Crust Clydesdale Fork Restock!
Great news! The Crust Clydesdale fork has restocked!
If this is all you need to know, hurry on to the website!
The new batch comes in a cool box designed by Fu.
We reenacted the box just for the fun of it with the Kamiuma crew. I love this team!
Like before, the forks are available in the 1″ steerer and the 1 1/8″ steerer size.
The design of the box is not the only thing that has changed. Look closely to where Santa is pointing in the picture.
Do you notice the difference?
That’s right. From this batch, the Crust logo is engraved on the fork end. The one I have is blank.
I know this is supposed to be a measure against fake products, but honestly, the logo just makes it look cool.
(*To the brand, copied products are not a great thing, but this goes to show how impactful Crust is. There’s a lot of fake products out there so be aware!)
Anyhow, the Crust Bikes Clydesdale Cargo Forks are restocked and available in stores and online.
Click HERE to look at some build samples.
From here, I’d like to write about my cargo fork life. I’d be happy if you get a kick out of it.
I had ridden my La Cabra x Clydesdale Cargo Fork build for hauling my heavy camera equipment.
Isshu wanted to ride the La Cabra, so I handed the frame to him and built myself a new bike with the cargo fork.
Looking good!
The frame I chose was the Surly Disc Trucker. I am 172cm tall and the frame size is 52, with 26″ rear weel.
I’ll get into why I chose this frame, but check out the colors!
Konno from Cook Paint Works painted the frame and fork for me. The colors were based on my “current mood”.
What is my current mood? You may ask. That would be La Marche bikes.
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For the past few years, I have been in owe of the unmatched paint of La Marche frames and forks.
Needless to say, La Marche makes such beautiful bikes and I wanted to incorporate at least a little bit of that essence on my bike.
Tom was here in Tokyo earlier last month. Despite his intense riding style, he was so down to earth and a chill person.
Alrighty, let’s get into why I chose the Disc Trucker. The main reasons would be the following
① I wanted a kickstand compatible frame.
② I wanted to see for myself just how good the Disc Trucker really is.
③ I wanted to use the tires that Wakeman makes.
①Center Kickstands
The Disc Trucker is capable of mounting kickstands easily. The longer wheelbase contributes to a more comfortable ride, and there’s plenty of space here.
For the La Cabra, I couldn’t put a kickstand because of the cable guides, circled in the image below.
Not having a kickstand isn’t the end of the world, but it definitely makes things easier. If you’re planning to build a bike with the cargo fork in the first place, choosing a frame that’s easy to put a kickstand is a good idea.
But, that was not my intention whenever I first built the La Cabra, so I had no choice.
②Wanted to see for myself how good the Disc Trucker is.
With its long wheelbase and 26″ wheels providing a low center of gravity, the Disc Trucker is naturally suited for hauling and has earned a solid reputation as a long distance touring bike.
Also, we had already built multiple Disc Truckers with cargo forks at Blue Lug, so I wanted to actually feel what it was like. It’s one thing to imagine by looking at the geometry, but you don’t get to fully understand if you don’t actually ride it.
Plus, we’re replacing the fork from a different brand.
I also thought Surly was perfect for using the bike as a tool and wearing it out.
Those are the main reasons I chose this bike. Let’s take a look at the geometry, really quick. (You can skip this part if you don’t like to see numbers)
According to the instruction, it says : “The Clydesdale fork is designed to replace a fork with an axle to crown of ~400mm with about a 72° HT angle”
When you look at the geometry of the 53 Disc Trucker…
The axle to crown of the Disc Trucker is 376 and the HT angle is 71°. The fork is shorter than its recommended and the headtube angle is steeper.
Alright, let’s keep on reading the instructions.
“If your axle to crown or head tube angle is a little different, not a huge deal, it just means the platform may be slightly out of level.”
“If your original fork is longer than 400mm, then the resulting angles with The Cargo Fork installed will be steeper and the bottom bracket will be lower.”
“your bottom bracket height will change by about 5mm per 10mm axle to crown.”
The Disc Trucker’s fork is 24 mm shorter than the recommended length, and its headtube angle is 1° steeper, so swapping it out for a cargo fork will result in a head angle that is 2.4° flatter and a bottom bracket height that is approximately 12 mm higher.
When I place a level on it, it tilts slightly upwards.
I’m a fan of the fork tilting up, than it tilting down. I don’t have to worry about my stuff sliding off the rack part.
I put the WALD giant delivery basket on and the build is done.
With this giant basket, I can take the stock fork home. I could also carry this huge camera equipment box.
My honest thoughts when comparing the La Cabra and the Disc Trucker is, the Disc Trucker seems to feel smoother than the La Cabra. I was hoping the Disc Trucker would feel more stable, but I’m happy that it’s also quicker. Maybe the frame is lighter than the La Cabra.
The La Cabra with the stock fork feels fast, despite looking super heavy, but it became a bit slow after installing the cargo fork.
The handling feels weird at first with the cargo fork, but you’ll get use to it, if you ride it for a day.
I’ve always preferred handling that’s more stable than quick, so I think I actually like the change in the headtube angle toward a more laid-back position.
Since the BB height has become slightly higher, it’s harder for me to put my foot down from the saddle, but that’s not a big issue. The La Cabra had a lower standover heigh and I had a dropper post, which is something that I kind of miss.
With that said, I do like how the Disc Trucker looks more than the La Cabra.
③I wanted to use the tires that Wakeman makes.
This is another reason why I chose the 26″ Disc Trucker. I wanted to use the HOUSE OF LOOPTAIL snake belly tire.
House Of Looptail is a new brand that Wakeman Massie, the founder of Surly have started. Wakeman contributed in designing the 1×1, Cross x Check, Instigator, Pacer and Steamroller. 5 of the most iconic frames in Surly’s history.
House Of Looptail is a rare tire brand that currently offers only 26″ tires. In fact, my desire to use these tires was a major factor in my decision to go with the Disc Trucker 26″.
Their tires are so cool and you gotta put their tires on if you have an old MTB, old Surlys and other 26″ wheel bikes
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