cross fork rake

[d_douglas]

I am considering buying a new fork for my Redline ti cross frame. The seller says it has 45mm rake - is this standard for a traditional geo frame? Is will be used with disc brakes too, if that makes any difference.

I currently have a heavy as hell steel Dimension disc only fork that works great, but weighs more than the frame, so hence the search...

Your expert advice is appreciated.

[Gothard]

Darren, I have a wound-up canti only I am not using.

[happycampyer]

FWII, CX bikes tend to have slightly slacker HTA's than road bikes, and the forks have a bit more rake. 45mm is pretty standard (reynolds, easton, ridley (4ZA), etc.). The Alpha Q's appear to have 47mm (and the Ritchey 48). Here's a pretty representative sample:

http://cyclocrossworld.stores.yahoo.net/forks.html

FWIW, both of the Redline forks listed have 45mm rakes...

[DfCas]

Rake should be matched to the head tube angle of the frame to create a trail in the 60-63mm range. For an example of rake used see the Waterford/Gunnar chart for the Crosshairs model here:

http://www.gunnarbikes.com/crosshairsspecs.php

Note that their forks are shorter A-C at 383 than the more common 395, so their forks are not compatible with other brands.