How to Choose a Fork
Workshop Wednesdays, Series 01, Episode 02
How to Choose a Fork with James Marr
🔴Recorded live on Wednesday, September 9th, 2020 at 5.30 pm (GMT) in London, U.K 🔴
Our second live #workshopwednesdays session focused on nothing but forks! From ‘what should I think about when choosing a fork?’ to materials and measurements. This live session covered the technical details and differences in the types of forks out there to help you make better decisions for your build.
▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Recap from previous live workshop
0:27 - Focus of current live workshop
0:40 - Overview of how to choose a fork
1:01 - Celebrating workshop wednesday with a beer
1:47 - What is a fork?
2:03 - Key measurements to consider when choosing a fork
3:56 - Different types of fork materials
5:30 - Tapered vs straight steerer fork
7:02 - Importance of tire selection
9:10 - Different types of brake types
10:07 - Type of disc brakes
12:11 - Examples of calliper brakes
14:05 - Selecting and fitting mudguards
14:50 - Compatibility with pannier racks
15:42 - Midway summary and checklist
16:50 - Selecting a fork for a gravel bike
18:17 - Selecting a fork for a road bike
19:04 - Selecting a fork for a hybrid bike
19:32 - Selecting a fork for a mountain bike
20:29 - Final summary and checklist
21:10 - Guidance on selecting a fork
22:17 - Announcing the next workshop
22:46 - Questions from the live audience
22:58 - Advice for brakes on a tandem bicycle
24:31 - Tapered fork, frame compatibility and tapered head tube for a mountain bike
25:46 - Calculating clearance required
27:06 - Beer swig from new bamboo beer mug 🍻
28:00 - Sign off
Recommended steel forks for bikepacking, Surly Bikes:
https://surlybikes.com/parts/forks
Recommended fork for tandem bicycle, SJS Cycles: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-tandem-replacement-forks/
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Our live #workshopwednedays videos will help you to learn more about bamboo bicycles, tips and tricks on how to fit components, maintain your bike and how to be creative with bamboo. Hosted by James Marr, a bicycle designer and an engineer, James goes live every other Wednesday to help you learn about building a bamboo bicycle and takes your questions and announces promotions and deals of the week!
🪡 James' workshop apron was made by Georgina Habgood https://www.instagram.com/geeorrrge/ from denim deadstock. She is hoping to make the sewing pattern available for free soon.
✏️ Graphic design and titles by Hasan Waliany https://www.instagram.com/herby_werby/
If you’re building a bamboo bicycle frame, need help or would like to learn more about our Home Build kits, have a look at this link: https://bamboobicycleclub.org/products/lugged-kit-frame
Best way to learn about us is by visiting our Club News for detailed build reviews by our community of bamboo bicycle builders: https://bamboobicycleclub.org/blogs/club-news
"The whole goal of Bamboo Bicycle Club is to make bike-building accessible to everyone."
Fork selection is one of the most impactful decisions you'll make when specifying your bamboo bicycle. The fork determines your front-end geometry, brake compatibility, tyre clearance, and to a significant extent, how the bike steers and handles. This tutorial breaks down everything you need to know to choose the right fork for your BBC frame.
Fork geometry — the key numbers:
- Axle to Crown (A-to-C): The distance from the centre of the front axle to the crown of the fork where it meets the head tube. Your BBC frame geometry is calculated with a specific A-to-C in mind — deviating from this changes your stack height and head tube angle effective.
- Rake (offset): The perpendicular distance between the wheel axle and the steering axis. More rake = more trail = more stable, slower steering. BBC road frames typically specify 43–45mm rake; gravel and touring frames 50–55mm for stability under load.
- Trail: Calculated from head tube angle, fork rake, and wheel size. Trail of 55–65mm gives most riders a balanced feel for mixed riding.
Standards compatibility: All BBC frames use a 1-1/8" threaded or threadless head tube. Check your frame specification — threaded frames (1" thread, older BBC builds) require threaded forks; threadless frames (most current builds) accept standard threadless forks with any standard stem. Steerer tube material (carbon, aluminium, steel) affects weight and compliance but not compatibility.
Brake mount standard: Current BBC frames are built for flat-mount disc brakes (the current road standard) or post-mount disc (older builds and some gravel configurations). The BBC team can advise on your specific frame's brake mount standard if you're unsure.
"Bamboo Bicycle Club follows a niche-manufacturing business model that prioritises knowledge-sharing over profit-making retail, charging for workshops and kits rather than pre-made products."
Recommended fork options: For BBC road builds — Columbus Futura alloy (excellent value, correct geometry); for gravel — Kinesis GF fork or equivalent with 50mm+ tyre clearance; for touring — steel unicrown forks with rack mounts. The BBC team can provide specific recommendations based on your frame specification and intended use.