Mountain Biking - First time replacing Forks, few questions.

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Steve Russell
09-19-05, 11:45 AM
Hi, I am going to be replacing my forks for the first time and had a few questions. It is a 1 1/8" Ahead threadless stem, getting rid of the OEM forks finally. Is there anything else I need to buy besides the new forks? Can the bearings and other parts be used over if otherwise they are in good condition? I have all the tools necessary, just wanted to know if I needed any other hard parts to get the job done. Thanks for any info.

LowCel
09-19-05, 11:52 AM
The fork should be all that you need. A good pipe cutter or a park tool to help you get a straight cut on the steerer is important as well. Other than that the only real work will be installing the star nut and getting the race off of the fork and installing it on the new fork.
nodnerb
09-19-05, 11:56 AM
If you are going from a threadless to a threadless, it is easy. You can reuse the headset, nothing wrong with that. Only other thing you'll probably need is a tube cutter or hacksaw to cut the steerer to the right length. Tube cutter is a far better option though. You really have to get the cut straight and perfectly perpendicular to the steerer. If not, you might totally screw it up. You will also need to remove the bottom headset seal(can't remember the real name)from the fork and put it on the new one. This can be tough sometimes. You just have to go slow, prying just a bit at a time from either side. And the same to install on the new fork. or even better, use a hollow bar slightly bigger than the steerer to put it in place.

nodnerb
09-19-05, 11:57 AM
The crown race!!!! Knew I'd remember. What was I thinking?!
wrinklefree
09-19-05, 01:43 PM
Do what I did. Take off the old fork, and have the LBS remove the crown race and cut the steering tube for you. Have them set the star nut while you're at it. The race can be a ***** to take out dependng on what kind of headset you have. Don't risk damaging the old fork, especially if you plan on selling it.

Shouldn't take more than 15 mins, and $20.
TonyDanza
09-19-05, 02:46 PM
Its never a bad idea to buy a new high quality headset when ya get new forks. Especially if the set you have now isnt high quality, during the transfer of bearings it can untrue the bearings races, making a wobbly fork. Wobbly forks mean bent forks. Look into spending some extra bucks on a nice high quality sealed headset...