Carbon fork on a steel bike?

18 days ago by 666dollarfootlong to c/bicycles

I'm looking for a new bicycle to replace my stolen gravel bike, and one of the options I have is a 12,6kg full CrMo steel framed gravel / trekking bike that seems cheap and robust enough. My only concern is that my previous bike was 9-10 kilos, with an aluminium body and carbon fork, and it rode really well, so i'm a bit worried it might not be as fun on longer rides.

So that got me thinking: how much weight could I reduce by switching from a steel fork to a carbon fork, and how easy is it to do it myself? Would it be worth it?

TheGoldenV 6 points 18 days ago

My vote is skip it. The potential weight savings is not worth the cost and messing around with.

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BCsven 4 points 17 days ago

Ride it and see. Depends on your personal frame too 😀.

Like I have fluctuated between 94kg and 83kg, depending on my powerlifting or couch sitting routine, so 3 kg on the bike frame becomes irrelevant

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kahjtheundedicated 4 points 18 days ago

A carbon fork can save around a kilo, which is both a lot and not that much depending on perspective. Personally I prefer the ride characteristics of a carbon fork over a steel fork, so that’s also something to consider. I find steel forks to either be too noodley, or too harsh, or kinda both. Carbon forks more often feel stiff without feeling harsh.

A fork swap isn’t hard to do, but I would be surprised if the cost of that bike plus a carbon fork isn’t more than just buying a bike that already has a carbon fork. Also finding a compatible fork may or may not be difficult. For example if it’s a straight 1-1/8” steerer with disc brakes your options are pretty limited. Also need to keep the forks axle-to-crown height and rake in mind.

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666dollarfootlong 2 points 18 days ago

The bike I'm looking at would be 1100€ new, 450€ used, apparently in "good" condition

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kahjtheundedicated 3 points 18 days ago

And it would be another €400+ for a carbon fork from a reputable brand, unless you can find a used one that will work. I would not trust cheap aliexpress forks.

What bike are you looking at specifically? In that price range I’d rather get hydraulic brakes and at least an 11 speed groupset than a carbon fork. Unless that bike is just a killer deal and already has that stuff

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666dollarfootlong 2 points 17 days ago

https://activebikes.com/...

I'm just looking for a do-it-all bike, one that I can take on a train, ride in cities, roads and on gravel roads. 50% commuting, 50% leisure. My old bike was 2x10, I thought it was good enough but a bit hard going uphills

Edit:

I feel like 450€ for this would be pretty good, I could afford to put on some nice tyres and invest in a proper saddle and somehow bags as well.

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kahjtheundedicated 2 points 17 days ago

Yeah €450 isn’t bad. For a casual bike it will be fine, but I don’t think it would be worth changing the fork.

I don’t know what the Finnish used market is like, but I would be surprised if you can’t find at least a 2x10 gravel bike for a similar price. But if 9 speed is fine for you, yeah it looks like a good quality bike.

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that_lightnin 2 points 16 days ago

just for fun HY/RD

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mmmm 3 points 17 days ago

I feel like the punishment/weight ratio is rather logarythmical, as in it increases with route steepness but not in a linear way - you'll start noticing it on really steep gradients and with tiredness.

If you have a somewhat decent shape and don't ride over too much steep gradients I'll say just keep the steel fork. It's cheaper if you just lose a kilo yourself than in your bike. And depending on the builder, steel frames and forks can feel as flexy if not even more than carbon.

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that_lightnin 1 point 16 days ago

I don't think it is really about weight but more about ride quality. I think it is worth it. STEEL RENEGADE Side note SRAM 1 by systems are pretty cool. Snappy

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