"the world's first gravel fork"

[spoonrobot]

The EC look mentions the rigidity issue with some great pics:

The Invert suffers from neither of those issues as the massive carbon fiber upper structure is both plenty rigid – both fore-aft and through hard corners – and impressively light, the lower legs are relatively stout with 30 mm diameters, and there’s a lot of separation between the upper and lower bushings. I’m not sure how well such an arrangement would work in a longer-travel application, but it seems to do the trick just fine here.

https://escapecollective.com/cane-cr...t-ride-review/

[avalonracing]

I've ridden some smooth gravel and chunky gravel and I've thought that I might enjoy something like what Specialized does with their "future shock" system which is basically a well-sprung stem. It doesn't absorb bumps or keep the front end planted like a suspension fork but it takes the edge off without the complexity or weight of a suspension fork.

[bicycletricycle]

The size of the uppers or diameter of the lowers will help (especially with fore/aft) but in the end won't keep the lowers from freely rotating within in each other on their slippery smooth bearings.

I am sure marketing people and people interested in selling them and access journalists think they are great. They may in fact be great.

I will wait till I can personally put the tire between my legs and twist the bars to judge.

Originally Posted by spoonrobot

The EC look mentions the rigidity issue with some great pics:



https://escapecollective.com/cane-cr...t-ride-review/

[bicycletricycle]

for me maybe the most interesting part?

"Quite interestingly, there’s no damper at all. Cane Creek says it actually built parallel fleets of development mules – one with a conventional oil damper and one without – but its test riders supposedly couldn’t tell the difference between them in terms of ride performance so it was decided to go without to save both weight and complexity."

from the escape collective article.

why would damping not be necessary? some kind of internal friction giving them some friction damping? travel so short the bouncing isn't too bothersome?

[Davist]

Agreeing with above about damping.. If not needed, I can sell anyone here a 650 x 47 bog standard WTB wheel and tire for less than $1100 (well, $1099) and you'll get lighter weight and 20mm of air sprung travel depending on pressure!

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by Davist

Agreeing with above about damping.. If not needed, I can sell anyone here a 650 x 47 bog standard WTB wheel and tire for less than $1100 (well, $1099) and you'll get lighter weight and 20mm of air sprung travel depending on pressure!

Agreed, the suspension fork with such short travel seems of little value to me. If not trying to a win a race or ride with your buddies in a group gravel ride (aka fit the image) a full suspension mtb with fast tires will serve most people better.

[RunningChoux]

I suppose the argument is that the internal friction/stiction/resistance (not very knowledgeable about suspension, may be using the wrong words) is enough damping with the short travel to make a separate dedicated damper circuit worth the effort, cost, and weight. After all, Lauf just has their undamped leaf springs, which probably have even less. I've ridden neither (nor any modern telescoping suspension, to be clear), but it makes a certain amount of sense. Likewise, maybe the rigidity issues of the independent lower units is mitigated by the shorter travel? I'd want to test ride before I spent the money, at least.

Re: the "first" marketing words. If memory serves, didn't Lauf start with a 60mm travel version for marathon/XC? If they're really splitting hairs and saying that they're the first to develop a modern fork specifically for gravel at the 30/40mm range, they might not be wrong per se, but that's not the figurative hill I'd choose to die on.

[mickey.d]

Cane Creek, besides being the first manufacturer for Rockshox forks in the early 90’s has great institutional knowledge of using air simultaneously as the spring and damping from their Air-Driver (AD)series of shocks that were always popular on bike-e recumbents and unified rear triangle mountain bikes. That technology was designed by this fella named Arlo Englund who commercialized air/air cartridges that you could stick in your 40-60mm travel Judy. White Brothers also commercialized an englund sprung 70mm fork. Nothing groundbreaking here, just good design.

btw
From looking at the website, they are hiring a marketing manager if anyone wants to go write marketing copy!

[Spdntrxi]

interested in the SL.. willing to wait for a used one or atleast 20% off coupon online somewhere.

[bicycletricycle]

Originally Posted by mickey.d

Cane Creek, besides being the first manufacturer for Rockshox forks in the early 90’s has great institutional knowledge of using air simultaneously as the spring and damping from their Air-Driver (AD)series of shocks that were always popular on bike-e recumbents and unified rear triangle mountain bikes. That technology was designed by this fella named Arlo Englund who commercialized air/air cartridges that you could stick in your 40-60mm travel Judy. White Brothers also commercialized an englund sprung 70mm fork. Nothing groundbreaking here, just good design.

btw
From looking at the website, they are hiring a marketing manager if anyone wants to go write marketing copy!

Well, those cartridges didn’t work great IMHO. Also it doesn’t say they are air dampened it says they have none.

[bicycletricycle]

They would not like my marketing copy

Originally Posted by mickey.d

Cane Creek, besides being the first manufacturer for Rockshox forks in the early 90’s has great institutional knowledge of using air simultaneously as the spring and damping from their Air-Driver (AD)series of shocks that were always popular on bike-e recumbents and unified rear triangle mountain bikes. That technology was designed by this fella named Arlo Englund who commercialized air/air cartridges that you could stick in your 40-60mm travel Judy. White Brothers also commercialized an englund sprung 70mm fork. Nothing groundbreaking here, just good design.

btw
From looking at the website, they are hiring a marketing manager if anyone wants to go write marketing copy!

[AngryScientist]

What about the Cannondale Slate. That was available with both a rigid and suspended lefty fork.

[rice rocket]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

What about the Cannondale Slate. That was available with both a rigid and suspended lefty fork.

Indeed.

The Lefty is also more rigid than most "traditional" forks, for those concerned about inverted stiffness.

[spoonrobot]

I don't believe there's any compelling evidence this is the first gravel fork. Just par for the course in the gravel marketing space to make such claims.

I think we've had the "first gravel aero bike" every year since the Open UP in 2015.

[unterhausen]

My interpretation of calling it the first is they were unable to think of any other snappy headline and just went for the hate clicks.