Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Fork drilling essentials

Let's say one has a track fork that one wants drilled for a brake, but local bike shops may not be much help in the matter, so the fork is going to a machine shop instead. Placement is easy when it comes to telling them what to do, but what diameter is the hole supposed to be? Is there any other critical information I need to be aware of? Not the most complex problem, but I just want to make sure I have my information straight before I have someone bore a hole in my one and only track fork.

Hand them a recessed brake bolt and tell them that's the exact diameter of the hole you want.

Why not just get a different fork? That way, you can keep the track fork in it's original pristine state in case you ever want to sell the bike.

Why not just get a different fork? That way, you can keep the track fork in it's original pristine state in case you ever want to sell the bike.
Haha, I just had the guys at Kalavinka drill my Eimei yesterday.

http://search.bikelist.org/?SearchString=Drilling%20a%20fork%20crown%20&SearchPrefix=@msgsubject&SortBy=MsgDate%5Bd%5D&Scope=framebuilders

the post from Mike Zanconato is the most useful

Make sure of course that your caliper will work - that the rim is not too close to the fork crown.

Shimano calipers allow brake blocks to go about 3mm higher than Campagnolo.

track forks are hard to find w/out the hole, so don't drill it! buy another with a hole instead.

Drill 45 holes into it to give people on the internet restless nights of sleep.

drill

Drill 45 holes into it to give people on the internet restless nights of sleep.

Wheeee!

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/images/silifig4.gif

http://ckdu.dal.ca/~mcatano/bike%20photos/drilledforkcrown.jpg

^Thats a nice lookin fork

Make sure that there is enough of a gap twixt wheel and crown for the pads to hit the rim and that the hole is in the right place for the aforementioned to be possible.

or just buy this

http://trackstarnyc.com/store/catalog/index.php?cPath=50&osCsid=6e9dd15fc951ba363d61631e5830eb2e

Heh, that's my custom fork, built by mcatano himself.


^Thats a nice lookin fork

Heh, that's my custom fork, built by mcatano himself.

That's actually the fork for my bike... yours looks like this:

http://ckdu.dal.ca/~mcatano/bike%20photos/nazfork.jpg

Hurry up and get it painted already.

Oh crap, you're right. I haven't seen it in ages.

I'd get it painted if Duane would send me the chips when he's not busy, you know, painting your frame.

;)

Hey bikeforums...someone drilled the (carbon) fork of a Fuji Track Pro, and I want to buy the bike from him and turn it back into a track bike. Does drilling a carbon fork compromise it? He was using it as a commuter.

Hey bikeforums...someone drilled the (carbon) fork of a Fuji Track Pro, and I want to buy the bike from him and turn it back into a track bike. Does drilling a carbon fork compromise it? He was using it as a commuter.

A buddy of mine drilled his Track Pro fork....when I asked him about it he said the crown was aluminum and he has had no probs. This is a 2007 model.
To the O.P.....you need 2 different diameter holes...the one on the back side for the bolt is larger than the front side.

A buddy of mine drilled his Track Pro fork....when I asked him about it he said the crown was aluminum and he has had no probs. This is a 2007 model.
To the O.P.....you need 2 different diameter holes...the one on the back side for the bolt is larger than the front side.
If you are using recessed brakes this might be true. For non-recessed brakes, you can use a single diameter. Or at least that's what I remember.

Who cares, drill it. The square cm of steel you will remove is not virgin alaskan wilderness, it's a ****ing fork crown on a bike that needs a brake. Just take your time and make sure your guy does a good job.

6mm front 8mm back.

Who cares, drill it. The square cm of steel you will remove is not virgin alaskan wilderness, it's a ****ing fork crown on a bike that needs a brake. Just take your time and make sure your guy does a good job.

I have no problem drilling steel forks, I'm asking about carbon specifically.


A buddy of mine drilled his Track Pro fork....when I asked him about it he said the crown was aluminum and he has had no probs. This is a 2007 model.
To the O.P.....you need 2 different diameter holes...the one on the back side for the bolt is larger than the front side.

Thanks

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1439/534718117_44076f0ccb.jpg

I have no problem drilling steel forks, I'm asking about carbon specifically.


That uncalled for mini rant was for the op not you.

That uncalled for mini rant was for the op not you.

I dont think the OP cares. He started this thread in April.