Talbot Path Racer

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Isn't custom frame mean you can run a CX fork with road geometry?

Yes, Ed, but I don't want to, I want a road fork without 2" between the tyre and the guard.

I really like this bike by the way. I have something similar in mind, but with belt drive, no powertap, and a carbon disc fork up front to act as a commuter. Also ideally in aluminum, stainless or titanium so there is no paint to worry about either

shame the enve was too tight in the end

Rogan - the ENVE works, but after you've paid n additional £150 for the mudguard eyelets it ends up being a very, very expensive fork.

Allensea- Talbot will offer a stainless version in the New Year.

I was going to have the chainstay on mine split for a belt drive - but there are no splined belt drive sprockets available that would work with the Powertap so I didn't in the end.

Like it a lot, mucho food for thought. But please can you trim the front QR skewer?

Rogan - the ENVE works, but after you've paid n additional £150 for the mudguard eyelets it ends up being a very, very expensive fork.
How about mounting the mudguard stays on something like this:

That works for the stays, but with a disc fork you don't have the caliper mounting position under the crown - so that needs to be added to the ENVE fork, and if you're doing that you may as well add the eyelets on the dropouts (or above, to clear the disc brake caliper).

tried to get hold of a synapse disc fork?

The ugliest fork known to man?

That works for the stays, but with a disc fork you don't have the caliper mounting position under the crown - so that needs to be added to the ENVE fork, and if you're doing that you may as well add the eyelets on the dropouts (or above, to clear the disc brake caliper).

Bugger.

Time to get the duct tape out.

Same for the light fitting, I take it?

Ish, there are other options for that - a spacer mounted bracket would ensure that the light turned with the front wheel and wouldn't require a calliper mounting point.

The lamp could also be mounted on a fork leg, where there is sufficient area to bond on a fitting and also smooth it into the blade in such a way as to look planned and aesthetically pleasing.

Having seen the bike in the flesh, it look much more slender than the photo show, think the wide angle shot made it look a little disproportional.

Woundups?

love this shot

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^ me too, I think for me it's the way the wishbone and fork match so nicely

Fork, basically - it would need a fork with a road bike A-C, with disc mounts and mudguard mounts that can take a 25c tyre with guards or a 28 without.

Find me one of those and I shall be grateful!

Was a hand built steel fork never an option?

Yeah, could easily do that, maybe MAX blades with forward facing dropouts or similar.

However, carbon is normally around half the weight.

How heavy was the Serotta for now that you mentioned the weight difference?

I honestly notice a big difference between OTP steel fork and custom fork, the latter felt much more comfortable, even the disc brakes version.

Train heavy, race light... besides the Sachs cross team seem to get on okay in the upper echelons of American bicycle racing on steel forks.

Yeah, it'd probably not really be noticeable, in many regards.

I quite like the look of the carbon fork though.

I can understand the desire for a steel frame. But i wouldnt spec a steel fork of Carbon was doable.

I love this bike.

The norm for road disc steel fork blades is now circa 17mm taper (to help resist the forces at the bottom of the fork leg) - quite a bit bigger than the normal 14/15mm taper blades. This adds a fair chunk of weight. Reynolds do a really nice lightweight butted steerer (HB142 - 1.6/1.1mm) that would help offset the weight gain in the fork blades. We had a sample fork made with nice fork blades, crown and dropouts (conventional caliper brake) and it came in a smidgen over 600g with the trimmed steerer. Not too shabby.