Hints for 1" carbon road fork

[sheberin]

hello weightweenies

my actual project is a new build up of an old classic – the legendary eddy merckx mx leader.
sadly i just got the frame, the original fork is missing, now i‘m looking for a replacement.

as i‘m already riding a tommasini tecno rebuild, i want the mx leader to be a top bike (apart from that heavy 25yo steelframe ). so i`m going to put sram red and some ritchey parts on it. but its not that easy when it comes to the fork. i want that fork to be made of carbon, or carbon/alloy, due to weight issues. also i`m a tall rider (1.90m) so the fork should be kind of stiff. steerer needs to be 1 inch, threadless.

best product i found so far is that ritchey fork:
https://www.bike24.de/1.php?content=8;p ... %5B6%5D=40

does anybody have some experience with that fork?
or does anybody know an other fork, which is quality and fits to a classic frame (dimensions, forkcrown-diameter)?

---

i´m pretty new here so forgive me if this topic was already discussed.

[dfischer1]

That's not a very high quality carbon fork. In fact, most of it is aluminum, just covered up with a carbon veneer. Don't put it on the MX Leader.

Get a nice, stiff steel fork made for you by a local framebuilder and painted to match the frame. You'll be MUCH happier.

[sheberin]

allready saw that coming. a custom steel fork is plan B, maybe even C.

talked to some builders, they said, a steel fork made out of columbus max (same as the frame) would weight around 870g (due to the long steerer). thats a difference of almost 100%. so if there is an alternative in carbon available, i´ll go for that instead. there is always the option to replace the fork.

[bikerjulio]

After breaking a no-name fork on my Merckx, I bought one from Nashbar and have been most pleased. http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10053_10052_174979_-1___

[AJS914]

You might also want to monitor ebay. I found an NOS Time carbon fork with a steel steerer which I ran on my old Guerciotti (Columbus SLX). I thought that it greatly improved the ride characteristics of the frame.

[RyanH]

Columbus Minimal is supposed to be the best. I'd have a ride report for you if Wiggle/carrier didn't lose it...

[Marin]

The Columbus Minimal was made for old steel frames:

https://www.bike-components.de/de/Colum ... 17-p54409/

Edit: RyanH beat me to it

[bremerradkurier]

Mizuno, Reynolds Ouzo, Easton, and Kinesis might still be out there as NOS in 1".

[huffington]

That's not a very high quality carbon fork. In fact, most of it is aluminum, just covered up with a carbon veneer. Don't put it on the MX Leader.

Get a nice, stiff steel fork made for you by a local framebuilder and painted to match the frame. You'll be MUCH happier.

Are you sure? It's not advertised as a full carbon fork, but one with aluminium steerer, crown and dropouts, and full carbon arms, everything glued together. Same as a lot of older forks, including Cannondale Slice.

[sheberin]

thank you all.

@bikerjulio
didn‘t know this fork so far. to be honest, i‘m little sceptic about a fork that costs just 100€.

@AJS914
i‘m not very confident with ebay. steerer tube needs to be +-30cm, its almost impossible to find 2nd hand uncut forks. plus i´m not sure if a carbon fork with age really beats a newer production – manifacturers have improved carbon quality i think?

@RyanH @Marin
consider the minimal fork as an option. a friend had this fork on his bike some time ago and telled me he had issues with the stiffness – you never had such?
how do you think will the carbon steerer tube (columbus) compare to the aluminium one (ritchey)?

[sheberin]

@bremerradkurier
do you think these "vintage" forks can keep up with more modern ones? i‘m not especially looking for a older one which would maybe fit better to the frame just because its old, first issue should be quality..

[cedced74]

+1 for Columbus Minimal. I have installed one on my old Lemond, I find it really nice, pretty light and stiff enough...

[bremerradkurier]

@bremerradkurier
do you think these "vintage" forks can keep up with more modern ones? i‘m not especially looking for a older one which would maybe fit better to the frame just because its old, first issue should be quality..

As far as I know, there hasn't been all that much change in carbon fork construction since the mid '90s-they've just gotten cheaper due to production moving to China and lighter due to larger diameter steerers.

The real issue is that 1" steerers are far more vintage than the construction methods-unfortunately as a tall rider, your possibilities are less since you don't have the additional option of chopping a threaded steerer below the threads to fit your frame.

I happened to find a source for a Mizuno 1" as well-I think they were even made in Japan while they were still in circulation.

https://alexscycle.com/products/mizuno-full-carbon-front-fork-1-ma46-1

[Simonsdad]

I have a Moteni orange Merckx MXL, and this is my story.

I thought I was a weightweenies so I replaced the Columbus Max 850g fork with a Easton EC90 SLX 290g fork.

That's a huge weight loss, easy, bike rode beautifully and although they are known to be flexible, I didn't notice.

Then I thought about it, and read here somewhere, that the best part of a MXL is the Max fork, so I put it back on, adding all that weight.

The bike rides not much different which ever fork I have on it, I don't notice the extra weight, but I'm happier with the Max fork, that's how Eddy sent it from his factory in Belgium, that's how I'll ride it.

Get a Columbus Max fork made, I think you will be happier.

Rob

[spookyload]

As mentioned...ebay for NOS or even used forks. Columbus Muscle would be my first choice, but they are pretty rare these days, and never NOS. Reynolds Ouzo Pro wouldn't be hard to find with some patience. There have been quite a few Time forks on the bay lately too. For new forks, the Nashbar fork will get you riding and be fine, but the only other fork I would consider that is modern is the Minimal as mentioned.