I just spent a week in Lake Placid after having replaced the old Profile BDC fork on my 650c Cervelo P3. I put on my new Reynold Ouzo Pro Aero fork. That was the smartest thing I ever did for my bike. The dumbest thing I ever did was ride for three years with the old fork.

I now know that at least half of my pathetic descending ability was because of the old fork. Right from the first trip down the Keene hill, the bike was far more stable in response to cross winds caused by cars, trucks, or nature. We are talking day and night. All six trips down the hill were significantly faster than in previous years, and I was relaxed and confident. Previously, I typically needed to change my shorts at the bottom.

I am guessing the reason for the change is that the Reynolds fork has a lot of surface area behind the axle so that a cross wind will tend to turn the front wheel slightly into the wind. The Profile BDC is straight so it doesn't do that. The Reynolds fork is a lot lighter, but I am compensating for that by being a lot heavier around the stomach.

I am not sure if my experience proves that the Reynolds fork is great or the Profile fork is terrible or some combination of the two. It does prove that you should get rid of the BDC tomorrow, if you still have one.

No more death grip,