We have been tipped off to a possiblity that Niner is working on a carbon fork for you rigid riding 29″er freaks out there. The fork, which was spotted on the front of a prominently known single speeders rig at the recently held Single Speed World Championships held in Napa Valley, California over the weekend, shows a new take on a carbon fork. The fork crown has a unique angular carbon look and flows seamlessly into widened legs, instead of the traditional round legs into a forged aluminum crown type affair.
You can check out a photo of this here. We will bring you more news as we get it in.
With Interbike looming on the horizon, and Eurobike knocking on the door, we expect the news and rumors mill to start cranking out goodies very soon. Stay tuned for more!
Now there is a fork that breaks the mold of the current crop of carbon 29er forks. Very stylish.
That appears to be a very fat tire and strong rim on that Niner. What is the purpose of a rigid fork or what advantages can it bring when you make up for the suspension by air volume and the added weight of a tire/rim combination like in the picture?
Dan
Dan, those rims/wheels are american classics. Not know for being the ‘strongest’ or stiffest rims out there. They’re relatively skinny too. They certainly are amongst the lightest though. The tire is a standard WTB 2.55. Big, light-ish tire. Lots of volume.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96201277@N00/2799088616/sizes/o/in/set-72157606955768624/
Another shot of the combo. The rigid fork is lighter. Some say better riding. Certainly more precise. I take it you got into riding post-suspension. I know its hard to believe, but ALL mountain bikes used to be rigid.
That’s bitchin! I cannot wait to see it in person..
Carmen got a great shot of that fork! very fat
Holy CRAP! That fork looks SICK!
Martini, thanks for the additional photo. Looking at it, I have to think that it is stiffer under heavy braking. Hmmmm, anybody want to buy a Switchblade?
.o0(Bike Porn))
I wonder what kind of offset it has, compared to, say, a Switchblade.
A clean, strong design.
Re: Oderus,
No kidding, I may have a Switchblade and On-One Carbon for sale too….
Looks like it would be way stiffer under braking than my Pace — love the ride but downright scary if you watch how much it flexes under braking (and I weigh 135lbs!).
Why rigid? If you’re going with front suspension you might as well go rear too. And while you’re at it you might as well add gears. SS and rigid forks go together like 2 things that go together really well. Plus its nice when you can do all your fork maintenance with a garden hose.
that fork looks outstanding – outside of the box thinking – I like it!
Sorry but that is real ugly (imho)at least in the pictures maybe it is better in person. I have a Redline mono cog flight the blue 08 one. I put a White Bro Rock Solid on it and looks way better then this ninner one. Iam curious what the axle to crown is though.
I got to hold a pre-production sample in my hands in July, it is really really light.
I initially was taken aback at the rather monolithic appearance, but after about 5 minutes, I had already begun to justify the need for one.
AC: I might be interested in an On One fork …
In reference to Dan’s question about making up for no suspension with low air volume:
Is this reccomended? I just started riding rigid and I really like it. My Niner is a lot snappier (almost too much – I’ve fallen of a bunch already) and I can climb like the wind. But it does a number on my hands. I’m going to have to get some new grips and probably some new brake pads because I’m going so fast!
Neat fork, I bet it doesn’t flex much, but is also not that forgiving.
Heh, you guys seem maybe a little too excited about a new fork. 😉
Rob. Carbon dampens vibration by not flexing. Therefore, not harsh.
thankyouhaveaniceday.
Dustin,
Try some Ergon grips. I love mine.
RE: Glenn
I put some on my coummter ( GT Peace 9r ) last night and after just 1 ride I love them too… I don’t know how they would off road, but for my commute, they rock.
If this thing rocks like the Niner steel fork rocks, it’ll be awesome! And aero too! I’m gonna order a skinsuit right now to race MTB in. No seriously, I bet it rocks.