The idea seems great but then I see many used ones for sale and this article: https://gravelbikes.cc/tests/4-forks-comparison-which-is-the-most-compliant-one/
Makes me question its usefulness.

I've pondered the idea quite a bit for my new gravel bike but in the end, decided to stick with a rigid fork. For my wife though, it's more of a necessity than a novelty. She's been suffering from neck issues for the past couple of years and has pretty much given up on mountain biking at this point. Even riding her Domane on gravel roads is a bit much. I'm hopeful that a drop bar bike with 700c*45mm tires and roughly 40mm of squish would be a great option for her. Just trying to get creative and see what I can come up with.

Thanks. That mounts up better than I had thought.

Do you happen to know what the lowest amount of travel they can do with this style? I'm wondering if 30mm-ish is doable as it might play well with a Lauf fork on a gravel bike.

Looks great!

How is the rear shock mounted? Is it just pinched in there?

I've had good luck looking for older DT Swiss 26" wheels. The M1800 wheels from a few years ago use 350 hubs which makes converting them to different axle standards and different drivers relatively easy.

Good looking build too.

Thanks for sharing that article! I’ve read it before but it’s been awhile and I needed the re-read. I’m struggling to get the pink that I want for my new frame. I have various headset spacers, screws, and even a stem. I’ve gotten some decent rainbow fades but can’t reproduce a solid pink.

I have a Cricut and make my own decals and templates. I need to find a vinyl that will withstand sandblasting but can still be cut by the Cricut. Too many projects at the moment.

Future plan:
- Anodize part or all of the frame. I did some test anodizing and could only get a few "good" colors: purple, dark blue, brown. Maybe with technique or more chemicals you can do better.

Nice looking frame! What are the build details?

I was told it would be 2 months from submitting final plan to the frame being completed. It did take another 3 weeks or so to work out the frame details so that may have changed. I'm expecting / hoping my frame will ship in mid to late May. I opted for FedEx ($280usd) shipping to the US which only took 4 days last time. April and May is prime gravel riding season so I'll be late to the party.

What were you using for solution and power supply when you tried anodizing? I did the blue on my other Waltly frame with a 28v power supply and it came out great. It has seemed to dull a bit though. I did the head tube logo and some small bits like headset spacers with 9v batteries clipped together as well. The issue with the batteries is that they don't provide enough current to do bigger items. I ordered a 0v to 120v variable power supply from Amazon that I hope will give better results this time around. It should arrive next week and I'll test it with some extra spacers I have. I have some Ti m5 x 16mm screws coming from AliExpress that I hope I can get to bright pink and possibly green. I'll keep you posted on the results.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DJ25QL2/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_7?smid=A12APH4T5I08JR&psc=1

Does anyone have any recommendations on flared drop bars? Something similar to the Salsa Cowchipper would be preferred. I'd prefer something from a trusted seller as I'm still hesitant on generic carbon bars.

Drop: > 120mm
Reach: > 80mm
Flare: between 20 and 30 degrees

I did find this one with some decent reviews but I'm not a fan of the Di2 holes. They may be a non-issue but I see them as weak points.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000987256782.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.58083c00nB42PF&mp=1

Here's the Salsa Cowchipper for reference:
https://salsacycles.com/components/category/road_handlebars/cowchipper

@bxcc, a few questions.

1. Did Walty's rate gone up?
2. What's the extra gear mount on the fork for? The ones on the underside.
3. Any reason why you went with a 44/56 tapered head tube for a bike that's gonna be mostly on paved & gravel roads?

1. I'm not sure. It seems to be about the same as last year. The frame alone was $900usd which is higher than others they have. Supposedly the twin top tubes, the internal cable routing, and the plate at the drive side bottom bracket / chainstay intersection are all up charges. I'm sure the second set of water bottle mount bosses are as well.

2. If you're talking about the ones on the inner fork legs that are 120mm up from the axle, I have no idea. I had the option of a fork with no mounts and this one with the mounts, so I picked this one. Not sure if I will ever use it but now that I have it, I probably find a reason.

3. I originally had this frame planned around a 480mm fork so I was keeping the frame stack as low as possible with the ZS56 lower. When I finally decided to stick with a traditional length fork, I didn't see a need to change it. I also have zs44 / zs56 Cane Creek limited edition pink headset sitting on my bench waiting to be needed on something.

And for a quick build update, the front wheel is built. It weighs in at 659 grams.