Ride/feel of carbon vs. alum forks

[Red Tornado]

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

[benb]

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.

[Mark McM]

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.

[fogrider]

Originally Posted by Red Tornado

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

I've ridden an all aluminum fork back in the day. it was back in the day when aluminum was the new thing. it was bonded construction and not light and it was not stiff. It actually cracked and was replaced. The frame was also aluminum and a crack developed at the BB and it was also replaced by warranty. it was time to move on.

[dgauthier]

Originally Posted by fogrider

(...) It actually cracked and was replaced. The frame was also aluminum and a crack developed at the BB and it was also replaced (...)

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.

[mhespenheide]

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.

[sw3759]

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.

[Rootfreak]

Rode an aluminum fork for about a year. First week of college I bought an REI Novara Strava off of Craigslist for $225. It was probably from around the turn of the millennium. I was pretty excited as it was my first road bike to fit properly, the gentleman I bought it from delivered it to my dorm, and it had a 9 speed 105 groupset. My first brifters ever. The aluminum fork certainly stood out: it was clear anodized and matched the rest of the silver components of the bike. Definitely an odd look and a reminder I was balling on a budget. It had a very direct feel as one might expect. Not necessarily harsh. It was full aluminum; blades, crown, and steerer. When I upgraded to a CAAD5 with a full carbon fork the next summer, smoothness and braking confidence were the biggest improvements. Braking was definitely the worst part of riding that aluminum fork. But you know what, I rode thousands of miles that year; on 23s too. Rode gravel east of Austin and got my all time top speed on a descent into Utopia, TX. Definitely leave aluminum forks to fearless 18 year olds!

[pdonk]

Had an aluminum fork on my trek 2300. It rode very soft and overly compliant and did not track well. Traded it for a carbon trek gork that improved confidence in the bike and ride.

In terms of carbon forks I've ridden kona fork that was overly stiff with no compliance, reynolds ouzo pro that seemed a bit soft, moots fork rides nicely on bike, enve rides nicely.

[Baron Blubba]

I think my Trek 2300 has an aluminum fork.
It rides fine, probably not the stiffest fork I've ridden but what would I know. The bike rides smooth up front, on old Dura Ace C24 wheels (15mm IRW) and 26mm Gravel King tires.
Hold an aluminum fork in one hand a carbon fork in the other, and you'll quickly realize the benefit of one over the other.
[IMG]Untitled by Michael Lock, on Flickr[/IMG]

[MikeD]

I had a Trek 1200 (steel fork), Trek 1400 (replacement carbon fork), and Trek 1420 (aluminum fork). Of the three, the 1420 rode the best. No control issues due to a flexy fork, softer ride. All three had 1" threaded steel steerer tubes.

[martl]

Originally Posted by Red Tornado

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

Impossible to tell because geometry factors in, not only material used. In the early nineties, equipping a steel bike with an alum fork like a Vitus was a huge comfort upgrade.