Gravel bike fork rake recommendation.
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Gravel bike fork rake recommendation.
I'm upgrading the fork on my Soma and I'm looking for rake advice. I have a choice between 43mm vs. 48mm. The head tube angle is 73. The bike is setup as a fast commuter with occasional weekend fire road gravel duty. The current steel fork has a 43mm rake, but I'm wondering if I would improve off road handling by getting the 48mm. For example, the Enve G Series gravel fork has a 50mm rake. The Ritchey gravel/adventure fork is 50mm as well.
Last edited by keithdunlop; 04-13-21 at 05:51 PM.
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I'm upgrading the fork on my Soma and I'm looking for rake advice. I have a choice between 43mm vs. 48mm. The head tube angle is 73. The bike is setup as a fast commuter with occasional weekend fire road gravel duty. The current steel fork has a 43mm rake, but I'm wondering if I would improve off road handling by getting the 48mm. For example, the Enve G Series gravel fork has a 50mm rake. The Ritchey gravel/adventure fork is 50mm as well.
It depends mostly on how you ride, where, how aggressively and how much weight you have over the front axle. If you do a lot of high speed riding you may want to stick with 43mm. If you're looking for sharper handling at lower speeds, go 48mm.
Keep in mind that 73 degrees is already rather steep for a gravel bike.
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The reason the Enve has more rake is because newer gravel bikes are coming with slacker head tube angles, not 73 degrees any more. Forks with 43-45mm rake will not work well with slacker head tube angles because they result in a bit too much trail. Putting it on your bike will result in lower trail than you are used to. I think lower trail feels fine, but some people don't like it. I think it imparts a livelier feel to the bike. I have a bike with 55mm rake and 73 degree HTA, and it took me a few minutes on the first ride to get used to it.
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The reason the Enve has more rake is because newer gravel bikes are coming with slacker head tube angles, not 73 degrees any more. Forks with 43-45mm rake will not work well with slacker head tube angles because they result in a bit too much trail. Putting it on your bike will result in lower trail than you are used to. I think lower trail feels fine, but some people don't like it. I think it imparts a livelier feel to the bike. I have a bike with 55mm rake and 73 degree HTA, and it took me a few minutes on the first ride to get used to it.
This site helped a lot:Bicycle Trail Calculator | yojimg.net
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Yah, this is what I've discovered after more research as well. The Ibis Hakka for example is a true gravel bike and has a 72 degree HT and it's paired with the 50mm rake fork. I'm thinking that my frame was not really intended as a gravel bike and pairing a 43mm rake fork with the 73 degree HT angle is the better option. It produces the recommended trail.
This site helped a lot:Bicycle Trail Calculator | yojimg.net
This site helped a lot:Bicycle Trail Calculator | yojimg.net
https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...tter-frame-set
-- If you want to choose a third party option, please look something with the following specs. 1-1/8" non-tapered steerer, 390-400mm axle to crown length, and of course something that will fit the bike hub on your front wheel. 48mm rake is ideal. 44mm rake is acceptable. Please follow their instructions carefully.
https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...e-set-v1-rosso
What kind of forks are compatible with the Fog CutterEven though we call this a road bike, we built the frame around a cyclo-cross length fork. So anything 390-400mm in length with a 44mm rake will work as designed. (48/50mm rake for the 48 and 52cm size) We do make a robust matching straight blade carbon fork for this frame, but you can run our lugged CX Disc Fork or Straight Blade CX fork. Or a third party CX fork. It needs to have a 1-1/8" steerer though. Road forks will be too short for this frame.
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Thanks!
Thanks everyone! I got the matching Soma carbon fork with a 43mm rake. It provides the trail that the bike currently has that I'm already comfortable with.