An interesting idea.......certainly 'safer' than a carbon fork over the rough pav'e........but I would have chosen a fork with a curved blade to soften the vibration.
cheers
Kevin Sayles
Bridgwater Somerset UK
> Matthew 'Devotion' Bowne wrote:
>> I am always thrilled to see certain old-school bike tech make it's way
>> into the the contemporary European pro peloton...but this is one I didn't
>> expect to see...
>> Because of it's notoriously rough roads and brutal riding conditions, the
>> "Queen of the Classics", Paris-Roubaix has often been a proving ground
>> for new technologies. (Remember the Rock Shox in the early 90's? The
>> full suspension Bianchis, etc.?) Well not only has Paris-Roubaix brought
>> on the development of new bike tech, but recent years have also seen the
>> return of some old ones. Over the past few years, riders have been known
>> to outfit their bikes with steel forks, wide skin-walled classic tubies,
>> vintage cantilever brakes and other part mods that seem odd in the
>> current peloton but certainly "on topic" to groups like ours. Heck, even
>> Lance has been known to run early Dura-Ace Ax calipers on a TT bike in
>> recent history...
>> Anyhow, below is one that I thought might be of interest to The List:
>>
>> http://www.cyclingnews.com/
>>
>> That's right, a rider on Team Milram rode a lugged steel fork with a 1"
>> steerer tube! KOF indeed! Have a look at the pic and note the "reducer"
>> it needed to be coupled with to work with the over-sized headtube on the
>> presumably carbon-fiber frame. I can't help but wonder how this came to
>> be...A team mechanic's late-night "McGuyver" move? So why THIS fork? Are
>> there not still master-builders who would jump at the chance to braze a
>> (1 1/8") lugged steel fork for a pro riding in Paris-Roubaix? Anybody
>> have any thoughts or insight as to how this came to be? Any other
>> examples of KOF builds or tech used by modern pros?
>
> I thought it looked like a 1.125 steerer fork, and it certainly had the
> weight being close to 1 kg. And it was not a last night brain wave, the
> fork was finished early enough for a tv appearance. Don't know who built
> it though
>
>
> --
> mvg
>
> Marten Gerritsen
> Kiel Windeweer
> Netherlands