New Member, First Post - Crosslink question

[pinion]

Hi all.  I've been riding a 99 K2 Razorback HT for the past five years, equipped with a crosslink fork.  It's been a great bike, but my riding buddies have all gone full suspension now and I really can't keep up with them, so I am building up a used '01 K2 Attack 4.0 with most of the Razorback parts.

I've seen the instructions for making a Crosslink disc brake adapter for the carbon fiber version.  Has anyone tried that, and how well does it work?  Has anyone done a similar modification with an aluminum leg Crosslink (what I have)?  I'd love to move up to disc brakes and I'd really like to keep the Crosslink, I think it's a great fork.

Hope to hear from some of you soon!

FP

[kiwi]

yes people have done the disc adapter on the crosslink.There has been discussion about the carbon vs aluminium question and the theory is there is more of a safety margin using the carbon legs.Our pic gallery is down at the moment so i hope someone can help youout with some pics

[pinion]

Thanks for the reply.  So the carbon fiber is stronger than the aluminum?  Or does it have something to do with the epoxy bonding better to the carbon?  

I'd be interested in hearing any experiences with the adapters, especially on an aluminum fork.  Is the adapter posted here pretty much the only design that's been tried, or have there been other approaches, maybe attaching a disc adapter with small bolts?

Sorry for all the questions, but this has really piqued my interest.

FP

[kiwi]

no it is the fact that the carbon legs are stronger.

[willem]

Well...

Kiwi says "no it is the fact that the carbon legs are stronger."
But that's only true down under where the Coriolis effect works in reverse...

Actually, the CF fork stanchions are "probably" stronger... if the layup was good, and if the curing process was correct, and if they haven't ever been frozen while wet, and if they haven't been exposed to excessive sunlight, and especially if they don't have any minor nicks or scratches.
If all of those conditions are met, you might not have a catastrophic failure of the carbon fiber.

I can tell you aluminum will work fine if you distribute your loading properly. IMHO... the problem with any XLink design is compression under heavy braking. Disk brakes really bring that home.
If you like, I'll email you pix of XLink ELT's and Vectors upgraded with disk brakes. It's pretty simple to do but there are trade offs.
Heck, I'll sell ya mine if you really want 'em. At 200#, I'm too heavy for XLinks so they're on the bench now.

Good luck,
Will

[pinion]

Yeah, I'd like to see some pictures of disc modifications.  Did you use the method that's posted on this board, with the epoxy etc?

I don't know about a carbon fork - I'm kind of a sloppy rider and I've put some dings and scratches in the shock legs.

How much would you ask for a converted ELT?  I'm not really in a position to go full disc right now anyway (kids).  I'll need to get a new wheelset and to buy the brakes.  How about just the left leg?  

When you say the problem with the Xlink design is compression under braking, do you mean compression of the material or the brake dive and the wheel moving slightly aft?

[willem]

FP,

By brake dive I mean a heavy rider like myself can compress the fork shock to 70% by really hitting the front brake only. (That's with a 200# spring - probably too light for me by 50#.)
Because that fork is so rigid, I've never noticed any twisting - unlike the various sliders I've ridden. Now a new $500+ slider won't twist, but most of your older forks are either too heavy or too flexy. The XLink is both light (3.73# with disk tab) and really rigid.
Regardless of which fork you use, I saw a $234 special on a set of Deore disk wheels and Avid BB7 brakes in MBA this month. Not bad, eh? I think the wheels are an OEM takeoff, so they may come with tires, too.
If you're in the states, I'll ship you the XLink ELT's forks for $120. I'll see if I can whistle up your email on here and send a coupla pix.

Will

[pinion]

Willem,

Thanks, that's a tempting offer.  I'll talk it over with the committee.  I am in the US.

I'm not sure how to get you my email address.  It's hidden on here.  I'll try sending you a test private message from here and let me know if you recieve it.

FP

[Old Proflexer]

I've a few different versions that I've made on my link in the gallery - carbon's fine, aluminums fine - just be sure to center and distribute the load over 3-4" or so.

http://idriders.com/proflex/galleries/Old_Proflexer/

http://idriders.com/proflex/galleries/Old_Proflexer/Front%20Disc%20Mount%20Crosslink%20Finished%20Side%20Closeup.jpg

OP

you should find a few interesting ideas here:
http://www.desperadocycles.com/

[pinion]

OP,

Thanks for the picture links.  What's making me shy away from trying to fabricate something myself is the welding part.  Has anyone successfully made adapters that don't require welding aluminum?  I just found another thread where someone was asking similar questions, and it sounds like you and Willem are the ones to talk to.

FP

[Old Proflexer]

There are several others here who have epoxy / glued / JB welded theirs together -

take a little time to go thru the galleries and you'll see some very creative, non-welded work.

OP

[pinion]

I can't seem to get into the galleries.  Is there a trick to getting there?

[Matno]

http://idriders.com/proflex/galleries/
The actual page hasn't gotten put back up since the site was hacked a while back...

[pinion]

Excellent!  Thanks very much!