Ti Fork Suggestions
 

Hello and thank you for taking a look at my thread.

I need a new fork and would like to try titanium. Cheap but well built is key and weight isn't really a concern. Would you help me decipher the information below, it is my current fork, and then if you have any recommendations I would be happy to hear them? Thank you.

"CARBON GRAVELFork ( UD WEAVE ) BLADE 700C, Steerer: CARBON 1-1/8" to 1.5" Taper ( I.D.:23.6) CROWN: 57mm, BLADE: CARBON STRAIGHT ( 25.7x56.9mm ) W/FLAT DISC MOUNT FOR 140/160 ROTOR .W/52mm OFFSET .W/FORGED DROPOUTS, M12xP1.5 FOR SHIMANO SM-AX720-100x12mm AXLE, Customers report Fork Fits most tires up to 700x40c (29x1.6in)"

I also do not need more clearance for tires any larger than the Schwalbe Marathon Plus' Inch: 28x1.25 so hopefully that opens up more options!

That’s a carbon fork, not titanium. Many Ti forks on eBay from China.

thanks for chiming in. Yep my current fork is carbon. I want to change to titanium

My understanding is that titanium forks are rare and quite expensive. That’s why most titanium frames (including mine) use carbon fiber forks.

Are you SURE you want a Ti fork? I don’t really see much advantage other than (possibly) durability.

Here you go
I honestly wouldn't put something like this on my bike, but you do you

My Ti fork suggestion is don't.

Finding a Ti fork with Thru Axle, disc brake, and a TAPERED steerer will be tough.
Plus I don’t see length or rake in the specs.
( or is the rake listed as “offset” )

Barry

I understand that Ti forks add a whole new meaning to "rigid". That's why Ti frames have carbon forks. My actual experience with Ti forks was only with a Teledyne Titan so ......

No, you wouldn't. There is a reason that Ti forks are very uncommon, and always have been. Even when Ti frames were at their height of popularity, virtually no one was producing Ti forks. Price/performance ratio is not great and no real performance advantage.

The fork deflection chart on this page shows that the titanium fork that was tested was more flexible than the tested steel forks and on par with or a little less flexible than the carbon forks tested.

TI forks have always fascinated me but they would have to be both designed and done right. Cheap? Highly unlikely. They would have to be oversized relative to steel. Ideally, the maker would have ties with a ti tubing provider who could make tapered tubes of the desired diameter, wall and taper. Done right, I bet a ti fork could be a sweet ride, plenty strong and reasonable weight.

I put a tihabanero Ti fork on my Lynskey and I love it. Less than $500. cat@habanero.bike

Worth noting that before Ti frames came with CF forks, they came with aluminum forks.

Cheap, Strong, Light weight...Pick two.

Road bike? No you don't want a Ti fork. Yes if Ti was dirt cheap like aluminum you would see the same carbon/alum tech put into Ti forks...and still carbon would reign - easy to work with and you can train a monkey to fill carbon molds (I'm almost convinced some companies do :) ). Mountain bike, maybe, but not for performance or weight savings. I custom ordered a Ti fork for my Lynskey Mtn bike, just for the bling factor and cage mounts. Sold the bike and now will sell the fork. I am happier with the carbon Niner fork on my other mtn bike.

Offset and Rake are just two different ways of saying the same thing.

The ride of a ti frame with a steel fork is pretty sweet. I ordered my first Ti Cycles as such. Wondered if I was being a fool until I took the first ride. I now have two steel forked ti's. They feel so right ...

You do realize of course how incredibly small those differences in deflection are, right?

I didn't word that very well. My apologies. What I meant was that as rigid forks go their rep is not very.

So let’s think about this. Ti has effectively 0% market share about the same as wood. You would think there probably a good reason for this. Ti is a terrible choice as a fork material.

You're right, of course. That's the point---that Ti, steel, carbon, and aluminum forks (designed for racing bikes, that is) don't actually differ significantly in stiffness. Same with frame material.

Are there any data out there that support the contention that forks and frames of different materials differ in "comfort"?

If I am looking for cheap I would just do a steel fork, If I want a proper fork to replace a carbon fork I would be reaching out to Firefly or Sturdy cycles in the UK for something that will match up nicely and be really well built. Cheap ti generally doesn't fly unless it is from a known quantity and quality. If I was searching Asia for random ti stuff I would probably go with Ora manufacturing, they do a lot of the ti frames for Salsa and Foundry and others under the QBP mothership and their work is great, no complaints on my Salsa Timberjack or Foundry Chilkoot. However the Chilkoot is running a carbon fork from ENVE and the Timberjack is a Fox suspension fork.

I think the main reason Ti forks haven't been popular is money, followed by no savings in weight. Since Chinese companies sell relatively cheap Ti forks, the cost isn't as much of an issue. Builders didn't have access to shaped blades, so that argues against them as well. But people have gotten used to (IMHO) ugly forks, so resistance is fading on that front as well.

Wittson, of Lithuania will make you a titanium fork to your spec. $1,200++ might be worth it if you have some specific design motif in mind. I like the idea!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/18604400381...mis&media=COPY

"Cheap, but well built" If you want well built, cheap is off the table. I wouldn't want to trust myself riding a bike with a cheap titanium fork.

thank you to everyone. this forum has saved me a lot money... my bike doesn't really "need" anything