feel at speed and when I get sloppy and I am hanging all over the front of the bike on a climb.

My question is: Will I be losing front end stiffness by switching to the Reynolds UL? If I am, I could care less about the weight.

My last experiment with a light fork (Easton SLX) didn't go so well. I found the stiffness unacceptable.

thanks guys,
Joe

[Chris]

FWIW I looked at both and went with the PRO for the reliability/peace of mind.

[Richard]

I'm not sure how the Pro provides reliability or peace of mind over the UL, but I've had both and find the UL to be a very good fork. It tracks and turns well with no flex issues that I've been able to discern.

[znfdl]

The UL is an amazing fork. It was a real improvement over my Real Design fork. It handles, tracks and dampens road vibration better than my old fork.

[Pete Serotta]

Mike Lopez was also one of the two who took the OP to the nest level with the F3...... (those are his words not mine)

He designed the F3 with the knowledge from the OP and also with enhancements in weight, tuning, and carbon layup that took the F3 to the next level of advanced carbon.

This is not to say OP is inferior for us mere mortals....just that tadditional engineering and experience went into the F3.

please consider it also. THANKS

[theprep]

Pete,

Thanks for the advice, I would love a Serotta fork, but there are 3 things going against the F3 for me.

1. No 45 mm rake option
2. about $110 more than the UL
3. No published weight - I only want to spend the money if I can keep the performance of the Ouzo Pro and loose 1/4 lb of weight.

cheers,
Joe

[Pete Serotta]

Fully understand.... Pete


Pete,

Thanks for the advice, I would love a Serotta fork, but there are 3 things going against the F3 for me.

1. No 45 mm rake option
2. about $110 more than the UL
3. No published weight - I only want to spend the money if I can keep the performance of the Ouzo Pro and loose 1/4 lb of weight.

cheers,
Joe

[davyt]

Here's some more info from a pretty good source... :)

Reynolds UL (back to the original post) (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=319273&postcount=14)

[Jack Brunk]

I have the UL on my Vanilla road bike and it rides every bit as well as the standard Ouzo Pro. My new IF 953 S & S bike will have the UL. I don't think you'll regret buying it.

[Keith A]

Some more info about the UL is found on Tom Kellogg's website which states the following:

The Reynolds UL was developed by Tom Kellogg and Mike Lopez at Reynolds as the "new generation" of forks to come out of Reynolds over the winter of '06-'07. Tom and Mike spent about 16 months between the first concept discussions and final production. Those intervening months were spent in ID work (industrial design), process development, materials decisions, and a lot of prototype testing. Again, Tom became known to ride the "fork of the week" by the other riders in his area. During one especially intense testing period, Tom rode four different prototypes over a two week period.

The result? The UL is by far, the highest high performance Hyper Light fork ever made. With the steerer cut to 200mm, the UL weighs in at 270gr. The lightest fork which can match all of its stiffness characteristics weighs over 100gr. more. The other forks in its weight calss are MUCH more flexable both laterally and torsionally.

[mcteague]

I replaced my OP, that took on the bumper of a car (it seemed fine other than a bit scuffed up), with a UL last year. I can't say I can feel any difference but it has a nicer shape IMO and is a bit lighter, not that I can notice that while riding either. Still, it steers straight and true and does what it should. Tom Kellogg had a hand in design and testing so what more can you ask?

Tim McTeague

[rnhood]

The UL fork is significantly stiffer laterally than the Ouzo Pro fork.

[jds108]

I asked Reynolds and here is what they told me last week:

We tried to copy the ride off the Ouzo Pro in the UL, but due to the different lay-up in the UL fork we did get some slightly different ride characteristics out of it. Riders under the 175 lbs feel that the UL fork is slightly stiffer. Riders from 180-200 say that they have a similar ride. Riders that are over 200 say that is a little compliant. None of our forks have a weight limit on them, but depending on the riders weight we may suggest different fork for specific ride characteristics.

[theprep]

This is all great information. Thank you guys.

I will be heading to the LBS tomorrow to order. When it comes in, I'll post some photo updates and ride report.

Probably will be told that the 45 mm is out of stock, argh! and have to wait 8 weeks.

[djg21]

I have $500 in FUN money from selling some wheel sets. Gave some $ to the March of Dimes and still have enough $ for the new Reynolds UL to put on my Love No. 3. It comes in the 45 mm rake Dario likes and was designed by the same guy (Lopez?) who gave us the Ouzo Pro.

I think the fatter fork blades would look better next to the big Scandium tubes and it should drop about a quarter pound from my bike pictured below(18.1 to 17.8 lbs):

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=351696&postcount=1

One of the things I like best about the Ouzo Pro (479 g) and Colnago Star (483 g) (both weights with expansion devices) for that matter, is how utter solid they feel at speed and when I get sloppy and I am hanging all over the front of the bike on a climb.

My question is: Will I be losing front end stiffness by switching to the Reynolds UL? If I am, I could care less about the weight.

My last experiment with a light fork (Easton SLX) didn't go so well. I found the stiffness unacceptable.

thanks guys,
Joe

I had the Ouzo on my old Litespeed Vortex, and when I replaced the bike with a Lynskey, I opted for the UL. I made the decision on advice provided by Tom Kellogg, I think on this forum. He told me that the UL is not only lighter than the Ouzo, but also stiffer. He also confirmed that it was suitable for big riders.

If I'm not mistaken, Tom had a hand in the design of the fork. So far, the fork has been great. I've had no issues with stifness or stability, and I am big.