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I need help as I need to change the fork for my bike (Ridgeback Speed 2013 Womens Hybrid Bike)

I live in London and I went to few shops but in all of them they need to order the fork and it will cost me between £80 and £100

Do you know if there is anywhere I could find a fork for my bike and make cheaper to fix it?

Many thanks in advance

Isabel

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  • Your best bet would be a used fork from a bike that was unusable for some other reason. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 8 '14 at 11:24
  • Thanks for your advise. But how I suppose to find one? shall I just go around all shops asking if they got any already in stock? It is my first bike and I am not very familiar with this type of things. Thanks – Isabel Jul 8 '14 at 12:36
  • That's the hard part. A slightly seedy neighborhood bike shop would be your best bet, if you're not handy yourself and are not the type to go searching through junk piles. Your big fancy shops will generally not do this sort of thing. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 8 '14 at 12:41
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    Are you sure the rest of the bike is OK? Its a pretty budget bike, so I'm not entirely sure the fork replacement is a good idea versus just replacing the entire bike. But ebay has a lot of cheap forks. – Batman Jul 8 '14 at 14:35
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    Note that the fork need not be from that specific brand, though there are enough variations in forks that you need someone knowledgeable to say what replacement would be acceptable. – Daniel R Hicks Jul 8 '14 at 15:52
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These folks should be able to help out for super cheap:

London Bike Kitchen

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  • Bear in mind that the deal with these guys is that you fix your own bike, albeit under their supervision. I mean, I think it's a brilliant idea, but getting hands dirty might not be for everyone. Also, will they help sourcing a part? Probably worth calling first. – PeteH Jul 8 '14 at 19:17
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It is possible to buy a basic new fork for about £20 to £30. eg Raleigh 700C 1 1/8" Threaded Fork from Evans. Or there's a variety of options on Ebay, either new or used. Or some cycling forums have classified sections, so you could post a wanted advert.

Though there are several things to check to ensure a replacement fork is compatible:

  • wheel size. That Ridgeback has 700C wheels, so you need a fork the right length for those.
  • brake mounts. To use your existing brakes, you need mounts for V-brakes.
  • steerer tube diameter and headset type. I can't find the details for that Ridgeback, but from photos it looks like it uses a threaded headset. It probably needs a 1 1/8" steerer, though it is possible it uses the older 1" size.

You could find a bike shop to fit the replacement fork. It may cost anything between £20 and £50, depends on the shop and just what needs done.

Or if you want to replace the fork yourself, you will need several tools. Probably including several spanners, and possibly also headset tools. If you don't have these, you may be able to borrow them from someone. The best option could be a DIY bike workshop, eg the one suggested by Booker. They will have tools you can use, plus they may be able to advise on what you need to do.

Depending on how your fork was damaged, its possible that other parts of the bike are broken. So it is worth checking it all carefully. The worst would be if the frame is bent or broken, that would be a lot of cost and work to replace. If the frame is damaged, you may be better off just replacing the whole bike.

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