Silly Questions About Old Forks

Broken Bicyclist said:

I have an old Lotus Challenger CX which I rebuilt and was using for
commuting. It was great. A stick from a tree was hidden on the
street, caught in the wheel, threw me to the ground and broke both the
handlebars and bent the front fork. The handlebars I can take care of
fixing. The fork, however, appears to be a different kettle of fish.
My LBS told me that forks are unavailable (it has 27 x 1.25 wheels) for
non-metric bicycles, and even if they were available, they would be
$400.00.

First thing you need to do is to find a new LBS.

Quoted message said:

I am good with bike tools and have removed the old fork and could
install my own fork (the bearings are in good shape... literally all
I need is the fork). Any ideas on sources.

Ebay has forks all the time for $10-$50. Just about any 1970's or
early 1980's raleigh fork should work, raleighs had excellent
clearance on all their bikes, EXCEPT the raleigh pro and competition.

One of the best custom framebuilders on the east coast quoted me $250
to build a full custom fork (no paint though) from scratch using
classic parts. So the $400 price quoted by LBS is an amazing markup
for a shop that intends to merely handle a mail order transaction.
Waterford (www.waterfordbikes.com) charges $250 (painted) for a fork.

Quoted message said:

Someone suggested that I buy a fork for a 700 cm wheel (those
apparently are available) and put a 700 cm wheel on the front. This
sounds crazy to me.

Assuming that the fork is just "de-raked" as happens in most fork
bending accidents, you can also get the fork straightened, however, to
do that you need a REAL LBS, not a bunch of idiots in a storefront
pretending to be a bicycle shop. However, i would not recommend
having the fork straightened more than once, as it becomes easier to
bend / break every time its straightened.

If you find a steel fork with a short steering tube you can also mail
it out and get the head tube changed out. Last time i got a quote on
this it was $75 (again, no paint) at franklin frames of ohio.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Broken Bicyclist said:

I have an old Lotus Challenger CX which I rebuilt and was using for
commuting. It was great. A stick from a tree was hidden on the
street, caught in the wheel, threw me to the ground and broke both the
handlebars and bent the front fork. The handlebars I can take care of
fixing. The fork, however, appears to be a different kettle of fish.
My LBS told me that forks are unavailable (it has 27 x 1.25 wheels) for
non-metric bicycles, and even if they were available, they would be
$400.00. I am good with bike tools and have removed the old fork and
could install my own fork (the bearings are in good shape... literally
all I need is the fork). Any ideas on sources.

First, check to find out if the frame is bent. Feel under the down
tube/head tube for any wrinkles. If you feel them the frame is bent and
probably now economic to repair. But since the forks bent you're
probably OK. Next, find a new LBS. Then, measure the old for as best
you can. This is sort of hard but forks are measured in a straight line
going alone the steerer from the crown race seat to the dropout center.
Use a square to get to the DO center. A modern fork will be too short
so you'll need an older fork. I'lll bet you need a fork in the
370-375mm area, Modern forks are in the 360mm area. If you're in the LA
area try Custom bicycle Sales in Encino. They have lots of forks.
Good luck,
Phil Brown

Quoted message said:

Someone suggested that I buy a fork for a 700 cm wheel (those
apparently are available) and put a 700 cm wheel on the front. This
sounds crazy to me.

(I have also acquired an old Ross Gran Tour which I have rebuilt
sufficiently in the interim, but I do not like it as well, it is
heavier and the components are inferior. (And yes, the front fork is
just a bit too short for the Head tube.) If the Lotus is really dead,
I will have to strip the parts and put them on the Ross, but this is
really not a good option.)

LBS says Frame not bent. Fork is bent, but not real badly. The
damage was caused by the stick between the front wheel and the spokes.
I was quite surprised that no spokes broke. In fact, none appear to
even be loose and the wheel is still true. (I saw the sticks and hit
the breaks. I was going walking speed or less. The bigger "hit" was
to the handlebars. IO suspect that this is because my full weight went
on them as the toe clips and straps held me in. The handlebar folded
over. But handlebars are much easier to replace. Does the reference
Ishiwata 6-A on the fork mean anything? Sadly, I am not in LA. I am
in the midwest.

Broken Bicyclist said:

I have an old Lotus Challenger CX which I rebuilt and was using for
commuting. It was great. A stick from a tree was hidden on the
street, caught in the wheel, threw me to the ground and broke both the
handlebars and bent the front fork. The handlebars I can take care of
fixing. The fork, however, appears to be a different kettle of fish.
My LBS told me that forks are unavailable (it has 27 x 1.25 wheels) for
non-metric bicycles, and even if they were available, they would be
$400.00.

You need to get a second opinion. That's *nuts*. I think they're
trying to get you to buy a bike.

Quoted message said:

I am good with bike tools and have removed the old fork and
could install my own fork (the bearings are in good shape... literally
all I need is the fork). Any ideas on sources.

Goodwill. Salvation Army. Any pile of old road bikes. Used units
with 27" wheels are common as dirt. I threw out three similar forks
recently. Old Schwinns and Raleighs (and better units, for that
matter) can typically be had complete for $20 or less; $400 for a new
fork is ludicrous.

Quoted message said:

Someone suggested that I buy a fork for a 700 cm wheel (those
apparently are available) and put a 700 cm wheel on the front. This
sounds crazy to me.

Not necessarily crazy, but a waste of money given the other options,
and it might force you to keep two types of spare tube.

Quoted message said:

(I have also acquired an old Ross Gran Tour which I have rebuilt
sufficiently in the interim, but I do not like it as well, it is
heavier and the components are inferior. (And yes, the front fork is
just a bit too short for the Head tube.) If the Lotus is really dead,
I will have to strip the parts and put them on the Ross, but this is
really not a good option.)

As someone else suggested, a suitable used fork can typically be had
on eBay, and any large bike shop with a boneyard is likely to have a
used fork that will work. You have a number of options, as long as
you don't insist on getting a *new* fork as a replacement.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

I would be more than happy to use an old fork. I'll see if I can find
a source. Chicago is awfully hard on forks due to pavement issues
(freeze/melt holes and the like). I've also got an old Raleigh
Aleyska in the garage with a bad front fork. I loved that one too....
almost the same components as the Lotus. Perhaps I should fix them
both up and dump the Ross back into the pond.

I purchased the Ross Gran Tour (actually in rideable shape with new
tires and wheels that were tight and true) for $40 at Working Bikes.
I was really looking for a "good" frame when I was buying that one as
opposed to just a fork. I thought about using the Ross Fork, but its
steering tube was just a smidge too short. And frankly, it was
sufficiently rusty that I am not sure it was worth having a new
steering tube put on.

I thought Schwinns were "proprietary" and had parts that could not be
easily changed. (In addition to being junk... which is why I didn't
buy one of the many Schwinns that I have seen... were ANY of their
models any good?)

Broken Bicyclist wrote:
<snip>
The fork, however, appears to be a different kettle of fish.

Quoted message said:

My LBS told me that forks are unavailable (it has 27 x 1.25 wheels) for
non-metric bicycles, and even if they were available, they would be
$400.00. I am good with bike tools and have removed the old fork and
could install my own fork (the bearings are in good shape... literally
all I need is the fork). Any ideas on sources.

<snip>

As others have said, find a better bike shop. I found this in about 10
seconds of searching:
http://www.bikepartsusa.com/product_info.phtml?p=01-103983

BikePartsUSA is the retail arm of J&B Importers, which is one of the
largest bike parts distributors in the U.S. If the bike shop guys are
too lazy to crack open a catalog, chuck 'em.

BTW: You'll find that the wheel size *should* be referred to as
"27x1-1/4", not 27 x 1.25 . The reasons for this are lost in the mists
of time, but Sheldon's documented some rules of thumb:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#fractiondecimal

Jeff

Broken Bicyclist wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

I thought Schwinns were "proprietary" and had parts that could not be
easily changed. (In addition to being junk... which is why I didn't
buy one of the many Schwinns that I have seen... were ANY of their
models any good?)

It depends on the era. More recent Schwinns are generic, made in
Taiwan or China. They're essentially interchangeable with any of the
other Taiwan/China-built bikes out there.

Older Chicago-built Schwinns had a good deal of "proprietary" parts,
but most of those parts were *very* heavy-duty, usually forged steel.
Around here (Portland, Oregon), I see quite a few 30-year-old Schwinns
that look factory-fresh. If they weren't abused to an extreme degree,
they can generally be rebuilt to new condition.

They're heavy: a Schwinn Varsity "lightweight" weighs 38 pounds, but
you can run over it with a truck and make it rideable afterwards. As
long as you accept that tank-like durability implies tank-like weight,
then they're fine bikes.

See also: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chicago-schwinns.html

Jeff

Dimension and few others still make 27" forks for real cheap (like
$20). Available from several places on-line. You can change to standard
reach double-pull brakes while you're at it (I have an extra one I will
sell you for $15 + shipping if you're interested). Made a real
difference in stopping power for me.

This Sheldon Brown guy is quite good... does he own that Bike Shop in
Mass? If so, I might try to buy it from him. (Funny, I only know of
one other Sheldon Brown. He lives in Mass as well and sings Gilbert
and Sullivan with some of my friends at MIT....)

Broken Bicyclist said:

This Sheldon Brown guy is quite good... does he own that Bike Shop in
Mass? If so, I might try to buy it from him. (Funny, I only know of
one other Sheldon Brown. He lives in Mass as well and sings Gilbert
and Sullivan with some of my friends at MIT....)

I think it's the same guy...
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/
http://sheldonbrown.com/home.html

It was a great loss to the world when he wasn't born twins...

Jeff

In article <[email hidden]>,

JeffWills said:

Broken Bicyclist said:

This Sheldon Brown guy is quite good... does he own that Bike Shop in
Mass? If so, I might try to buy it from him. (Funny, I only know of
one other Sheldon Brown. He lives in Mass as well and sings Gilbert
and Sullivan with some of my friends at MIT....)

I think it's the same guy...
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/
http://sheldonbrown.com/home.html

It was a great loss to the world when he wasn't born twins...

Jeff

He may have a "son".

The guy is an all pro NFL connerback with the Philly Iggles...🙂

Our Sheldon in Mass is an all pro cycle guy and phabs G&S singer.

HAND

Broken Bicyclist said:

This Sheldon Brown guy is quite good... does he own that Bike Shop in
Mass? If so, I might try to buy it from him. (Funny, I only know of
one other Sheldon Brown. He lives in Mass as well and sings Gilbert
and Sullivan with some of my friends at MIT....)

That's me. I'm performing this weekend in The Summer Revels, a free
show at Museum Wharf (The Children's Museum)

You'll get to see me performing in drag in the mummers' play. Be there
or be square!

Sheldon "Betty" Brown
+-----------------------------------------+
| I’ll be performing in drag in |
| The Summer Revels |
| June 25 & 26, Museum Wharf, Boston |
| http://revels.org |
+-----------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com