on the old Earles fork the vertical rods pull on coiled springs. There may be a wire inside the spring to limit travel.

The problem with using tapered blades and the gussets is the brake force is opposite of the road force in a spot that wasn't engineered to handle the load. When you have the brake on and hit a bump it multiplies the force pulling on that brake tab which is a strong chunk of metal held to a thin tube (already stretched from a bending process) with a low tensile material.

I raced downhill for 15 years as an expert on bikes I engineered and fabricated. I get fear looking at those forks. I don't have an engineering degree and my opinion is lodged in a rotting old brain. There is always someone who displays irrational fear, perhaps it's me.

Time will tell.





I have wondered about the potential of an unintentional fulcrum when the caliper grabs the rotor. It seems like it could only happen if something solid went through the rotor at the caliper.