new front end - carbon fork ?'s

"dookie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

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i've ridden my 54cm scapin el-os for going on 10 years now, mostly with great pleasure (except for
the hills). on occasion however (loooong

rides),

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i'd suffer numbness and/or tingling in my hands despite cork tape, a 25mm tire, and padded gloves
(even gel for a while...too squishy). anyway, a great deal just surfaced on an ouzo pro carbon
fork, so i snapped it up.

as

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a result, the whole front end of the bike will change. here are my questions:

if you believe they hype, this thing is going to feel like a suspension fork. will it really make
the ride that much more comfortable?

No. Your hand problems will not go away. Suggest a professional fitting session or at least a higher
stem position, as it sounds like you're putting too much weight on your hands. A good way to tell is
to take your hands off the bars when you're in your normal riding position. If you have to use your
back/stomach muscles to avoid falling forward, then A. your stem's too low or too forward, and/or B.
your seat's too far forward. Comfort is about balance, and spreading your weight evenly between
feet, seat, and hands.

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any idea what the rake on the original el-os unicrown fork is? i'm

guessing

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it's a fairly standard ~43mm. the new fork is 45mm, which i guess will

add

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to the comfort and stability, but slow the handling a bit. that's not a

bad

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thing in my mind, but will just 2mm really make a noticeable difference?

Very little, and it will reduce the stability at speed a small bit, not increase it. More rake for a
given head angle reduces trail, which is what makes your bike want to go straight. 2mm is not enough
to worry about.

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i will be replacing my salsa cromo quill stem and stronglight delta

threaded

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headset with threadless (anyone want the old gear?). the fork came with a chorus aheadset
(perfect, the rest of the bike is chorus ergo 8), so i'm

set

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there. what about the stem? i understand wedge-type clamps (eg: thomson) are a no-no with carbon
steerers. beyond that (and length of course), is there anything i need to be concerned about? most
mfg's only sell 1-1/8" stems these days, but include shims for 1" steerers...this makes me a

little

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wary. should it? ritchey touts their 'angled steer clamp slot' as less damaging to my soon-to-be
carbon steerer. why is that better than a straight-cut slot? their 'pro' seiries stem seems like a
nice product at

a

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good price. anybody else i should consider?

Ritchey stems are fine; use a Pro myself. As for the angled clamp, whether that matters is probably
more a function of how the fibers are laid up in your fork. But there's no downside to it, so why
risk it if you like the Ritchey stems. You might email Reynolds or check their website for tips on
their preferred clamps.

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finally, with that much weight off the front end will i only be able to

ride

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wheelies?

Yes - much less wear on the front tire that way!

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thanks much,

[email hidden]

"dookie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

i've ridden my 54cm scapin el-os for going on 10 years now, mostly with great pleasure (except for
the hills). on occasion however (loooong

rides),

Quoted message said:

i'd suffer numbness and/or tingling in my hands despite cork tape, a 25mm tire, and padded gloves
(even gel for a while...too squishy). anyway, a great deal just surfaced on an ouzo pro carbon
fork, so i snapped it up.

as

Quoted message said:

a result, the whole front end of the bike will change. here are my questions:

if you believe they hype, this thing is going to feel like a suspension fork. will it really make
the ride that much more comfortable?.

I notice a little less "buzz" through my carbon forks than my steel 'cross fork Except for an early
Kinesis fork I've owned, the carbon forks all seem about as stiff as my steel forks (and maybe
stiffer, but since I don't have a back to back comparison, I couldn't tell you for sure).

Quoted message said:

any idea what the rake on the original el-os unicrown fork is? i'm

guessing

Quoted message said:

it's a fairly standard ~43mm. the new fork is 45mm, which i guess will

add

Quoted message said:

to the comfort and stability, but slow the handling a bit. that's not a

bad

Quoted message said:

thing in my mind, but will just 2mm really make a noticeable difference?

i will be replacing my salsa cromo quill stem and stronglight delta

threaded

Quoted message said:

headset with threadless (anyone want the old gear?). the fork came with a chorus aheadset
(perfect, the rest of the bike is chorus ergo 8), so i'm

set

Quoted message said:

there. what about the stem? i understand wedge-type clamps (eg: thomson) are a no-no with carbon
steerers. beyond that (and length of course), is there anything i need to be concerned about? most
mfg's only sell 1-1/8" stems these days, but include shims for 1" steerers...this makes me a

little

Quoted message said:

wary. should it?

No worries. I've done it for years. Just line up the slot in the shim with the slot on your stem and
you'll be OK.

ritchey touts their 'angled steer clamp slot' as less

Quoted message said:

damaging to my soon-to-be carbon steerer. why is that better than a straight-cut slot? their 'pro'
seiries stem seems like a nice product at

a

Quoted message said:

good price. anybody else i should consider?

I think that the angled slot thing is a marketing gimmick, but I like the stems I have (4 Pro stems
and counting! Thanks Price Point!). I'm not an engineer, so don't know for sure if it is or isn't
important to have the angled clamp. Any stem that doesn't have a pinch bolt will do fine, but I like
the Ritchey =/- 6 degree stems.

Quoted message said:

finally, with that much weight off the front end will i only be able to

ride

Quoted message said:

wheelies?

You MAY be able to ride only wheelies, but are you sure you really want to? It'd make riding in a
pack somewhat scary.

Quoted message said:

thanks much,

[email hidden]

dookie-<< anyway, a great deal just surfaced on an ouzo pro carbon fork, so i snapped it up. as a
result, the whole front end of the bike will change. here are my questions: >><BR><BR>

<< if you believe they hype, this thing is going to feel like a suspension fork. will it really make
the ride that much more comfortable? >><BR><BR>

Nope. not over a well made steel fork..

<< any idea what the rake on the original el-os unicrown fork is? i'm guessing it's a fairly
standard ~43mm. the new fork is 45mm, which i guess will add to the comfort and stability, but slow
the handling a bit. >><BR><BR>

Doubt you will be able to tell 2mm difference...

<< most mfg's only sell 1-1/8" stems these days, but include shims for 1" steerers...this makes me a
little wary. should it? >><BR><BR>

Nope-

<< finally, with that much weight off the front end will i only be able to ride wheelies? >><BR><BR>

Nope but you'll be able to play the piano- For your numbness, I would get a bike fit...

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"