sibex ti forks?
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I didn't know of it yet. Looks exactly how I expect the Airborne will be looking. Am I missing something some connection between the two?
430mm axle to crown, they just made a 700c version of the 26" fork with higher placed canti mounts, without lengthening the blades. There won't be many 29" bikes that fit this fork, as it's not suspension corrected. Dedicated rigid riders may want to have a ti custom built around it, though.
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Chinese Ti
That fork is pretty obviously one of the Xian Changda forks sold by Spicer and a few others. If you want one, just order direct from China - they cost $99 plus shipping, though you do have to get a wire transfer to pay them. I think the website is xacd.cn or something.
Keep in mind, I broke _3_ of these (in the 26" version) last summer. We ordered several to test them out, and all of them were toast within 2 months - they snapped at the crown. Ordering one from Sibex, or Spicer, or whatever, might be worth the extra money if they offer a warranty. Xian Changda does NOT, that's for sure!
-Walt
That fork is pretty obviously one of the Xian Changda forks sold by Spicer and a few others. If you want one, just order direct from China - they cost $99 plus shipping, though you do have to get a wire transfer to pay them. I think the website is xacd.cn or something.
Keep in mind, I broke _3_ of these (in the 26" version) last summer. We ordered several to test them out, and all of them were toast within 2 months - they snapped at the crown. Ordering one from Sibex, or Spicer, or whatever, might be worth the extra money if they offer a warranty. Xian Changda does NOT, that's for sure!
-Walt
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14,017 Posts
Thanks for clearing that up, I was expecting, but not saying.
I've been as close as it gets to ordering everything they have on the menu, till the failure reports came in. Normally, that wouldn't hold me back, as you can spec the whole product yourself.
My little theory is that Spicer and Airborne have their specs worked out much better than the custom one-time customers. Wall thicknesses and other essential details, I'm sure these companies put more time into agreeing on them with Changda. Reason I think this, is I seem to hear of fewer failures of these pruducts when they carry a brand sticker. Or would customs just be done on monday mornings?
I've been as close as it gets to ordering everything they have on the menu, till the failure reports came in. Normally, that wouldn't hold me back, as you can spec the whole product yourself.
My little theory is that Spicer and Airborne have their specs worked out much better than the custom one-time customers. Wall thicknesses and other essential details, I'm sure these companies put more time into agreeing on them with Changda. Reason I think this, is I seem to hear of fewer failures of these pruducts when they carry a brand sticker. Or would customs just be done on monday mornings?
that stinks.....
if they are changda forks. these are the forks that travis brown has been racing on a single speed, evidently. also uses them for cross. i thought they were russian, not that russians can't have the chineese build stuff for them. oh well, they looked cool....sigh.
if they are changda forks. these are the forks that travis brown has been racing on a single speed, evidently. also uses them for cross. i thought they were russian, not that russians can't have the chineese build stuff for them. oh well, they looked cool....sigh.
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650 Posts
The On-one Ti rigid fork is available in 440mm disk only, This is not a 29er fork but in the same way as the Pace it is more than long enough as long as your frame can use this length, it may speed up a GF or KM more than most would like.
The XACD fork (chinese) has scary thin tubing. The On-one is a lot more sensible and still very light.
P::..
The XACD fork (chinese) has scary thin tubing. The On-one is a lot more sensible and still very light.
P::..
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7,491 Posts
Actually, they all failed at the welds
The tubing is indeed .035", but all of ours failed at the crown welds, where the segmented "arms" join the stanchions. Inspection of the inside of the welds revealed only very minor discoloration, so a poor backpurge probably wasn't the problem. I can't even imagine what a longer version (they make a "cyclocross" fork, but ours had shorter stanchions) would be like, with even more leverage at the crown.
Yeah, Travis rides one for short tracks and CX. Not for regular MTB riding. I race against him every once in a while and he's well aware of that fork's limitations for serious offroad use. A couple of our forks broke in very public settings (1 at a race, 1 at a trials demo) so you don't see many of them in Boulder anymore.
-Walt
The tubing is indeed .035", but all of ours failed at the crown welds, where the segmented "arms" join the stanchions. Inspection of the inside of the welds revealed only very minor discoloration, so a poor backpurge probably wasn't the problem. I can't even imagine what a longer version (they make a "cyclocross" fork, but ours had shorter stanchions) would be like, with even more leverage at the crown.
Yeah, Travis rides one for short tracks and CX. Not for regular MTB riding. I race against him every once in a while and he's well aware of that fork's limitations for serious offroad use. A couple of our forks broke in very public settings (1 at a race, 1 at a trials demo) so you don't see many of them in Boulder anymore.
-Walt
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7,491 Posts
Km
A boring answer, I know, but the Karate Monkey forks are a steal at about $65 (the price I sell them for with a frame purchase) and ride acceptably well. They're indestructible to boot, and suspension corrected, disc compatible, blah blah blah. But they're boring.
Thankfully I have a new toy in the shop - an Anvil fork fixture. So next year (or possibly this fall) I'll be offering custom forks to go with my frames. The first segmented proto is about half done, I'll keep you guys updated when I get back from vacation. Keep in mind though, I'm not a serious weight weenie, and I prefer durability over anything else, so we're not exactly going to be challenging the Changda forks in the weight department. Think around 2 pounds.
-Walt
A boring answer, I know, but the Karate Monkey forks are a steal at about $65 (the price I sell them for with a frame purchase) and ride acceptably well. They're indestructible to boot, and suspension corrected, disc compatible, blah blah blah. But they're boring.
Thankfully I have a new toy in the shop - an Anvil fork fixture. So next year (or possibly this fall) I'll be offering custom forks to go with my frames. The first segmented proto is about half done, I'll keep you guys updated when I get back from vacation. Keep in mind though, I'm not a serious weight weenie, and I prefer durability over anything else, so we're not exactly going to be challenging the Changda forks in the weight department. Think around 2 pounds.
-Walt
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