# Winwood Carbon Fork is a very nice fork.



## crossracer (Jun 21, 2004)

I looked up for a product review of this for, and there was none. So here is mine. My surly finally has a carbon fork, YAY. This fork is very beefy, but tapers down to some very nice blades. There are two rack tabs that CANNOT be removed. However they are very small and almost dissapear. The headset i used was a cane creek C-2, mated with a Ritchy WCS Pro stem. The whoel system is very nice, and looks like a million bucks. I used Quality to get my Fork, and in Quality there are two carbon cross forks aviable. The other was a straight leg fork, and i can't recall the name. However it was 175.00 cost dollars more. That was the deciding factor. We would sell the winwood for 199.00 retail, so the other fork would be in the near 400-500 range. I'm 215, the bike is not holding me back, so i opted for the lesser expensive fork. Its finish is beautiful, and very very well done. 
Also one other thing i tried, was a new product at our shop called Phat Wrap by specialized. This is traditional cork wrap with four pieces of shaped gell 4.5 mm thick. Well it really does cush the ride, have to ride some rides next week and give a fuller report. 
Anyway, the winwood is a great work, give it a shot.. Bill


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

crossracer said:


> I looked up for a product review of this for, and there was none. So here is mine. My surly finally has a carbon fork, YAY. This fork is very beefy, but tapers down to some very nice blades. There are two rack tabs that CANNOT be removed. However they are very small and almost dissapear. The headset i used was a cane creek C-2, mated with a Ritchy WCS Pro stem. The whoel system is very nice, and looks like a million bucks. I used Quality to get my Fork, and in Quality there are two carbon cross forks aviable. The other was a straight leg fork, and i can't recall the name. However it was 175.00 cost dollars more. That was the deciding factor. We would sell the winwood for 199.00 retail, so the other fork would be in the near 400-500 range. I'm 215, the bike is not holding me back, so i opted for the lesser expensive fork. Its finish is beautiful, and very very well done.
> Also one other thing i tried, was a new product at our shop called Phat Wrap by specialized. This is traditional cork wrap with four pieces of shaped gell 4.5 mm thick. Well it really does cush the ride, have to ride some rides next week and give a fuller report.
> Anyway, the winwood is a great work, give it a shot.. Bill



Really? Most people at our shop found them to be rather heavy and very flexy to boot. In race conditions, a mere 140 pounder Cat B racer said the thing was flexing worse then any other fork he has ever used. Other team riders have had the same opinion. I have not seen _anyone_ buy one twice- let's put it that way. 

Specialized Phat Wrap on the other hand is the bee's knees, especially for rough cross courses. Bit pricey, but oh so cushy.


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## crossracer (Jun 21, 2004)

well first real ride is done, 1 1/2 hours on road, fire road, steep climbs, and some rough off road. This thing does flex, and i at 215lbs on a surley can surley attest to. However i did an hour and a half with no sighs of aches or pains. This fork may not be your first choice for stiffness, however i felt great at the end of my ride. And any product that lets you ride faster is good. The phat wrap worked fantastic. I forgot my gloves so i rode barehanded. I never got any aches or pains. Hoever it gets slipery when wet. So gloves on top of it would be great. My view, not the stifest, not the lightest, but certainly the least expensive and a great ride to boot. Bill


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

crossracer said:


> well first real ride is done, 1 1/2 hours on road, fire road, steep climbs, and some rough off road. This thing does flex, and i at 215lbs on a surley can surley attest to. However i did an hour and a half with no sighs of aches or pains. This fork may not be your first choice for stiffness, however i felt great at the end of my ride. And any product that lets you ride faster is good. The phat wrap worked fantastic. I forgot my gloves so i rode barehanded. I never got any aches or pains. Hoever it gets slipery when wet. So gloves on top of it would be great. My view, not the stifest, not the lightest, but certainly the least expensive and a great ride to boot. Bill


Hey Bill,

Actually that fork is my _last_ choice for stiffness, but you are enjoying it- so that's good. At 215 you will need to keep a close eye on the fork for cracks, especially after crashing. 

I rode an Al fork last year on my crosser, and even at 190 I never had many comfort issues. 

Enjoy your bike,

Coolhand


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