I realized, as I sat down to write this, I've only ever road tested one other fork in the history of this online magazine, and that has been another fork by Reynolds Composites (the OuzoPro Aero, pictured at right). I'm going to have to spread the wealth around, as there are other fine forks made by companies like Profile Design and Easton. That said...

I've been intrigued by the Peloton and thought I'd like to ride on one. Forks are important to me, but not for the reasons they're important to others. Maybe it's because I'm pushing 50, and life seems more worth protecting now than it did when I was 25 (why is that—it seems backwards, doesn't it?). For that reason, what matters to me about a fork is less its aerodynamics and weight, and more its ability to stay in one piece. One of these days soon I'm going to do another fork review, in which I buy one of each of the leading carbon forks, push and pull them until they fail, then cut them up the gut with a band saw and report on what I find inside.

Besides that, it's just not as practical to try to get aerodynamic benefit out of a fork these days. A fork can be measurably more aero, but only if it's also illegal in certain competitions, or if it's less stable, or if it's very heavy. A fork can't be uniquely aero, reasonably light, good handling and universally legal. I'll wager the aerodynamic difference between this fork and Reynolds' OuzoPro Aero is minimal to nonexistent. So, all things equal I'll take strong and stable. That becomes apparent when looking at the Peloton (below left) and noticing its resemblence to its narrower cousin.

Further to the point, you don't want to choose a fork with only yourself in mind. You want a fork that will help to ensure that your spouse stays married and that your kids retain a full set of parents. Of all the things on your bike that you don't want to break, the fork sits atop the list. Heck, I'm even thinking of going back to steel forks for my own personal bikes. If I'm going to be on carbon, however, a U.S.-built Reynolds is one of the few brands that has my confidence.

This is not to say that a Reynolds Composites fork is always going to do it for me. After having ridden hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles on the OuzoPro Aero, I've been looking for what would be for me an upgrade. I'm less interested in a strictly aerodynamic fork than one that is rock solid across all axis planes, and holds up well to the vicissitudes of nature, and to the strange forces applied to forks when high-surface-area race wheels are mounted on the front.

I'm not saying that the OuzoPro Aero is prone to handling issues under exceptional circumstances, I just don't ill-handling bikes, especially at 50mph. I therefore now have my steep-seat-angle tri bike frames custom made to geometries that promote stability, and I'm interested in forks that are on the aero side of solid, the latter being the acme characteristic. Enter the Peloton.

This is Reynolds' all-purpose fork. As stated above, and as one can see looking at the two forks pictured, when you look at the Peloton's profile it is reminiscent of the OuzoPro Aero. The blades are just about as deep, just not quite as thin. It's more aero looking than the Ouzo Pro, though I can't say for sure if it really is more aero. However, it's got more size than the Ouzo Pro, it's just bigger.

This is also not the lightest fork around. However, I don't want to ride the lightest fork. The Peloton weighs in at 450 grams, and I'm less happy riding forks lighter than that. There are forks that weigh 350 grams and I'd rather they'd weigh over 400g. It wouldn't bother me if the Peloton was 500 grams, or even 600. QR riders racing more than a dozen years ago still hold bike course records using forks that weigh what four Peletons weigh. When your fork is under 800g weight is just not much of a consideration, except a heavier fork seems to me to ride with a bit more stability.

I mounted this Peloton on a road race bike and took it out for a few hundred miles. I only need about 15 of those miles to know that I liked it, keeping in mind that what I wanted was a rock-solid fork that could handle a 45mph downhill without a twitch.

The Peloton comes only in 1 1/8", and in rakes up to 45mm. I'd like to get one for my shallow head angled tri bike, but I'll need 48mm or 50mm for that. Maybe they'll have these greater rakes later this year. There is currently no 650c version of this fork, however I'd probably just stick with the OuzoPro Aero in 650c, because the blade is shorter and is therefore prone to less movement along a lateral plane.

The Peloton costs $399, which is in the ballpark for a fork of this quality but is still a lot to bite off. As with life insurance, though, You're not buying a fork, good sir, you're buying peace of mind.

(NOTE: For info on most of the leading forks in this category visit our upcoming Product 2004 fork overview.)