It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.

So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.
Deacon mark

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 9:47:25 AM UTC-7, Mark Cleary wrote:
> It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.
>
> So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.
> Deacon mark

The Steerer makes not a wit of difference. It is a very small percentage heavier than the solid carbon fiber but the aluminum jam nut is easier to work with. I assume that you need a 1 1/8th steerer. If you're looking for a 1" steerer get ahold of me. https://post.craigslist.org/manage/7594752622?action=display&go=display

I would give you free shipping.

On 3/28/2023 11:47 AM, Mark Cleary wrote:
> It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.
>
> So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.
> Deacon mark
>
The fork manufacturers are very good at what they do and
most frame builders buy them now.

Yes, primarily weight and a little 'latest thing' margin
added on.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 12:47:25 PM UTC-4, Mark Cleary wrote:
> It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.
>
> So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.

I'm at a loss trying to imagine how the material of a steering tube would ever affect ride quality.

- Frank Krygowski

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:12:25 AM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 12:47:25 PM UTC-4, Mark Cleary wrote:
> > It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.
> >
> > So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.
> I'm at a loss trying to imagine how the material of a steering tube would ever affect ride quality.
>
> - Frank Krygowski

It doesn’t. It is a weight-stiffness thing. I am not fond of gluing two different materials together with different expansion coefficient’s. But that is just me.

Lou

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:57:54 AM UTC-4, Lou Holtman wrote:
> On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:12:25 AM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> > On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 12:47:25 PM UTC-4, Mark Cleary wrote:
> > > It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.
> > >
> > > So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.
> > I'm at a loss trying to imagine how the material of a steering tube would ever affect ride quality.
> >
> > - Frank Krygowski
> It doesn’t. It is a weight-stiffness thing. I am not fond of gluing two different materials together with different expansion coefficient’s. But that is just me.
>
> Lou

There used to be problems with bonding the aluminum steerer tube into the carbon fork crown. Between lessons learned (RCFA), and advancements in CAD and materials technology - not so much any more.

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 10:54:59 AM UTC+2, funkma...@hotmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:57:54 AM UTC-4, Lou Holtman wrote:
> > On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:12:25 AM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> > > On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 12:47:25 PM UTC-4, Mark Cleary wrote:
> > > > It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.
> > > >
> > > > So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.
> > > I'm at a loss trying to imagine how the material of a steering tube would ever affect ride quality.
> > >
> > > - Frank Krygowski
> > It doesn’t. It is a weight-stiffness thing. I am not fond of gluing two different materials together with different expansion coefficient’s. But that is just me.
> >
> > Lou
> There used to be problems with bonding the aluminum steerer tube into the carbon fork crown. Between lessons learned (RCFA), and advancements in CAD and materials technology - not so much any more.

Probably. I saw the fork of my riding buddies Cannondale. Brrrrr.... he was complaining about a creak that he had for a long time and he couldn't find.. Eventually he got the bike to the LBS with an excellent mechanic (only person that can work on my bikes) and he found the issue. Boy he was lucky. Fun fact he replaced the fork with a Ritchey 1inch full carbon one.

Lou

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 12:57:54 AM UTC-7, Lou Holtman wrote:
> On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:12:25 AM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> > On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 12:47:25 PM UTC-4, Mark Cleary wrote:
> > > It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.
> > >
> > > So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.
> > I'm at a loss trying to imagine how the material of a steering tube would ever affect ride quality.
> >
> > - Frank Krygowski
> It doesn’t. It is a weight-stiffness thing. I am not fond of gluing two different materials together with different expansion coefficient’s. But that is just me.

While there is something to be said for your concerns, the coefficient difference between plain aluminum and carbon fiber is only 20% and the length of a steerer tube and the small changes in temperature makes problems highly unlikely. No one has ever claimed as far as I know that there has been failures between an aluminum steerer and the carbon fiber fork due to differences in thermal coefficients. The length differences are so small as to be unimportant and the real point of danger is the connection between the steerer and the fork which is usually a couple of centimeters. At this point coefficient of expansion differences are immaterial in that the temperatures at that point are the same.

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 8:24:43 AM UTC-4, Lou Holtman wrote:
> On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 10:54:59 AM UTC+2, funkma...@hotmail.com wrote:
> > On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:57:54 AM UTC-4, Lou Holtman wrote:
> > > On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:12:25 AM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> > > > On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 12:47:25 PM UTC-4, Mark Cleary wrote:
> > > > > It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.
> > > > >
> > > > > So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.
> > > > I'm at a loss trying to imagine how the material of a steering tube would ever affect ride quality.
> > > >
> > > > - Frank Krygowski
> > > It doesn’t. It is a weight-stiffness thing. I am not fond of gluing two different materials together with different expansion coefficient’s. But that is just me.
> > >
> > > Lou
> > There used to be problems with bonding the aluminum steerer tube into the carbon fork crown. Between lessons learned (RCFA), and advancements in CAD and materials technology - not so much any more.
> Probably. I saw the fork of my riding buddies Cannondale. Brrrrr.... he was complaining about a creak that he had for a long time and he couldn't find. Eventually he got the bike to the LBS with an excellent mechanic (only person that can work on my bikes) and he found the issue. Boy he was lucky. Fun fact he replaced the fork with a Ritchey 1inch full carbon one.
>
> Lou

Cannondale had a massive recall in I think the early 90's after a few well-publicised failures, though to be honest I can't recall if those were carbon forks, may have been all aluminum. Andrew could probably recall.

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 9:49:13 AM UTC-4, Tom Kunich wrote:
> On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 12:57:54 AM UTC-7, Lou Holtman wrote:
> > On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:12:25 AM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> > > On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 12:47:25 PM UTC-4, Mark Cleary wrote:
> > > > It seems a full carbon fork with full carbon steering tube cost quite a bit more money. I found Ritchey Comp Carbon Fork with aluminum steerer for $230. To get a full CF steerer the price jumps to $450.
> > > >
> > > > So is ride on a full CF fork a lot better that one with an Aluminum steerer, or is it simply a matter of weight. I have never gotten to carried away with reseach of road forks. They usually come with the bike. Would like to know some good information and possible the best place to score one.
> > > I'm at a loss trying to imagine how the material of a steering tube would ever affect ride quality.
> > >
> > > - Frank Krygowski
> > It doesn’t. It is a weight-stiffness thing. I am not fond of gluing two different materials together with different expansion coefficient’s. But that is just me.
> While there is something to be said for your concerns, the coefficient difference between plain aluminum and carbon fiber is only 20% and the length of a steerer tube and the small changes in temperature makes problems highly unlikely.

1) It's actually pretty significant - more than an order of magnitude
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (K-1)

- Carbon Fiber Laminate (0/90 woven) 0.15 x 10-5

- 6061-T6 Aluminum 2.36 x 10-5

2) It's not the CF, it's the epoxy.

No one has ever claimed as far as I know that there has been failures between an aluminum steerer and the carbon fiber fork due to differences in thermal coefficients. The length differences are so small as to be unimportant and the real point of danger is the connection between the steerer and the fork which is usually a couple of centimeters. At this point coefficient of expansion differences are immaterial in that the temperatures at that point are the same.

On 3/29/2023 8:24 AM, Lou Holtman wrote:
> I saw the fork of my riding buddies Cannondale. Brrrrr.... he was complaining about a creak that he had for a long time and he couldn't find. Eventually he got the bike to the LBS with an excellent mechanic (only person that can work on my bikes) and he found the issue. Boy he was lucky. Fun fact he replaced the fork with a Ritchey 1inch full carbon one.

What are the details? Exactly what did the mechanic find?

--
- Frank Krygowski

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 5:52:13 PM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> On 3/29/2023 8:24 AM, Lou Holtman wrote:
> > I saw the fork of my riding buddies Cannondale. Brrrrr.... he was complaining about a creak that he had for a long time and he couldn't find. Eventually he got the bike to the LBS with an excellent mechanic (only person that can work on my bikes) and he found the issue. Boy he was lucky. Fun fact he replaced the fork with a Ritchey 1inch full carbon one.
> What are the details? Exactly what did the mechanic find?
>
> --
> - Frank Krygowski

A loose aluminum steerer tube.

Lou

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 9:07:28 AM UTC-7, Lou Holtman wrote:
> On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 5:52:13 PM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> > On 3/29/2023 8:24 AM, Lou Holtman wrote:
> > > I saw the fork of my riding buddies Cannondale. Brrrrr.... he was complaining about a creak that he had for a long time and he couldn't find. Eventually he got the bike to the LBS with an excellent mechanic (only person that can work on my bikes) and he found the issue. Boy he was lucky. Fun fact he replaced the fork with a Ritchey 1inch full carbon one.
> > What are the details? Exactly what did the mechanic find?
> >
> > --
> > - Frank Krygowski
> A loose aluminum steerer tube.
>
> Lou

https://www.firstcomponents.com/steering-tube/
"The resulting alloy upper and carbon blades forms a rock solid unit. Carbon composite forks have a greater history of failure (extremely rare, thankfully) than alloy bonded to carbon."

As the saying goes, "Shit happens" and anything can fail. But despite years and years of development of composite materials the QC problem simply hasn't been overcome.

On 3/29/2023 11:14 AM, Tom Kunich wrote:
> On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 9:07:28 AM UTC-7, Lou Holtman wrote:
>> On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 5:52:13 PM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
>>> On 3/29/2023 8:24 AM, Lou Holtman wrote:
>>>> I saw the fork of my riding buddies Cannondale. Brrrrr.... he was complaining about a creak that he had for a long time and he couldn't find. Eventually he got the bike to the LBS with an excellent mechanic (only person that can work on my bikes) and he found the issue. Boy he was lucky. Fun fact he replaced the fork with a Ritchey 1inch full carbon one.
>>> What are the details? Exactly what did the mechanic find?
>>>
>>> --
>>> - Frank Krygowski
>> A loose aluminum steerer tube.
>>
>> Lou
>
> https://www.firstcomponents.com/steering-tube/
> "The resulting alloy upper and carbon blades forms a rock solid unit. Carbon composite forks have a greater history of failure (extremely rare, thankfully) than alloy bonded to carbon."
>
> As the saying goes, "Shit happens" and anything can fail. But despite years and years of development of composite materials the QC problem simply hasn't been overcome.
>

Significant failure patterns in forks have not been among
carbon road forks generally. In fact those are xtremely rare
as compared to MTB suspension fork failures, which are rare
enough already.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cpsc+bicycle+fork+recall&t=h_&ia=web

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 9:24:14 AM UTC-7, AMuzi wrote:
> On 3/29/2023 11:14 AM, Tom Kunich wrote:
> > On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 9:07:28 AM UTC-7, Lou Holtman wrote:
> >> On Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 5:52:13 PM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> >>> On 3/29/2023 8:24 AM, Lou Holtman wrote:
> >>>> I saw the fork of my riding buddies Cannondale. Brrrrr.... he was complaining about a creak that he had for a long time and he couldn't find. Eventually he got the bike to the LBS with an excellent mechanic (only person that can work on my bikes) and he found the issue. Boy he was lucky. Fun fact he replaced the fork with a Ritchey 1inch full carbon one.
> >>> What are the details? Exactly what did the mechanic find?
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> - Frank Krygowski
> >> A loose aluminum steerer tube.
> >>
> >> Lou
> >
> > https://www.firstcomponents.com/steering-tube/
> > "The resulting alloy upper and carbon blades forms a rock solid unit. Carbon composite forks have a greater history of failure (extremely rare, thankfully) than alloy bonded to carbon."
> >
> > As the saying goes, "Shit happens" and anything can fail. But despite years and years of development of composite materials the QC problem simply hasn't been overcome.
> >
> Significant failure patterns in forks have not been among
> carbon road forks generally. In fact those are xtremely rare
> as compared to MTB suspension fork failures, which are rare
> enough already.
>
> https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cpsc+bicycle+fork+recall&t=h_&ia=web

I am in agreement with you but as you go lighter the chance of failures of composites sharply increases. This is why Time added long strand Vectran to short strand carbon fiber components. It greatly lessons the chance of catastrophic failure.