fork steerer opinions

Mansmind said:

I've recently purchasede a frame and I'm trying to decide what fork to put on it. I know I'm going to go with carbon, but I'm wondering whether I should have a full carbon (including steerer) or have an aluminum steerer.

I'm read a couple of things that seem to indicate that rider weight has something to do with the decision. I'm 190 lbs., and I don't THINK it would be a problem with either one, but perhaps so.

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions?

Thanks,

John

Depends on steerer diameter and how many spacers you may use under the stem. If 1" there are stiffness issues with full CF.

boudreaux said:

Depends on steerer diameter and how many spacers you may use under the stem. If 1" there are stiffness issues with full CF.

I should have mentioned that in my post...

Diameter will be 1.125 for sure. I'm not sure about spacers as of yet. Is there some sort of limit on the spacers. It seems that I've heard figures like 20mm, but I can't remember where I saw it.

Thanks,

John

Mansmind said:

I should have mentioned that in my post...

Diameter will be 1.125 for sure. I'm not sure about spacers as of yet. Is there some sort of limit on the spacers. It seems that I've heard figures like 20mm, but I can't remember where I saw it.

Thanks,

John

35mm for a 11/8" unless the manufacturer says different.

boudreaux said:

35mm for a 11/8" unless the manufacturer says different.

Appreciate the information!!!!

What do you do? You seem to know this stuff real well (off the top of your head).

Thanks again,

John

Mansmind said:

I've recently purchasede a frame and I'm trying to decide what fork to put on it. I know I'm going to go with carbon, but I'm wondering whether I should have a full carbon (including steerer) or have an aluminum steerer.

I'm read a couple of things that seem to indicate that rider weight has something to do with the decision. I'm 190 lbs., and I don't THINK it would be a problem with either one, but perhaps so.

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions?

Thanks,

John

I'm bigger than you and have upgraded my cromoly steerer/carbon blade fork for to a Reynolds Ouzo Pro Aero. It is 1" and I use 15mm of spacers. When I first put it on, I used 20mm of spacers and a stem with a single bolt clamp design. With that set up it was a little too flexy for my liking. I dropped the height by 5mm and upgraded the stem to a two bolt design and it's been perfect. I also noticed that the carbon steerer (which makes the fork 200 grams lighter than the previous fork) seriously dampened road vibrations and improved the ride quality quite a bit.
😎

If you've bought an expensive frame, and are prepared to buy an expensive fork (this is not crucial), you might wanna check out the head-tube angle, and ask the manufacturer what "rake" you should buy.

I bought an oldish Scapin frame a couple of months ago without a fork, and assumed I could chuck any old old fork in there and get it riding great, but I had speed wobble problems, etc. I tried four different forks that I had lying around, and they all handled like [censored]. Then the guy at the shop said that all Scapins are built around a 44mm rake......anyway I gave up and bought a Cervelo.

As far as I know, rakes range from 40mm to 48mm for a True Temper, and Reynolds have an Ouzo Pro in a 50mm. I think most forks are 42.5mm

531Aussie said:

If you've bought an expensive frame, and are prepared to buy an expensive fork (this is not crucial), you might wanna check out the head-tube angle, and ask the manufacturer what "rake" you should buy.

I bought an oldish Scapin frame a couple of months ago without a fork, and assumed I could chuck any old old fork in there and get it riding great, but I had speed wobble problems, etc. I tried four different forks that I had lying around, and they all handled like [censored]. Then the guy at the shop said that all Scapins are built around a 44mm rake......anyway I gave up and bought a Cervelo.

As far as I know, rakes range from 40mm to 48mm for a True Temper, and Reynolds have an Ouzo Pro in a 50mm. I think most forks are 42.5mm

good point and thanks for the info. Everything I'm looking at seems to be a 43mm rake. Don't know why that is... but i haven't seen anything different...YET.

Thanks,

John

531Aussie said:

If you've bought an expensive frame, and are prepared to buy an expensive fork (this is not crucial), you might wanna check out the head-tube angle, and ask the manufacturer what "rake" you should buy.

I bought an oldish Scapin frame a couple of months ago without a fork, and assumed I could chuck any old old fork in there and get it riding great, but I had speed wobble problems, etc. I tried four different forks that I had lying around, and they all handled like [censored]. Then the guy at the shop said that all Scapins are built around a 44mm rake......anyway I gave up and bought a Cervelo.

you could have used a 43 or 45 with no problem and there are plenty of them around.

boudreaux said:

you could have used a 43 or 45 with no problem and there are plenty of them around.

I reckon the Scapin might be a lemon. I had 2 forks on it that were 42.5mm, but I still had speed wobble problems, so much so, that the bike felt unstable on the slightest rough road, even at low speeds.

531Aussie said:

I reckon the Scapin might be a lemon. I had 2 forks on it that were 42.5mm, but I still had speed wobble problems, so much so, that the bike felt unstable on the slightest rough road, even at low speeds.

And, maybe you got some misinformation about the rake they used. Crown to dropout distance can also be a factor.I suspect others issues other than minor diferences in fork rake.