Wound Up Threadless Carbon

Price Paid:  $419.00 at Aspire Velotech

Bike Setup:
Setavento titanium, Ultegra

Summary:
The best thing about these forks was they were one of very few available (custom made in my case) suitable for mudguards/fenders and long drop brakes on my audax/randonee bike, both in the length and in the fittings.

On the upside they are strong and stable, but the ride is too stiff for me - I'm a lightweight (150 lbs) and ride on a lot of broken up the tarmac. Also I wasn't terribly impressed by the quality control or customer service - one of the mudguard mountings was inserted into the steerer leg at the wrong angle. Customer service gave me the wrong dimensions for the crown to steerer distance, and forgot to include the star fangled nut to fit the headset.

Strengths:
* will custom make to your requirements
* strong
* stable

Weaknesses:
* stiff ride
* looks that you love or hate
* quality-control/customer service

Similar Products Used:
Steel touring forks

Price Paid:  $40.00 at Ebay

Favorite Ride:
anywhere

Bike Setup:
Steamroller frame
Ritchey comp headset
Surly track hub
Bontrager Carbon seatpost
Mavic OpenPro rim
Hellbent low rise bar
Weight: 15.00lbs

Summary:
The fork was stickered with Seven Cycles brand. I assumed it was stock to a Seven cycles road bike. I weighted on my food scale on home and came in less than a pound. It was a carbon steer with alumiun insert.
This fork takes the road vibration out of the bike. I had to check the tire pressure to make sure that it was not deflated. I can see the fork flex under load. It is definetely more flexible than the last carbon fork I had installed.

Strengths:
Light weight, nice looking fork and the price I paid leaves no room to complain.

Weaknesses:
Light weight? I weight 230lbs and makes me thinks a bit before I bunny hop the bike.

Similar Products Used:
Nashbar carbon fork

Price Paid:  $180.00 at Sponsor

Favorite Ride:
Alpine Dam

Bike Setup:
Steel Sycip Crossdresser, Ultegra, Mavic, Rithey WCS

Summary:
Actually used (and raced) the '02 Wound-Up CX fork w/ Chromoly steerer. Tough fork, solid performer.

Strengths:
Very strong, predictable, reliable, no problems or degradation in 3 full seasons of heavy usage in cyclocross races and training.

Weaknesses:
A bit heavy for carbon, limited mud and brake clearance (newer version has a new crown with more clearance)

Similar Products Used:
AlphaQ CX fork, Kinesis Aluminum, Steel

Price Paid:  $0.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
My 30-mile loop around Chambersburg, PA

Bike Setup:
Stock '03 Co-motion Supremo tandem. DuraAce w/ FSA carbon cranks. Bontrager Race-Lite wheels. Michelan Pro Race 700x25 tires.

Summary:
It's not the only carbon tandem-fork available, but it is one of the most beuatiful bike components ever made. We've been using it for nearly the past year and the bike still feels like a dream. And certainly the fork has a lot to do w/ this. As the captain, I can say that it goes where it is pointed and does an excellant job of dampening road vibration.

Strengths:
Gorgeous, light, good vibration dampening, and comes in a tandem model. Made in cooperation w/ Co-Motion, so the geometry is not changed.

Weaknesses:
Kinda pricey, but it is carbon.

Similar Products Used:
None on the tandem. Otherwise, old school OCLV w/ steel steerer tube.

Price Paid:  $425.00 at Performance Bike

Favorite Ride:
5430 Triathlon Loop

Bike Setup:
LiteSpeed Appalachian cross bike, Mavic Open Pro wheels, Hugi hub front, Chris King hub rear, XTR derailleurs front and rear, Dura-Ace bar end shifters on aero bars. XTR BB, Race Face cranks.

Summary:
I bought my '98 LS Appalachian used. The stock aluminum forks were harsh. I use this bike for 2 to 8 day touring trips, loaded with rear panniers and handle bar bag (no front panniers yet) or BOB Yak. I do the bike part of 3 triathlons each year, and ride 4 to 10 centurys a year. This is my general purpose road bike. I have about 4000 miles on the forks. I bought the cross forks because I wanted heavy duty. My bike requires 1" threadless steer tube.

I really like the feel of these forks and have never had any shimmy or shake, even with high speed decents (max speed 51 mph on Old Stage Road north of Boulder) with corners at the bottom which require hard braking, which I never seem to get done before the corner, so am braking as I go into the corner. I have heard this is the worst condition for shimmy. I have never gone that fast loaded, but have had some 30 mph corners loaded that all felt solid. I feel more flex and motion from the Ti frame than I do from the forks. The Ti frame flex is especially noticable loaded, and doesn't seem to make a difference whether panniers or Yak.

My only complaint about Wound Up is that for anyone over 200 lb (I am 215, was 230) they do not recommend the aluminum and certainly don't recommend the carbon steer tube. As far as I can tell, there is no mention of that on their website. If the owner of my LBS (Performance) hadn't called Wound UP, I would have ordered the aluminum steer tube. Who knows how bad a mistake that would have been? It is possible that they over-build their product enough that nothing would have happened, especially since I don't do cyclocross and am not abusing the forks as I would if I did. Other than that, the product is great. I think it took about a week to get the forks, because the cross forks are built when the order comes in, not sitting on a shelf ready to ship.

They look good, get comments from other bikers and start some great conversations. I have crashed once with these forks on the bike. The wheel was tacoed so badly that it wouldn't roll. I was able to smack the wheel on the ground hard enough be able to ride it home with the brakes released. The forks survived the crash without a scratch. I have more than 1000 mi. on them since (and a new rim) and handling has not changed.

Strengths:
Well built, light, pretty to look at. Good conversation pieces.

Weaknesses:
Information about steer tube recommendations are not available without a phone call. It should be on the web.

Similar Products Used:
None. The only other carbon part I have ever used is my carbon aero bars.