Columbus Minimal road fork review

Although designed to complement the classic lines of non-integrated headsets, this understated fork still performs well enough to grace any modern bike.

It’s also pretty light, and the slender carbon blades smooth out rough roads fantastically and ease the sting of unexpected potholes too.

Slender and supple doesn’t equal poor steering, though, as tight turns are handled well with no unnerving flex, and high speed curves are the only place that any noticeable understeer occurs.

Columbus have added alloy inserts to protect the fork from careless fitting of headsets and brakes, but the thin walled steerer will need to be treated with care to avoid damage when clamping the stem.

We wish there was a 1in steerer option to suit older steel bikes but this really would be a fitting upgrade to any ‘Sunday best’ bike.