Cyclocross - Threaded fork and headset

Hi all

I recently purchased a cyclocross frame (sans fork) on a whim with the hopes of doing some muddy riding in the future. Well, the whole bike building thing has become a bit more complex than what I first thought it would be (naturally). My frame is made for a 1" threaded fork/ headset. I have never used a threaded setup before so I am at a loss of how to make this thing work.

First, I can only find two 1" threaded forks with canti bosses, one being the WoundUp carbon job that costs way too much and another made by Tange that weighs far too much. Does anyone else know of a fork between these two extremes?

Also, the sizing issue. My frame has a very long head tube, it is a 58cm frame, so what length fork do I need? Does the threaded portion need to sit at a certain height that changes based on the length of the head tube? How adjustable can the setup be made? I am worried that I will have to buy a bunch of different quills just to get the right height for the handlebars through trial and error. I guess that I could do the threaded/threadless conversion to use a regular stem, but since there is only a small bit on the converter that can be used to mount the stem, I think that it is prone to sizing issues as well.

Overall, the whole idea behind the threaded headset seems very backward when compared to the very simple (and ultimately idiot proof, thus good for me) threadless fork setup. Can anyone give me some advice?

Thanks

I'm not sure where to find a threaded CX fork. Ebay and/or your local bike co-op maybe? It's only because of this that you might consider buying a threadless headset and a Cross check fork, or the carbon job from Nashbar. Lots of 1" threadless forks.

If you are able to find a threaded fork, you really don't need several quills for adjustment. Buy one with a removable faceplate for easy bar changes, like the Sasla SUL or a Cinelli Frog and simply move it up and down to play with height- don't go past the minimum insertion line. Much easier actually than a threadless setup which loses virtually all adjustability once the steer tube is cut.

Am I able to use a threadless fork? There is a brass "nipple" that extends into the inside of the head tube that I think is used for the threaded headset in some way. I cant figure out how a 1" threadless fork can extend through the head tube without hitting this extruding piece of metal. Is this normal for a threaded head tube?

Am I able to use a threadless fork? There is a brass "nipple" that extends into the inside of the head tube that I think is used for the threaded headset in some way. I cant figure out how a 1" threadless fork can extend through the head tube without hitting this extruding piece of metal. Is this normal for a threaded head tube?

take a picture and post this anomoly

bike frames are usually one of the following headtube sizes:
1 1/8"
1 1/4" (rare)
1"

these can be either threaded or threadless (I think 1 1/4 was all threadless?), depending on the combination of headset and steertube.
If you have a 1" steertube, you can get a 1" threadless headset and a 1" threadless fork to accomodate your needs here

So here is an attached picture. I cant get a picture of the inside of the head tube but there is a small piece of metal extending into the head tube, maybe 1 millimeter, from the backside of the head tube. Looks like it is used for threading of some sort. This makes me think that I will be unable to get a threadless steerer tube to go all the way through the head tube because it will run into this little piece of metal. Thanks for the help.

That's a braze-on peg for a frame pump, and will not affect the fork in any way. Steer tubes for 1" threaded and 1" threadless forks are the same diameter, so the protrusion won't affect your ability to mount a threadless system if you choose to go that route. The steer tube doesn't actually touch the inside of the head tube, but rather is contacting the bearings/cups of the headset a few mm inside the head tube.

The Tange fork isn't that heavy at around 900g, and the frame is most likely a touring frame, judging by the pump peg on the head tube. I've never seen a cyclocross frame with a pump peg, but I've seen lot's of touring frames with them.

The Tange forks are only 200g heavier than a carbon CX fork (some of these weigh 700g). It's chrome too, which is very pretty. For 150-250$, you could get a custom steel fork made for you....