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Ok, that opens up a lot of options then! Was convinced it mattered because I read some blurb about the combination of whatever HTA + 45 mm offset fork was the standard on gravel bikes, but that 71.5 HTA + 50 mm offset fork also gave equivalently nice handling. I was also influenced by the fact there are a lot of forks out there with chip dropouts which allow changing the offset by 5 mm, is it just marketing bullshit?
Also, unsure if trail is the only number I should look at when making comparisons like that, or if there are other metrics.
@cheekysnaker : if we give up on the whole 50mm offset thing, that works too, but it's in the same price range as Fairlight's Cempa 2.0, which is precisely what I wanted (more than the Enve actually), down to the stupidest detail like the orientation of the mudguard eyelet. If I'm buying a fork in the ~500€ range I'm definitely buying the Fairlight one.
Was hoping there were sub-300€ forks, like the ones specced on Bombtrack Ext (most likely Carbondas?) with different details (definitely want a front facing eyelet at the fork crown for instance).
Veblen-
Message fairlight? they sometimes have some seconds in the outlet section but maybe they've got one knocking about
They're very helpful I find -
HTA/offset/trail will change, and will affect the ride feel, so it's not entirely marketing BS. However, whether that change is better or worse is likely to vary according to personal preference, terrain, riding style etc. too.
It's unlikely a 45mm offset fork will push the trail figures outside of the useable range for a bike initially designed for 50mm offset. -
Why not have a steel one built? Geoff Roberts can probably build you something in that price range.
PhilDAS
Bearlegged
Alex_B
You'll barely notice 5mm.