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New Fyxation Sparta carbon adventure forks fit any bike, new or old

Fyxation Sparta FCR carbon fork, title shot
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Riding on the success of their Sparta carbon fork, Fyxation has just announced two new models that give more riders the option to upgrade their all-road/adventure bikes. The Sparta FCR is a lightweight, full carbon version of the original that uses a 12mm thru-axle for modern bikes. But if you’re looking for new ways to use that old ride, the Sparta QR is a straight-steerer model with quick-release dropouts.

Fyxation Sparta FCR carbon fork, two bottles

The folks at Fyxation were happy to find that many riders bridging different disciplines were keen to upgrade to their Sparta carbon fork, which offers fender and cargo mounts, flat disc mounts and thru-axle compatibility at a low weight.

“We realized early on that the versatility of the Sparta would fill the needs of many riders, but the adoption across so many models has been exciting to see,” said Nick Ginster, co-founder of Fyxation Bicycle Company. “We continue to expand our list for the number of frames that are compatible with our Sparta fork and we’re finding new ones every day.”

Adding two new forks to the Sparta line ensures even more riders can find a compatible model for their bike. Here’s the lowdown on the new Sparta QR and FCR carbon forks…

Sparta QR All Road Carbon Fork:

Fyxation Sparta QR carbon fork, studio

The new Sparta QR All Road Carbon Fork features the same carbon legs and straight aluminum 1-1/8th steer tube as the original Sparta, but comes with 9x100mm QR dropouts. This makes it compatible with a range of road, gravel and CX frames that run quick-release wheelsets, and provides an upgrade option for those who don’t want to swap their front wheel to a thru-axle.

In fact, with such upgrades in mind Fyxation designed the Sparta QR to be backwards compatible with common touring frame geometries (see their website for a list of compatible frames, or email Fyxation to find out if yours will work).

Fyxation Sparta FCR carbon fork, top angle

The Sparta QR measures 400mm axle to crown, has a 45mm rake, and the uncut steerer tube is 300mm long. The fork will fit up to 700x42c (40c with fenders), or 650x50c tires. If your bike does have a tapered head tube, a steerer tube adapter is available for the Sparta QR.

Fyxation Sparta FCR carbon fork, cable routing and mounts

The QR model includes internal brake cable routing, fender mounts and flat disc mounts. Each leg also offers three mounting eyelets for bottles or cargo bags, but since these mounts are designed for lighter loads, lowrider style racks are not compatible with the Sparta QR. The Sparta QR All Road Carbon fork weighs 747g and retails for $299 USD.

Sparta FCR All Road Full Carbon Fork:

Fyxation Sparta FCR carbon fork, studio pic

Hitting the scale at 500g, the Sparta FCR is a lightweight version of the Sparta which uses a tapered carbon steerer tube. The FCR includes triple gear cage mounts on its legs, giving riders more options for bottle placement and making the fork compatible with Salsa’s Anything Cage or Blackburn’s Outpost Cargo Cage. Despite the extra eyelets, the FCR is a lightweight fork that isn’t intended to carry lowrider racks. Fender mounts are, of course, included.

Fyxation Sparta FCR carbon fork, Dynamo hub wire routing

If you run a Dynamo hub up front, Fyxation has included internal routing for the hub’s wiring to keep things protected and looking clean. Brake line routing to the fork’s flat disc mount remains external.

Fyxation Sparta FCR carbon fork, thru-axle and lever
*Photos courtesy of Fyxation

The Sparta FCR uses a 12mm thru-axle with a clever design feature; if you choose to ride it with the lever attached to the axle, the lever can be pulled off and used as a 5mm hex wrench. Alternately, the lever can be removed to achieve a cleaner look and lighter weight.

The FCR’s measurements and tire clearances are identical to the QR version. The Sparta FCR’s MSRP is $420. Both new Sparta models are available now at Fyxation dealers or online.

fyxation.com

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JMAN
JMAN
5 years ago

Finally a 12×100 tapered fork with dynamo wiring, fender and anything cage mounts plus external brake hose routing. Not the mainstream market but for those of us with S&S coupled gravel bikes finding a full featured fork with external hose routing for easy front brake removal is all but impossible. Well done Fyxation.

Mindi
Mindi
5 years ago
Reply to  JMAN

The front brake hose routing is internal

Tyler Benedict
Admin
5 years ago
Reply to  Mindi

Mindi, it’s internal on the QR version, and external on the full carbon thru axle model.

Mindi
Mindi
5 years ago
Reply to  Tyler Benedict

Sorry, missed that bit.

JMAN
JMAN
5 years ago
Reply to  JMAN

I now have a fair number of miles on this fork and some initial thoughts. On the positive the ride is firm but not overly stiff or whippy and the cage mounts so far have worked well with Blackburn Outposts and what I consider a decent amount of weight. The external hose routing is nice for maintenance however routing up the rear of the fork blade takes additional hose length versus front blade mounting (my hose length just barely was long enough). If you are switching from a fork with the hose routed down the front of the fork (ex: Whiskey) and your hose is not overly long you may need to replace it.

On the negative this is the only $400 plus retail fork that I have come across that ships without an expansion plug. This is an additional cost and delay if you don’t happen to have a spare or LBS with one on the shelf. This should really be noted on their webpage as this is not the industry norm.

The fork also does not ship with any plugs to cover the dynamo holes so dirt and water will migrate into the fork blade (electrical tape is a cheap fix but geez for a couple penny’s just provide a nice OEM set of plugs). Also, the removable lever, similar to DT Swiss RWS “Plug In” model (which I have on a Whiskey fork) does not have the same secure snap-into-place feel. The connection between the handle and thru axle is not secure enough I am taking the risk of riding with it in place.

The oddest part is the angle of the lowest set of bosses where a fender would mount. The bosses are angled forwards (not parallel to the bike) which has proven problematic in finding a fender with enough flexibility in the mounting tabs. The plastic safety tabs on PDW fenders will break (trust me) and other fenders with a rigid connection also do not work (I have tried 3 different fenders now). I have contacted Fyxation 3 times requesting information on the fender they used in their design and the fender they claim on the website will fit a 40mm tire. Abssolutely zero response.

In the beginning I was pretty excited about this fork, enough to convince others to purchase one – however suggested if they plan to run a fender they should contact Fyxation first to get an answer since I’ve had no luck getting any support after the sale. Well no response to email inquiries from prospective buyers either. It appears at least on the fender aspect this fork went from design to production/sale with zero fit testing.

D.S.
D.S.
5 years ago

I have been looking for a qr straight tube fork like this for a long time. thumbs up!

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