Firefly Titanium Fork: Anyone ridden one?

[Wakatel_Luum]

Why a carbon steerer and the rest titanium is my question?

I would have gone full titanium.

[Talrand]

Originally Posted by Wakatel_Luum

Why a carbon steerer and the rest titanium is my question?

I would have gone full titanium.

Cost saving

[dieonthishill]

Not true. Your average person or bike shop isn't going to have the capability to cut a titanium steerer.

[Wakatel_Luum]

Originally Posted by dieonthishill

Not true. Your average person or bike shop isn't going to have the capability to cut a titanium steerer.

I had a Kestrel EMS fork with a Ti steerer back in the mid 90's, shop cut it fine from memory.

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by bshell

It's 1.5 years for the frame. Not sure about the fork alone.

iirc a fork alone was a much shorter turn around, as of when I inquired several months ago.

The matching Firefly ti frame, fork and misc doodads is really where it’s at.

[duff_duffy]

If I had an unlimited budget a ti fork would be on my must have list for a ti bike. I wonder if they could make it with a ti steerer tube? That would be my preference but I’m not ever affording one so….

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by Talrand

Cost saving

And weight savings.

Another possible reason: People buy a titanium fork not for price or performance, but for aesthetics. Once installed, the steerer can't be seen, so it doesn't interfere with the aesthetics.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by dieonthishill

Not true. Your average person or bike shop isn't going to have the capability to cut a titanium steerer.

I've got an Alpha Q fork with a titanium steerer. The steerer cut easily with a standard hacksaw blade. I've also cut down down titanum MTB handlebars - no problem there, either.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by duff_duffy

I wonder if they could make it with a ti steerer tube?

Possibly, but it would take a lot more work. They'd need to swage the steerer tube to taper it from 1.125" to 1.25". Titanium tubes are not easy to cold work, and it takes special equipment to swage titanium tubing. I've seen several forks with titanium steerers, but they have all been straight steerers.

I wonder if when using a titanium steerer it wouldn't be easier to use a straight tube, and an oversized crown seat for the larger bottom bearing. I don't if the market would accept that when a tapered carbon steerer is cheaper and lighter.

[NHAero]

At the risk of being called a dummy...once a fork is a disc brake fork, are we really able to discern "ride characteristics"? Could a rider tell whether they had a carbon or Ti fork on a disc brake bike if unable to see the fork?

[duff_duffy]

I wasn’t even thinking of the taper, that makes sense. All my bikes are 1 1/8th straight. I gotta get with the times I guess!

Originally Posted by Mark McM

Possibly, but it would take a lot more work. They'd need to swage the steerer tube to taper it from 1.125" to 1.25". Titanium tubes are not easy to cold work, and it takes special equipment to swage titanium tubing. I've seen several forks with titanium steerers, but they have all been straight steerers.

I wonder if when using a titanium steerer it wouldn't be easier to use a straight tube, and an oversized crown seat for the larger bottom bearing. I don't if the market would accept that when a tapered carbon steerer is cheaper and lighter.

[benb]

I am curious if the disc brakes having a thru axle has helped them make the Ti fork work.

It seems to add a lot of extra structure to a fork.

[Jad]

Originally Posted by NHAero

At the risk of being called a dummy...once a fork is a disc brake fork, are we really able to discern "ride characteristics"? Could a rider tell whether they had a carbon or Ti fork on a disc brake bike if unable to see the fork?

I wonder this too. I'd think we'd be less able to discern anything on production forks, but maybe Firefly is able to tweak/customize/select the ti blades more into discernible ride characteristics. Dave Kirk talked about disc brake forks vs rim brake forks at one point in his Builder Spotlight thread here I think, so that may have some of the answer.

[SlowPokePete]

james Bleakley of Black Sheep Cycles built the titanium fork I have on my Lynskey.

He used a titanium tapered steerer I believe available through Paragon Machine Works.

Seriously considering replacing the Niner carbon fork on my Kona Raijin with something similar but gotta save my pennies.

November 23, 2019 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

November 23, 2019 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

November 23, 2019 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

SPP

[RetroGuy]

I have several Ti forks in use, a Steve Potts on my all Ti Potts gravel bike, a Black Sheep Ti disc gravel fork and a - cheap Russian - Kocmo 26" MTB disc fork. The latter two being 9 mm axle QR forks.

All three with 1 1/8" steerer tubes, all three a (comfortable) bliss to ride and even the Kocmo easily stiff enough for my 170 lbs. weight.

Next will be to find a Ti replacement for the Enve fork on my Alliance road bike...