carbon fork choice

alex001 said:

i was deciding between the ec30 threadless and the kestrel ems pro threadless carbon fork's. Which one is the bettee of the two?

Sheesh, I wish there was a way of knowing. No one I know goes through enough high-end forks to be able to offer a meaningful comparison. I've always figured that in dealing with the big carbon fork makers that everyone likes -- Reynolds, Easton, Kestrel, Profile, AlphaQ -- you've got to shop by price, weight, steerer material (if you've got a preference), shape (straight? bladed?) and aesthetics, and leave it at that.

Aside from those basic factors, I don't think much beyond brand loyalty steers most fork shoppers.

lokstah said:

Sheesh, I wish there was a way of knowing. No one I know goes through enough high-end forks to be able to offer a meaningful comparison. I've always figured that in dealing with the big carbon fork makers that everyone likes -- Reynolds, Easton, Kestrel, Profile, AlphaQ -- you've got to shop by price, weight, steerer material (if you've got a preference), shape (straight? bladed?) and aesthetics, and leave it at that.

Aside from those basic factors, I don't think much beyond brand loyalty steers most fork shoppers.

do you know any ups or downs for any of the two?

alex001 said:

do you know any ups or downs for any of the two?

Personally, no, and I wouldn't really bet on anyone else having reliable pro/con data either. Like I said, so few people can offer fair comparisons of forks -- and let's be honest. Forks don't do much. If they're strong, light, stiff, and they look cool, they do their job; theoretically, the higher the price bracket, the stiffer, lighter, and better riding they get, but if it's true, it's in very difficult to quanitify terms.

Across brands, in similar value catergories, I don't know if anyone can offer too many meaningful differences. I've never heard anything bad about either of those forks, for what that's worth.

Good luck!

To me, what's important in a carbon fork is that it isn't going to break. Fork failures are almost always catastrophic so I want one that doesn't have any hidden defects or manufacturing flaws.

I've read great things about Easton's quality control - they'd get my money based on that. No comment on Kestrel one way or the other. Same for handlebars.

Although you didn't mention them, my choice in forks is Reynolds or AlphaQ, and I don't think you can lose with any of their better models.

velo fellow said:

Although you didn't mention them, my choice in forks is Reynolds or AlphaQ, and I don't think you can lose with any of their better models.

My builder recommended the Reynolds Ouzo Pro as the best choice for my new frame. It seems very solid and responsive, with some vibration damping too. But, I'd guess that the better Easton and Kestrels are also high quality.

The Reynolds Ouzo are a popular fork around here, with no failures or complaints that I've heard of.

I've had a Kestrel EMS for for quite some time now. It's nice and stiff, but still provides a smooth ride. I have nothing to compare it to, but judging by the weight, I'd say it's a bit heavy by today's standards (over 600g). I think if I had to replace it, I'd look for something in the 350-400g range.