Emanuel,
The short answer is that round fork blades resist the inertia from
riding on the track much better than an oval blade can or will. The
round blades are for rigidity. Oval fork blades absorb road vibration
and resist the forces from braking better than round blades. If one
wants to use round fork blades on a road bike you MUST use heavy round
fork blades or there will probably be some "issues". You will also get
a rather stiff fork if you go with round blades, which generally isn't
what most people need for a road fork. The exception is for sprinters
who ride criteriums. It isn't uncommon to find an Italian bike made
from really light tubing in the frame and the heavy round track fork
blades, back in the 60's and maybe into the early 70's. I've seen a
few.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
Why do track bikes traditionally have round section fork blades while road forks are oval?
Is there any reason NOT to use round blades on a road bike?
Emanuel Lowi Montreal, Quebec
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