on the surface its well made. the top coat covers all of the carbon fibers and there is no over spray. uniform color and shape. no slop or rough spots. the bonds look strong and solid. i used to make carbon fiber surf boards and skimboards so i know my fiber products.
flexing the fork by hand showed to weakness or noises(creaking).
the crown race went on and stopped where it supposed to. a small amount of tapping and it seated in firmly. just like any other fork.
the logos are under the top coat so if you want to remove them you will have to shoot another coat on top of the sanding spot. weight was exactly what was claimed by the ebay page.
i got the 465mm "A to C" model as per 29er specifications. it was right on the money and there is plenty of room even with the 2.4 racing ralphs.
although not enough room for a pug tire.
lack of brake cable teather built in, but that is fixed by two zipties.
i also opted for the non V-brake model as i don't run them.
fancy logo and nice carbon weave. straight and smooth, no bubbles.
here is a good side view. a good looking fork. clean simple looks. you are going to have to use a brake adapter with this fork.
here is my ziptie handy work. the crown is shaply and not weak looking.
here is the fork in action
so off to the ride. todays ride was up millcreek twice in a 36x20 gear(single speed training). easy high candence spin(94-97) and a modest time of 29:07 and 28:12. HR was kept at bay at 165-175.some thing about a fully ridgid bike on smoother surfaces just screams effeciency. push down on the pedal and the bike surges forward.
this is what this fork feels like. foward propulsion explodes and looks good to boot.
the fork didn't flex or meander all over the place. there was some acceptable flex under braking but not anymore than my fox f29 suspension fork.
the ride was supple compared to a aluminum or steel fork. road vibration was very subdued. ok i'm not saying this fork is soft or has suspension, just that it was not harsh like some stiffer forks can be.
a more extensive test and report will come when i get this fork off road. so far it is exactly what i was looking for and for 1/4 the price of other carbon fiber forks.
so on to the second part of my workout. took the doggies to tanner dog park and rode the single speed. it was thick muddy and slushy snow. a very good leg strength push. did two hours of short pedal burst. my dog only lets me get about 30-50 feet before dumping the tennis ball in front of the front tire and making me stop. throw the ball and jump the pedals. over and over.
let me tell you two hours of that and your thighs are tight!! its a good grind as you don't ever get up to spinning speed. add the mushy conditions and a few soft hills and you are pumped. no HR at all, but leg press city.
ok so just before getting out the door for millcreek i realize that i just lightened my bike by 2 pounds and had to replace weight to keep up with the heavy bike winter training thingy.
so i stuffed these in my camelback. yeah its more than 2 pounds but i like to work hard on the bike.
here is a shot of me riding aka: like kerkove or pedal circles blog. i havn't yet mastered the riding and taking pic method, so lack of a cool face expression is in event here.
this what a bird sees just before dive bombing their goodies on you
if i were 50 feet tall this what you would see if rode with you.
a good shot of the inside of my nose. no idea at all why.
thanks for hanging out with me.....
