Cut the fork too short... ARGH!

"Dave O" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Subject line says it all: I was DIYing a new Ouzo Comp fork and cut it too short.

Is it wise to attempt to salvage it? I was thinking I could find a machine shop to re-attach the
cut end (i.e., machine the ends, weld, and grind to smooth finish). Has anyone successfully done
this? Would it make the fork structurally unsound?

Thanks

How much was the fork? I'm inclined to say toss it. Well, sell it actually. You can't put it back
and be cost-effective. Have you exhausted all the usual tricks like shorter headset/less spacers
etc? Or is it a big oops?? Is it an alu steerer?

Cheers,

Scott..

Quoted message said:

Is it wise to attempt to salvage it? I was thinking I could find a machine shop to re-attach the
cut end (i.e., machine the ends, weld, and grind to smooth finish). Has anyone successfully done
this? Would it make the fork structurally unsound?

Lose your fork while riding, and you will likely go head over heels at whatever speed you are going.
Very few bike repair/maintenance issues are as critical as your front fork. I wouldn't consider
messing with a dubious fork. Sometimes I even wonder about the wisdom of quick-release front hubs,
because if you lose that wheel at 60 mph on a bump during a downhill, you'd be toast. I do still use
qr hubs, though.

"Dave O" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Subject line says it all: I was DIYing a new Ouzo Comp fork and cut it too short.

Is it wise to attempt to salvage it? I was thinking I could find a machine shop to re-attach the
cut end (i.e., machine the ends, weld, and grind to smooth finish). Has anyone successfully done
this? Would it make the fork structurally unsound?

Thanks

Well, if it's a steel steerer, the weld will be strong enough I would think. I'd talk to a
framebuilder and see what s/he thinks.

[email hidden] (Dave O) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Subject line says it all: I was DIYing a new Ouzo Comp fork and cut it too short.

Is it wise to attempt to salvage it? I was thinking I could find a machine shop to re-attach the
cut end (i.e., machine the ends, weld, and grind to smooth finish). Has anyone successfully done
this? Would it make the fork structurally unsound?

Thanks

Don't do it. List it for sale at the cut length and chalk it up to experience. I could be worse. A
guy did the same thing to a Colnago Force fork ($600)

In article <[email hidden]>,

Dave O said:

Subject line says it all: I was DIYing a new Ouzo Comp fork and cut it too short.

Is it wise to attempt to salvage it?

How much too short is it? How tall is the steerer, how tall is the head tube, what is the stack
height of the headset and the stem clamp? If you can dream up any combination of parts that could
make it work then it's salvaged. If not then some eBayer will probably give you more than you paid
for it. Don't think about trying to lengthen it - this is a lesson from the school of measure twice,
cut once. Consider that the fork is still "brand new" to someone with a smaller bike than yours.

You should be able to get a headset stack of 24.5mm or less (eg, Campy) and you may be able to swap
out the stem for something that could save you another 5mm of stack, depending on what you have.
Salsa is an example of a stem with a fairly short clamp, perhaps others can suggest more brands.

--Paul

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Paul Southworth) said:

In article said:

Subject line says it all: I was DIYing a new Ouzo Comp fork and cut it too short.

Is it wise to attempt to salvage it?

How much too short is it? How tall is the steerer, how tall is the head tube, what is the stack
height of the headset and the stem clamp? If you can dream up any combination of parts that could
make it work then it's salvaged. If not then some eBayer will probably give you more than you
paid for it. Don't think about trying to lengthen it - this is a lesson from the school of
measure twice, cut once. Consider that the fork is still "brand new" to someone with a smaller
bike than yours.

You should be able to get a headset stack of 24.5mm or less (eg, Campy) and you may be able to
swap out the stem for something that could save you another 5mm of stack, depending on what
you have. Salsa is an example of a stem with a fairly short clamp, perhaps others can suggest
more brands.

There is one other option, suggested by posts from Peter Chisholm and possibly others: in cases of
very slightly too-short stems, you can sometimes get away with shaving a bit of material from the
frame's head tube, thus shortening it by a mm or two.

Ask them for details, and consider getting an LBS to do it for you if you go this way. A shortened
fork is a problem, a trashed frame is a disaster.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] sfu.ca~rcousineOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club