#1
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Ride/feel of carbon vs. alum forks
I have only ever had steel or carbon forks (full carbon & carbon w/ alum steerer) on my road bikes. I would think an aluminum fork would be very stiff and make that bike feel like a jackhammer, but might possibly be able to absorb more punishment if it takes a hit that it wasn't designed for (i.e. crash). Curious if anyone here has experience with an aluminum fork on a road bike and what are your thoughts/experiences? TIA
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#2
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I believe they are/were exceedingly rare. I have never even seen one.
This is the place to ask though, maybe someone will have ridden one. |
#3
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Aluminum forks aren't that rare - in fact they are probably the most common forks made today. These days, aluminum forks are found primarily on low end city/commuter and hybrid bikes, often made with unicrown construction with steel steerers. In earlier times, aluminum forks were often found on high end bikes before carbon forks became common, particularly on early generation titanium bikes. This was because bonded construction aluminum forks were typically lighter than steel forks. These high end aluminum forks were often flexier than steel forks, which may have contributed a lot to the perception that titanium provided a smoother ride than steel.
How do aluminum forks ride? There's too much variation to make broad sweeping pronouncements. You can make a flexy aluminum fork, and you can make a stiff aluminum fork. |
#4
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Quote:
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#5
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I've never ridden an aluminum fork, but that is exactly what I'd be afraid of knowing how aluminum ages, so I would not ride one. Give me a fork that will *never* break, please.
Last edited by dgauthier; Today at 05:29 PM. |
#6
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There's too much variability to make any real claims, as Mark McM points out. The vintage aluminum forks from Alan, Vitus 979, or Litage/SR are probably not stiff enough for most riders today. Trek had some aluminum forks in their 1000- and 2000- models in the early 90's that might be okay. A modern aluminum fork sold today is probably overbuilt.
I have an aluminum fork on my LeMond Poprad and it rides like a good steel fork -- except that you need to take some extra steps so that the front (canti) brakes don't squeal. But its ride characteristics are good. |
#7
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my original Merlin road back in the early 90's came with an aluminum sakae fork which i rode for maybe a year before changing out to a kestrel fork which was a night and day difference in ride and handling for the better,probably lighter but to boot but just recall how much better it seemed to soak up bad asphalt.
both had threaded steel steerer tubes. |
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