Geon

I am looking for a carbon touring fork with cantilever bosses and mid and lower rack mounts. Does anyone make such a thing?

Fl Randonneur

I'm sure someone must make such a thing but more importantly, why would anyone want such a thing? Steel forks offer just as much vibration dampening as carbon and are less prone to break.

indyfabz

"why would anyone want such a thing?"

I asked myself the same question.

njkayaker

The Specialized Tricross has one.

Pedaleur

https://www.gs-bike.com/shop/product_...13fba35e15bc4a

I thought Van Nicholas had one, but I can't find it. They have carbon "touring forks" without eyelets.

Geon

Thanks for the info. FYI, I have nerve damage in the left hand from a "home-improvement" accident, and over time, vibration from my handlebars makes my hand throb (currently have a generic steel cyclocross fork on my touring bike). I don't feel that as much as on my carbon/steel LeMond (w/ carbon fork)

PlatyPius

I'd throw in a pair of those Bontrager anti-buzz bar end plugs before I'd risk my safety with a plastic fork on a touring bike. Maybe you'll get lucky and the bar end plugs will take care of the problem. Cheaper, too.

Geon

That sounds like a possible idea, but I currently use bar end shifters on that bike... I've tried those under-the-bar-tape gel and foam pillows without much success

chipcom 

I have one...it came stock on my 2005 Fuji World touring bike. I replaced it a few months ago with a disc-compatible fork, so it's just collecting dust at the moment.

paxtonm

Before springing for a costly and fragile fork, try getting the bars higher, or closer to you. That will reduce pressure on your hands, at the expense of a less aerodynamic riding position. Presumably, if you're touring, you want to be comfortable and spend some time looking around. It's just my opinion, but after many, many years of hard-won experience, I'd urge you to set your bars no lower than the height of your saddle.

Geon

Thanks for the advice! I should have clarified a bit that I have tried those things, but with my hand, it's more of a sensitivity to vibration issue.

PlatyPius

Which gel things have you used?

I ask because I have pretty severe hand/wrist issues after years of being an auto mechanic. I haven't gotten rid of the problem entirely, but I've managed to reduce it a lot on one of my bikes with the Serfas gel pads. On one of my old steel bikes, I have a Girvin Flexstem, if you remember those, with a very firm elastomer - just enough to stop vibrations, not enough to flex up and down too much.

Handlebar shape was a big part of it, too. (I have several bikes, and I've tried different things on each one to see which works best) On my main roadie (DBR Podium3 carbon fork, carbon stays), I was having the same problem. I put on an FSA Pro Wing Compact handlebar and the problem was reduced to almost nothing. I tilted the saddle nose up maybe 1° and the problem went away entirely.

My Rawland is the one that has the Serfas gel pads. It has a Ritchey BioMax bar on it, and I think the reason I still have pain/numbness is because of the bar. In theory it's great. It just doesn't seem to work for me.

So, there are the things I've tried. I would explore those options before I put a plastic fork on a touring bike. Believe me, I was tempted for a while, too.

PlatyPius

Well, that looks like an opportunity for the OP try it out and see if it works. Much better than buying a new one and having it not help.

acantor

Search this forum. The topic of carbon forks for touring bikes has been discussed.

My position: A carbon fork is fine for a racing bike, but not a good fit for a touring bike. If a carbon fork fails, it does so catastrophically. In other words, if your fork suddenly fails, in a fraction of a second, your face and the pavement become one!

Geon

I've tried the Specialized gel pads and some red foam pads (can't remember the brand). Chipcom, I sent you a pm.

Pedaleur

Wait. Have you used these? Aren't they just a gimmick?

And how was the world tour?

PlatyPius

No, I've never used them. Nothing Trek shall touch my bike. lol. I've heard from a couple of people that they seem to do 'something' though. Figured it was worth a shot.

truman

I'm almost sure I saw a fork like that on some class of newer Trek hybrid.

Incidentally, the position that "carbon fails catastrophically' whiffs a bit of dogma. I've broken 3 carbon parts in my riding days (handlebar, stem and seatpost), and they all failed with a crack and a whimper, rather than sudden snap and a face plant.

This is not to say it WON'T fail catastrophically, just that it's not a forgone conclusion.

HardyWeinberg

People throw that phrase around w/ intimations of blood and guts, but it just means that it done broke, it does not work and cannot be repaired.

If your wheel goes out of true but you can still widen your brake arms to let it spin until you true it later, that's a failure but not catastrophic.

chipcom 

Dunno, but the northern tier route was nice.

truman

crank "failure" - you find a crack in the shaft, while washing your bike.

crank "catastrophic failure" - the shaft snaps completely and without warning in mid powerstroke, implanting its jagged end into your calf-meat, while simultaneously catapulting you kisser-first into the curb, where rabid weasels are standing by to rip into your quivering flesh.

HardyWeinberg

That happened to me once.

NoReg

"Wait. Have you used these? Aren't they just a gimmick?"

I don't know about the bar inserts but there is a lot of that stuff used in sports gear, and it does work. I had some golf club shafts once with that in them and they had so little feel it was a bad thing. The are also used on archery gear, and work really well. A lot of this stuff is made by the same company and distributed under different names.

Another option would be a suspension stem. They don't kill vibe specifically, but they put a rubber link between you and the fork, and take the zip out of the bars to the extent that they aren't pounding to the same degree. Check out Softride PowerStem.