Kinesis GF Ti - non-carbon forks??

[Nab]

I'm building up a Kinesis Granfondo Titanium disc frame. I know - lucky me.
It came with the standard 'Tracer 1.5 disc' carbon fork (steerer carbon too).
A part of the reason to get a Ti bike is to get away from carbon - so are there any good non-carbon forks that would suit the bike?
It should allow for mudguards/disc brakes/tyres up to 28 width (with mudguards).
I asked kinesis and they just point me at their RL02 fork - this allows for tyres up to 40 without mudguards (so with mudguards, I assume, would allow for 28s). Howevere they clearly gave the matter no thought and just pointed me to something which will fit - whether it suits the frame or not.
I do intend to put on mudguards and use 28s.
Thanks for reading!

 

[vickster]

If you don't get an answer here, contact Kinesus directly and ask them, or maybe Fatbirds who sell Kinesis and loads of other Ti stuff

Why no carbon fork on a Ti bike out of interest?

 

[S-Express]

The hard part is going to be finding a steel or aluminium disc fork with a tapered steerer in your spec, so good luck with that. As above, what's the reason for the carbon aversion?

 

[vickster]

You can get a Ti fork for a mere £1400 or thereabouts...
e.g. http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/1783475/products/nevi-titanium-road-fork-1-5-inch-tapered.aspx
http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/forks-and-shocks

 

[Tangoup51]

I'm building up a Kinesis Granfondo Titanium disc frame. I know - lucky me.
It came with the standard 'Tracer 1.5 disc' carbon fork (steerer carbon too).
A part of the reason to get a Ti bike is to get away from carbon - so are there any good non-carbon forks that would suit the bike?
It should allow for mudguards/disc brakes/tyres up to 28 width (with mudguards).
I asked kinesis and they just point me at their RL02 fork - this allows for tyres up to 40 without mudguards (so with mudguards, I assume, would allow for 28s). Howevere they clearly gave the matter no thought and just pointed me to something which will fit - whether it suits the frame or not.
I do intend to put on mudguards and use 28s.
Thanks for reading!

There would be alot of forks that'd look good with your frame that are non-carbon, but really if you're looking to replace the forks you want to match it to the original as closely as possible - this is for compatibility but also for longevity, full tapered carbon forks are the stiffest of the bunch which takes stress off your headtube welds during heavy loads, less flex is always a good thing here.

Clearly from your post you have something against Carbon?


I have to tell you, if you have the money, time and resources to replace your fork at a whim then why not just ride this one until it "breaks" like your paranoia might be telling you? even though, I'd vouch for carbon being the strongest of all the fork materials. Especially the lower-tier ones.

 

[Tangoup51]

You can get a Ti fork for a mere £1400 or thereabouts...
e.g. http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/1783475/products/nevi-titanium-road-fork-1-5-inch-tapered.aspx00
http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/forks-and-shocks

£1400? That better come with sixteen lifetime warranties that cover any liability.

 

[vickster]

£1400? That better come with sixteen lifetime warranties that cover any liability.

Why? It's a super high end brand hence the price I expect

 

[bonsaibilly]

I'm building up a Kinesis Granfondo Titanium disc frame. I know - lucky me.
It came with the standard 'Tracer 1.5 disc' carbon fork (steerer carbon too).
A part of the reason to get a Ti bike is to get away from carbon - so are there any good non-carbon forks that would suit the bike?
It should allow for mudguards/disc brakes/tyres up to 28 width (with mudguards).
I asked kinesis and they just point me at their RL02 fork - this allows for tyres up to 40 without mudguards (so with mudguards, I assume, would allow for 28s). Howevere they clearly gave the matter no thought and just pointed me to something which will fit - whether it suits the frame or not.
I do intend to put on mudguards and use 28s.
Thanks for reading!

Really it's not their job to decide whether the fork suits the frame as that is an aesthetic consideration and you already know the saying about beauty, eyes and beholders.

 

[Tangoup51]

£1400? That better come with sixteen lifetime warranties that cover any liability.

the damn fork isn't even a through-axle! Not even disc compatible. Guess that was too much to ask for £1400

The description goes out of its way to make every single thing about the assembly process is to be precise and specific when in reality it's common sense and should be expected Anyway. Seems like another company taking advantage of the TI-Hype train charging so much for so little.

 

[Tangoup51]

Really it's not their job to decide whether the fork suits the frame as that is an aesthetic consideration and you already know the saying about beauty, eyes and beholders.

Atleast for warranty, most manufactures won't be happy if you switch to something they haven't approved of.

 

[Nab]

Thanks - yeah I should have ruled out the Ti fork option as my wallet/wife certainly have.
And there is a Nevi disc fork option too:
http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/1783476/products/nevi-titanium-mtb-fork-1-5-inch-tapered.aspx

 

[Nab]

Thanks - yeah I should have ruled out the Ti fork option as my wallet/wife certainly have.
And there is a Nevi disc fork option too:
http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/1783476/products/nevi-titanium-mtb-fork-1-5-inch-tapered.aspx

Aversion to carbon is based on durability. I have carbon frame bike and a couple of alu/carb combos. I took a tumble on the carbon - I still use it for long runs but niggling doubts bother me - and as it may be damaged I can hardly sell it.

 

[S-Express]

Aversion to carbon is based on durability

Can you be more specific?

 

[MacB]

Aversion to carbon is based on durability. I have carbon frame bike and a couple of alu/carb combos. I took a tumble on the carbon - I still use it for long runs but niggling doubts bother me - and as it may be damaged I can hardly sell it.

You could get some custom forks made in steel, I did the same thing for the same reasons, I got a carbon phobia. I know it's not rational but I can't seem to shake it. My last set of forks were made by Walt here:-

http://waltworks.com/

I know 18 Bikes in Hope, Derbyshire will also run up a set to your specs.

 

[Tangoup51]

Aversion to carbon is based on durability. I have carbon frame bike and a couple of alu/carb combos. I took a tumble on the carbon - I still use it for long runs but niggling doubts bother me - and as it may be damaged I can hardly sell it.

Carbon takes lots of forms. The more expensive you go, the lighter and stiffer it becomes - As a result, more brittle and impractical for everyday use.

The cheaper end carbon fiber forks (sub £200) and same goes for frames - are made from different grades of carbon, typically with more elongation properties and flex, making it more practical in a crash scenario. - Also, rarely are cheaper forks skimmed down to the last Mm of material, they have alot of material to counter any imperfections and what not.


Also, it's not like your Only bike is a carbon bike. You can afford/use replacements, IN the scenario that your carbon bike failed. Seldom it would though.