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I got hold of a 2014 Felt 2 56 cm frame without fork, really light frame. In my simple mind I thought I could easily find a fork for this bike.

I had a look on here.

https://99spokes.com/en-GB/bikes/felt/2014/f2

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Felt/F2-Road-Bike-2014/3O86

It looks like the fork is a :

Felt Race Road UHC Advanced carbon fiber monocoque construction, ControlTaper 1.125" - 1.5" carbon fiber steerer tube w/ integrated crown race, crown, blades & dropouts.

I decided to buy a Road Fork - Merida Scultura 1" 1/8-1" 1/2 as I thought this would be compatible with the bike frame?

I measure the top of the frame and its 34mm inner diameter and 44mm at the bottom, the bottom measurement I am not sure of.

Any advice would be appreciated, just looking for the correct sized fork then I will slowly build it up.

Thank you in advance everyone.

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  • 2
    The bottom of the head tube has a plain 44mm bore with no internal seat for a bearing, correct?
    – Nathan Knutson
    Sep 7, 2021 at 0:02
  • 1
    Check the offset and axle-to-crown measurement on both forks. The new one should be as similar as possible to the factory one.
    – MaplePanda
    Sep 7, 2021 at 3:57
  • Hi Nathan, yes it seems to be a plain bore, no thread and tapered which is why I got this fork. I dont know about the internal seat for a bearing, sorry. I will look up what you mean. What does this mean practically?
    – Falcon73
    Sep 9, 2021 at 1:10
  • Hi Maple, I don't have the original, I purchased the closest one I could find.
    – Falcon73
    Sep 9, 2021 at 1:11

2 Answers 2

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Utilizes an FSA No. 42 integrated tapered headset with sealed bearings, a cone spacer, plus 25mm of additional spacers. The Felt fork spec'd with the bike has an integrated crown race but u can certainly add a crown race to a compatible fork's tapered steer tube (one lacking an integrated crown race). Suggest a split race for ease of installation. A new FSA headset should come with one, but keep in mind it may be unnecessary if the fork has the crown race integrated. The 56cm size is spec'd with a 100mm stem (horizontal length center of steer tube to center of handlebar), but you're not obligated to use that size.

According to the geometry specs, the FR series of road bikes use a 380mm length fork (crown to axle measurement). The 56cm version has a fork with a 43mm offset. These numbers plus a tapered steer tube (1⅛ to 1½") that has ample length as the head tube of the bike is 155mm, most stems add close to 40mm of stack height, plus the stack of the cone spacer and any others you'll want below the stem, and you're looking at needing 220mm at least of steer tube will be much of the info you'll need to get an appropriate, compatible for replacement.

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  • Wow, thanks Jeff, like this ?spacycles.co.uk/m16b0s115p3600/…
    – Falcon73
    Sep 9, 2021 at 1:14
  • Yes. That would be the correct headset for Felt F2 that your link leads to. The dimensions of a compatible replacement fork for it were given in my answer. Namely a road fork with a tapered steer tube that is at least 220mm in length (210mm is the absolute minimum length that will work since your head tube is 155mm, the stack height of the stem will be +40mm, the cone top portion of the headset adds +15mm and then a few mm's will be taken by the fitting of the crown race and bearings, so that's where I've arrived at 220mm minimum. The axle to crown length of fork should be 380mm with a 43mm
    – Jeff
    Sep 9, 2021 at 22:55
  • ...a 43mm off-set (also known as the fork's "rake"). These dimensions follow those of the stock fork and a new fork with the same dimensions will preserve the intended geometry of the bike which effects handling characteristics and ride quality.
    – Jeff
    Sep 9, 2021 at 23:00
  • Been reading up on everything you guys suggested, thank you all. I wondered if I could just use a 1/8 fork from easton which is way cheaper if it met the spec? Looking at what everyone has said this may be possible but then I read the offset was 35mm so following what jeff stated, not good. I then had a look at this: Tapered steerer: 1.5" - 1.1/8" Steerer length: 190mm or 223mm MaterialL UD carbon weave with aero shaped blades Crown race: 39.8mm Rake: 45mm Max tyre size: 700 x 25c OLD: 100mm Brake type: recessed caliper bolt Colour: black
    – Falcon73
    Sep 15, 2021 at 0:40
  • What do you guys think?
    – Falcon73
    Sep 15, 2021 at 1:55
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The fork is the same kind of integrated crown race, 1.5" tapered modern road fork as the listed original one, so that would appear to not be an issue.

Your measurement of 44mm at the bottom of the head tube is the curious part. That is the number that goes along with a ZS 1-1/8 headset aka ZS44, which takes a non-tapered fork. You can use an EC44 cup with it to run a 1.5" taper fork, but road bikes don't really come that way and doing it after the fact screws up the geometry, so you probably shouldn't go there.

If you are in fact determining this is a 44mm plain bore headtube, it's different from the specs you found for whatever reason. In that case you're buying any ZS44 headset and non-tapered road fork.

If something went wrong with the measurement and it is in fact the IS52 type headtube one would assume from the link, you're buying an IS52/IS42 taper type road integrated headset as in the "FSA No. 42" on the spec sheet. Remember you'll typically need to buy your plug seperately.

EDIT: On reflection, the 34 and 44 numbers you came up with seem like you probably do have an IS52/IS42 type head tube but you were measuring the inside diamter of the lip under the bearing seat areas, not the bore the bearings sit in, which is the important part. Otherwise I don't know where the 34 would be coming from.

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  • Hi Nathan, I am going to read that a couple of times to understand! So the 44mm bottom of the head tube means that perhaps the fork should not be tapered if I understand correctly or you mess the ride of the machine geometry? The headset on most websites says: HEADSET FSA NO.42 integrated, 1.125" - 1.5" sealed cartridge bearing w/ aluminum 15mm cone spacer, 2 x 10mm + 1 x 5mm PC headset spacers, Felt compression device, carbon fiber top cap and aluminium bolt. I could not find anything about an IS52 headset?
    – Falcon73
    Sep 9, 2021 at 1:28
  • It might help to read this: parktool.com/blog/repair-help/…
    – Nathan Knutson
    Sep 9, 2021 at 5:01
  • Basically here is what you're up against: if you look inside the empty head tube of the bike and it's a plain cylindrical bore, and it measures 44mm across on the inner diameter, that is the standard known as ZS44, which is different from what the printed specs you list indicate. ZS (name taken from Zero Stack) uses a pressed-in cup that a bearing sits in, but the headset cups only protrude out from the headtube a little, as opposed to EC (External Cup). If you had to, you could get what is called an EC44 lower to run your fork, but it adds stack height, which slackens the head tube angle.
    – Nathan Knutson
    Sep 9, 2021 at 5:05
  • Normally it would be a bad idea, but parts shortages are making weird things need to happen for bikes to go, and it would in fact work to do it that way. And, how compromising of the geo it is also depends on the axle to crown of the intended fork. It could be great, but not probably.
    – Nathan Knutson
    Sep 9, 2021 at 5:09
  • This is what a road bike with a 44mm head tube, ZS44 upper, and an EC44 lower and a tapered fork looks like: global.bluelug.com/media/catalog/product/cache/…
    – Nathan Knutson
    Sep 9, 2021 at 5:31

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