Loop Review

After a minor mishap. I got the new White Brothers Loop 29er fork mounted up on the race bike, the Moots Mooto-X with Ybb.  The fork is 100-mm in travel and it has a 15mm through axle in lieu of a quick release.  I was able to purchase a conversion kit for the American Classic disk hub to modify it so that it works with the 15mm through axle.  

 As with all White Brothers forks, the setup is easy.  In fact, white Brothers must know my weight and preferences by now, because the fork was pre-set to 80-psi.  The Compression knob now only turns 180-degrees, in lieu of the previous 8 or 9 turns.  Rebound adjust still on the lower right leg.

 I rode with the first generation BWR Team Europe kit, which is something I do not break out often.  I figured that with such a high class fork on the bike, it was time to wear the Italian crafted duds.

 American Classic has a special black box wheelset with these curved spokes that makes you move 47% faster.  Either that or this is a trick of the camera.

 The Loop fork ride was very, very different from my WB Magic and BW .8 forks, and not just because of the 100mm travel.  This fork is buttery smooth, and it soaks up small bumps significantly better than previous generations of WB forks.  To prove this point, I was able to ride with no hands on choppy mag chloride roads, whereas I just could not do this with the older forks as they almost behaves rigid for small bumps.  

 There is no lockout, or Magic IMV valve on this fork, and I did notice a little bobbing when standing and climbing, so I turned the compression knob to the fullest and it abated.  Very easy to do now with just 180-degree turn and a nice tab on the knob.  As with all White Brothers forks, there also was no issue with brake dive.  Having the 100mm travel was very noticeable as well, in short I love this fork and am already wanting another one for the ride bike, and not just the race bike.  White Brothers has some classy people, and thanks to Noah for the assist in getting this fork, and Eric in building it.

 On the way back to town, I got hungry and I pulled out a Honey Stinger Waffle.  I really like these and they remind me of when I lived in Southern Minnesota in a Belgian community.  The locals would make cookies like these for Christmas and stack them up like Pringles in little plastic or wax paper packages.  

I really want to ride the heck out of this bike, but will keep the miles down as there are some more races soon up on the horizon.  In short though, there is a huge difference between my new and older White Brothers forks, and this new Loop is exactly what I want.