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1" Ouzo Pro vs. Kinesis Carbon 2 fork
 

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BobB
Joined: 13 Jan 2004
Posts: 171
Location: Columbus, OH

12/4/12 10:14 PM

1" Ouzo Pro vs. Kinesis Carbon 2 fork

Many years ago my beloved Airborne Ti Zeppelin came as a used frame with a 1" Kinesis Carbon 2 fork and a Ritchey Logic h/s. In a box full of stuff I bought for almost nothing at a swapmeet last month was an all-carbon Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork with a Syncros h/s. The Ouzo looks like new, but I did learn he rode it long enough to ovalize the headtube on his Cannondale.

So, is it worth the hassle of switching the fork and/or headset? The Kinesis has a steel steerer. It's been a long time since 1" carbon steerers have been discussed....

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sanrensho
Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 835
Location: North Vancouver

12/5/12 12:25 AM

If you still enjoy your Airborne, there's nothing wrong with giving it a facelift.

I'd say go for it. I went the same route on my scandium frame (Look HSC3, CK headset, Syntace F99 stem) and did not regret it, losing some weight in the process.

I'll be giving it another facelift this winter with Sram Force shifting, but that's another story.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

12/5/12 8:51 AM

@ my size and weight, I'd stick with the steel steerer myself. YMMV in 1" that is...

Last edited by Sparky on 12/6/12 9:11 AM; edited 1 time in total

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

12/5/12 9:55 AM


quote:
The Ouzo looks like new, but I did learn he rode it long enough to ovalize the headtube on his Cannondale.

Hmmm, miles don't ovalize headtubes, collisions do. I'd check the steerer on the new fork VERY carefully.

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

12/5/12 6:49 PM

Which end of the head tube got ovalized?

Could a head-on collision ovalize the bottom end?

The Ouzo is all-carbon, but is it continuous carbon like modern hi-end forks, or is the steerer bonded into the lower half "crown"?
Might make a difference in terms of weight and stiffness.

I never heard anything bad about the Ouzo Pro forks.

I heard Roland Della Santa quoted as saying a frame that's not made for a carbon fork might be over-stressed by installing one.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

12/6/12 6:15 AM

Any frame that can be ovalized...

...through normal riding is unsafe to begin with, as it obviously has no margin normal stresses, let alone abnormal ones. I would take the Della Santa quote with a grain of salt for the same reason. Forks don't stress frames, riding, hitting road hazards and/or crashing does. Granted, a stiffer fork transmits more stress to the frame, but the fork material is irrelevant.

I'd be leery of a carbon fork with an unknown history. Perhaps you could mount it on a frame, then flex it as much as you can to see if it makes any unusual noises; creaking or cracking sounds in particular may indicate a structural problem. If it passes the test, try riding it and do some braking tests (as opposed to "breaking" tests) to see if you notice unusual flex or hear anything that's worrisome.

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

12/6/12 8:42 AM


quote:
I never heard anything bad about the Ouzo Pro forks.

I heard Roland Della Santa quoted as saying a frame that's not made for a carbon fork might be over-stressed by installing one.

I've never heard anything bad about those forks either. Of course the reports were about undamaged ones.

I'd also like to hear Della Sant's reasoning as, on the face of it, the comment makes no sense.

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

12/6/12 2:22 PM

I thought the same thing about the effect of a carbon fork on frame durability, but one buyer of a new Della Santa frame apparently had to source the fork himself then, then go to the original painter (Joe Bell) to have the original finish applied.

Perhaps the frame builder's opinion was in larger part based on some deviation in the carbon fork's length or rake, requiring a re-do in the frame's dimensional design? Or not, but frame durability would need to be tested to verify any effect from the carbon fork, keeping in mind that a very small % increase in stress can have a much, much larger effect on the endurance limit (lifespan) of a high-performance (uniformly highly stressed) lightweight structure (such as a racing bike frame).

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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2625
Location: Canberra, Australia

12/6/12 3:24 PM

The only all-carbon fork with 1" steerer that I've used was a Look HSC1, and I felt it was just too flexible and adversely affected the handling. Sprinting out of the saddle was definitely an interesting experience on that fork...

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

12/6/12 3:52 PM

Yeah, it definitely depends on the particular fork, but the customer's custom-painted fork that was on that Della Santa appeared to be a Kestrel fork (and with steel steerer, since it had a quill-type threadless stem adapter iir).

I still remember that one with it's extra-nice, two-tone (red/white) paint, and because the quill curiously would hardly grip the inside of the steerer until I sprayed WD40 in there to break up the slick, thickened/hardened grease.

I wonder if today's higher-modulus carbon tubes would allow for a 1" steerer to be at least as stiff as a normal steel steerer?

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

12/6/12 3:57 PM

Handling changes and litigation are the best reasons I can think of for Della Santa to wave off aftermarket forks. Experience taught him it's not worth the hassle since forks have so many variables and 'his frames use his forks.'

As for litigation, buying a fork, you know, lately we've been discussing age, injury, accidents, entry points for new recreational pursuits (guitars,) - what I'm getting at is -

the money spent on a used fork from a stranger might better be money saved in a bank,

single point of failure and all.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

12/9/12 6:08 PM

Don't use the HSC-1 as your benchmark

I had one on my Vortex and as you said, it is very flexible. Switching to an Easton EC90SL made a night and day difference. If you can find one with a 1" steerer, it's a nice fork, but it appears that they're out of production.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

12/9/12 9:10 PM

I had a look 1" on a Merckx EX back when, long steerer and boy let me tell you. flex city, I think it was either HSC1 or maybe pre HSC even...

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