Litespeed Fork Replacement - Recommendations?

[Steve Sr.]

Hello,

I have a 2006 Litespeed Tuscany. Recently while cleaning it up I
noticed what appears to be a horizontal crack in the inner wall of one
of the fork arms about where the tire would hit. The fork probably has
about 25K miles on it.

The original fork is a Real Design HP Pro made of - you guessed it -
carbon! I was never a big fan of carbon and am even less so now. Based
on my drawing the fork rake is 45mm.

I am now searching for a replacement and would like to maintain the
current or even less agressive handling characteristics.

I am obviously not wedded to carbon but realize that there is not much
else out there right now that isn't. I would also like the replacement
to asthetically go with the brushed titanium frame.

Are there any carbon forks out there that are better than another? By
better I mean better durability which may equate to a better warranty
although I hope that neither I nor my heirs would need to claim it!
Conversely are there any brands/models that should be avoided?

Thanks for your suggestions.

Steve

[James]

On Sep 10, 10:26 am, Steve Sr. <Nos...@nospam.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a 2006 Litespeed Tuscany.  Recently while cleaning it up I
> noticed what appears to be a horizontal crack in the inner wall of one
> of the fork arms about where the tire would hit. The fork probably has
> about 25K miles on it.
>
> The original fork is a Real Design HP Pro made of - you guessed it -
> carbon! I was never a big fan of carbon and am even less so now. Based
> on my drawing the fork rake is 45mm.

I used a Giant thin bladed fork with C blades glued to an Al crown and
steerer. There were cracks in the paint at the interface of Al to C
for at least 8 years out of the 10 years that the fork was on my
bike. I retired the fork about a year ago, not because it had broken,
but because I wanted something a little stiffer laterally.

I think the reason the cracks appear there is because the glue is more
elastic than the paint. I may be wrong, but I could never detect any
real movement between the blades and crown, ever.

You _might_ be worrying unnecessarily. But if you have doubts, then
for your peace of mind, replace.

> Are there any carbon forks out there that are better than another? By
> better I mean better durability which may equate to a better warranty
> although I hope that neither I nor my heirs would need to claim it!
> Conversely are there any brands/models that should be avoided?

I would avoid uber light stuff. It tends to be engineered to within
half a micron of its life. I chose an Al steerer with carbon again,
mostly because I don't want the hassle of a carbon steerer with it's
specific clamp bolt torque requirements. That to me says lacking in
robustness.

Cheers,
James.

[Tim McNamara]

In article <39si861048a8brt86...@4ax.com>,
Steve Sr. <Nos...@nospam.com> wrote:

http://www.rivbike.com/products/show/carbonoms-fork/50-718

One option, anyway. Or a local frame builder, for that matter, could
make you one.

--
That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, Bingo.

[landotter]

On Sep 9, 8:25 pm, Tim McNamara <tim...@bitstream.net> wrote:
> In article <39si861048a8brt863oj83aniu93ml8...@4ax.com>,

The Riv fork is gorgeous, but it's sold with unnecessary FUD, so I
wouldn't support that.

I'd just get another commodity fork and be done with it. Maybe even a
Surly pacer fork if it's not too tall.

[bfd]

If your bike is a 2006, I presume the frame requires a 1.125" (1 and
1/8") steerer tube fork. If so, there are plenty of excellent build
carbon forks on the market. On the "high-end," take a look at Edge
Composite 1.0 or 2.0 or the new Serotta F-series forks. Note, both
companies' forks can be very expensive - $600+ price range.

Otherwise, Easton sells the EC90 SL and SLX forks in the $350- 400
range.

If you need a 1" steerer tube fork and still want carbon, here's a
place that is selling the Easton EC90 SL fork for $230:

http://www.bikewagon.com/Forks-Headsets-Suspension/Road-Forks/700C-Forks/09-Easton-EC90-SL-1-in-p8821594-2-3.html

Hurry as it is my understanding that Easton has discontinued making 1"
forks. Good Luck!

[Lou Holtman]

Op 10-9-2010 2:26, Steve Sr. schreef:

Call Litespeed.

Lou

[Steve Freides]

"Tim McNamara" <tim...@bitstream.net> wrote in message
news:timmcn-E7A43D....@news-2.mpls.iphouse.net...

> In article <39si861048a8brt86...@4ax.com>,
> Steve Sr. <Nos...@nospam.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have a 2006 Litespeed Tuscany. Recently while cleaning it up I
>> noticed what appears to be a horizontal crack in the inner wall of
>> one of the fork arms about where the tire would hit. The fork
>> probably has about 25K miles on it.

> Or a local frame builder, for that matter, could
> make you one.

+1 - at least a local frame builder to check out what you've got and, if
he's decent, he'll both spec what he can make and what he can buy off the
shelf for you.

-S-

[dusto...@mac.com]

You could get a steel fork custom made with 43mm of rake which would
give you a little more trail and is a common rake offered with lots of
forks. IOW it's not a radical change and you might not even notice a
difference. Or, you might <g>.

Have it painted black or perhaps there is someone out there doing faux
carbon weave paint on steel. "No one needs to know".

Otherwise, EMS Pro forks had-- and may still have-- steel steerer
tubes and were (are?) available in 1" size if that's what you need.

I have an EMS Pro in an old Litespeed Catalyst frame, 1" steerer tube,
that seems to be a stout fork. The clearcoat cracks fairly easily but
I haven't seen any actual fiber damage. Open to correction from those
with wider experience.
--D-y

[Tom Sherman °_°]

I would find a custom builder who works with titanium alloy and have a
matching fork made for the frame, if Litespeed cannot supply a titanium
alloy fork.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.

[Steve Sr.]

I have considered a custom steels fork. However, there is a timing
problem. In just two weeks I leave for a cross-state ride that starts
in the mountains and ends at the coast. I am sure that there will be
some high speed decents coming out of the mountains. It looks like I
will have to go with something readily available.

[Steve Sr.]

I did. Their only offer was for a Chinese manufactured / Litespeed
branded carbon fork with an aluminum steerer tube for $100.

Steve

[Steve Sr.]

Thanks for the tip. I tried looking for EMS and they have apparently
been bought up by Kestrel and don't appear to be offering forks
directly now based on a web site search.

Steve

[Steve Sr.]

Interesting concept. Were there titanium forks before all of the
latest carbon? Especially since titanium is so difficult to work with.
I would think it much harder to make a Ti fork than a frame.

Steve

[James]

On Sep 11, 1:23 pm, Tom Sherman °_°

http://www.baumcycles.com/

"Fine bicycles in titanium and steel"

I've ridden a Ti bike from Baum. Very nice indeed, but rather
expensive. I believe several Aussie Pro's use them, Cadel Evans
amongst them.

JS.

[James]

On Sep 11, 1:23 pm, Tom Sherman °_°
<twshermanREM...@THISsouthslope.net> wrote:

> I would find a custom builder who works with titanium alloy and have a
> matching fork made for the frame, if Litespeed cannot supply a titanium
> alloy fork.

BTW, Baum uses "3T Funda Team fork"

JS,

[kolldata]

$100 ! BUY TWO do an xray
a JB chrome steel fork costs $100 ?
The Tuscany as catalogued came with carbon forks ? or was there a Ti
fork ?

[kolldata]

if you want more trail try adding a 10mm bolt spacer in the dropouts
if the do's are horizontal.

[bfd]

Ti forks have never been a factor because carbon forks are lighter,
cheaper and easier to make. There are a few companies out there that
make ti forks. I believe Passoni (sp?) an Italian company is one. The
other that I know of is black sheep bikes:

http://www.blacksheepbikes.com/

At $550, it is not cheap and since they don't list the weight, I doubt
it is light. But if you really want a titanium fork, check it out.
Good Luck!

[Steve Freides]

Probably the easiest metric is the weight rating - find a carbon fork
rated for a heavy rider and it's likely to hold up better.

And why a custom steel fork? Why not a stock one?

-S-

[Jay Beattie]

On Sep 13, 7:50 am, "Steve Freides" <st...@kbnj.com> wrote:
> Steve Sr. wrote:
> > On Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:25:05 -0500, Tim McNamara
> > <tim...@bitstream.net> wrote:
>

> >> In article <39si861048a8brt863oj83aniu93ml8...@4ax.com>,

Duh, because it's custom! You would never, ever want one of these.
http://store.somafab.com/so1crlufo43.html -- or that ugly Rivendell
fork. -- Jay Beattie.

[David White]

I have been very happy and felt very secure withe Wound-Up fork that was
spec'ed for my Merlin Extralight. It has a metal steer tube, mammoth
fork crown, and really solid fork blades. I believe they are commonly
usedin cyclo-cross as well. So they are pretty serious. Not light weight
though. I have no idea what they cost or how available they are. Here is
the website <http://www.woundupcomposites.com/road_fork.html>. Good luck
on your ride.

[bfd]

Don't be surprised that alot of carbon forks are "Chinese
manufactured." For example, I bought a 1" Easton EC90SL when Excel
was blowing them out at $200 each. The fork has a label on its carbon
steerer tube that says "Made in China." Good Luck!