Carbon Forks and Gravel Roads
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Arizona, USA
Posts: 2,601
Bikes: Mercier Corvus (commuter), Fila Taos (MTB), Trek 660(Got frame for free and put my LeMans Centurian components on it)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Carbon Forks and Gravel Roads
I have a ride I want to do that has a 10 mile stretch of dirt road in it. If I put 700X28c tires on my Roadie will the carbon forks be damaged from the rough road? A lot of the highways I ride on near my house are as rough or more so than some dirt roads I have ridden. How sturdy are CF forks? I have considered using my old beater but I like the gearing on my roadbike a lot better.
__________________
Sunrise saturday,
I was biking the backroads,
lost in the moment.
Sunrise saturday,
I was biking the backroads,
lost in the moment.
#2
It tastes like burning!
Join Date: May 2002
Location: SOUTH Jersey
Posts: 1,014
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
the pros ride paris-roubaix with their carbon forks.... i don't see what the big deal is.
speaking of which... sunday's ride had a 200 foot patch of cobblestone..... i was being rattled to death! It made me appreciate the tour de france riders even more... i can't believe they can keep that up for a whole day!
speaking of which... sunday's ride had a 200 foot patch of cobblestone..... i was being rattled to death! It made me appreciate the tour de france riders even more... i can't believe they can keep that up for a whole day!
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Montreal
Posts: 6,521
Bikes: Peugeot Hybrid, Minelli Hybrid
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
They dont keep it up all day as I think the cobbles are only in about 25 shortish sections, but taken at speed they must be real painful.
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Jersey shore
Posts: 946
Bikes: '87 Paramount & '02 Scapin EOS3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 13 Times
in
11 Posts
To get some good feedback from the carbon fork manufacturers go to www.velonews.com and then the bottom of the page. Click on "tech talk" and you will get to Lennard Zinn's Tech Q&A site. Go to the Dec 3 listing. It is all about carbon forks and just how amazingly rugged they are. Full of techical responses from the various fork manufacturers.
The Paris-Roubaix race was just this past Sunday with all the cobblestones. In a 256 km race there are just short of 50 km (~32 miles) of cobblestones. Most sections are relatively short, being a few hundred meters in length. But several are longer than a kilometer. Near the end of the race there is one section that is actually two sections separated by about 100 meters of pavement, and is just over two kilometers in length, total. Those guys that ride this race competitively are real animals. Wonder if they wear a mouth-piece to save their teeth?
The Paris-Roubaix race was just this past Sunday with all the cobblestones. In a 256 km race there are just short of 50 km (~32 miles) of cobblestones. Most sections are relatively short, being a few hundred meters in length. But several are longer than a kilometer. Near the end of the race there is one section that is actually two sections separated by about 100 meters of pavement, and is just over two kilometers in length, total. Those guys that ride this race competitively are real animals. Wonder if they wear a mouth-piece to save their teeth?
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: n.w. superdrome
Posts: 17,688
Bikes: 1 trek, serotta, rih, de Reus, Pogliaghi and finally a Zieleman! and got a DeRosa
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 15 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times
in
9 Posts
Originally posted by deliriou5
the pros ride paris-roubaix with their carbon forks....
the pros ride paris-roubaix with their carbon forks....
as it is more compliant than CF.
Marty
__________________
Sono piů lento di quel che sembra.
Odio la gente, tutti.
Want to upgrade your membership? Click Here.
Sono piů lento di quel che sembra.
Odio la gente, tutti.
Want to upgrade your membership? Click Here.
#6
Banned.
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: western Washington
Posts: 293
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Fork strength probably won't be the least little bit of a problem, however carbon forks aren't known for tire room, prepare for any gravel that sticks to your tire getting shot out the front!
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Arizona, USA
Posts: 2,601
Bikes: Mercier Corvus (commuter), Fila Taos (MTB), Trek 660(Got frame for free and put my LeMans Centurian components on it)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I think I'll give the tires a test run before I do the big ride. Thanks for the responses!
__________________
Sunrise saturday,
I was biking the backroads,
lost in the moment.
Sunrise saturday,
I was biking the backroads,
lost in the moment.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Beaufort, South Carolina, USA and surrounding islands.
Posts: 8,521
Bikes: Cannondale R500, Motobecane Messenger
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Specialized was testing thier new carbon fork with shock asorbing elstomers in Paris-Roubaix this year.
You think the pavé is bad in Paris-Roubaix, the Champs-Elyeese in Paris in paved with cobblestone as well. Just see how much the last stage of the Tour de France is ridden on that street.
You think the pavé is bad in Paris-Roubaix, the Champs-Elyeese in Paris in paved with cobblestone as well. Just see how much the last stage of the Tour de France is ridden on that street.
#10
It tastes like burning!
Join Date: May 2002
Location: SOUTH Jersey
Posts: 1,014
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
if it's any news to you, i ran through a 3 mile stretch of hard pack/gravel on my aluminum road bike w/ carbon fork and 700x23 at 120 psi on sunday. quite rattling, but otherwise fine!