Stridsland - Barnacle Lite Fork

Words by Matias Stridsland:

This is the new “Lite” version of the original Barnacle Fork

- Double-butted tubing and lighter construction (weights about 200g less)
- Fewer mounts, slimmed down to 1 set of triple cage mounts per side
- Raw finish. Tig welded, brazed, sandblasted, polished, then clear powder coated.

Will it rust? Abso-forking-lutely. – Yes, yes it will, and it will look sick! 
The clear powder coat is among the strongest “raw” finishes. There is also a layer of grease applied to the inside of the crown and steerer tube to slow the process. However, if you live in a humid climate, definitely expect some positive patina. As soon as the clear coat is chipped or scratched, it’s an open invite for the rust worms to start forming. It will be purely visual.
Some folks are into it, some aren’t. Consider yourself warned :)

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The concept for these forks is basically my dream 26″ retro MTB conversion fork. Designed for 80’s and 90’s 26″ mountain bikes, ideally replacing the original rigid fork or a short travel (max 80mm) suspension fork. Will make most / cross / hybrid / gravel / ATB bikes pretty siiick too.

The axle to crown measurement is 400mm. This is a critical element of its design, as running a fork that’s even just 20mm too long will do all kinds of terrible things to a bike’s handling and self-esteem.

It has 43mm offset which is similar to what most retro mtb forks had. Results in a mid to high trail number on frames with a 70-73 degree head angle. Loaded or not, fast or slow, it just friggin works.

The steerer is 300mm long which should be plenty for most folks out there, even if your headtube is over the 200mm mark.

Clearance for maximum 26×3″, 27.5×2.6″ or 700x48mm!

I’m proud to say they’ve passed the gnarliest lab test (ISO 4210 at MTB level) and definitely lived up to my expectations in real-life riding as well!

The QR version is disc and rim brake compatible (ETRTO 559 / 26″).

1″ crown race seat is the ISO standard of 26.4mm

Hardware included: 8cs M5x12 black stainless T25 bolts

Removable brake studs included with the QR version

Weighs roughly 1300g

If your frame has a 1″ headtube, consider grabbing a 1″ headset + spacers and stem shim! Or tap some threads onto the steerer to run a quill stem.

Made in Taiwan.

Stoked to see all your cool builds! <3