 Topic Name: Lauf vs Rigid
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on: December 02, 2018, 07:54:25 AM
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Adam Greenberg
Posts: 10
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« on: December 02, 2018, 07:54:25 AM » |
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Hi Guys,
I am intending on riding tour divide in 2019.
I am slowly putting my bike and gear list together and simply can't make a decision in regards to the fork. Rigid or Lauf?
I know that after racing the 2016 divide with a Lauf, Josh Kato decided to do it again in 2017 which says something about the fork.
I can also imagine what this distance on a rigid fork could do to your body.
I was a competitive cyclist for many years (road and mountain) and really hate the loss of energy. I also do most of my climbing on the pedals and not in the seat where bobbing could be a problem. On my mountain bike i usually climb with the suspention locked to avoid the bobbing.
I'd like to know how much bobbing and loss of energy there is with the Lauf fork on roads and when climbing on the pedals.
I highly appreciate your answer.
Thanks,
Adam
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Topic Name: Lauf vs Rigid
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Reply #1 on: December 02, 2018, 07:26:43 PM
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NatHC
Location: Olympia, WA
Posts: 8
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« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2018, 07:26:43 PM » |
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Hi,
I can't speak to the amount of bobbing you'd experience with the Lauf, but having raced the route with a rigid carbon fork (Carver Trail 490) I can tell you about my experience:
1) I wanted to minimize the risk of failure. I have a good friend who lost a lot of teeth when his Lauf snapped, so when I'm that committed, I want to be able to trust my fork 100%.
2) Similar reason not to use a traditional 100mm sus fork, I don't want to worry about seals or maintenance or anything out there.
3) The divide is basically a very scenic gravel ride, and you don't need the fork travel to ride it safely or have fun. Good gel gloves, cushy grips, and aero bars will be a cheaper and more reliable way to save your hands from nerve damage, I suspect.
Curious what others have to add here, esp regarding the "bobbing" issue. Good luck!
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Topic Name: Lauf vs Rigid
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Reply #2 on: December 04, 2018, 06:03:35 PM
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Snowbd2u
Location: Culpeper, VA
Posts: 112
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« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2018, 06:03:35 PM » |
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I rode a rigid in 2014 and had no issues with the fork. You could certainly ride a rigid, or a suspension fork. What I did suffer from was finger numbness from all the miles of washboard and small bumbs. So when Lauf came out with their fork I figured I'd give it a go, and haven't been disappointed. The only thing I would say, it's not something I'd take out to ride super technical rocky single track for miles on end.... It can do it but not as good as a suspension fork.
I'm planning on TD2019, and will be running a Lauf. I run a SS, so I am out of the saddle on climbs, and I love the throw back it gives me. It almost helps with the climbs. I was throwing around the idea of switching to boost.. So if you are in the market for one, I have a brand new never mounted black and white 15x100 for sale (I had two, still running one on my geared bike)
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Topic Name: Lauf vs Rigid
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Reply #3 on: December 14, 2018, 02:38:47 PM
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Salubrious
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 78
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« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2018, 02:38:47 PM » |
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The Divide likes to eat suspensions. There was one guy that had a Lauf fail while on top of Fleecer Ridge. The thing about the Divide is that you can really for sure absolutely be in the middle of nowhere (or you can see it from where you are) when things go south. IIRC that is not the only Lauf to have died on the Divide; I've not heard of any rigid fork failures FWIW... As far as hand numbness goes, that has nothing to do with the fork and everything to do with how well your bike is set up: seat height, how far forward or back, what angle, stem height and length and as well, cleat position (if you are running cleats). Put another way, if the bike is poorly set up, you'll still get hand numbness no matter what suspension fork you have! Its worth it to spend the time to sort out the correct setup on your bike. Take a look! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKmr6Qep3gU |
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Topic Name: Lauf vs Rigid
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Reply #4 on: December 17, 2018, 03:49:18 AM
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Topic Name: Lauf vs Rigid
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Reply #5 on: December 17, 2018, 08:55:25 AM
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Salubrious
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 78
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« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2018, 08:55:25 AM » |
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Yuk!! OK now I have...
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Topic Name: Lauf vs Rigid
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Reply #6 on: December 17, 2018, 11:01:25 AM
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THE LONG RANGER
Hi-Ho, Single-Speed, AWAY!
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 932
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« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2018, 11:01:25 AM » |
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I think the lesson with that rigid fork is that it was made of titanium, so don't do that.
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Topic Name: Lauf vs Rigid
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Reply #7 on: December 17, 2018, 09:31:16 PM
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