Carbon forks, what's the benefit ?

[Doyleyburger]

Having spoken to a fellow CC member @Bealz998 , I am now contemplating putting carbon forks onto my standard aluminium frame as I will probably keep my carrera tdf for a couple of years before I upgrade !
Can anybody tell me what benefits I would gain by doing this, apart from it being slightly lighter ?

 

[Hacienda71]

They are light and absorb the rather harsh road buzz you get from alu or cheap steel forks on poor road surfaces.

 

[Dusty Bin]

Change the wheels/tyres before you consider upgrading the fork. The fork itself might be a tad heavy, but it won't make a huge amount of difference to your riding. A decent set of wheels and lightweight tyres, on the other hand, will be something you can hang on to, regardless of what bike you have.

 

[Bealz998]

Change the wheels/tyres before you consider upgrading the fork. The fork itself might be a tad heavy, but it won't make a huge amount of difference to your riding. A decent set of wheels and lightweight tyres, on the other hand, will be something you can hang on to, regardless of what bike you have.

What makes of wheels and tyres are decent?

 

[Dusty Bin]

What makes of wheels and tyres are decent?

There's a bit more to it than that. Like budget, for instance...

Fulcrum 7s can be had for around £130 and Rubino Pros are on ebay for around £20 each. Something like that would be a huge improvement over what is on the TDF at the moment.

 

[Biker Joe]

If the stock tires are still on the Carrera tdf then I would upgrade those first. I upgraded the stock tires on my vanquish and it made a big difference in terms of shock absorbing and better rolling. I have Mitchelin Pro race at the moment. Not my tire of choice but they were all I had at the time and they are fine for now. Next time I shall go for Continental 4000s or Gatorskins when I have the cash.
Once your tires are sorted then you can think about upgrading wheels. Then, if you wish, think about carbon forks. You may find that after the tire and wheel upgrades you may not need to consider a fork upgrade.

 

[Doyleyburger]

Hmmmm food for thought ......
The wife is getting me some gatorskins as a Xmas gift.
I'll look into the wheel upgrade also then. Cheers guys

 

[Biker Joe]

Hmmmm food for thought ......
The wife is getting me some gatorskins as a Xmas gift.
I'll look into the wheel upgrade also then. Cheers guys

Ah yes, Christmas. I've got hopes there too.

 

[Rob3rt]

If you start buying carbon forks and new wheels for your current bike, you may as well have spent £600 on a better bike in the 1st place.

 

[Biker Joe]

If you start buying carbon forks and new wheels for your current bike, you may as well have spent £600 on a better bike in the 1st place.

That depends if you had the cash to do that. I didn't.
If you are strapped for cash but need a bike you have to do it bit by bit and enjoy the bike in the mean time till you eventually get what you want.

 

[Dusty Bin]

If you start buying carbon forks and new wheels for your current bike, you may as well have spent £600 on a better bike in the 1st place.

A new fork is an investment in the bike - which may not be worth it, as you say. However, new wheels is an investment in your own cycling. You can take them off when you sell the bike and fit them to your new one.

 

[Bealz998]

A new fork is an investment in the bike - which may not be worth it, as you say. However, new wheels is an investment in your own cycling. You can take them off when you sell the bike and fit them to your new one.

But if you brought carbon forks surely u can put your standard forks back in and use your carbon ones on your new bike like your saying with the wheels?

 

[vickster]

They have different fittings I think and you'd likely find it easier to sell the bike with a cf frame. Most people go onto upgrade when they get a new bike, if alu, would likely have the fork or you may go carbon, steel or titanium depending on preference and depth of pockets

Rather more hassle than swapping wheels too

This is one reason why the red triban 3 was so popular, £300 and you got carbon forks

 

[Dusty Bin]

But if you brought carbon forks surely u can put your standard forks back in and use your carbon ones on your new bike like your saying with the wheels?

Two things. a) your next bike will probably have carbon forks anyway and b) the head tube length may be different on the new bike, which may give you fit and position problems if you then try to introduce a new fork with a steerer which has been cut for a different bike. Swapping forks between bikes is thoroughly impractical. Swapping wheels is completely normal practice.

 

[Doyleyburger]

Definitely got some interest in changing the wheels and tyres first now I think. I'll see how that goes first before looking into forks!

As winter is coming I shall probably get the wheels and tyres over the next few months and fit them for spring, as I will be on the turbo trainer during the frosty times ahead