Alt Bike Culture - Triple Tree forks for a threaded headset
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Sammyboy
01-26-07, 04:05 AM
Ok. I have a completely crappy chinese made roadbike that I want to convert into a chopper. This is purely because it cost me nothing, and has gold anodised rims and hubs.
I want to make a triple tree fork, using the clamps shown below. Of course, cutting two pieces of tube to the right length is easy. The hard parts are the dropouts (I'm such a crappy welder), and the steerer tube. I can find the right diameter of tube, but here are my questions. How do I know how long to cut it, and how much of it do I need to thread (I'll have to buy some dies for this)? I also plan to make my own sissy bar, since none are commercially available that are long enough for my 6'3" personage!
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Samuelw72/P1260001.jpg
Threaded?
Aren't those clamps for threadless? It would be much easier to go that route. You could probably but a steer tube of the proper (or close to) length off eBay.
Sammyboy
01-26-07, 05:04 AM
Well, sure, but the bike I have has a threaded headset, and unless I'm mistaken, isn't converting to threadless quite tricky? Doesn't the headtube need to be a bigger diameter? Anyhow, I figure I can shim this down to size, but if I'm being an idiot, and going threadless is easy, please enlighten me!
A threaded to threadless conversion isn't really that tricky. Not as tricky as calculating a steer tube length, fabricating and threading a tube, etc.
When I did my chopper, the bike started life as a threaded steerer. I took apart the forks and knocked out the bearing cups. The LBS had a 1" threadless headset, I put that in, put the fork together marked the steer tube for cutting took it apart, cut it, put it back together again, set the star nut, installed the bars and had it all adjusted in less than an hour and a half and I work slow, smoke a bunch o' cigarettes and drink gallons of coffee when I work. :)
If you have any concerns, I'll galdly do what I can to help you along the way. :beer:
Sammyboy
01-26-07, 06:06 AM
K, so it's just a matter of a 1", rather than 1 1/4, threadless headset, and making or buying a steerer tube. What should I search on eBay, in order to find a steerer?
Yeah, you've got the idea. :)
Who made the forks that those trees came from?
Sammyboy
01-26-07, 06:11 AM
Well, the clamps are stamped SR, so I'd guess it was the good ol' Sakyae Ringyo!
You could try searching in that. I've seen some marzocchi steer tubes listed, I don't know if the collar size would be the same.
LBS?
nugenhipsta
01-26-07, 08:20 AM
I work slow, smoke a bunch o' cigarettes and drink gallons of coffee when I work. :)
:
we have oddly similar styles...
I find it adds to the zen of the creative process. :)
Rincewind8
01-26-07, 09:06 AM
You could also use the current headset and just file off the threads on the threaded race and ditch the washer and locknut. I've done that on one of my bikes and it works just fine.
For a picture of a taken apart threaded headset:
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=127
I have a triple clamp on a threaded steerer, I have to take a closer look at it, but am pretty sure that I just clamped the top clamp on above the headset onto an extended steerer.
I'll have to look at it later to figure out how I did it :)