wolfchild

How many extra MPH will a carbon fork add ??... Will a carbon fork really make a commute faster and shorter ??

gregjones

ftw

Cyril 

Yeah, well...I wrote this mostly as a joke.
It was an odd choice we were offered so I gave an odd response.
And a not very funny one at that for no one laughed.

tjspiel

I would ride both and see which feels the best to you.

I have a bike with disc brakes (and a carbon fork) and other bikes with rim brakes. Personally I haven't had much trouble stopping a rim braked bike in the rain. There have been some scary moments on a couple of winter rides though (snow and slush) and that's why I wanted discs on the winter bike.

Disc brakes tend to squeal when wet. They still work though which is the important thing.

If I otherwise really liked a bike, I wouldn't let the lack of disc brakes or a carbon fork stop me from buying it. So to me there's not a universally correct answer to your question, - though I'd lean more towards the disc brakes on a winter bike and perhaps the carbon fork on a 3 season bike.

Again, I'd ride each version and make my decision based on the test rides.

ztrawhcs

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses! I'm leaning toward the carbon fork, as I'm more of a fair weather rider. You've all been very helpful.

DogBoy

Joke or not, this really is not a bad setup, especially if you use a vbrake up front. I prefer disc's myself just from the keeping the braking surface clean aspect of them, but I never had issues stopping a bike with vbrakes in snow/rain/icy/muddy weather either.

dynaryder

One at the crown(by the brake hole),two in the middle of the leg(forgot there were two guys who broke their EighthInch Scrambler forks).

fietsbob

Dont have to choose , get the aluminum fork Disc brake model , rebuild it with a disc brake carbon fork .

with eyelets to for mudguards . you are not locked into leaving the bike as is once it's yours.

do it at the dealership at point of sale , and they will offer a take off a deduction
towards the up cost trade.

spare_wheel

Carbon forks smooth out road chatter and shave off a large amount of weight. Hydraulics are the only disc brakes worth buying, imo.

I recommend the nashbar carbon CX fork (~$100 on sale - ~650 gms) and the SLX front disc hydraulic ($70-80 on sale). You should be able to get an LBS to install both for $50-60 (and often for free if you are buying a bike). You can buy a new wheel or simply have your rim re-built with a disc hub -- deore is a good option.

spare_wheel

guesstimate: my commute is about 30 seconds shorter when i ride a bike that is about a lb lighter.

AlTheKiller

Fork.

If you're not riding in increment weather, those disk brakes offer no actual performance benefit besides "feeling better" to some people. Modern v brakes offer excellent stopping power, which is only held back by limited traction of bike tires, disc brakes are equally limited.

AlTheKiller

I don't think he was claiming any more speed from it. He stated that if you prefer riding faster get the cf fork. I'm guessing that's because high frequency chatter is made more comfortable when you have a cf fork.

benda18

It does not matter - 3 years from now you will sell this bike to buy another.

modernjess

A. it's a crappy decision to have to make. Look at other comparable bikes as others have suggested. That's my best advice.

B. But and IMHO if you have to choose then Carbon fork FTW. Comfort over the long rides trumps a minimal brake upgrade (that's really what it is) for a road going machine. Carbon forks are just as safe and an aluminum fork is going to beat you senseless on a long ride. This is not to start an augment, it's just that I have plenty of experience with carbon bikes/forks and both types of brakes and have been beaten senseless too many times.

m_yates

I would choose neither. Sorry, I have answered in the annoying long standing Bike Forums tradition that when someone asks about choosing between A and B to answer C. You mentioned dreaming of riding cross country one day. If so, why not buy a touring bike? Provided it isn't stolen or crashed, the bike will still be around whenever you decide to take a tour, even if it is 20 years from now.

shoemakerpom

I don't see the need for disk brakes on that bike unless your bombing down a 20 deg angle fire road at 30 mph. I have rode my full suspension mtn bike through quarries, ski slope decents and crazy technical rock hillsides on shimano super v xtr brakes without any problems. Disks are great in those situations where heat buildup can be an issue with your weight combined with a long steep decent. Any other situation they are simply uncalled for at this time. They are heavy compared to v brakes and almost always have a little drag in them. I use TRP 960's with Swissstop BXP pads on my road bike through serious downpours here in florida and can still stop on a dime and remove the wheels with ease. Same goes for the fork. Carbon is the way to go. It will be much more forgiving on your shoulders. I know this cause I have an old cannondale road bike with an aluminum fork and commuted on it for two years. Lets just say going from aluminum to carbon was night and day difference.

DVC45

Disc brakes are nice.

spare_wheel

disc brakes are a good thing to have in rainier climates -- especially for those who have to descend hundreds of thousands of feet every year just commuting.

wphamilton

Carbon fork. I'm not even sure that a disc brake would be much improvement.

spivonious

What about the 7.2 Disc? Disc brakes and steel fork.

DVC45

Wet weather is not the only place a disc brake shines. If your wheel is tacoed or out of true, disc brake would still work fine. Its placed above the rims, so oil contaminants on road surfaces won't reach the rotors and brake pad so easily.

To each their own, but I like my disc brakes.

Want better ride comfort? Start at the tires.

tjspiel

Rotors get knocked out of true too (and sometimes come that way). In my experience, rim brakes are more tolerant of rims being out true than disc brakes are of rotors being out of true. I'm not sure how you'd ride on a tacoed wheel anyway.

Based on the amount of squealing that my disc brakes do when wet, I'm guessing that plenty of road contaminants end up on the rotors, even though they 6 to 8 inches farther away from the road than your rims.

Doohickie

Disc brakes. I would see a carbon fork as a detriment.

dynaryder

Yes,but truing a rotor is easier than truing a wheel. It also doesn't require a special stand or tools;you just tweak it back into line with an adjustable wrench while leaving the wheel on the bike. I've also never had to loosen up the brake on a disc bike because the rotor wasn't perfect;I've done this to many rim bikes.

Depends on how bad it is. I had to limp home from polo once with my front V brake unhooked because I messed up the wheel. Wouldn't have needed to touch the brake if it had been disc. Also once let someone borrow my multi-tool to open the brake on their road bike after someone backed into it while it was locked up and screwed up the wheel.

stevage

My choice seems to be three way. Pick any two out of:

1) carbon
2) disk brake mounts
3) rack mounts

I have 1) and 3), my partner has 1) and 2). At first she liked the disk, but now it's a pain - it always seems to rub. She gets maybe a couple of hours from a bike shop, hits a small bump, and...ting, ting, ting.

Me, it's not even close. Definitely the carbon fork - and I smash mine pretty hard.