We have put a hell of a lot of work into the new Seek 430 FM fork to get it to where it is now. Our primary focus was to improve the load carrying capability of a carbon fork, but we managed to include a some other improvements, too. Read on to learn more about this remarkable new fork.
Mounting points on fork legs have traditionally been implemented using rivnuts. This has been the industry standard when it comes to producing forks for more adventurous forms of cycling for years. Sadly rivnuts are not an ideal solution for mounting points. While they function well carrying small loads, their load carrying capacity is limited.
When carrying heavy loads on rough terrain there is a lot of torque on the rivnuts, and they eventually come loose if they are overloaded. Replacing a rivnut is a reasonably simple task if you have the right tools, but we would rather not have that hassle! So, we made a rule at Curve that no new fork model would have rivnuts. Sure, it caused us some stock issues while we worked on improved mounting options, but it resulted in a truly remarkable new product in the Seek 430 FM fork.
When developing the Seek 430 FM we tossed the conventional rivnuts aside and started with a blank sheet of paper. We came up with our own solution to drastically improve fork leg mounts. After several design iterations we landed on the final production model, which required our own mounting hardware and a new fork mold.
The bespoke mounting hardware we developed pierces the fork leg from one side to the other. Once bonded in place, this tunnel is supported by carbon in all directions resulting in a remarkably strong mounting solution.
The end result is a fork that can safely handle 7kg of load across three mounting points, all without significantly increasing the weight of the fork itself. As far as we're aware, this is unmatched when it comes to carbon bikepacking forks.
But that's not all. We redesigned the fork to take flat-mount calipers and 180 mm rotors. The external cable routing was tidied up and we introduced removable cable guides, both for the brake hose and for neat external dynamo cable routing on the inside / back of the right fork leg.
The Seek 430 FM fork is available for individual sale, which makes it an awesome upgrade for your post-mount titanium GMX+. You will be able to carry more on your fork with confidence. You just need to swap out the original fork and use an adapter on the new Seek 430 FM fork to allow you to keep using your post mount caliper! Get in touch if you want to learn more about this awesome upgrade. We can even get you the right adapter.
The Seek 430 FM fork is a perfect addition to your non-suspension-corrected fat-tyre custom bike. We've worked with frame builders around the world on exciting dream builds. If you're a frame builder and want to know more, don't be shy - get in touch!