Terry Morse <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<
[email protected]>...
> Gary Young wrote:
>
> > I've seen lots of discussion on this list about forks moving in response to road irregularities
> > (e.g., I believe Jobst has said that the movement occurs at the crown and not at the forkend, as
> > is commonly supposed). Has it really been established here that materials makes no difference in
> > a fork's ride qualities?
>
> "Truthfully, the differences between forks are pretty small. Nice light wheels make a much more
> noticeable difference. Padded handlebar tape or slightly more or less air pressure make about as
> noticeable a difference as a new fork, in my experience."
>
>
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard_forktest.html
I don't think that page establishes your point. For one thing, in the paragraph you quote above,
Damon goes out of his way to note that that's his personal perception. True, he seems to suggest
that what others perceive in forks is more in their imagination than in fact, but he doesn't
out-and-out say it.
Furthermore, you left out some other things he says, which I've copied below. Granted, he's talking
primarily about fork properties such as stiffness or flexibility that are not necessarily tied to
the material (by which I mean that for all I know one could make a stiff or flexible fork out of any
of the materials). But he does suggest that certain materials are better suited to certain desired
results. For instance, he says that because of damping qualities, a carbon fork can be both stiff
and comfortable.
Here are the excerpts:
"Deflection is flex. All forks do it. A fork with lots of deflection is flexible, and can feel
squirrelly or soft for heavier riders, but may be perfectly matched for lighter riders or riders who
want a little more comfort. A fork with very little deflection is stiff. A stiffer fork can be
jarring over bumps, but often is more precise in handling."
"....But you may be considering buying a new fork, and knowing just how it stacks up against what
you have already ridden, helps you predict how the ride of your bike might change."
"If you are looking for more precise handling, buy a fork that is stiffer. If you are looking for
comfort, buy one that is more flexible (or one that has other design features that provide comfort
in other ways). If you are looking for light weight, you must decide how flexible is too flexible
for your taste, or you may be interested in which forks have the best stiffness-to-weight ratios.
And aerodynamics are almost always more important than other factors if solo speed is your goal."
"The gross bumps can be made more bearable with a fork that flexes a little more. For extremely
bumpy roads (like Paris-Roubaix), there are even suspension forks. But the second source of
discomfort, the constant vibration, is harder to address. About the only way a normal road fork can
lessen them is by the natural damping properties inherent in the material used to make the fork."
"Road forks are made of steel, aluminum, titanium, and carbon. Of these, carbon is known to damp
vibrations about ten times better than the metals. This damping is the reason carbon forks can be
both stiff and comfortable. You will still get the jolt of the big bumps with a stiff carbon fork,
but the vibrations will be decreased. And a flexible carbon fork is really plush."
