Questions tagged [fork]
Usually means the front fork, where the front wheel sits. Can also mean the rear fork, a part of the frame.
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Pros and cons of single-sided forks (Cannondale Lefty)?
Looks like they save some weight, but how do they have a better strength/weight ratio than a traditional two legged fork?
With the single-legged fork the fork and axle must resist huge bending all ...
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What is the "preload" setting on the front fork suspension?
I've made a photo of the actual "thing" as I find it very difficult to explain otherwise:
I'm wondering what this "thing" sets and how it actually works. So, what is "preload" and what happens when I ...
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Is front-suspension a false-economy for cheaper bikes?
I'm a 30 year old male looking to purchase my first non-department store bike. I haven't biked in more than a couple years.
My use-case is 90% asphalt (inner-city, occasional low-speed highway) and ~...
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Why did curved forks disappear?
Forks on historical bikes are often curved forward in a smooth curve, sometimes called a "French bend". This is sometimes claimed to add a small amount of compliance and comfort. It ...
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Why do modern mountain bike forks no longer use boots on fork stanchions?
Why do modern mountain bike forks no longer use boots on fork stanchions? Older mountain bikes used to have them on the forks, and lefty and headshocks still do. Why have these fallen out of fashion ...
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When should I use lockout feature on my fork?
I have a trekking bike with a 63mm fork which has a lockout feature enabling the control of the suspension.
Can you explain when should I lock the fork, in what position and why?
One obvious example ...
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Are curved aluminum forks safe?
This is an entry-level road bike made by "Upland", a Chinese company.
That fork is aluminum. You usually only see steel (and sometimes carbon) forks curved like that.
The only reason you would have ...
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Are there gadgets that will protect a fork sitting on the ground while the front wheel is removed?
I occasionally—for various reasons irrelevant to this question–take the front wheel off and rest the fork on the ground.
Doing this risks damaging the fork.
Bicycles are shipped with a plastic object ...
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Is it safe to remove "lawyer tabs" on a carbon fork?
Is it safe to file off the "lawyer lips" - the little tabs on the end of the fork dropouts - on my carbon road fork? What about cyclocross forks? I've heard it's "common sense" to remove them...
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What is this spring between the fork and the frame?
Sometimes on a bike I see a short spring, most often covered in rubber, connecting the fork with the frame:
What is the purpose of it? The only thing that comes to mind is stabilising the fork so it ...
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answer
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What are the benefits of *rigid* lefty fork?
I know there is already a discussion about suspension lefty forks. However, that post completely avoids mentioning of their rigid counterparts which also can be found in the wild.
Below is a couple ...
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Should amateurs install their own headsets?
Building a bike from scratch sounded like a fun challenge, but a frame builder firmly told me to get the headset installed professionally. Videos online make it look easy even if you don't have the ...
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Why do bikes have carbon forks?
I have noticed many bikes for sale that are made of mostly one material, such as aluminum, except for the fork which is carbon. I know carbon is very expensive so the manufacturer must be trying to ...
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Replacing suspension with a solid fork
I have an older version of this bike:
They have made some changes to the components since I bought my bike but it is more or less the same. Here are the specs on the newer bike.
I was hoping to ...
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answer
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Why is the steering so twitchy? Steel 90's MTB fork
EDIT/UPDATE: I've removed the fork and don't see any sign on impact/damage. Mabye folks on here can spot something that I can't? I think I'll put a new fork on, as I don't see any signs of damage to ...
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What maintenance does a front suspension fork need?
I've just bought a used bike on eBay, its a 2002 Marin Bobcat Trail. It has 'In-Sync 266' suspension forks. This is my first suspension bike so I need some guidance in the use and maintenance of these ...
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Crack in fork or just paint
Yesterday I saw something like a crack in the carbon fork of my roadbike. Now I don't have any clue if this is a really a crack or just the paint.
Maybe someone can help me or tell me how to find out. ...
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How does fork offset affect bike handling?
Some forks come in a variety of different fork offsets for the same model.
How does replacing the fork designed for the bike with:
A fork with smaller offset, everything else the same
A fork with ...
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How do I choose a bicycle fork?
I'm putting together a bicycle on a budget from a frame I was given and various parts from a bike with a broken frame. The only part of any expense that I really need is the fork, and I want to get ...
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Why does RockShox say you shouldn't use a bolt on axle on their fork?
I bought a RockShox suspension fork for a trekking bike I'm building. My plan was to use a wheel with a Shimano XT Shimano DH-3N72 hub dynamo I have from before on it. The hub has a normal bolt on (...
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What to do with a bent but not broken aluminum seat stay
unfortunately I got hit by a car. I was on the main road, in the cycle way and the car had a stop sign coming out of a school. He did see me but got distracted by the kids. Anyway, I was wondering if ...
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1
answer
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Bike unstable (difficult to ride without hands on bars) after changing fork after collision
After a low speed collision with the front of a car in which a cars bumper met the side of my fork (I was in a track stand-esque stance) my fork was bent slightly so I replaced it with a (inexpensive ...
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Front brake causes violent shudder
My bike is equipped with disk-brakes. It also has a fork with suspension.
When I apply the front brake, my fork vibrates violently, as can be seen below:
I've adjusted ...
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What are these mounts for on inside edge of carbon fiber fork?
I just got a new Tommaso Sterrata.
I commute during the winter so I'm looking to put fenders on. I know I can get fenders that clip onto the fork instead of being mounted, but while inspecting the ...
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Is it possible/sensible to add a suspension fork to an old mountain bike?
I have a ~1993 Giant mountain bike. It's not great, but I am a very new and casual rider.
The bike has a solid fork and it makes for the predictable rough trail ride. The trails are generally ...
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3
answers
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Upside-down Fork vs Traditional Fork
What are the advantages of upside-down (USD) forks vs traditional forks?
I have read they are 'better', 'stronger', etc., mostly in the context of motorcycles.
Some high end downhill bikes use them ...
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How often do you really need to service forks and shocks?
According to manuals, forks and shocks have to be serviced regularly. For example, rockshox forks have 50-hour and 200-hour service kits/instructions.
On one hand, I know people who swear by these ...
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Can I safely drill a hole from the crown into the steerer in my carbon fork?
I want to install dynamo-powered USB charging apparatus inside my fork steerer. However, it's a carbon fork that has no exit at the crown for the dynamo wiring.
Is it safe to drill a small hole (at ...
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How can I remove very stuck headset spacers (alu/carbon)
Working on a bike that has had significant indoor turbo usage, (i.e. a lot of sweat has run down the headset) and corrosion has bonded the aluminium spacers to the carbon steerer. The steering is ...
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Cannondale Lefty DLR Ti Fork Rebuild/Maintenance
I have a mountain bike with a 2003 Cannondale Lefty DLR Ti fork. As I've been riding the bike this season, I've noticed that the fork is behaving strangely. It doesn't seem to lockout fully and it is ...
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Frozen suspension in the winter
Winter is coming! Last season I put my road bike in the garage and just rode my mountain bike all winter. Something strange happened: my suspension fork froze. When spring came everything unfroze and ...
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How to fix ripped out ball joint in indirect under seat steering recumbent
There are two ball joints involved in the steering mechanism of my under seat steering recumbent.
One of them ripped out of its socket:
The dirty grey-green part inside the end of the bar is made of ...
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What is the advantage of a reverse arch suspension fork?
There are a couple of suspension fork manufacturers that have adopted a fork design where the lowers have a reversed arch. I can't see that they claim any particular performance advantages for it, ...
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What happens if you neglect front suspension maintanance?
My bike has front suspension, which I have never done any maintenance to, and I don't plan to do so in the future either. I've owned it for 10 years now, and it's kinda stiff by now, but other than ...
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Why would higher fork contribute significantly to breaking the frame?
When I recently cracked my frame near the headtube, every bike shop that I went to, asked me explicitly "Did you put a longer travel fork?".
Putting aside that apparently fork travel and fork crown ...
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Hard fork and low tire pressure or viceversa?
With mountain bikes, what do you think is more efficient: highly preloading the fork and using low tire pressure or having a "bouncy" fork and hard tire pressure?
I like to have the fork with quite a ...
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Thru Axle and Quick Release Fork/Frame Compatability?
Without using manufacturer specific parts:
Can I use a wheel with a thru-axle hub on a standard quick release fork or frame dropouts (with an adapter)?
Can I use a wheel with a quick release hub on a ...
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Straight 1⅛" steering tube is not actually straight?
I have a bike (~2016 year of manufacturing) with a fork which has what is called a straight 1⅛" steering tube, used with threadless headsets.
I have always thought that, compared to tapered 1⅛ – ...
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5
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How do I know if there is water in my fork
I have a SunTour XCR fork. Not wanting to ruin it I am worried that a significant amount of water has penetrated beyond the seals. I have recently ridden the bike in rain, snow, and washed it in a ...
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Disc brake rotor size and forks strength
I have been told that every fork has a maximum rotor size characteristic. For example, for my $75 Suntour this is listed as 185mm. The explaination that I have been given for this limitation is that ...
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Damping effects of carbon forks
Around where I live the common wisdom is that on a road, gravel or similar bike, a carbon fork will cushion some of the vibration more than a metal fork.
On some web discussion forums I see that ...
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Can my fork support disc brakes?
I want to put disc brakes on my bike but I do not know which type to put on
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Which way to use a crown race removal tool?
I purchased the following crown race removal tool: http://www.birzman.com/products_2.php?uID=2&cID=24&Key=106
It has a flat side and a side with 45 degree chamfered edge. I suppose the idea is ...
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Can a Reynolds 753 aero fork steerer tube be unbent?
I was hit by a car and now the steerer of my Reynolds 753 aero fork is bent.
Is it possible to bend them back? Would that be safe?
I can't afford a new pair!
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Dual position air, solo air, coil, rebound: what do they mean about forks?
Lyric is available as Dual Position Air/ Solo Air / Coil. What do those terms mean generally?
My speculations are leading me nowhere. If Dual Air means no hydraulic cylinder, how can the fork have ...
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Suspension fork - Can you leave them locked for a long time?
My bike's two years old (about 1800km on it, almost all road and bridleway) and kept in a garage. Back in November or so I locked the front suspension fork for road-riding, and over the winter ...
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How to enlarge dropout slots?
I have a Raleigh Grand Prix and was trying to put a modern wheelset on it, but the front dropout slots are too narrow to fit the axle. Is it safe or possible to enlarge the slots? The fork is chrome ...
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holes on the inside of metal fork blades, what are they
I noticed there are two very small holes on both blades on my new fork. They are on the inner side of the blades at the end of the fork blade just above wheel axis mounting point. They are apparently ...
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Is it possible to put a suspension fork instead of a rigid one on a gravel bike?
I've seen manufacturers a couple of times put suspension forks on gravel bikes instead of rigid carbon forks. Yes, this fork was not in the top price category from RochShox or Fox, but still, is it ...
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Can I leave a suspension fork upside down?
I currently have my mountain bike disassembled, I broke a tire and needed some space in my room. The frame is resting upside down on the saddle and handlebar.
The fork itself is a Rock Shox SID Dual ...
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