U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix
| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| Price | $585 |
| Material | Carbon fiber legs and steerer; machined aluminum crown race seat |
| Fork Axle-to-Crown Length | 395 mm |
| Rake | 5.5 cm |
| Weight | 484 grams at full steerer length |
| Steerer Length | 350 mm |
| Steerer Spec | Tapered carbon 1-1/8" to 1-1/2" |
| Crown Race Diameter | 1.5" |
| Tire width maximum, actual measured size | 650b x 55 mm knobby with about 5 mm clearance on each side of the tire. This clearance will vary depending on tire brand, model, and rim width. |
| Tire width recommended maximum with fender | 650b x 55 mm knobby |
| Brake Mount | Disc Flat Mount. Rotor size 140 mm native. Works with 160 mm rotor with adapter supplied by brake manufacturer. Not supplied with fork. Not rated for rotors larger than 160 mm. |
| Axle System | 100 mm width, 12 mm thru-axle with 1.5mm thread pitch; thru-axle supplied with fork. |
| Fender Mounts | Integrated into fork dropouts and crown. Intended for fenders only. |
| Maximum Spacer Height | 3 cm below the stem. No limit above the stem. |
| Finish | Matte Black or custom paint |
| Rider Weight Limit | 330 lbs; 150 kg This is total weight of rider, bike, and equipment. |
| Torque settings | Thru-axle: 12.0 Nm |
| Fork expander plug: 6.0 Nm | |
| Headset top cap: Torque to manufacturer's specification. Do not exceed 2.2 Nm | |
| Stem clamp: Torque to manufacturer's specification. Do not exceed 4.5 Nm. | |
| Warranty | Five Years. Read Seven's full fork warranty details. |
650b x about 42 mm to 55 mm tires cover a huge range of riding. The typical rider profile is some combination of tough on equipment and looking for ways to smooth out long hours in the saddle. Seven's Matador 655 fork excels as these.
The other wheel systems that are popular for gravel, adventure, bikepacking, and more are:
Check out our fork chooser table if you're not sure which tire size is best for your riding adventures.
Read Seven's full fork warranty details.
This is a high-performance, lightweight fork. Treating the fork like a bikepacking or loaded touring fork is dangerous and voids the warranty. Using this fork on a tandem voids the warranty.
Do not use the fender mounts for anything other than a fender. For example, do not install lights or a rack on the fender mounts. This will fail and can result in serious injury.
Do not add Everything Cages or any other accessory holder to the fork, either by taping them on or by drilling holes in the fork.
Do not use any rotor larger than 160 mm. The fork is not rated for 180 mm or 203 mm rotors.
Do not modify the fork in any way.
Do not use this fork if your combined weight, including you, your bike, and all of your gear, is above the rider weight limit.
Choosing the right fork starts with determining the ideal wheel size and tire profile. The Matador fork series is really one fork that can do three things. We designed the Matador to work seamlessly with both 700c and 650b wheel systems. However, that's not what every rider wants. So, here's how we categorize the ride types in order to help you make decisions about the best wheel and tire system for your bike.
Next, wheel and tire system choices typically have a lot more to do with the frame design than the fork design. As you can see in the table below, our Matador fork platform works with just about any wheel-tire system you want. The real magic is designing the frame to work perfectly with whatever hoops and rubber you want to run.
| Riding Category | 700c wheels | 700c PLUS 650b wheels | 650b wheels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seven fork model | Matador 750 | Matador 7x6 | Matador 655 |
| Primary descriptive words | 700c is best when speed is most important. | Versatility. When you want to do some of everything, or you don't know what's around the next corner. | 650b is best for heavy-duty riding and a plusher ride because of the wider tire. |
| Allroad and dirt road riding | Perfect for a 33 to 38 mm tire plus fender sometimes. | Not applicable. | Not applicable. |
| Gravel | 700c is the classic gravel wheel system and still our most popular gravel wheel size. | Becoming more common for gravel-centric riding, this multi-wheel setup is generally preferred for more aggressive terrain. | Pure 650b is unusual for a true gravel bike; typically for more aggressive terrain and trails. |
| Mixed-terrain | A great choice if you're riding primarily gravel roads without much technical riding. | The most popular fork for mixed-terrain. This fork fits a lot of tires. Perfect for both 700c x 50 mm knobby AND 650b x 55 mm tire. If you want maximum versatility, this is the fork. | A pure 650b wheel setup is great if you're primarily riding rough roads and mountain bikey trails. |
| Adventure riding Without any kind of fork mounted rack, cages, or bags. |
We find that most adventure bikes want to have the option of running 27.5" or 650b wheel. If your adventures don't require that, a 700c x 50 mm tire is plenty. | A common choice for adventure bikes. It's the best of both worlds, we think. | Most popular because it fits up to a 27.5 x 2.1" knobby mountain bike tire. For some riders, that's too much tire. |
| Travel bikes Without any kind of fork mounted rack, cages, or bags. |
700c tires are good for faster, lighter traveling. | Most versatile. Travel is often about versatility. The 700c plus 650b setup is that. | Good for heavy-duty travel in untamed areas of the world. |
| Randonee Without any kind of fork mounted rack, cages, or bags. |
700c tires are still the most popular. Great for classic rando riding. Plenty of room for fenders. | As rando riding goes to larger and larger tires, this fork can be perfect so you can experiment, and no matter what tire you settle on, this fork will handle it. And a fender in 99% of cases. | Not generally applicable. |