Strengths: Strong, stiff, solid, good looking, responsive, compliant.
Weaknesses: Take these with a grain of salt, because for every pro there is a con. At 510 grams it is not a fork for someone preoccupied with weight. However, there are appx. 464 grams in a pound, so an extra 150-200 grams is not a deal breaker. It is a little on the tall side from the dropout to the top of the fork blades. This has the effect of lifting the front end of the bike somewhat (a few mm's), which slightly slows the geometry. However, fork lengths across the industry are not standardized, so changing to any fork is likely to throw this measurement off slightly from your frames intended geometry. The increased height simply makes me have to reduce the number of spacers to compensate. I have not experienced any notable change in handling as a result of making the change. I prefered curved fork blades rather than straight blades, and Alpha Q's only come straight. No biggy, just my preference...I'm sure there is another side of the coin to the straight vs. curved blades consideration, I just don't know what it is.
Bottom Line:
I initially bought a Alpha Q Z Pro to replace a Reynolds Ouzo Pro that came with a new frame that I bought. I fitted the Reynolds, took it for two relatively short rides, and was convinced that it was just too flexible for me. Good fork, but I'm 6'3" & 250lbs, so flex is always the enemy.
Anyway, since I've also ridden Easton full carbon forks in the past and was less than satisfied with the stiffness of them, I considered adding a tandem fork (due to their stiffess) or a Reynolds Pro Peleton fork (they are no longer manufactured but I was able to find one that RA Cycles still had). I also decided to e-mail the Alpha Q folks and see if they had any suggestions. Their first thought was to stay away from a tandem fork because it would be to tall (too long in the fork blades) and probably too stiff. They also suggested their Z Pro model and said that it was made for heavier and/or taller riders.
It has a 450mm, full carbon steerer tube that features a 4mm thick carbon steerer tube wall. This makes the steerer wall about 2mm thicker than the industry standard. They went on to say that larger riders don't just need stiffer fork legs, they need a stiffer and thicker steerer.
That made sense to me, so I tried it. They were absolutely right about it being made to suit riders like me. First, it has unlimited stack height due to the double wall thickness. Secondly, it is suitable stiff, yet compliant. In fact, I liked it so much that I bought a second Z Pro and installed it on another bike that I have in an effort to soften up the front end, as the fork it replaced was carbon legged with a steel steerer. It was nice and stiff, but heavier than need be in 2008, and it was a neck and shoulder killer.
The Z pro is comfortable, strong, steady, and not overly heavy. I believe it's 510 grams. Not as light as most full carbon forks (by about 150 grams), but what you loose to added weight you gain in stiffness.
Also, Alpha Q's installation process calls for epoxying an aluminum star nut sleeve into the steerer rather than using a compression cap. It is easy enough to do, just unconventional. It works fine and is a rather simple process, but doing things differently than your used to is always met with hesitation.
I tend to be picky about equipment, and the 3 & 4 rating that I gave the fork is not menat as a negative, but I view a 5 rating as perfect, and that is a pretty high standard. The reason I rated the value as a 3 is because there are other quality forks on the market that are less expensive, but they don't offer what the Z Pro offers.
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Fellow roadies,
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