Get On Up

I have owned my blue gravel bike for over eight years now. In that time it may surprise you that I have aged a bit. Every year that goes by I am less and less enthusiastic about hunching over on a bike. Still, I am also an ex-racer, so the struggle is to find that line where I am comfortable yet still feel fast. I have not reached grandma-on-a-basket-bike age quite yet.

I knew I could get a little more stack height by getting a new fork. I looked around and settled on a Potts steel fork. With this fork I could accomplish a number of things: Get more height, get more modern (thru axle) and own a Potts Type II fork.

The Type II fork dates back to the 1980s, and it has changed very little since then. Like many people, I always wanted a Steve Potts frame and fork, but the price of admission was pretty steep. Steve doesn't even publish frame prices, but if your stem is $425, you can imagine what the frame must cost.

Oh well, at least I finally own a fork.

My old fork measured 410mm axle-to-crown. The Potts comes in at 419mm, so I gained a little stack there. It looks much taller in the picture, but it's not.

I also added 15mm of spacers over the old fork. I left an extra 5mm above the stem for future aging.

This is technically a mountain bike fork, so clearance is pretty massive with a 45mm tire. I obviously have the option of going much wider.

I like it.

I also took the opportunity to install the new Hunt wheels that have been sitting in my office for quite a while. They are a huge upgrade from my old wheels and I dropped almost two pounds from the bike in the process. The Hunt hubs are very modular, so I was able to run a QR rear and thru axle up front to keep this old bike relevant. Should I need to move these wheels to a new bike, I can convert to a rear thru axle with the readily available end caps.

I thought perhaps the extra 9mm of fork length would require some adjustments to saddle position, but I didn't feel a difference at all, nor did the bike handle any differently. The higher bar position was noticeable, however, and much appreciated.

The Hunt freehub is very loud and obnoxious. I did not like it at first, but then I learned how to use it. I no longer have to say "on your left" on the bike trail. I simply coast for a bit as I approach and people scatter like frightened bunnies.

Later.