# On-One Carbon Fork - Clydesdale Rider



## dontheclysdale (Mar 12, 2008)

I just put an On-One SL 29 fork on my bike. Thought I'd post it here since some of you may wonder if you can run a carbon fork. Supposedly the On-One carbon fork has no weight limit and rotor size limit. 

Bike - Haro Mary SS 29er
Brakes - Avid BB7 185's front and back
Tires - WTB WeirWolf LT 2.55 (on Gordo rims)
Rider - 6'3 250lbs
Trials - Not a lot of long climbs. Mostly fast single track that runs along bayou banks. Lots of roots - some big some small - but lots of roots. Some small drops (3' or less.) Lots of tight turns. Lot of quick and steep ups and down (gullys, washouts, and bayou banks.) 

So I just put these on today. Right off the stand I noticed the balance of the bike has changed. It is significantly lighter in the front. The rear of the bike seems really heavy now. (The On-One fork felt about half the weight of the steal Mary fork when holding them side by side.) Tight turning in the driveway was easier. Steering at slow speeds definitely feels more responsive. Using the front brake is different. You can see the fork flex. So much so that I would have probably been scared if I hadn't read all the reviews about this issue - it seems to be the norm with carbon forks. The bike stops well - I wouldn't say any better, wouldn't say any worse. Riding on the street seems a little more forgiving. The forks seems to make the bike a little smoother. Riding wheelies - MUCH easier. It's really easy to get the front end up in the air and surprisingly the balance point is easier to hold. 

Hopefully I'll be able to get to the trails later today. If not, I'll definitely be out there tomorrow. I figure 1 or 2 outings should be enough to know if this fork is staying on the bike or not. Also if it's going to break I figure it'll do it sooner than later.

More to come...


----------



## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

i've considered it... the on-one has no weight limit so it's less scary then others... I just don't like the idea of how carbon fails... keep us posted on how it works out...


----------



## nauticatarcher (Dec 16, 2008)

How big are you, Im 270lbs and am looking at a white Bros carbon fork but they only rate them to 235lbs, but price is very attractive, cant see what difference is if carbon legs are same size, is it the aluminium crown is weaker or are they just conservative because of the litigous nature of american society


----------



## larryo108 (Nov 17, 2008)

Got any pics of the fork on the bike Don. Interested to hear how it works for you. However, I have the same fears that donalson has. Good luck Don and I look forward to your review.


----------



## dontheclysdale (Mar 12, 2008)

Well one ride down and the fork was nice. We didn't get to make it across town the more technical trails but we did get out on the local trails. After about 10 miles of riding, I like it! It makes for an even nicer ride. The fork handles roots very well. It's definitely better than the original steal fork.

Couple of tests: 
- On one of the trails we have to cross a concrete walled bayou. I usually control myself going down about 1-2 mph, wheelie across the bottom (about 10ft of 8" water,) and climb out. When I wheelie across the front end usually hits the far wall pretty hard. Today I slammed the front end down hard on the far wall. It didn't break on me. On the way back I hit it at about 7-8 mph and really slammed the front end into the far wall. No break though it did flex the forks well.
- On our trails there are a couple of wash outs that are shaped like a V. They go down and come up with no bottom. By the time the front tire gets to the bottom the front of the tire hits the walls and is once heading up - literally there is no bottom. Hit the first one at about 5mph (very scared) and nothing. No problem. Each time I hit these a little faster until I was riding them normally. The On-One fork actually ate those wash outs up much better than the steal fork - best of all - It didn't break... 
- Hit a couple of 6" roots at full speed. Hardly even noticed them.
- Jumped off the ledge into the bottom of several short wash outs. Dropped the bike about 3' to the bottom and no problem. The fork seemed to absorb the hit a little better.
- On the fire trial there are cement water drainage things that run across the trail (like washouts that allow water to run across the trial without erosion. Anyways I hit them at about 15mph and jumped about 3' in the air and about 10' distance. Not necessarily the smartest thing I could have done especially considering I'm running 24psi in the tires. Anyhow the fork didn't give out and was a pretty smooth landing.

_*** Maybe not the greatest test but for a 250lb clyde with a 25+lb bike who is worried the fork is going to break, it gave me a lot of confidence in the fork.***_

There's a couple of other things I noticed while riding the trials with this fork. One thing is when you pull up the front end on a wheelie and let it slam down, the force really jars you. I'm not sure if this is due to the different angle of the forks over the stock but it really jars your hands. Along those same lines, today the rear end of the bike was jumping around all over the place. On several occasions I literally felt the rear end jumping up off the ground. Not sure what this was all about. Another thing, the bike gets airborne a lot easier. I think this fork allows you really load the bike more than the steal. Whatever the case it was a lot easier to get the bike in the air when I loaded it and spring off whatever I'm jumping. Lastly, the bike was a lot more nimble in the corners. I was carrying more speed in to the turns/corners and it respond nicely. With the stock fork I had to really work to get the bike through the turns.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the fork. I've got a LOT more confidence in this fork than I had yesterday. Only time will tell how well it hold up but today was a big step in determining whether it was staying on my bike or not. For now - it is!

Hopefully we'll get to the big trails tomorrow. If not, it'll be next weekend.


----------



## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

good info... i'm a bit depressed after weighing my bikes today... almost 28ish for my rigid redline and 31 for my tora sprung karate monkey...


----------



## dontheclysdale (Mar 12, 2008)

donalson said:


> good info... i'm a bit depressed after weighing my bikes today... almost 28ish for my rigid redline and 31 for my tora sprung karate monkey...


Haven't weighed mine but I know it's a little on the heavy side mainly due to the wheels. Slime tubes, Weirwolf 2.55's, Gordo wheels, and 185mm discs. I'm carrying a lot of weight on the rollers but it's the price I pay to ride the way I want to without breaking anything.

The slime tubes added some extra unwanted weight but changing a tube with those gordo's is a mutha. My brother picked up several thorns the other day and it got me worried so I wussed out and got some slime. I'd rather not have to change a tube on the trail because it's VERY challenging to get the weirwolfs on and off the gordos.


----------



## lubes17319 (Dec 19, 2005)

I don't know which is scarier - the price or the carbon itself.

BigDon - keep us in the loop as time goes on.......very tempting fork.


----------



## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

how much you pay for the fork BTW?


----------



## larryo108 (Nov 17, 2008)

I remember Don saying he stole it off of Ebay. The retail price is steep though. If I go forward with my 69er project I will probably grab a $100 aluminum fork off of Ebay for now. Maybe a Fox F29 in the future if I decide to go full 29er. Unless I just fall in love with rigid.


----------



## dontheclysdale (Mar 12, 2008)

donalson said:


> how much you pay for the fork BTW?


$190 shipped. The seller cut the steering tube, put it on his bike, took a short ride, and took it off to sale. When I got the fork I inspected it and outside of the steer tube being cut, you couldn't tell this fork had ever been on a bike.

I looked everywhere on line to buy this fork new and everywhere I found that carried it was sold out. I just happened to look on eBay and there it was... I read a thread the other day that said these forks would start shipping in 5-6 weeks. Not sure if that's true but I know I couldn't find any in stock when searching.


----------



## lubes17319 (Dec 19, 2005)

dontheclysdale said:


> $190 shipped.


very nice.



dontheclydsdale said:


> .....I read a thread the other day that said these forks would start shipping in 5-6 weeks. Not sure if that's true but I know I couldn't find any in stock when searching.


On-One site says none are available....


----------



## rzims (Sep 7, 2005)

Good report - I have the vassago fork and I like it. I've been looking at Carbon forks, but I've been worried about failure - I'm less than you at 190lbs, but still failure is a big fear for me....


----------



## dontheclysdale (Mar 12, 2008)

Unfortunately, it looks like we're going to get a downpour of showers over the next couple of days . Probably won't be able to ride this weekend. It may take a little longer to get some further reports. I'll try to at least get some pictures tonight.


----------



## tozovr (Jul 26, 2006)

I love carbon fiber. The look of it. The feel of it. The wight...the smell the taste...LOVE IT. It is sexy.

That said it scares me. I'm 235 and my riding buddy Chris is 225. He ran all the sexy Bontrager XXX stuff on his Niner and rode the bike hard...SS Rigid. Bike was built by the local tech for him. (troy, a Barnetts master tech blah blah). I watched him snug all bolts with the torque wrench. 

Chris decided to part the bike out last month. Pulled it all apart...the bars were disturbing. Under the clamp was completely spider webbed. 

Now like I said, Chris rode that bike hard....never the less, it's spooky. So I think of carbon fiber like that really hot, skanky chick that is always hanging out at the bar...you know it would be super cool for just a hookup...just to be able to experience that bliss...but there's a part of your brain that is telling you to avoid an STD and a 10" Q-tip up your hootus at the Docs.

Sure try that carbon stuff out my fellow Clydes....it may not happen to you, but just think about that 10" Qtip before you roll the dice...


----------



## dontheclysdale (Mar 12, 2008)

Took my skanky hot carbon fork'd bike out today. Hit the big trails today. FREAKING AWESOME! The fork performed great. Hit a couple of 3' jump drops - no problems. I was glad to have the fork for the really tight switchbacks and turns. It made it a lot easier to run a lot faster. Ran 21psi in the WeirWolfs today (partly because the cold weather and I forgot to check the pressure before I left the house.) The low pressure and the front fork made the roots, rocks, bricks, and uneven dirt almost unnoticeable. Plowed up and down some really quick hills. 20' down at about 60-70 degrees and back up at similar angles with very little bottom. The fork never let me down even hitting the bottom of these wash outs at 12-16mph. On the really big roots and on the obstacles (fallen trees, step ups, etc..) it was SOOO easy to lift the front tire up off the ground. Jumping was good too. I was getting some decent air on hops and small roots even with 20psi in the tires. 

Did have one major boo-boo today. The guy in front of me came to a complete stop at the end of the steps We were clicking along about 10mph and he just stopped. I was coming down the step behind him when he did it and had to grab a handful of brakes. With little choice and nowhere to go I grabbed a little too much front brake and over the bars I went (love the 185mm bb7's modulation power but when you death grip them they do their job and LOCK ). My whole body was over the bars (feet still clipped in) riding an endo until the front tire hit the bottom of the step and I threw the bike to one side, unclipped, and fell to the other. Didn't do anything to the fork or anything else on the bike.

This fork did well. I'm going to assume that since I haven't broken it in the 3 rides I've done, I'm not going to break it. I was really scared this thing would snap. I've tried hard to put it into a bind and it's done well. While it may be too early to tell if/when this thing will break, I'm going forward with the assumption it won't break. It's definitely staying on the bike!


----------



## slugobikes (Jan 27, 2004)

At 220 without gear I have almost 2 years with a carbon Bontrager fork on my SS. It's ridden 4-6 times a week on the rocky trails down here in Southern Arizona. Still looks like the day I put it on other than a couple rock chips in the clear coat.


----------

