Carbon fork = harshness?

[ren531]

I bought a new Spa Audax frame with a carbon fibre fork earlier this year and mostly ridden it for short 2-3 hour rides or less, I have done two all day rides and on both occasions started to really notice the road buz and vibration through the frame to the point of finding it very wearing indeed, it has 28mm tyres at 55-60 psi so not too hard and is a good bit harsher than other 28mm shod steel frame bikes I have, the question is is this the fault of the carbon fork, are they known for being harsher than steel? the rest of the frame is Reynolds 725 and there was an option to choose a steel fork and now wondering if I should have done so.

 

[Ian H]

I presume it has disc brakes. The fork has to be stronger/more rigid to cope with a disc.

 

[fossyant]

They are harsher than steel.

 

[Fab Foodie]

They are harsher than steel.

Mmmm, dunno, trying to find a softer fork than my 853 ones...steel can be very vibey as well....

 

[fossyant]

If you've got disk forks, they will be beefier, bit of a trade off. At least with calipers, the braking force is at the crown.

 

[bikingdad90]

How old are your steel bikes? They apparently get softer with age.

Is it stock bar tape? Different bar tape types can make a difference in feel along with handlebar material and grade.

 

[Jameshow]

Carbon will be alot stiffer than steel forks just look at the size - often double which leads to stiffness. Great for power transfer but not so good for soaking up potholes or chip and seal!!

 

[GuyBoden]

You have to appreciated that some of the old steel frames were very flexible, so excellent for soaking up the road vibrations.

 

[geocycle]

The spa audax is always rim brake I think. Mine has carbon fork on a Ti frame and I’ve not had a problem with vibrations. I didn’t like the headset so changed it for a Hope but that shouldn’t affect vibration. I did get a lay back seat post to take the weight off my hands and set the seat and bars level. The max tyre width with guards is 28mm in most tyres which is a bit skinny in todays terms. You might get 32mm without guards. I use Schwalbe pro one tubeless on the front which is nicer than the durano on the spare wheel set.

 

[mustang1]

I always found carbon forks on a steel bike to be odd. I thought people get steel frames because of their Cadillac ride and then get carbon forks on it! Surely one would need a compliant steel fork?

Oh... And then they plonk aluminium wheels on the bike! I think it's all a bit of a rouse!

 

[ren531]

I presume it has disc brakes. The fork has to be stronger/more rigid to cope with a disc.

No caliper brakes.

 

[slowmotion]

My guess is that the major factor is the quality of the road surface. If you get some gel pad mitts and some decent bar tape, the local council's worst efforts at road maintenance won't feel too bad.

 

[ren531]

How old are your steel bikes? They apparently get softer with age.

Is it stock bar tape? Different bar tape types can make a difference in feel along with handlebar material and grade.

The steel frame bikes are older ones and I have changed the bar tape for a more padded out one, I find it frustrating that a 40 plus year old bike with a cheap cromo frame and same tyres is better at coping with today's road surface than my new machine.

 

[ren531]

My guess is that the major factor is the quality of the road surface. If you get some gel pad mitts and some decent bar tape, the local council's worst efforts at road maintenance won't feel too bad.

Yes the road surface is the problem there's too much worn out tar and chip or buzmac as I've started calling it round here perhaps gel mitts might be worth a look.

 

[wafter]

Depends on the layup / construction. As much as CFRP bits fill me with anxiety I can't fault the ride of my Boardman Team Carbon - coming to this from my previous ally Giant the reduction in high frequency vibration was very noticable. I'd say the ride of the Boardman on 25mm tyres is on balance probably a bit nicer than that of the Reynolds 725 Genesis on 35s..

Of course if you make the frame / fork super-stiff it's going to be harsh; which as some have already pointed out is likely to more of an issue with disc-equipped bikes.