Hi Bikeforum.
I recently got a 2015 Felt F1 frame in great condition except that the fork was cracked in transport, leading the owner to unload it for basically nothing. I'm building it up (my first project) and wasn't planning on such a nice frame, but when life gives you carbon fiber lemons...you make... very splintery lemonade?
I've been looking around for a fork to fit the frame. I got the frame for $200, so I would rather not spend close to $500 on a new Enve Road 2.0. I'm on Ebay, but the 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" headtube means I am more limited in my choices.
There are plenty of straight 1 1/8th steerer forks, but generally very few tapered. I'm quite leery of the no-name $80 chinese all-carbon forks, as I feel like those are just asking for a snapped steer tube at the first big bump. There are Enves, which seem perfect but cost more than the frame, and then there's.....nothing? Easton doesn't make a tapered road fork, there are some nice Leader forks but they have a super short 28mm rake. I just came across this eerily inexpensive fork -
Bontrager Race X Lite Road Bike Fork 700c Tapered Carbon | eBay - TPC says they just have had a hard time selling it, but it has a nice long aluminum steerer. Any thoughts? Any other recs?
Folks keep suggesting a crown race reducer, but does anyone have experience with one? are they equivalent in performance to a properly sized CR?