I am planning on building up a (lighter) weight bikepacking bike very much on a budget.
I'm looking at an old Salsa El Mariachi but I need a fork. I'd kike a carbon one because of the above. It needs to be 480mm from fork to crown. Can anyone recommend one please?
I'm very much in the Chinese end of things rather than ENVE territory..
Without going Enve/Whisky money there's this with 500mm A2C:
Banana Industries have a few forks on offer.
I'm looking at an old Salsa El Mariachi but I need a fork.
Just to say I'm still using a 2013 titanium El Mariachi as my XC race bike (singlespeed) It's brilliant. Just did GT7 on it, 2nd SS and 15/67 in the over forties category. Good choice of bike.
For fork fitting purposes it's a standard 44mm tapered head tube in case you weren't already aware. I've run it with 100 and 120mm forks and it's been great with both, Rebas and Manitou R7s respectively if that gives you a reference for checking your a-c. Might be stating the obvious if you already have it amd can measure stuff but might help if you're still at the ideas stage.
@jfab did you not get the memo? 🙂 Im talking 100 earth pounds tops for the forkerators. Hence the Chinese interest, they're probably all made there anyway lets be honest.
@fossy will check them out, ta.
@andrewh You are very much not stating the obvious, I'm very much in the gleaning and research stage of things. Any advice you might impart is gratefully received. I was looking at a Salsa Chromoto fork but its £££s it may be wiser to go for a 100mm Reba in terms of bang for buck but I was hoping to get a carbon thing first just to see if I can make it a svelte bikepacking machine, albeit with big soft tyres for the rough stuff...
Are you after boost or non boost? I've been after non boost & struggled to find any suitable that would also take mudguards, then found that Brother cycles still sold the big bro fork separately in either form - albeit in steel & twice your budget, so not much help at all really 😞
@Dickyboy you raise a valid point. I think I need to go Boost, like I know what I'm talking about 🙂 You're not near Brighton are you?
Ok, other potentially useful info for compatibility. 27.2 seatpost, will have to be external if you want a dropper. Conventional threaded BB. The biggest tyre I've tried in the frame is a 2.35" Maxxis Ikons and that fits fine, wouldn't want to go any bigger I don't think. Two bottle cage mounts but not much in the way of mounts for anything else.
I'm 5'11", on the boundary between medium and large. I've got a large with a 90mm stem and flat 760mm bars (with bar ends) Sizing wise the large is good for me in every respect apart from stand over height, I would like a few more inches between my legs.
For size comparison I also ride a medium Salsa Beargrease, medium Cotic Solaris, large Cotic Rocket and medium Orange Alpine 5. I'm a 54 for road bikes.
Ok, other potentially useful info for compatibility. 27.2 seatpost, will have to be external if you want a dropper.
Or wireless.
Or internal and drill the seats tube for cable exit 😂
It's an 18' I take it that's a medium?
@merak - born in Shoreham, but currently in Mackay, Queensland, so still no bloody use to you at all
How old is the frame - does it have a tapered headtube or 1 1/8 straight?
This might work but it's 500mm a-c so might be a tad too tall.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m21b0s29p4989/SPA-CYCLES-Rove-Carbon-Fork
@jfab did you not get the memo? 🙂 Im talking 100 earth pounds tops for the forkerators. Hence the Chinese interest, they're probably all made there anyway lets be honest.
I got the memo about not wanting to spend £600+ on an Enve fork, not the one about you not caring about your own safety 😉 😆
On a serious note for that sort of cash I'd pick up a Reba or similar suspension fork that's someones taken off for upgrade or just run a steel one over a £100 carbon one, but whatever you fancy I guess!
@PJay I think its 2012ish Thats above my pay grade, I'm resolved to spending maximum £100 on a fork. I am tempted by a suspension fork but I really wanted to try and put together a lean bikepacking machine on a budget.
@jfab I think the stigma around Chinese carbon is exactly that, its unfair and I am willing to take my chances with a carbon fork from Ali x
Im sure there are a few folk on here who have used them too..
think the stigma around Chinese carbon is exactly that, its unfair and I am willing to take my chances with a carbon fork from Ali x
Exactly - my carbon salsa firestarter forks are Chinese made but just have the salsa tax added.
I'd imagine that's the same logic Deliveroo drivers apply when buying their ebike conversion kits.
Your headtube will take a tapered fork steerer with the appropriate lower headset cup. The eXotic forks are all too short, mostly old skool dropouts, etc. Personally I'd be buying the Spa Rove steel fork for your purposes: cage mounts, about the right AC, Boost for future proofing. For me, the economics of carbon forks only work when bought as part of a frameset/full bike.
they're probably all made there anyway lets be honest
It's not the country it ships out of but the quality that the factory work to. It varies. I've been to a few factories there who make this stuff. I won't ride cheap, unknown source* carbon forks, not based on what I've seen over the years.
And 'I've got some, they're fine' type reviews are no help really bc of a batch, statistically most of them will be fine. It's the ones that aren't that cause the problem.
*buying from some brands or retailers can still be fairly 'unknown' - if they're not doing their own testing, buying forks from someone who buys from a China brand catalogue or a stock clearance route is similar to buying them from aliexpress, apart from you'll get the recall notice if they find a problem.
As I say that's your choice, I work in composites and I definitely wouldn't but that's not due to the country of origin. I'm not suggesting the nationality of the laminator has any correlation to the end product.
I've seen terrible and unsafe parts made from all around the world so my stance is based on not buying parts that don't have a real contactable and responsible company backing them rather than where the factory is.
But that's a separate discussion so I won't derail yours any more 😀
I think the stigma around Chinese carbon is exactly that, its unfair
I don't think it's fair to say China makes junk. But I think it's fair to say that companies across Asia working in the bike parts industry have made shite that should never have been placed on the market. And judging by the frequency of recalls the bike brands still haven't got on top of it fully. Carbon front end components are THE most commonly recalled parts in the bike industry because of a mix of the risk they pose and the optimism of the companies speccing the stuff.
So .. a bikepacking bike? You'll save more weight by getting your kit right and go faster by getting your tyres right. Buy a steel fork : )
Buy a steel fork : )
^^^^
There are plenty of good ones out there that fit your specs Merak. You're looking at about £200 not £100 though.
Here's the spec of the Cotic ones.
I'm very much in the Chinese end of things rather than ENVE territory.
ENVE forks are made in China, aren't they? Anyway, same country of origin doesn't mean same quality/safety, as others have said.
Merak, stealth ad mode on, I've got a set of Salsa CroMoto Grande forks in the garage, let me know if you want any pics or details?
Reply sent
Looks like common sense has prevailed and I will be going steel forks. To that end my next issue is wheels. It'll be 100mm spacing so no boost. Just looking for recommendations/finds pointers really.
Thanks again!
I'm about to advertise a Kinesis Range Fork, its non boost.
In my quest to build an affordable bike packing thing up ( I will never call it a rig) I've come up against a block with wheels. I had thought about a boost fork and front wheel with a 142 at the back but this kind of mongrel set up would irk me and likely end up costing more too.
So I'm drawing a blank on non boost spacing wheelsets for cheap.
Has anyone seen anything that might fit the bill?
I'd probably try and find an older second hand wheelset with non-boost Hope Hubs as that gives you plenty of flexibility to convert down the road if you need to with an end-cap/spacer swap.
Unless you're after 27.5" as these are massively reduced:
https://www.merlincycles.com/ibis-733-al-mtb-wheelset-275-336486.html
I'd probably try and find an older second hand wheelset with non-boost Hope Hubs
I think you're right here. It's QR for the rear drop outs so that won't change but yeah Hope non boost on eBay looks like my best bet. Shame I'm sticking to 29 as that's a great spot at Merlin.
My headrube is a standard 34mm which is making a fork to fit an issue....
Just wondered if anyone had a straight steerer non boost 485mm a to c rigid fork they'd part with?
Unfortunately you're crossing the streams with those requirements. Identiti forks are an example: 483mm AC? Check. Straight steerer and QR? Check. 483mm AND straight steerer/QR? Noo......
The old Singular Swift forks were lovely if you can find any. Straight steerer & QR and reasonably compliant for a rigid fork. The ones I have on my MkIV Swift are 470mm a-c but the earlier ones were 480mm I think. There was even a touring variant with luggage mounts on the legs.
The problem will be finding a set second hand (current Swift forks are 483mm but tapered & boost), perhaps pop a wanted ad in the classified.
Probably no harm in dropping Sam an email just in case he has something laying around.
I have a set of Surly forks straight 11/8 inch steerer, 100 mm qr dropouts. They came off my Ogre.
I don’t know how long forks are or how long the steerer is as the forks are at home in Manchester and I am in Scotland.
i will measure when I get home.
They are free if you want them but might be too agricultural. Lots of mount bolts.
Unfortunately @Bruce kind offer of a fork won't work as it's too short.
This is the offending frame, beginning to wish I had gone for the one with the 44mm headtube..
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I was going to suggest trying Kona's spares website. I got a decent set of straight steerer 470mm AC P2s from them for £70 five years ago - but nope.
Can I just run this up your flagpole..
I just need another point of view and a fresh pair of eyes. The way I see it I have a few options.
1) A fork with drop outs and a hunt for QR 29 non boost wheels
2) A thru axle fork which leaves me looking for a bastard wheel combo which may not match, this shouldn't bother me but it does.
Told you I'd need help..
I'm leaning towards option 1
1) You can get adapters to put 15mm axle wheels in QR forks, but no vica versa. I don't know if that helps. I've got one on my Escapade and it's fine.
2) As someone said above, I'd just get whatever forks you decide and then some Hope hubs (decent Pro2 Evos can be had cheap nowadays, and Pro4s aren't too pricey) and then play about with end caps, they can be made to fit pretty much anything (non-boost hubs can be made to fit boost, but not the other way around)
Any use 483 qr strait steerer?
Yeah @Bruce that's totally on my radar.
Its the wheels situation that I'm trying to address along with the fork. Some more research suggests I can convert the rear to Boost via the removable dropouts...
If anyone can fact check me Id be grateful.
https://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/frames-forks-c6/frame-fork-spares-c152/alternator-1-0-plates-p76319
This would open up Boost wheels for me, much easier to source 2nd hand.
