Tandem fork vs cyclecross fork? Any real difference?
02-25-11, 08:35 AM
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Tandem fork vs cyclecross fork? Any real difference?
We have just got new headset on one of the old Ibis Touche we have. We now realize that the stem is 2 mm too short...
We need a new fork somewhat longer.
Would there be any real difference between a tandem fork (ex comotion primevar) and a cyclecross fork? Would the cyclecross fork be too soft for us?
We need a new fork somewhat longer.
Would there be any real difference between a tandem fork (ex comotion primevar) and a cyclecross fork? Would the cyclecross fork be too soft for us?
02-25-11, 08:41 AM
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Always best to contact the fork manufacturer's tech support folks to get the design limits perspective... which sometimes requires a phone call vs. Email to get a truly candid assessment, i.e., yeah, under what the legal department says so here's the real question... off the record, will this fork support a bike with a long wheelbase carrying 350lbs of rider weight.
That said, there are quite a few CX forks that have been marketed for use on tandems with or without some minor tweaks, e.g., Windwood's CX fork and the True Temper Alpha Q CX for Burley. Again, it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
That said, there are quite a few CX forks that have been marketed for use on tandems with or without some minor tweaks, e.g., Windwood's CX fork and the True Temper Alpha Q CX for Burley. Again, it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
02-25-11, 09:45 AM
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What size is it...1 inch...1 1/8 ...??
Bill J.
Bill J.
02-25-11, 09:49 AM
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Thanks for the answer. We will find out about the cx fork we have been offered by the LBS in Copenhagen. He said the fork on the Ibis Touche seemed to be an ordinary racing bike fork. It is too soft after our opinion (well - the whole bike is...), but we don´t know if the cx fork will be any stiffer. Best would be that it would handle well over long distances.
02-25-11, 09:50 AM
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Size is 1 1/8.
02-25-11, 11:34 AM
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I would think that the top of the fork tube could be 2mm below the top of the stem and still be okay to use. You just use the topcap without any spacers. (Maybe I'm misunderstanding your original post.)
02-25-11, 11:41 AM
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We have just got new headset on one of the old Ibis Touche we have. We now realize that the stem is 2 mm too short...
We need a new fork somewhat longer.
Would there be any real difference between a tandem fork (ex comotion primevar) and a cyclecross fork? Would the cyclecross fork be too soft for us?
We need a new fork somewhat longer.
Would there be any real difference between a tandem fork (ex comotion primevar) and a cyclecross fork? Would the cyclecross fork be too soft for us?
I'm not familiar with "comotion primevar" forks. So, this may be a mute point. Just an observation.
02-25-11, 12:26 PM
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We are using the old standard stem and fork from Ibis, which is a threaded fork and a down-into-the-fork stem.
We are using cross brakes: low profile cantilevers from Shimano. Std from Ibis 1994.
We are using cross brakes: low profile cantilevers from Shimano. Std from Ibis 1994.
02-25-11, 03:22 PM
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02-26-11, 08:45 PM
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Wouldn't it be easier to get a headset with a lower stack height so you can use the forks you have. You might even be able to modify the headset you have to make it a bit shorter. I have done this on my bikes before.
02-26-11, 10:40 PM
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Another headset - I have been thinking this too. We have two Ibis Touche and was advised to use Chris King by two LBS. None of them seem to have wondered about the length of the fork, that the Chris King headset need a longer fork than the headset we had been using on the Ibis´. We have been waiting for the headset to come from USA to Denmark from November to February. I am pissed about all this and still now that Chris King is a very good headset, probably better than our old tandems. It could be a solution to use a less good quality headset, but I still search for a fork to use.
To modify the Chris King I haven´t heard about this before.
To modify the Chris King I haven´t heard about this before.
