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36 votes
Accepted

Why did curved forks disappear?

The main reason is the materials used. Basically, on all bikes with bent forks the bent forks are made of steel. Steel has been mostly replaced by carbon and aluminium. While steel is heavier, it is ...
airace3's user avatar
  • 2,251
32 votes

Why is the steering so twitchy? Steel 90's MTB fork

Short answer - your fork is stuffed. Stop riding it. Longer answer - Here's your bike with the main lines drawn on top And compare that with this approximate equivalent Peugeot bike. Spot the ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 120k
30 votes

Bike unstable (difficult to ride without hands on bars) after changing fork after collision

Bicycle dynamics A bicycle may only be ridden because of the peculiar steering geometry. The centre of the contact patch of the tyre is behind the point where the steering axis intersects with the ...
gschenk's user avatar
  • 9,474
22 votes
Accepted

Should amateurs install their own headsets?

The headset is a straightforward unit. Two cups are pushed into the frame with an interference fit and the crown race is smacked onto the top of the fork in a similar way. In the past, when I have had ...
Noise's user avatar
  • 13.1k
21 votes
Accepted

Are there gadgets that will protect a fork sitting on the ground while the front wheel is removed?

What about using a bike fork mount designed for a truck bed or similar? These are pretty durable, not too large (could be portable for a commuter). They can be mounted to a small board or other flat ...
Ted Hohl's user avatar
  • 5,860
21 votes
Accepted

Is this bike fork misaligned?

Those forks are badly deformed. Interesting, I looked up the bikes and the first Google hit (https://www.bikeride.com/womens-kent-bayside-womens/) has the first reason not to buy "Many users ...
mattnz's user avatar
  • 47.8k
18 votes

Fork bent on a flat pack bike - what to do?

Your bike (27.5 Orkan 21 spd. MB) sells for less than US$150 and is shipped flat packed. This puts it firmly in what we call BSO or bicycle shaped object territory. At US$150, it’s hard to find a ...
RoboKaren's user avatar
  • 28.9k
17 votes
Accepted

What is this spring between the fork and the frame?

The purpose of such a steering damper is to stop the front wheel from turning when using a (two-leg) kickstand or while pushing the bike. Not much use otherwise.
linac's user avatar
  • 2,922
17 votes
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How does fork offset affect bike handling?

Offset primarily affects your mechanical trail - that is, the distance between the imaginary straight line going through your head tube down to the ground, and your tire’s contact patch. Normally, the ...
MaplePanda's user avatar
  • 15.4k
17 votes

Are there gadgets that will protect a fork sitting on the ground while the front wheel is removed?

Frame challenge: Why remove the wheel at all? Especially with disc brakes, this seems to be a major PITA to do on a daily basis. Get a cable with loops on the end that threads through the front wheel ...
arne's user avatar
  • 2,155
17 votes

heavy and want to ride again

Personally I wouldn't replace the fork, but I'd make smaller changes and start riding. The back wheel takes more impact than the front, because a greater proportion of your weight is over it. So far ...
Chris H's user avatar
  • 55.8k
16 votes

Can I safely drill a hole from the crown into the steerer in my carbon fork?

When carbon manufacturers and fabricators put holes in things, they're thinking about: Whether disrupting the continuity of the carbon layers in that way will leave it strong enough. Whether there ...
Nathan Knutson's user avatar
15 votes

Can my fork support disc brakes?

In order to fit a disc brake, you need a compatible fork and a compatible wheel, plus a compatible brake lever. Your fork does have a disc brake mounting already designed in, it is an International ...
Swifty's user avatar
  • 12.7k
15 votes

Why did curved forks disappear?

Frames and forks were made of tubes that are brazed into lugs. Lugs are cast standard parts. Frames are sized by using tubes of the correct length. The respecive production processes makes lugs stiff ...
gschenk's user avatar
  • 9,474
15 votes

Why did curved forks disappear?

A big part of the change from curved to straight forks is the engineering requirements for disc brakes. Curved forks provide structural flexibility, in that forces applied to the tire become ...
RLH's user avatar
  • 1,515
15 votes

Are there gadgets that will protect a fork sitting on the ground while the front wheel is removed?

If you happen to have an old used-up hub of the correct width & diameter lying around, you could rest the flanges on the ground, with the fork just slightly off the ground.
Sam7919's user avatar
  • 8,842
14 votes
Accepted

Why do bikes have carbon forks?

There are an intersection of a number of reasons: Public Perception - Carbon as that "wow" factor. Colloquial it is associated with "space age" technologies. Therefore it must be better! The ...
Rider_X's user avatar
  • 30.4k
14 votes
Accepted

What are the benefits of *rigid* lefty fork?

One obvious advantage for most lefty bikes is You’re able to change the tire and tube without taking the wheel off the bike. So wheel adjustments and repair can be made without interfering with the ...
RoboKaren's user avatar
  • 28.9k
13 votes
Accepted

Are curved aluminum forks safe?

It depends on how the fork is engineered for safety. While its plausible that the curved shape does add to some shock absorption, that is determined by the width and construction of the fork tubing. ...
Batman's user avatar
  • 46k
13 votes

What to do with a bent but not broken aluminum seat stay

Aluminum alloy is weakened by being bent. The seat-stay is bowed in so that loads will tend to bend the stay more. The stay probably will not fail suddenly, but it will develop a crack where it's bent ...
Argenti Apparatus's user avatar
13 votes
Accepted

What to do with a bent but not broken aluminum seat stay

Safe - probably yes. Good idea - no. As Argenti Apparatus stated, the bike should not fail without some warning, but it probably will fail sooner or later. As people noted in the comments - the ...
Feldmarshall's user avatar
13 votes

Should I do anything about this minor nick in a carbon fork?

It is superficial, cosmetic paint damage. If that concerns you, you should replace the fork with a aluminum or titanium one. Reason for saying this is you need confidence in you bicycle to enjoy ...
mattnz's user avatar
  • 47.8k
12 votes

Upside-down Fork vs Traditional Fork

The unsprung weight thing is a myth for the most part. Cast aluminum and magnesium lowers are extremely light, for example, old marzocchi 66 ones were only 3/4 of a pound, total weight. It's not as ...
James's user avatar
  • 121
11 votes
Accepted

Why do modern mountain bike forks no longer use boots on fork stanchions?

As technology goes, seal and wiper advance to the point that boots on fork stanchions becomes obsolete, for both economical and practical reasons. The seal has advanced to the point that air ...
Nhân Lê's user avatar
  • 3,501
11 votes
Accepted

Crack in fork or just paint

On the surface it doesn't look good, but I wonder if there is a reinforcement wrap for the brake posts, with an unfinished edge). There are some informal ways to try and confirm whether the structural ...
Rider_X's user avatar
  • 30.4k
11 votes
Accepted

On fitting 700C rims to a dynamo hub rated for up to 20"

Generator hubs for small wheels will output less and produce less drag at a given speed when built to a 700, because they'll be operating at fewer RPMs than expected. AFAIK all the non-sondelux ...
Nathan Knutson's user avatar
11 votes
Accepted

Does this carbon fork have a crack in it that would make you replace it?

What is visible in the photo is a paint scratch. Letting the bike simply fall over will not structurally damage carbon fiber composite. People seem to think CFC is fragile but it’s really quite robust....
Argenti Apparatus's user avatar
11 votes
Accepted

How do I know where to cut the fork tube?

As others have mentioned, there's no standard. Basically, you figure out how many spacers you need and cut just below where the top of the spacer/stem stack. You need a small gap so that the top cap ...
jimchristie's user avatar
  • 11.7k
10 votes

Pros and cons of single-sided forks (Cannondale Lefty)?

My experience with Lefty goes back to 2000 when I purchased my Cannondale Super V. One thing I've liked about it how easy it is to 'turn off'. There's a small dial at the top that disengages the ...
SRQ Coder's user avatar
  • 201
10 votes

Crack in fork or just paint

I'm sorry to say that looks like a crack rather than a scratch. Bike looks quite new (I notice the dual pivot calipers), but I believe Trek's lifetime warranty covers CF frames and forks beyond 5 ...
Argenti Apparatus's user avatar

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