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Meet the Whisky No.9 CXLR Fork

February 23, 2022

For endurance riders carrying water, bikepackers hauling camping gear, and commuters looking to get their laptop computers off their backs, fork-mounted cargo solutions hold nearly irresistible appeal. At the same time, most anyone who’s spent time riding with a load understands there’s a bit of a science to maximizing your bike’s mounting points and distributing all that weight evenly.

A closeup of the Whisky CXLR fork with several mounts on the side. A rider is sitting on the bike.

Meet our No.9 CXLR Fork, a sleek, lightweight upgrade designed for versatility, performance, and carrying cargo. Sharing a host of features with our popular No.9 CX Fork — big tire clearance, precise handling and tracking capabilities, and more — we’ve outfitted the new No.9 CXLR Fork with three-pack mounts and mid-blade mounts for low-rider rack compatibility.

A rider sits on their bike on a trail. The bike is loaded with packs mounted to the CXLR fork.

“The real benefit of low-rider racks,” says Product Manager Jeremy Christianson, “is getting that weight down low.” When the rider is carrying a bunch of weight or mounting it higher up on the handlebars or fork, weight can shift and steering can become compromised. But when the weight is balanced and stationed close to the axle, especially when the weight is oriented vertically, “You lower the center of gravity and really improve handling characteristics.”

A rider stands next to their bike, reaching in to one of the packs mounted to the Whisky CXLR fork.

Achieving compatibility with low-rider racks gave us the chance to work with our engineering and compliance teams, who developed a robust testing process specifically for racks in use with forks. To ensure the safe use of this and future rack-compatible Whisky forks, we also teamed up with a third-party test lab to build the custom fixtures we needed. Developing this whole process impacted our timelines, but ensuring compatibility was non-negotiable.

A cyclist rides a dropbar bike loaded with gear on a rocky trail. Tall grass lines the trail, a mountain is in the background.

Additional Features

In addition to the CXLR Fork’s cargo-carrying characteristics, it’s got a heap of smart, useful features we haven’t mentioned yet:

  • Internal routing for brakes and Dynamo lighting systems
  • Fender eyelets on the outside of the fork legs for easy mounting
  • Flat-mount brake compatibility
  • 12mm thru-axle, 100mm spacing
  • 700c x 42mm or 650b x 50mm tire clearance

Side by side closeups of the CXLR fork. The left shows the internal routing, the right shows a brake caliper mounted.

If You Feel Like Gettin’ Fancy

Uncluttered and highly capable, the all-carbon CXLR Fork’s versatile feature set means you might set it up for commuting in the morning and then remove the rack before racing gravel in the evening. Then on the weekend, you can pile all your goodies on there and go for a light tour or camping trip.

“It’s really a fork to meet the varying needs of a lot of people,” says Jeremy. “If all you need is just the option to carry cargo on the fork, simply put plugs in the mounts and enjoy a low-profile carbon upgrade without the bolts or hardware sticking out.”

For more on the No.9 CXLR Fork or to find a Whisky dealer, head to https://whiskyparts.co/dealers#/

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