Custom Build: Help me choose a Road Disc fork

Hi Folks,

I'm having a custom stainless steel road frame built and I'm being horribly indecisive on what fork to go for. Thru axle vs Quick Release, Road vs CX etc.

The bike will be my daily bike that I do a training commute on together with evening/weekend group rides and the occasional event or trip with mates.

It won't be seeing any dirt but the roads around these parts can be pretty shocking, so i'd like to run 28s plus mudguards – not sure if I really need to go wider, although wondering on folks experiences there.

Here are my options:

Wound Up Road Disc:

Pros:

• This is what builder recommends.
  
• Should match the steel frame nicely, with a matching 1 1/8 head tube, for a classic look.
  
• Meant to be a sweet handling fork too.
  
• Clearance for 28mm tyres and full mudguards
  
  

Cons:

• Ties me into a straight steerer, where as most road disc forks seem to be tapered so may limit future upgrades.
  
• Quick Release only, so none of the the benefits of TA with discs. Pad rub / disc alignment and my own silly anxiety about popping a wheel out on a descent.
  
• Slightly untidy hose routing.
  
• Minimum 160mm rotor size.
  
  

This is the mid-priced option

Example of a similar Wound Up build here:

Whisky Road No. 9 Thru Axle Road fork.

Pros:

• It's a proper road fork, with road geo.
  
• Has thru axle.
  
• Takes 140mm rotors for a more minimal look.
  
• Sharp handling by the accounts I've heard
  
• Lightest of the bunch
  
  

Cons:

• Needs retro fitting of mudguard eyes (I've found a company that can do this).
  
• Will take 28mm tyres but mudguard clearance with these might mean I'd have to chop the front part of the guard off, and not have it run under the crown. Might get a wet face.
  
• Not sure if it will fit 28s on a 25mm wide rim, such as the Pacenti SL25.
  
  

This is the highest priced option

Example of this kind of build here:

TRP CX fork

Pros:

• Thru axle
  
• Neat internal hose routing
  
• Can run up to 40mm tyres, so no problem with 28s and full guards, or even maybe 32mm with guards should I feel like it. Do I need to though?
  
• Can run full mudgurards
  
• Weight
  
• Price
  
  

Cons:

• While can maintain road geometry through adfusting the rest of the frame to match, I'm tired in to CX fork with tall a/c.
  
• Not the prettiest running a CX fork with road tyres. Big gappy gap at the top.
  
• Minimum 160mm rotor size.
  
  

Lowest priced option. I can get a good deal on this, so even with the cost or retrofitting the mudguard eyes, its significantly cheaper than any other option.

Example here:

Or this kind of thing (ok, not the same fork, but an example of road geometry with CX fork and fat tyres):

Custom Steel

Pros:

• Can be customised exactly to my geometry needs.
  
• Classy look
  
• Can have TA should I want it
  
• Fit for tyres and guards of my choice
  
  

Cons:

• Weight
  
• Judder? And questions over suitability of steel for a road disc material?
  
• Potentally harsh?
  
• I'm tied into 1 1/8 HT and straight steerer should I want to upgrade in the future.
  
  

Not totally sure of price yet, but probably a mid price option.

An amazingly beautiful example of a custom steel disc fork build here:

Would love to hear any thoughts or experiences with any of these forks!

Sounds like you are building a road bike, so get a road fork is my advice.
Needs to be carbon as I have both, and the steel fork on mercks slx is a bit harsh vs carbon on my cx and other road bike.
So look at carbon road forks with mudguard eyes as standard , disc mounts, and oversized as that seems to make sense to me ( the one on my spesh cx bike looks cool ) - there must be a few fitting the above out there. That wound up looks a bit wrong, but maybe try and get a test ride. It looks a bit like the on one carbon 29er rigid fork on my mtb ss bike, which does seem to work lovely.

What about the kinesis forks?

What about Kinesis?

If you do go 1 1/8" for the fork just make sure you have a headtube that will take tapered forks. Otherwise down the line you'll be screwed for options. It's the equivalent of spec'ing a 1" steerer.

Ps Wound-Ups look awful and probably weigh the same as some decent steel ones.

Ha too slow!

Some more discussion over here.... http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/234361/?offset=25#comment12076773

Can recommend the Enigma full carbon, 1 1/8, 376 a-c, 45mm rake. Will take 28c tyres and mudguards. 28mm tyres on wide rims here...

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2 Attachments

• R2.tiff
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Think lynskey do a road option with mudguard mounts

Thanks guys,

@Jeromeo:
Not as many road disc fork options out there as you might thing, especially with mudguard eyelets.

@pacef8, @hugo7:
I have looked at Kinesis before, but the only disc fork they have is CX, so I may as well get the TRP with thru-axle for similar money.

@dave4:
Enigma is an interesting one. Pretty good for the money, although straight steerer, so might look odd on a 44mm HT. It's a shame they don't sell their tapered disc fork, although it doesn't appear to have eyes not too much clearance.

Anyone tried any of the forks above, the Whisky for example? Anyone from the Talbot crew in the house?

Aye, Lynskey do, but it's more of a CX length fork, so I'd be better with for the TRP if going down that route.

Try and get Mason to sell you their Aperture fork as 'fork only' :)

It looks as rad as fuck

I know, it's sweet. I have asked him before... maybe I'll ask again!

Ah, hadn't clocked you were going tapered headtube. Good luck with your hunt!

maybe I'll ask again!

Dom, pls. PLS. etc :) Offer him enough money to make some money on it and you never know...

If you had the time and patience (and money), the new Enve GRD fork is everything I'd want in a modern disc carbon fork: thru axle, removable carbon mudguard, decent clearance, tapered and sex appeal. Just a shame it's not officially released yet.

Yeah, looks nice. Actually contacted Enve about that one, they said it's only in prototype stage so at least 6 months away. Too long for me sadly. Other down size is you are tied in to their mudguard, which doesn't have a matching rear :/

I'm also looking for a road fork with disc brake mount.
few more options:
Enve 2.0 disc - very expensive, but nice as fuck
Chinese carbon disc fork (Hylix and similar)
Lynskey #3

Whisky has 15mm thru axle, so not too much hubs to choose.

Aye, the Enve is great, but after getting eyelets added, it'd cost more than my car.

The TA on the whisky is a plus point for me. Many hubs these days have replaceable end caps so are convertible to TA. DT Swiss for example. I'll probably be using the 350s.

25mm max tyre on the Lynsey too.

If you look at dammit's Time Machine youll see the Enve forks only just take 25mm tyres and 'gaurds.

Surely there are tonnes of thru axle front hubs about these days? I thought it was almost a mtb standard, no?

^This is true, you get the odd "ZING!" as a bit of gravel travels round the inside of the 'guard on the tyre. No way you'd get a 28 in there with the mudguard.

@Dammit it's gonna be disc brake, so we're talking mostly about mtb hubs ;)

Mine is disc braked, standard QR though.

How do you find the discs with standard QR? Any issues with pad rub or disc alignment?

If it is time critical, be wary of the Whisky, and ignore any assertions of in stock online, make sure the place you are buying from physically has it in their possession. They have real issues keeping up with orders, and I have spent a long time (months) waiting for them to come back in to stock. You can check the ison website to see if people are likely to have them in stock.

It is a fantastic fork, very stiff, very light. The enve has a better solution for keeping the hose out of the way, although they also have annoyingly low stock most of the time, especially for the disc version.

You can get tapered steel steerers from PMW, as well as bolt through drop outs, see this:
http://talbotframeworks.co.uk/2015/06/petes-xxxxxl-custom-ss-29er/
Although it is far from light solution to the problem.

No probs at all, but I have gone thru-axle for my cross bike, which I am looking forward to riding to see if the difference is noticeable over QR