The vast improvement of carbon cyclocross forks over the last several years is a great benefit to all riders. Enve's take on the Carbon Disc Cyclocross Disc Fork is a perfect example. As frames and wheels have gotten stiffer, tires- tubular or tubeless, have changed the way riders can attack a course. With the lowest possible air pressures, better rubber compounds, and advanced traction patterns, the tires do the most work to accommodate terrain and surface conditions. What does this have to do with the fork? Cyclocross forks used to be built to offer flex and forgiveness, the thought being a more supple fork would give the cyclist better control. While this was somewhat true with firmer tires and less stiff wheels, a supple fork also contributed to brake chatter, or the inability of cantilever brakes to consistently hold to the rim. While that is not an issue for disc brake users, the fork, wheel, tire combinations used are essentially the same except for the disc option, which due to the stopping force further away from the steerer, must be even stronger throughout the length of the fork. The bottom line is that improving technologies across the board requires forks to be stiffer and incredibly predictable when jamming your wheel into an icy stretch of bumpy grass on an off-camber corner.

To track and pilot effectively, strength and stiffness are now paramount, but forks must be competitively lightweight and soak up vibration as well. No compromises allowed. The carbon fiber masters at Enve use a carbon lay-up process that runs unidirectional carbon fiber from the top of the fork to the bottom, and instead of drilling holes or stripping away materials, the engineers use a proprietary molding construction process, similar to the one used for spoke holes in Enve's bombproof rims. This keeps all fibers intact from the top of the steerer through the carbon dropouts and integrated disc post mount. The fork is a hollow one-piece design that delivers incredible lateral stiffness and torsional strength, yet rides so smoothly you will have unerring confidence in the handling and predictability of your front end. Remarkably, this is achieved in a 1.5 inch tapered disc fork at a weight under 460 grams.

The level of performance and quality at that weight is borderline ludicrous. We have many gravel racers, commuters, and cyclocross racers buying the Enve Disc Cyclocross fork for new frames, as well as to replace the less-than-great OEM fork that came with their new bike. You simply can't beat the qualities that distinguish this exceptionally engineered lightweight disc fork. The fork looks amazing, and with a 395mm axle to crown measurement and the clearance to run up to a 700x48 tire, it's versatility is also unmatched. If you a run a disc cyclocross fork on your rig and need an upgrade, look no further.