Fork replacement question ..

Quoted message said:

My Trek, circa 1984, touring bicycle could use a new fork. The original
was ruined by an airline.

I had a cheap fork put on.

This past spring, I got new wheels for the Trek, no more 27".

Now I'd like to get a good fork.

I have no idea what to ask the LOB shop. How do I go about buying, and
getting put on a
new fork? Can I get a touring fork? Where to shop? Any ideas?

Thanks

Not much rocket-science involved. You need to match the fork offset (rake)
to the head tube angle (steeper head tubes require shorter offsets for
stability), and then deal with suitability to task. Do you require braze-ons
for cantilevers? What sort of rack fittings (will you be installing
low-rider racks that use mounting points in the middle of the fork, for
example)?

I'd just bring the bike in to whatever shop local cyclists deem reasonably
competent and see what they say. Most likely it won't be something they have
lying around, but it shouldn't be too difficult to order. It is becoming
increasingly difficult to find threaded forks, so it's possible you might be
looking at changing out your headset & stem to the newer threadless design.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

My Trek, circa 1984, touring bicycle could use a new fork. The original
was ruined by an airline.

I had a cheap fork put on.

This past spring, I got new wheels for the Trek, no more 27".

Now I'd like to get a good fork.

I have no idea what to ask the LOB shop. How do I go about buying, and
getting put on a
new fork? Can I get a touring fork? Where to shop? Any ideas?

Thanks

Not much rocket-science involved. You need to match the fork offset (rake)
to the head tube angle (steeper head tubes require shorter offsets for
stability), and then deal with suitability to task. Do you require braze-ons
for cantilevers? What sort of rack fittings (will you be installing
low-rider racks that use mounting points in the middle of the fork, for
example)?

I'd just bring the bike in to whatever shop local cyclists deem reasonably
competent and see what they say. Most likely it won't be something they have
lying around, but it shouldn't be too difficult to order. It is becoming
increasingly difficult to find threaded forks, so it's possible you might be
looking at changing out your headset & stem to the newer threadless design.

That would not be a bad thing, thought it adds the cost of a headset
($30-40?) and a stem ($10-100) to the upgrade.

The only thing I would emphasize here is that forks are not, despite
what you may have heard, especially sexy parts. Unless the geometry is
notably different from your old fork, it's just not going to matter what
you buy.

Given the bike and my own tendency towards period-correctness, my first
pick would be a practical sort of upgrade: steel and threadless. Here's
a bunch of starting points that will give you a rough idea of pricing
and specs:

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=list&Category=605&type=T

This Tange canti-posted fork with no mid-mounts is a typical benchmark
fork. I've linked to the threadless version here, but a threaded one is
also available:

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=FK2488

Weighs 900g, made of steel, should be good until your next flight. It's
not very sexy.

Hey, this is sexy:

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=FK1433

A 500g all-carbon cyclocross fork. Honesty compels me to say I would not
ride this, myself. I can countenance carbon steer tubes on 1-1/8"
designs for racing, but not on 1" models that will sit on the front of a
touring bike. It's just not worth it. Did I mention the $390 MSRP?

A much more conservative choice would be this carbon-legged Winwood:

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=FK1263

Of course, at 828g, it's a pathetic 70g less than the Tange which lists
for less than 1/4 the price. Did I mention that forks aren't really sexy?

On the odd chance that it strikes your fancy, I will say that my old
racing bike used to have an early Trek OCLV (carbon legs) fork on it,
and that might be a pretty cool upgrade for your bike. This would only
work if your bike uses caliper brakes, not cantis, but the early Trek
forks are available in both threaded and threadless 1" versions, and
they tend to have metal steer tubes. In other words, they should stand
up to your needs and still look cool. They're probably only available as
NOS or replaced-by-aftermarket take-offs, but there's a fair chance
Jacobusky could hook you up, seeing as he's the biggest Trek dealer this
side of Wisconsin.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"My scenarios may give the impression I could be an excellent crook.
Not true - I am a talented lawyer." - Sandy in rec.bicycles.racing

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

My Trek, circa 1984, touring bicycle could use a new fork. The original
was ruined by an airline.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I had a cheap fork put on.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This past spring, I got new wheels for the Trek, no more 27".

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Now I'd like to get a good fork.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have no idea what to ask the LOB shop. How do I go about buying, and
getting put on a
new fork? Can I get a touring fork? Where to shop? Any ideas?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Thanks

Quoted message said:

Not much rocket-science involved. You need to match the fork offset (rake)
to the head tube angle (steeper head tubes require shorter offsets for
stability), and then deal with suitability to task. Do you require braze-ons
for cantilevers? What sort of rack fittings (will you be installing
low-rider racks that use mounting points in the middle of the fork, for
example)?

Quoted message said:

I'd just bring the bike in to whatever shop local cyclists deem reasonably
competent and see what they say. Most likely it won't be something they have
lying around, but it shouldn't be too difficult to order. It is becoming
increasingly difficult to find threaded forks, so it's possible you might be
looking at changing out your headset & stem to the newer threadless design.

That would not be a bad thing, thought it adds the cost of a headset
($30-40?) and a stem ($10-100) to the upgrade.

The only thing I would emphasize here is that forks are not, despite
what you may have heard, especially sexy parts. Unless the geometry is
notably different from your old fork, it's just not going to matter what
you buy.

Given the bike and my own tendency towards period-correctness, my first
pick would be a practical sort of upgrade: steel and threadless. Here's
a bunch of starting points that will give you a rough idea of pricing
and specs:

Why downgrade to threadless? A chrome Tange threaded fork is classy
and under $50. However, a 700c fork will slightly change the geometry,
dropping the front end a couple mm's from stock. This is *probably*
insignificant.