I want to buy the Surly Pacer steel fork for my Trek 1500 road bike so I can put front racks on it for my tour this summer. They say that it's not compatible with all road brakes. I finally figured out what the heck long reach calipers are, but now I'm still not sure if it'll fit. It only says long reach calipers are recommended. I have a stock Trek 1500 and i measured the reach to be 4.5 cm.
I'va called my bike shop, but they aren't sure, and I've made a few inquries, but I thought I'd throw it out there.
If the calipers on my bike aren't long enough, can i just get longer caliper brakes? Does that mean I need new wheels? I'm not exactly sure how one affects the other.
Any information would be really helpful, as tour start date is rapidly approaching!!
I have not had personal experience with this mod, but I will still try to help. Looking at the web page, it looks like the only reason they reccomend long reach is due to the longer legs to accomodate cyclocross and fender hardware. Depending on the cost and availability of the calipers, I would look for a fork with more normal measures unless you plan to run large tires. There are more normal variations out there, as they have been touring on 700c for a long while.
I've been looking EVERYWHERE for a steel fork. That's the only one I can find. It's got the same geometry as my stock fork. If you know of other steel forks out there, let me know! Thanks Diana www.crazygirlonabike.com
In Nashbar's print catalog they have a steel cyclocross/trekking fork for 700c wheels (item # NS-CTF) that appears to have mounts for front racks. It also has V-brake studs and a disc brake mount, so you'll have plenty of brake options. It's around $65. Unfortunately I think it's only available in a 1-1/8" steerer.
After about a dozen tries, I seem to have found it on the website too.
Note: Nashbar, Performance, and Supergo have their websites on the same server, so the sites are overloaded with traffic 24/7. Expect the link to time out several times before you finally get it to work.
I have a trek and have the same problem here is what I did. I decided that what I needed was a way to mount something on the fork. So instead of getting a new fork I make a trip to the hardware store. I found some steel cable clamp a similar diameter to my fork. I cut a piece of inner tube to insulate the fork from the cable clamp. The same bolt that held the rack also holds the cable tie tight. Has worked for me. I can't say I have put a ton of weight on it. You mentioned support vehicles in your other posts so maybe you will be able to go light on it. Thats of course if you haven't found a replacement fork yet. Time to go ride.
