Just a quick question. What does it mean if a fork is "composite"? Is it carbon, or a mixture of materials? Thanks.

velo

From what I've read it's a carbon and aluminum composite. I just found this description of one.

RAC stands for Reverse Advanced Composite and represents the most advanced carbon composite suspension fork ever developed for a mountain bike. With nearly two years of co-development time between Marzocchi and Easton Composites, the RAC is ready to go. Using an upper structure made from carbon and aluminum composite; the RAC has the most rigid crown and leg assembly ever created. This rigid construction gives a perfect, flex-free assembly for the inner legs making stiction non-existent and providing phenomenal small bump performance. The RAC's lower section uses 20mm magnesium dropouts and 30mm Easton inner legs to keep things nice and stiff during sessions of great stress.

a composite is simply more than one material combined together. An example of a composite is Specializeds metal matrix composite frame material which suspends ceramic particles in aluminum. Carbon composites would combine carbon fiber and something else.

Velo,
It's such a loosely used term you probably have to ask case by case. I suppose it could be applied to a carbon fork that has an aluminum steerer tube.
Regards,
Raymond

"Carbon" fork blades are composite materials, ie carbon fibres in an epoxy resin.
Pure carbon or kevlar or any other synthetic material is in fibre form, which is woven into a cloth.

All right. Thanks everyone. All that information put together is what I wanted to know.

Actually, all carbon fibre is, by definition, a composite. However, that is not proper nomenclature for describing something where one part is a different material from another part which it is connected to. Composites are dissimilar materails bonded throughout a part, not just at part interfaces.
The engineer has spoken.