Putting A Chinese Carbon Fork To The Test | DIY Carbon Rigid MTB Fork Review

Gravel driving covers a pretty broad spectrum that includes everything from mixed pavement and well-maintained dirt roads to dual track roads and logging roads that haven't seen a grader since they were first cut on my gravel rides. They lean towards that spicier end of the spectrum, so When I imagine my ideal bike, it's basically a mountain bike with a

rigid

fork

and skinnier tires and that's exactly what my last two gravel bikes have been mountain bikes. Hardtail with some slight modifications. The current one is a first generation Timber Jack sauce. with a suspension

fork

, so I immediately went looking for something made of

carbon

and with the correct axle to crown height, since the wooden cat is not a gravel bike, I needed to find a mountain bike specific fork and There's really only one.

Unfortunately, there were a handful of options out there. I was soon shocked by the prices of most brands in the

rigid

mountain fork game, but then I found DIY

carbon

bikes with three options modeled after high-end brands, but at less than half the price that I decided to offer. After a few months of riding paved dirt roads and some trails, let's talk about the pros and cons of this budget rigid fork option. Normally I would start with the pros and then go into the cons but I have to give some background that comes out negative so bear with me, diy carbon bikes have three different rigid mountain forks that are based on the much loved envy forks whiskey parts and niner.

I was only interested in the envy and whiskey versions because they have boost clearance, but I finally ordered the whiskey style fork even though it was $50 more because its axle to the crown was 15 millimeters longer. My wood cat uses a 120 mil fork, so the higher axle to the crown would keep the geometry more aligned with the design of the bike. I ordered the whiskey version and was told it would take 15-30 days. 48 days later my fork finally arrived. I will say that it was at least somewhat understandable. I ordered just before Chinese New Year and there was a disclaimer that that could extend shipping time but there was basically no communication after I ordered tai.

The business owner was quick to respond to emails, but he always had to contact me first. As happy as I was to see the package, my excitement was short-lived when I removed the bubble wrap. and I saw the wrong fork. They had sent me the Envy version, not the version with whiskey pieces. Tai responded quickly again and did some digging to find that the factory he works with had stopped producing the whiskey version and was simply filling orders with the Envy-style forks. He apologized and said he could return it or refund me the difference in price, which was the option I took.

I used that price difference to get an extended lower headset cup from Wolftooth to make up for the difference between the shaft and the crown while everything was kind of a shame, I was excited to have something to complete my build, so all that background out of the way. As an aside, let's look at the positive aspects of this fork. While it is a mountain bike fork, I'm approaching it primarily from a gravel perspective, but very much so. of the so called roads I ride on are unmaintained and more like a trail than anything else, and I've actually taken this on some single track trails and stuff like that, with the bike set up more like a bike For mountain bikes, one of the biggest benefits of carbon forks is how little they weigh.

This fork weighs 630 grams, which is lighter than the Envy version the model follows, but that makes sense considering the fact that the Envy fork has mounting points compared to a suspension fork or even a rigid one. steel fork you're talking about a weight savings of hundreds of grams and even if you're someone who doesn't care about the weight of the bike, you know that's my biggest concern and one that I'm sure most people feel is Using a knock-off fork will end up with a mouth full of dirt and a broken face. It is difficult to measure durability in a short period of time, but three months of regular driving is also more than enough to make a first impression.

Just over 200 miles on this fork, which again is an incredible amount, but coupled with the fact that I'm not light, I think it's had some decent stress

test

s. I am pleased to report that I have not yet collapsed and shipped over the bars, in fact I have not noticed any signs of cracking, splintering or any indication of failure. The bike even took an unexpected fall on the pavement in my shop and came out unscathed. This may not give everyone peace of mind when using a carbon component like this, but I now have complete confidence in this fork, for some reason the way a thru axle interacts with a fork seems to be too complicated for some.

In a perfect world, the axle would always thread directly into the drop path, but we don't live in that world. I've dealt with my fair share of strange axle designs, but the DIY fork is one of the best out there. It uses a threaded insert that slides one way while the shaft slides the other instead of needing to use a wrench to tighten it, it has a faux quick release lever that can be used as a lever to tighten things. It took me a little by surprise when I first put the wheel on, as it takes a slight amount of pressure to tighten it.

The center is inside, but I don't even notice it anymore. Overall, it's just a simple design that works well and I love not having to get out my multitool to remove it, so here's the best part: this fork is only $195. That's right, for under $200, you can get a Carvin Boost Space mountain bike fork complete with clearance for a 29-by-3-inch tire. For comparison, the Envy fork is over 600, the whiskey pieces are 525, and basically every other conventional fork out there. They cost at least 400, even the karate monkey fork which is made of steel costs 175 dollars, so the DIY fork is a very good deal for less than half the cost.

I had some issues with shipping time, but I would probably say it was worth it for the savings. Now let's move on to the disadvantages of this fork. None of the DIY carbon forks have mounting points at this time. I don't pack bikes or do any kind of riding that I really care about. This, but many people want a rigid fork specifically for packing bikes, so those mounts really matter. He said there are now a lot of companies selling innovative ways to attach things to your bike and they're pretty inexpensive, so that's always an option if that's the case.

A deal breaker, much of the value of a product comes from the name plastered on it and the coiled bike is no exception, so if I sell this fork in the future, I tell a buyer that it is from an unknown company that ships Ships directly from China. It wouldn't do me any favors if it were the actual Envy fork, although I bet it would hold its value pretty well after a year or more of use. Most people don't buy or sell bikes or bike components like I do. This may not really matter, but it's something to keep in mind if you like to buy and sell things frequently and that's it, those are really the only downsides in my opinion.

Overall I would recommend this fork to anyone looking for a rigid carbon mountain bike fork, whether you want it for a gravel conversion or just general mountain biking, it's affordable, lightweight and seems durable. I'm sure forks from brands like nv and niner pay more attention to detail and are better overall, but by half. The price of the DIY fork is a really hard value to beat. If you're wondering about anything I didn't cover in this video, let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to get back to you if you enjoyed this video.

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