3 ms·

How is having a stiffer front fork going to help? (My front fork is steel; my bike is not stiff.)

noir_lord 10y ago
It's not so much the stiffness that matters but that carbon damps the 'buzz' from the road, Steel is better than Aluminium but Carbon is better than both in my experience. That said if you are having real numbness problems switching up to a 25mm tyre (most road bikes will take them) and running at 80psi vs 23mm at 110psi will make the most difference. It also depends on the surface you ride on, UK roads are not known for been particularly smooth (particularly rural two lanes) so the differences are more marked.
- Grishnakh 10y ago
  Thanks for the advice; I do believe I have a 25mm tire in front (I'll have to check, but it's not super-thin). But a CF front fork sounds like way more money than I want to spend on fixing up a 20+ year old bike; if I'm going to spend any money, I might as well get a new bike, which is why I'm seriously looking at getting a Catrike: I can get away from the uncomfortable road bike posture altogether that way, get better aerodynamics, avoid crotch pains, etc.
  - noir_lord 10y ago
    Recumbents have a lot to recommend them but I don't like the lack of visibility in traffic, UK drivers aren't that considerate of cyclists generally so I at least like to be visible, that said they do really really move compared to a road bike since the aerodynamic shape helps hugely.
    - Grishnakh 10y ago
      I'm in the US, and roads here are really bad for riding bikes on, unless you're in a very small town or something. (Even that isn't a great place; I live in a small town currently and the street in front of my house has a 25mph speed limit, but people are constantly speeding on it, and frequently hitting cats that cross the road near my house.) That's why I simply don't ride on roads with cars if I can help it; I mostly stick to rail-trails or towpaths. I can ride 40 miles on a rail-trail and barely see any cars at all, and frequently not even any humans.

It's not so much the stiffness that matters but that carbon damps the 'buzz' from the road, Steel is better than Aluminium but Carbon is better than both in my experience. That said if you are having real numbness problems switching up to a 25mm tyre (most road bikes will take them) and running at 80psi vs 23mm at 110psi will make the most difference. It also depends on the surface you ride on, UK roads are not known for been particularly smooth (particularly rural two lanes) so the differences are more marked.

Grishnakh 10y ago
Thanks for the advice; I do believe I have a 25mm tire in front (I'll have to check, but it's not super-thin). But a CF front fork sounds like way more money than I want to spend on fixing up a 20+ year old bike; if I'm going to spend any money, I might as well get a new bike, which is why I'm seriously looking at getting a Catrike: I can get away from the uncomfortable road bike posture altogether that way, get better aerodynamics, avoid crotch pains, etc.
- noir_lord 10y ago
  Recumbents have a lot to recommend them but I don't like the lack of visibility in traffic, UK drivers aren't that considerate of cyclists generally so I at least like to be visible, that said they do really really move compared to a road bike since the aerodynamic shape helps hugely.
  - Grishnakh 10y ago
    I'm in the US, and roads here are really bad for riding bikes on, unless you're in a very small town or something. (Even that isn't a great place; I live in a small town currently and the street in front of my house has a 25mph speed limit, but people are constantly speeding on it, and frequently hitting cats that cross the road near my house.) That's why I simply don't ride on roads with cars if I can help it; I mostly stick to rail-trails or towpaths. I can ride 40 miles on a rail-trail and barely see any cars at all, and frequently not even any humans.