ENVE Composites’ New Disc Brake Cyclocross Fork, AM & DH Rims, More

i dont know who would want to buy the newest, best fork on the market, only to strap it to some ancient poo with a straight steerer. and as a designer/engineer, who would want to constrain how well engineered the fork could be with a straight steerer if you didnt have to? it’s clear the entire market is going that way. i’m sure i’m gonna make enemies, but whatever.
i think enve did the right thing by only going forward.

I can’t wait to see $1000 USD downhill rims rolling off the shelves.

That’s really disappointing. What about those of us who run steel 1″ steerers with 650b wheels? Most of us who can actually buy this fork also drop big dollars on custom bikes, and our builders have recently built bikes in old standards that are making a comeback because of some misguided “retrogrouch” tendencies! Someone should really reflect this to ENVE!

Good grief. You have to look at it from ENVE’s perspective. It’s not clear that there’s a huge market for carbon disc forks for 700c bikes yet, especially not at this price point. Each different steerer requires a different layup, so there’s testing and manufacturing costs for each model. If this fork is well received, there’s a good chance they’ll expand to other steerers as well.

ENVE already has a 1-1/8″ cross fork, why not just expand on that? CAD programs these days could run complex force/stress simulations. I imagine the cost on running testing on a modified fork can’t be more expensive than hiring a F1 engineer to work on the SMART wheel system.

and by “put up, shut up” rational, shall we all change bike every time a new BB standard comes out? most people aren’t going to buy a new frame just to cater to a new fork.

If ENVE insist on enforcing 1.5″ steerer standard, the rest of us could very well go with 3T, or other component companies, and with that been said, should ENVE not trying to capture that portion of customer base?

i could see the reasoning behind 1.5″ steerer from a product performance stand point, and i could agree to it, however, i still stand by my opinion on 1-1/8″ steerer.

Don’t buy this fork. Get a straight disc fork from someone else. Problem solved. Ironically, if you are running discs on a CX bike, chances are good you are not a retro grouch. The retro grouches will hold on to cantis until they die. Why? Dunno.

Home run on both products!
Custom built bikes… i love my custom built bikes, but the reason i use a custom builder is to keep up with my demands! If a custom builder wont put a tapered headset in for you, then look for a better builder.

Regarding the weight argument, when doing the brake comparison, do account for the extra weight of mud, and snow that collects around the canti brakes. The build-up of mud and snow is much less with disk brakes. The real world weight difference may show that disk brakes cause a NET lower weight gain for the bike.

Regarding a performance argument, evaluate riding in wet, muddy and/or winter conditions. The disk brakes brakes can outperfrom the cantis as they are not dependent on sloppy rims. In winter, an icey rim can be downright scarey with canti brakes but a non-issue with disc brakes.