The Radavist

Previously available with their GMX and ATB framesets, Ride Farr’s new steel forks were developed as an alternative to 80-100mm travel suspension forks. With clearance for a 3″ tire, 31.8mm steel fork legs, and boost 110 spacing, with an a-t-c of 483mm, these forks look to be a great option for converting your hardtail to a rigid bike for touring.

Specs:
-Plenty of cargo bosses
-Oversize 31.8mm Cromoly Blades
-Tapered Steerer: 1.5 to 1.1/8”, 300mm Length
-Boost 110 Spacing Lower Spacing
-15mm Thru-Axle M1.5 Thread ( CNC Machined Alloy Axle Supplied )
-Axle to Crown: 483mm
-Offset: 50mm
-Reference Weight : 1390g ( with 190mm Steerer Tube )

While these forks ($145) are now on backorder, Ride Farr has some samples for sale ($110). See more at Ride Farr.

Teased last week, announced today, and shipping on October 15th, the newest fork from ENVE is a do-it-all gravel and touring fork. The Adventure Fork features cargo cage mounts, internal dynamo routing, fits up to a 58mm 700c tire, or a 2.6″ 27.5 with adjustable rake and A-T-C measurements. This is the fork everyone’s been asking for and ENVE has listened. What’s the most interesting about the fork is the flip-chip, which adds or removes 8mm of A-T-C measurement and almost 7mm of rake. This is the fork that will break the carbon mold for adventure bikes!

-Molded one-piece design from steerer to drop-outs weighs 575 grams
-Tire Clearance
29×2.1 (700×53) / 27.5 x 2.4
29×2.3 (700×58) / 27.5 x 2.6
-Axle Flip-Chips
55.5mm Rake with 406mm Axle-To-Crown
49mm Rake with 398mm Axle-To-Crown
-Three-Pack Accessory Mounts
-Dynamo Routing for Lights and Electronics Charging
-Lifetime Incident Protection and 5 Year Factory Warranty
-$625 retail

See more at ENVE.

I’d assume many of you, like me, have a 15mm thru-axle gravel fork that you would like to convert to 12mm. Every time I review gravel or all-road wheels, they come in 12mm and I have to spend time searching and ordering 15mm cups for the hubs. Let me tell you, it’s a waste of time. I looked for a while for a conversion kit to change my 15mm fork to 12mm but never found anything. The other day, I stumbled upon an eBay seller who makes a handy 15mm to 12mm conversion kit for just about every fork on the market. The account is JJP&E and it really is as simple as you’d imagine! Check out an in-depth look below…

Manitou has reworked the R7 this year, forming a modern, light, and strong XC-oriented fork designed to take daily wear and tear while still utilizing all the comforts of the competitors’ options. The R7 utilizes a VTT Pro damper, which offers a solid lockout, a soft mid setting, and a plush, wide-open setting. The R7 comes in 27.5″ or 29″, with 100mm or 120mm travel, and 37mm, 44mm, or 51mm offsets. If you’re not feeling the chrome crown, they also make one in black. Head to Manitou to check out more information.

Specs:
Weight: 27.5″ = 1625.2g (estimated, 120mm 44OS)27.5+/29″ = 1648.1.0g (estimated, 120mm 51OS)
Travel: 80-120mm
Steerer: 1.5″ Tapered Aluminum
Spring: Dorado Air w/ IVA
Crown: Forged aluminum, deep hollow bore SLVR
Compression Damping: VTT PRO
Rebound Damping: Half-cartridge adjustable TPC
Adjustments: 3-Position Compression w/ Open Mode Adjust, Rebound, Air Pressure, IVA Position
Stanchions: 32mm 7000 Series Aluminum
Brake: 160mm Post Mount (180mm max rotor size)
Axle: Hexlock2 15mm Axle
Axle to Crown: 27.5″ = 471 – 511mm27.5+/29″ = 484.5 – 524.5mm
Options: QR15, fender kit, short offset crown, remote lockout

The Cane Creek Helm fork is a personal favorite of mine but even good things need an upgrade. The Helm MKII was announced this morning, featuring a newly-designed damper with a new compression and mid-valve circuit for even better control. There’s also a new SKF oil seal head and 2.5 weight damper oil which reduces friction and provides a more supple ride-feel.

Even the air spring has seen a redesign with new air pistons which reduce friction, more air volume, and a threadless seal head for easier travel change. Helm MKII also has low-friction SKF wiper seals as a stock feature.

Helm MkII maintains its tokenless air volume adjustment design, independently adjustable positive and negative air chambers on the air spring and rider-adjustable travel which allows HELM MKII owners to change the travel of their fork at home with just a few common tools.

The 29er Helm MKII comes in gloss black and the 27.5 in matte black. There’s also this Hot Pink limited release, with only 50 units available.

I hope you’re not experiencing shock fade after yesterday’s post but we’re back today with more gravel bike suspension offerings, this time from Suntour. The GVX fork is their gravel travel fork, offering 40, 50, or 60mm travel options, remote lockout, 700x45c or 650x50c wheel options, magnesium construction, and 32mm stanchions.

GVX Specs:
-Magnesium lowers with a unique aesthetic specifically designed for the gravel market.
-Vertically aligned and tapered dropouts.
-100x15mm or 100x12mm dropouts with a lightweight, hollow-caped, and tool-type axle.
-32mm stanchions from A7000 series alloy, anodized black.
-A6000 forged crown.
-Crown mounted lockout, and rebound adjust. Remote lockout in development.
-Flat Mount brake to match with road and gravel type brake calipers.
-Air spring with 40mm, 50mm, or 60mm travel.
-Corresponding axle to crown by travel 436mm, 446mm, 456mm
-Corresponding offset by travel 45mm, 46mm, 47mm
-Fork offset is built into the crown.
-Max tire 700x45c or 650x50c.
-Mini fender included, stanchion mounts built in for larger fenders.
-Rated for Class 1 / E25 e-Bikes to match the growing e-Gravel trends
-Weight: 1725g
-MSRP: $499 USD
-Availability: August 2020

See more at Suntour.

Finding a 1-1/8″ steerer carbon fork with bosses for cargo cages, fenders, and yes, dynamo lighting is near impossible. So what are we to do with all those capable 1-1/8″ steerer frames we have that would otherwise make a great touring bike? CINQ makes one such fork, with all the above features. The Touring Fork weighs 550g, a unique “no-thread” thru-bolt eyelet system for cargo cages, fits bigger tires, utilizes internal routing, and much more!

Specs:
-Clearance for 27,5″ x 2.2″ or 28″x2.0″ (700x50mm) tires
-Great for touring and gravel applications
-“No-Thread” stainless steel thru-bolt cargo mounting system avoids damaging threads permanently mounted in the carbon
-Compatible with internal dynamo wiring for a clean setup
-Light and fender mounts
-Lightweight and strong

See more at CINQ!

These aren’t available in the US but CycleMonkey has licensed it and they make a tapered steerer version too!

Thanks to Brian for pointing this product out yesterday!

With Fox’s announcement of their newly designed forks this morning, they also rang the dinner bell to feast upon these limited edition Heritage Collection forks. Rootbeer, Pistachio, and Battleship are the colors adorning the 36, 38, and 40 forks. These forks are only available in limited quantities and will most likely sell out today, so holler at your local dealer to order one.

For those looking for 32 and 34 news, the step-cast Float 32 received a new crown, but the 34 comes in a step-cast lightweight trail 34 and a 34 trail. The 34 trail seems to be the sweet spot for hardtail and bikepacking rigs, as it now features FIT4 or FIT GRIP dampers, with 130, 140, 150mm of travel options.

Check out this massive product drop at Fox.

In an effort to get more riders to try out Trust’s innovative linkage-design suspension forks, the brand has announced a trade-in program, with lots of incentives to get new riders on this intriguing fork. All you have to do is buy either one of the Trust Performance suspension forks, either online or at a retailer and then fill out the RMA. Trust is giving customers $500 for a boost telescopic fork in working, rideable condition or $250 for any telescopic fork in any condition. Got an old fork kicking around? Tired of air and coil-sprung designs? Well, now’s your chance… Head to Trust for more information!

It’s a solution for cyclists who have a hardtail designed around a 120-130MM fork.  Was it a problem worth tackling? Isn’t it stiff? Why not just get a steel fork? I thought about a lot of this when Ben from Whisky Parts Co was handing off a pre-production sample for me to ride, test and beat on. How’d it fare on some east coast haunts?

Read on to find out.

The newest fork to hit the shelves over at Whisky Parts Co will interest you 29r riders, particularly those who love the ride of a singlespeed rigid or just a rigid bike. The Boost MTB LT fork is 500mm long, clears a 3″ x 29″ or 27.5″ tire, has just the right amount of cargo cages, weighs 680g, uses IS disc mounts, and retails for $549.99. See more specs below and head to your local Whisky dealer for ordering!

The world of bikepacking forks, cargo accessories, and bags is at an all-time high. As many have noted, we really are in the golden era of bikepacking and cyclo-touring products. Bombtrack has had a large role in pushing the envelope in terms of production frames, forks, and other accessories. Their latest release are two forks, the BPC and BPS forks, designed for a 27.5 – 29″ x 3.0″ tires, cargo mounts, and dynamo routing. These two forks can make your 100mm hardtail a capable bikepacking rig. Head to Bombtrack for more information and feel free to email them directly to order. Tell them we sent ya!

Got a rigid MTB or an all-road bike you’d like to do some touring or bikepacking on? Not satisfied with the current carbon fork offerings from the more popular brands? Check out Cinq’s new Adventure 27.5+ / 29er fork and Touring 650b / 700c fork, designed to convert your daily rider to something more capable. Each utilizes “no-thread” cargo bosses to ensure no threads will ever be stripped, internal dynamo routing, light and fender mounts, with a pricepoint of €590.00. Head to Cinq to see more information on the Adventure and Touring forks.

You might have caught this in this weekend’s NAHBS coverage but No. 22 have launched a new composites line dubbed No. 6 and with that launch come three new fork options: an all road fork, a disc road fork, and a rim brake road fork. Each fork has minimal branding and a sleek profile to fit your frame, but their all road fork really caught my eye. With clearance for a 45mm tire, 50mm rake, 382mm axle to crown, fender mounts, and barely there branding, these forks will be a surefire hit with builders. See more at No. 6 Composites.

Fyxation’s Sparta fork lineup just got two new additions, a QR version and the Sparta FCR, full carbon version. The Sparta QR takes the original 1 1/8″ aluminum straight steerer carbon fork design and makes it QR compatible. The Sparta QR retails for $299. The Sparta FCR forks have triple cargo cage mounts, internal dynamo routing, and a new thru-axle design which features a removable lever on the axle. The Sparta FCR retails for $420.

See all the details at Fyxation and holler at your local dealer for ordering information.

The Helm surprised me. A lot. Cane Creek’s front suspension fork has it all, including a high price up until now. The Helm is now $899 and it’s not often we hear of brands dropping hundreds off of their product’s retail! See more at Cane Creek.

Using their Max 45 fork as inspiration, the Matador is next stage in the evolution of an all-road fork. The Matador uses a 12mm thru-axle and maintains clearance for 45mm tires. Where the Matador differs from the Max 45 is the flat mount brake and a longer rake of 55mm. It also has hidden fender mounts. See more at Seven.

I’m sure I enjoy posting forks like this as much as you enjoy seeing new options. Fyxation throws their hat into the ring of the carbon fork with rack mounts circuit, offering up a 1 1/8″, 12mm thru-axle, flat mount disc fork. The Sparta will be available in a tapered option later on in Fall of 2017, but for now, this 1 1/8″ option is available. See more at Fyxation.