Road Cycling - forks-difference between 43 and straight?

I have another newbie question for you folks...what is the difference in the ride between a 43mm rake and straight fork? (If there is one).
Thanks!
stella :cool:

straight forks still have rake. It is a style preference. There is no performance difference with carbon forks.
Not sure if AL or steel straight forks are stiffer or not.

Thank you, Racerx.
stella

It is true that both curved & straight forks have rake/offset, but it can vary on both, and even the same brand/model may be available in several offsets. It's important to understand the relationship between head tube angle, fork offset, and trail, and the ride you're looking for (Quick, relaxed, etc) when considering the question.

Based on my riding experience with carbon forks (Reynolds & Look - Both full carbon), I would say there is a performance difference. In the least they are quite a bit lighter, and, while it is somewhat dependent on your front wheel/tire/tire pressure combination, they do offer better dampening and can be stiffer, laterally, than a lower quality steel or aluminum fork. I would recommend a carbon fork as a very cost effective performance upgrade to any decent frame.

Thanks, gruppo! Here's my road bike history...
I want a softer ride, I use my road bike for long rides-30+miles per ride. I plan on riding in the MS150 this year. I've done century rides and the last century ride I decided I could not take the road vibration. I have an aluminum frame and a carbon steel fork.

There is a big difference between a low-end steel fork, and a top of the line one, eg brazed Reynolds 531/ Columbus Nivachron.
Between the best steel and the worst carbon, the difference is mainly $$, not weight or performance.
You need to spend about 3x the cost of the best steel to get a real performance jump in terms of weight or comfort.

Steel gives you the option of fender eyelets and clearance. Only one Carbon company do this as a special order.
Quality teel forks are available in racing or heavy duty touring form, the latter can take pannier braze-ons. They are usually made up to order by a framebuilder, rather than bought at a shop.
see http://www.henryjames.com/blocator.html

Stella, For a softer ride I suggest the following:
-Use a quality 700x25 to 700x28 Tire (I Like the ride quality of Continentals, but your best bet might be a set of Rivendell Roll-y Pol-y's / Hard to find but worth the effort, try rivendellbicycles.com)
-Run the tires at 90 to 95psi (Check the pressure often)
-Use cork/foam handlebar tape
-Wear well fitting cycling shorts (Don't scrimp on the cost)
-Find a good saddle
-With the aluminum frame, I'd suggest considering a suspension seatpost, depending on the condition of the road surfaces you ride (Again, don't scrimp on the cost, although Nashbar's house brand seatpost, on sale right now for $12.95, was highly rated in the last test I read)
-Finally, your bike may not have a high quality steel fork, and as MichaelW alluded to, they are hard to come by. There's usually a bunch of custom frame builders listed in VeloNews (Check with your local road bike shop). But I'd try the other suggestions first and consider a fork change a last resort).

You probably are simpatico with your saddle, shorts, and handlebar tape, so I'd try the wider, lower pressure tires first, and then, if necessary, go with a suspension seatpost. Good riding to you and have fun.

ps: I hesitate to say this, but for the kind of riding you're doing, I'd recommend you eventually switch to a quality steel frame with steel or carbon fork / Be sure it has classic angles (73/73 or a LeMond with an even slacker head angle, around a 1000 mm wheelbase w/41 cm chainstays - basically a traditional stage racing frame - There are some great deals on quality Italian steel frames out there). Again, your local road bike dealer should be able to offer you a bunch of reasonably priced choices from a number of distributors.

I guess I was not being very clear.
With carbon forks of the same make and rake (full carbon steerer and blades) with the only difference being straight or curved blades, there is no difference in performance.
Carbon forks with aluminum steerer tubes are stiffer (again, no performance difference between straight and curved)
I am not sure if full aluminum straight forks are stiffer or not compared to curved aluminum forks.

You will get a 100 different opinions on how to make your ride more comfortable. Here's mine :)
Although you are not racing and comfort takes precedent over speed, weight still matters over those long climbs. I like the idea gruppo had of running 25c tires (anything wider will slow you way down and be really heavy). That will add to comfort. The cork tape is good too (DEDA makes the best).
A full carbon fork (with carbon steerer) will add ALOT of comfort to your ride. The carbon will absorb alot of the high freq. vibrations and dampen the shock coming thru the front wheel. This alone may cure your discomfort. The LOOK HSC series has one with very thin blades (like a steel fork) that is pretty comfy. With a full carbon fork you will drop a pound or more off your current bike! Huge difference in how your bike will feel--for the better!
If you have a threaded headset, change to threadless (a must with carbon forks) and loose another 1/2 pound!
Now loosing all this weight off the bike isn't just for racing. It will pay huge dividends with comfort, responsivness and make you feel directly "connected" to your bike.
Just because it is aluminum doesn't mean it is a brutal frame. I ride on aluminum and it is very comfortable and responsive--
Instead of a suspension seatpost (which may cause unwanted bobbing, add weight, added maintenence,etc) try a gel saddle with titanium or carbon-wrapped rails (Selle Italia Turbomatic, Gel Flite, SelleSanMarco stuff, etc). There is alot more comfort than a basic steel-rail saddle and not a whole lot of $ either.
I don't want to confuse or discourage you with a million options that add up to a alot of $$. You originally asked about forks-- full carbon LOOK HSC1 or Reynolds Ozu Pro. If you have a 1" headtube than a full carbon AME Alpha Q fork (which is the best full carbon fork made). Cost $250-$450 (approx.)

Cork handlebar tape (DEDA or others are good) $12
Saddle with gel inserts and Titanium rails $50-$150 (wide price range but you can find stuff on sale all the time. It should be easy to go under $100 here)

I would do these changes (or any you decide) one at a time. That way you know exactly what each change is doing to your bike and you won't overspend. Put on a new fork, "OK, I feel comfy. I'm glad I didn't spend another $100 for a saddle" for example. Or, "OK, the cork tape really helped but now the back of my bike feels stiff. I'll try a new saddle"

Good luck!




Originally posted by RacerX
straight forks still have rake. It is a style preference. There is no performance difference with carbon forks.
Not sure if AL or steel straight forks are stiffer or not.

:angel: I appreciate all the input you folks are giving me...it is helping me w/my choices. I recently purchased a sella italia oktavia saddle gel. :)
I eventuallly want to get a steel framed bike but my budget is tight because I am saving my money for grad school in the fall.
With that said:
I am a small rider (under 5'3'), how can/will this affect my choice of forks?
(I am happy with the frame and the components (105's)).
stella

Stella, thanks for the "Thanks"! Grad school, eh. Good going. In this case, I'd say stick with what you've got and when your tires wear out get the wider, lower pressure tires I mentioned. Contrary to what has been suggested, quality wider tires (700x25 to 700x28 - I think the Roll-y Pol-y's are 700x27) aren't heavier enough to matter and the wider tires actually have lower rolling resistance than more narrow ones (Probably at some point this summer your local road bike shop will have a demo day with reps from Continental, Michelin, and/or Vittoria, and they can verify this phenomenon). So there's both comfort & performance advantages.

Your height will not effect your fork purchase, other than being a smaller sized cyclist enables you to use lighter weight forks (Which these days can be as light as 300 grams). But, I'd just wait and spec a good fork on that new steel frame (And I'm glad to hear your goal is to upgrade to steel - On a ride this morning I met a nice woman, about your size, riding a steel Fat Chance / One of my favorite all time frames / and she and I agreed that, while we'd both put in a lot of miles on both aluminum and titanium frames, our favorite rides were steel framed bikes / I happened to be on my 20 year-old Columbus SL framed Bertoni and I've got a 15.8 LB Ti/Carbon, Campy 'Record' Triple, all tricked out road bike hanging in my garage along side my other eight road, mountain, cyclocross, track, single-speed, and cruiser bikes).

Your "105" group is excellent and the new seat sounds fine. So, like I said, just ride what you've got, get new tires when you need them, and when you're rich and famous, invest in a dream bike. Let me know when that time comes and I'll be glad to help steer you in the right direction.

ps: Pardon me for rambling on

Hello, Gruppo!
I have np problem with your rambling-it contains a load of useful information. I have an update: I have the opportunity to purchase an easton ec70 fork at a very good price...have you heard anything about this fork?
As an aside, I look forward to having a steel framed road bike...I also have a herd of bikes in the garage (five I've accumulated over the years). One is a 1960 Denault (spelling?) that the lbs gave me because the frame was small and they were going to pitch it.
Anyway, I look forward to your help!
stella

Ciao, Stella. The Easton EC70 Fork would be a quality upgrade, so I'd say get it! The main consideration is to ensure it's offset (Rake) is close to that of your stock fork. Also I might suggest having it installed by your lbs - there's a couple of special tools and some finesse required (This is not to say you possess neither). Let me know how it turns out!

Wow, five bikes, and a "freebie" classic even. It appears you've started down the road to one day being a bit embarrassed when telling innocent bystanders how many bikes you own (You've arrived when your "rear" wheel assembly cost more than most folk's pretty good bikes - Much to my chagrin, I have to admit that I've spent "BIG" bucks just to save grams and/or buy esoteric stuff just so when someone asks, "Hey, this is a really cool bike, where can I get one?", I can reply, "You can't."; and this is from a guy who enjoys riding his "40's Schwinn Coaster Brake, Balloon Tired Bike w/Wicker Basket, as much as his "zooty" bikes (I guess we all have our dark sides).

Tailwinds to you!

Well, Gruppo, I am currently sheepish around my non-cycling friends when they ask about how many bikes I own.
(This question arose when a group of friends from work discussed biking to the Bristol 4th of July parade and I was able to provide 2 bikes to friends that are approximately my height!) I rode the classic bike-I do not mind the "geeky retro-look"( I prefer the term "classic look").
I can not wait until the day that I can buy the wheels, frame, etc that I want. I will go ahead with the easton fork, my lbs is on alert to do the installation. I trust myself w/basic tune-up work and not beyond.

Tailwind back to you! :cool:

stella