Columbus Minimal fork - an opinions?

[Dr Luxurious]

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with these

http://www.columbustubi.com/eng/4_2_6.htm

I have a Ritchey carbon comp that I'm not too happy with; it's pretty flexy. Thought I might replace it with the Columbus. Not stoked with Columbus' carbon steerer, though - hence the current Ritchey.

I need a 1" steerer so I'm pretty limited...

[prototoast]

I've used the 1 1/8" Columbus minimal fork and was happy with it (sold the bike it was on). Felt about as stiff as an Enve fork. Clearance for 28 tires. What's not to like?

[Heisenberg]

depends on the frame.

on an oversized metal or carbon bike the minimal feels like dog****. it’s very laterally flexy, a stiff frame and wheel set will make things understeery.

with more compliant frames and wheels it’s fine.

be careful, though - tire clearance on them sucks. you won’t fit a 28 with some brake calipers.

[Dr Luxurious]

Flexy and understeery? No bueno.

It's for a Reynolds 531 frame.

I still ride 23c so clearance is not an issue.


Also thought about one of these

https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...ade-track-fork

but 41mm rake...

[pdonk]

If you don't mind the look, wound ups come in a variety or rakes with a steel 1 inch steerer.

https://www.woundupcomposites.com/pr...ad-x-fork-700/

[Dr Luxurious]

Wound-Up are great forks but they would look very wrong on this bike.
Plus $$$$

[mtechnica]

I have a 1” minimal on my Calfee and I like it well enough. I’ve had it for around 3 years. Not sure if there are any better options for 1”.

[Big Dan]

Call me crazy, but I would look for a nice steel fork.

[berserk87]

Another option would be the Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork. I did a quick Google search and while they no longer make them, there seem to be plenty, at great prices for 1", on the secondary market. They did have a recall in 2007. I'm not sure if Reynolds remedied the issue that caused it or just quit making the fork. I would verify.

I'm not sure how you would feel about going used on a fork. Some folks don't like the idea.

[Mike Lopez]

There was never a recall on the regular Ouzo Pro. It was the UL version that was recalled due to poor bond prep and the dropouts becoming loose.

BTW...that fork was not available in 1"


QUOTE=berserk87;2611078]Another option would be the Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork. I did a quick Google search and while they no longer make them, there seem to be plenty, at great prices for 1", on the secondary market. They did have a recall in 2007. I'm not sure if Reynolds remedied the issue that caused it or just quit making the fork. I would verify.

I'm not sure how you would feel about going used on a fork. Some folks don't like the idea.[/QUOTE]

[berserk87]

Originally Posted by Mike Lopez

There was never a recall on the regular Ouzo Pro. It was the UL version that was recalled due to poor bond prep and the dropouts becoming loose.

BTW...that fork was not available in 1"

Thanks for the correction on the recall; however regarding 1", that is incorrect, sir:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Reynolds-ou...wAAOSwZSRdseeA

I had one before going a different bike back in the day. It was the last 1" fork that I ever owned (unless you are referring to the recalled fork - that may be true).

[Mike Lopez]

There was a “light” version of the original Ouzo Pro but that was never recalled. It was available in 1” or 1-1/8”.

The fork that was recalled was the UL and was only available in 1-1/8”

Why do I know this as fact? I built all the tooling and the molds only made 1-1/8” steerers. There was no way to make 1” steerers in them.

The two models of forks were made with slightly different processes. The original OP series of forks used pre cured steerer tubes comolded into the fork body as a secondary process. As such, we could change inserts in the molds to accept either size steerer tube and also skew the angle of insertion to achieve the desired rake. A single mold could make forks with either steerer, including steel in the early daze, and rakes from 38 to 52 mm. These forks used the original dropouts and the legs were oval at the bottom.

The UL forks were true 1 piece forks where the steerer was laid up at the same time as the fork body and all cured in one shot. The molds were twice as long/heavy and since we couldn’t skew the insertion angle of a pre cured steerer each mold only made 1 rake. These forks used a radically different dropout and the legs were round at the bottom.

Trust me, it’s true. Regardless of what misinformation you may have read on eBay or elsewhere.

Originally Posted by berserk87

Thanks for the correction on the recall; however regarding 1", that is incorrect, sir:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Reynolds-ou...wAAOSwZSRdseeA

I had one before going a different bike back in the day. It was the last 1" fork that I ever owned (unless you are referring to the recalled fork - that may be true).

[cinema]

I have the 1" carbon steerer version you're looking at. it clears 28 on wide rims easily. in my opinion it is quite stiff; too stiff for me. but I am a lightweight.

I found it stiff enough that I had to switch my beloved thin fizik tape for some parts bin cork stuff. Been running it for about 3 years now, just fine. I got it for a great price from this Italian place, cicli Corsa.

I've been watching this one for a while, looks nice and clean. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hylix-One-I...53.m1438.l2649 probably comes from one of the major factories all these things are made out of

[berserk87]

Originally Posted by Mike Lopez

There was a “light” version of the original Ouzo Pro but that was never recalled. It was available in 1” or 1-1/8”.

The fork that was recalled was the UL and was only available in 1-1/8”

Why do I know this as fact? I built all the tooling and the molds only made 1-1/8” steerers. There was no way to make 1” steerers in them.

The two models of forks were made with slightly different processes. The original OP series of forks used pre cured steerer tubes comolded into the fork body as a secondary process. As such, we could change inserts in the molds to accept either size steerer tube and also skew the angle of insertion to achieve the desired rake. A single mold could make forks with either steerer, including steel in the early daze, and rakes from 38 to 52 mm. These forks used the original dropouts and the legs were oval at the bottom.

The UL forks were true 1 piece forks where the steerer was laid up at the same time as the fork body and all cured in one shot. The molds were twice as long/heavy and since we couldn’t skew the insertion angle of a pre cured steerer each mold only made 1 rake. These forks used a radically different dropout and the legs were round at the bottom.

Trust me, it’s true. Regardless of what misinformation you may have read on eBay or elsewhere.

I think we are talking about two different things here. I'm not looking at the UL versus standard or other iterations - I think you are being more precise than me, and that was not my intent. In fact, upon review, I think that's the origin of our disagreement. I didn't delineate between whatever standard model there was and the UL.

I did own an Ouzo Pro that had a 1" steerer tube. The one in the Ebay ad clearly shows a manufacturer's decal that denotes a 1" tube, unless you are saying that it's a counterfeit. I haven't read any information on Ebay or elsewhere - it's there in black and white. And I owned one. Although years of contact sport killed a few brain cells, I didn't hallucinate it.

At this point I'm not sure what we are trying to accomplish other than perhaps one-upmanship.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by berserk87

I think we are talking about two different things here. I'm not looking at the UL versus standard or other iterations - I think you are being more precise than me, and that was not my intent. In fact, upon review, I think that's the origin of our disagreement. I didn't delineate between whatever standard model there was and the UL.

I did own an Ouzo Pro that had a 1" steerer tube. The one in the Ebay ad clearly shows a manufacturer's decal that denotes a 1" tube, unless you are saying that it's a counterfeit. I haven't read any information on Ebay or elsewhere - it's there in black and white. And I owned one. Although years of contact sport killed a few brain cells, I didn't hallucinate it.

At this point I'm not sure what we are trying to accomplish other than perhaps one-upmanship.

As I read his post, all he was saying (with some very detailed background) was that the recall only applied to the UL fork model, which was only available in 1 1/8", therefore any 1" Ouzo fork would not have ever been recalled.