FS: Kestrel EMS Pro OS Fork

[SkipBGrad]

1-1/8 steerer, 210mm long, excellent condition, never crashed, includes Chris King baseplate, $49 + shipping.

[Jeff N.]

IMO the most underrated carbon fork ever made, and pretty much a giveaway at this price. Jeff N.

[benitosan1972]

^good enough endorsement for me, PM sent

[Jeff N.]

The 1" versions, uncut, (if you can find them...no longer made) go for BIG bucks. Jeff N.

[MRB]

...please elaborate. I have one of these forks (in a 1" steel steerer) on my H.C. The fork is fine. It accomidates larger tires than the F1 fork that came with the bike. Don't get me wrong, I like these forks, and have heard that they are desirable, but please elaborate on them. Thanks! John

[Louis]

Originally Posted by Jeff N.

IMO the most underrated carbon fork ever made, and pretty much a giveaway at this price. Jeff N.

I have a 1" on my daily driver for ages and I'm quite happy with it. A few spills over the years and it's still going strong.

[Jeff N.]

Originally Posted by MRB

...please elaborate. I have one of these forks (in a 1" steel steerer) on my H.C. The fork is fine. It accomidates larger tires than the F1 fork that came with the bike. Don't get me wrong, I like these forks, and have heard that they are desirable, but please elaborate on them. Thanks! John

Kestrel was pretty much the first carbon fork maker and they led that market for quite some time after they first came out. They were originally available with 310mm, 1"steel steerer tubes and were extremely stiff and strong, if not a bit on the heavy side. They're virtually bomb-proof and last forever with proper care, and since 1" forks are pretty hard to locate in general these days, those Kestrel one inchers are quite desireable in their uncut form for those in-the-know looking for one inch carbon road forks. They can, and do, fetch a rather hefty price.
When 1.125" steerers became standard, Kestrel started making their forks in this size (EMS Pro OS), discontinuing the one inchers. They made them with alloy steerers as well as some with titanium steerers (extra rare and desireable...hard to find). The Kestrel EMS Pro OS can still be had on Ebay for surprisingly reasonable prices, with the alloy steerer. The alloy or steel steerer tube will result in a fork that is going to be heavier than an all carbon fork costing hundreds more, but I just don't think you're going to find a stronger, stiffer fork than the Kestrel EMS Pro OS...at least in MY experience. If the weight penalty doesn't matter all that much to you, the Kestrel EMS Pro OS will serve you extremely well...especially for the money. And there are those who will say I'm not with the times, but I can't help but feel safer riding with a steel or alloy steerer over a carbon steerer...especially in 1" form. Indeed, I have many of my bikes equipped with the 1.125" OS...one inchers too, on my Atlanta and a Landshark... all of them custom painted by JB to match the particular bike. They handle flawlessly. Jeff N.

[MRB]

.....Jeff N... Thank you for shedding some light on this subject (no pun intended). I remember those early Kestrel's. I rode a few at Owenhouse Schwinn when I was in college in Bozeman. The reason I put a Kestral EMS pro on my H.C. was that I did not want to be limited to the 25mm of exptension like the fork with cf steers. I'm glad to know this is a good fork, becuase the bike it is on deserves a good fork. thanks again. John

[beeatnik]

Originally Posted by Jeff N.

. And there are those who will say I'm not with the times, but I can't help but feel safer riding with a steel or alloy steerer over a carbon steerer...especially in 1" form. Indeed, I have many of my bikes equipped with the OS, all of them custom painted by JB to match the particular bike. They handle flawlessly. Jeff N.

You and I and all the pros who refused or were very reluctant to ride 1" carbon steerers.