Road Cycling - Fork (+ other components) recommendations?

My friend has bought a nice Morati titanium road frame in his native Czech Republic. He wants to build it up to a first class racing machine. I think he might benefit from the experience of the BikeForums residents...

He has decided on a Campagnolo Chorus 10spd gruppo.

He is not sure which (light and still bomb proof) carbon fork to get for his 1 1/8" head tube. He likes the understated look of Easton, has been talked out of Look (not reliable, according one LBS), probably cannot afford a Reynolds Ouzo, but is far from sure yet. Any ideas?

He will have hand built wheels on Chorus hubs (32 holes, 3-cross spoke pattern). Not sure which rims: Rigida DPX, Ambrosio, Mavic Open Pro/CXP have all been mentioned by different LBSs. All input is welcome.

As for the other components, he is considering Easton stem, bar and seatpost. They have a good reputation (?) and very 'slick' looks.

The saddle, to be complete, will probably be a Selle Italia SLR. He likes the idea of having the Campa Ergobrain computer and Profit pedals, but will probably have to pick something cheaper...

Thanks for your comments and suggestions!

The easiest to answer (and the most difficult answer) is
the saddle, your friend is just going to have to try them
till he finds one that works for him.

I'd go with the open pro rims, they are a tried and true
design, and are bullet proof. I have no experience with
Rigida rims, I have ridden older Ambrosia tubular rims
and they are quite nice.

Easton components are a good choice, I would have no
problem with any of their bars or stems. I personally am
not convinced that Carbon Fibre is the way to go for a seatpost.
Somehow I feel a bit more "secure" knowing I've got metal
supporting me. I would personally suggest the Chorus Ti seatpost, weighs little more than the CF models and is a lot
more reliable.

Can't help with fork since I prefer the ride of a steel fork.

Marty

Thanks, Marty! Appreciate your input.


Originally posted by lotek
The easiest to answer (and the most difficult answer) is
the saddle, your friend is just going to have to try them
till he finds one that works for him.

Exactly.


I'd go with the open pro rims, they are a tried and true
design, and are bullet proof. I have no experience with
Rigida rims, I have ridden older Ambrosia tubular rims
and they are quite nice.

Okay. I will pass this along. My LBS prefers Mavic CXP33 over the Open Pro's'. Says that they are a bit more durable. Probably also a bit heavier. But you are definitely not alone in endorsing the OP's.


Easton components are a good choice, I would have no problem with any of their bars or stems.

They seem to be of good quality and they look nice. Their only disadvantage is the price and poor availability (at least here in the Netherlands.


I personally am not convinced that Carbon Fibre is the way to go for a seatpost. Somehow I feel a bit more "secure" knowing I've got metal supporting me. I would personally suggest the Chorus Ti seatpost, weighs little more than the CF models and is a lot more reliable.

He is not looking for a carbon stem/bar/seatpost. Like you, he does not trust them (and doesn't like the price). The Chorus post seems to have been discarded; a matter of taste.


Can't help with fork since I prefer the ride of a steel fork.

Interesting. Is steel more 'comfortable' than carbon?

I'd say that the steel/carbon decision for a fork is up to the individual. I'm a carbon fan for forks: it's light, stiff laterally but still smooths out the ride. As for a fork, if one were to shop around online enough, they'll find a plethora of carbon forks, some with carbon steerers some with alloy steerers. I'm putting a carbon fork with alloy steerer on my new machine for the durability. It's not worth a few grams of weight savings to me to have a fork that might not last quite as long as a slightly heavier one. The alloy steer tube also gives me a ton of flexibility with my stem position, which I really like.

That said, I have had good luck with Kestrel forks and know many riders that swear by Time and Easton. On the other hand, I put an Advanced Composites full carbon fork on my Cannondale a few months ago and it rides better than the stock carbon fork from 1998. A flashy name is not a must for a carbon fork.

I don't know if steel is more comfortable than CF forks, I just like the way
that steel forks soak up road bumps (as opposed to vibration), I think a good
steel fork is as subtle as CF. I do think that CF tends to deaden the ride
a bit, some feedback through the forks is a good thing.

Marty

IMHO, Thomson makes just about the best seatpost out there. Relatively inexpensive, lighter than many seatposts, probably stronger than most, very easy to adjust the seat angle, etc. I run them on both my road bike and mtb.
Really like them.

In addition to this forum, another site with reviews of components, etc is www.roadbikereview.com