Hello Cervélo P3C Drivers,
Anyone changed out the Wolf TT fork with the aluminum steer tube on a P3C for a Wolf CL or Wolf SL?
Any comments about the forks? I am guessing the TT fork is a bit more aero than the CL or SL since it has a better aspect ratio but maybe not enough aero to be worth the extra weight for an Ironman.
I have the fork wind tunnel data that Kraig published at BTR, but it doesn’t include the CL/SL shape.
I believe the TT Fork (700C) is at about 550 to 600g, the CL and SL as below:
From Cervélo:
The Wolf SL will totally work for your bike. You will have extra steerer tube that you will have to cut down. It weighs approximately 341grams. You should also consider the Wolf CL. It has a steel steerer tube and weighs approximately 479grams.
The SL has a suggested retail price of $475 USD and the CL has a suggested retail price of $375 USD. Both can be ordered through your local Cervélo dealer.
Upgrading Wolf TT fork
My Cervélo TT bike came with a Wolf TT fork, but I am wondering if I should upgrade to a slightly lighter fork? And if so, can you recommend one?
Fork recommendation for Cervélo road models
There are so many different fork options, what do you recommend for the various Cervélo road frames?
Answer - Upgrading Wolf TT fork
Answer - Upgrading Wolf TT fork
There is not that much to upgrade to from the Wolf TT. The Wolf TT was designed to be the fastest shape of any fork on the market, UCI legal or not. It is not the lightest fork, but the aerodynamics outweigh the weight difference easily. That’s why all Team CSC riders use the Wolf TT for their time trial bikes, and why in just a few short months it has won stages in the Giro, the Tour and four Ironmans (and nobody is even sponsored to use the fork). If you are really set on getting a lighter fork, you might want to consider the Wolf SL. It uses the same airfoil section as the Wolf TT, but has an even smaller frontal area and it weighs under 350g with a full steerer.
So as an overview:
Wolf TT (retail USD 275) - great aerodynamics
Wolf CL (retail USD 375) - same Wolf airfoil shapes, but even smaller frontal area and lighter
Wolf SL (retail USD 475) - same shape as the CL, but even lighter
For 2007, the Wolf TT will be standard on the Duals and P2 SL models. The Wolf CL will be standard on the Ultegra road bikes and the carbon TT bikes. The Wolf SL will be standard on the DuraAce road bikes. The P2 SL frameset will ship with the Wolf TT fork, the Soloist Team, R3 and all TT framesets will ship with the Wolf CL, while all other road framesets will ship with the Wolf SL.
Answer - Fork recommendation for Cervélo road models
For the Soloist Team, Soloist Carbon and SLC-SL the choice is pretty simple; the Wolf series of forks has the best aero shape available and passes all the tests Cervélo has for fork and fork/frame combos. Depending on your budget, you can opt for the Wolf CL or SL. The Wolf CL has the strongest steerer in the industry (hence the CL or Classic name) made from TrueTemper’s newest ultra high-strength Platinum OS material. The lightest option is the Wolf SL, 320g without sacrificing strength or stiffness.
Because the weight is so low, we also recommend the Wolf forks for the R3. Of course, aerodynamics is not a target on those frames, but with the Wolf giving up nothing in weight, stiffness or strength spec, there really is no downside and if you are going to do anything about aerodynamics on an R3, the best place to do it is the fork.
Please note that Wolf is not distributed worldwide, so these forks may not be available in your country.
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What are your thoughts or experiences?
Cheers,
Neal