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NAHBS 2017: Wound Up wraps up new fork designs for tapered steerers, thru axles, and flat mount disc brakes

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Known for their distinct look, Wound Up forks have been using their filament wound carbon design for years. In the latest updates to their forks, Wound Up is keeping their aesthetic, but they are adapting to new standards. Finally giving way to more “modern” fitments, the company was showing a trio of forks that should make them more applicable to a number of bikes in the near future…

While many custom builders of metal frames will still debate the merits of a tapered head tube, there are definitely a lot of bikes out that that are using them. If your frame has a tapered head tube, you might as well use the corresponding steerer tube to capitalize on any gains in stiffness at the front end. Because of that, Wound Up will soon have a 1.5″ to 1.125″ tapered carbon steerer. Built with aluminum dropouts and crown, the steerer is carbon and target weight for the fork is said to be 450g.

Another option for modern rides is their new thru axle dropout. Compatible with Maxle Ultimate or Stealth bolt on, the spacing is set at 12 x 100mm and will eventually be offered on the tapered steerer fork, then the gravel and Team X cyclocross fork.

It’s a similar story with their new flat mount disc brake option, though this was fresh off the 3D printer for the show. According to Wound Up, they are still finalizing the design in a way that takes advantage of the dropout’s benefits, but still fits the Wound Up aesthetic.

Just as a way to show the options you can choose for your Wound Up fork, this display was fitted with most of the options including black ano or polished aluminum, clear coat, satin, or unpainted finish, and a number of the brake choices.

woundupcomposites.com

 

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RandoRandy
RandoRandy
7 years ago

I’ve always liked the look of these forks, especially with thinner tubed metal bikes. I wonder how these compare to an Enve, Ritchey or Easton type after-market fork.

onion
onion
7 years ago

I feel like Flat Mount was designed to look sleek and simple on carbon forks. That is a pretty jarring violation of both.

JasonK
JasonK
7 years ago
Reply to  onion

This comment highlights Wound Up’s stagnant approach to design. As far as I can tell, if they can’t filament-wind it, they’re not making it out of carbon. Oh: and even if they can filament-wind it, if doing so requires a new mandrel, they’ll have to think on that for a year or five.

That the mount is rapid-prototyped and not machined aluminum underscores the slapdash nature of their flat mount project. Shouldn’t a manufacturer like Wound Up be able to crank out a machined (and therefore rideable) prototype in a day or so? Or do they not have any in-house machining expertise? How about access to a rapid machining vendor like First Cut?

I’m baffled by their reluctance to broaden their product line. It’s too bad, because at one time their products were fairly interesting. Maybe there are capital constraints or maybe the powers that be just lost interest.

I hope Wound Up revitalizes their product line. The fork market is a little more boring without modern products from Wound Up.

AngryBikeWrench
7 years ago
Reply to  JasonK

Nothing “slapdash” about 3D printing prototypes – still a helluva lot cheaper and faster than machining aluminum.

blah blah blah
blah blah blah
7 years ago

some of the best looking forks ever made

AJ
AJ
7 years ago

These skinny fork leg forks, with the tapered steerer are going to look terrible on modern, oversized diameter tubed frames.

The head tubes on a modern frame using tapered steerers are 44mm minimum diameter, with most frames having a head tube and down tube diameter of about 50mm or more. The diameter of the Wound Up fork blades are close to 25.4mm. Big difference. It will totally look out of proportion on pretty much any modern frame using a tapered head tube steerer.

T Petroski
7 years ago

I could not find anything on their website about tire-size clearance. That would be good to know.

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