Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - How do you get your fork threaded?

Does anyone know how or where you can get a 1 inch threadless fork threaded?

and a bike ship, they make a tool for it

Just buy a threaded fork.

http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1348

and a bike ship, they make a tool for it

The tool they use is to chase an existing thread not cut a new one. New threads should always be done on a lathe. Jack Franklin of Franklin Frame can do it. It isn't cheap but the results won't kill you.

http://home.windstream.net/franklinframe/

I thought I would attached my question to this thread instead of starting a new one. I was considering buying this frame (http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1084) which has a partially threaded fork but did not know how expensive or easy it would be to finish threading it. Is this something that can be done relatively cheaply at most bike shops?

I thought I would attached my question to this thread instead of starting a new one. I was considering buying this frame (http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1084) which has a partially threaded fork but did not know how expensive or easy it would be to finish threading it. Is this something that can be done relatively cheaply at most bike shops?

If the fork already is threaded then a die will work. If the fork is unthreaded you really need to use a lathe. Good luck

first you need to make sure that the inside diameter of you steerer is the right size for a quill then you need to make sure it isn't butted

case one you thread it and you can't put a quill in
case two you thread it get a quill in and notice you have a tight spot when you turn the bars
you just ruptured or bulged you steerer

I thought I would attached my question to this thread instead of starting a new one. I was considering buying this frame (http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1084) which has a partially threaded fork but did not know how expensive or easy it would be to finish threading it. Is this something that can be done relatively cheaply at most bike shops?

Are you planning on using the fork on a different bike?

Many shops have a tool with will clean or re-thread an already threaded fork. This could be used to cut new threads but it not what the tool was designed for. It could easily dull the tool if done too often and could damage the tool if great care is not taken. It is a very slow procedure that requires skill and experience. And after the tool no longer has old threads to guide it, there is no guarantee that the new threads will even be straight. Finally, fork threads are generally rolled, not cut. Cut threads are not as smooth and are more susceptible to failure.

Given all these facts, many shops will not cut more than a few new threads. And even when they do that, they charge a hefty price and don't necessarily guarantee the results.

well i got my fork cut and threaded. its cost me $30 at my LBS. you just got to call around, the 4th shop i called said they can and were willing to do it. some shops are against doing that type of work, cuz if you get injured from a broken fork that they did, thats a law suit they want to avoid.

very few threadless forks are intended to be threaded...i'd wager virtually none. you can't just assume it's possible.

if it's an aluminum steerer, forget it. if it's steel, it has to be thick enough that you can remove 1/2 the material without compromising strength. and if it was originally threadless, wall thicknesses were likely reduced beyond the (safe) ability to cut threads...after all, it's a threadless fork. even extending the threads on a genuine threaded steerer can be dicey.

blindguy, i hope you don't also become toothlessguy when the steerer fails. there's a damn good reason most shops won't do the work. the stupidity evidenced in SSFG never fails to astound me.

1" threaded forks are pretty common. Wouldn't it be safer to just get one you can afford?

That's awesome. "3 shops said it was unsafe and they wouldn't do it, so I kept calling around until I found a shop that would!"

blindguy, i hope you don't also become toothlessguy when the steerer fails. there's a damn good reason most shops won't do the work. the stupidity evidenced in SSFG never fails to astound me.

I tried to talk reason with him hopefully he wears a fullface helmet and he won't become vegitable guy when the steerer fails


That's awesome. "3 shops said it was unsafe and they wouldn't do it, so I kept calling around until I found a shop that would!"

yet another example of Darwinian love for the fixed gear hobby

the cowboys here in sac think they can slice and dice thru traffic without helmets or lights

if it's steel, it has to be thick enough that you can remove 1/2 the material without compromising strength.
Remember, you will have a stem inserted into the steer tube which will reinforce whatever you removed during threading.

Remember, you will have a stem inserted into the steer tube which will reinforce whatever you removed during threading.
you haven't seen a ruptured steerer before have you??
yup a quill wedge can do that

I don't even want to know why you want to do this. but it's a REALLY bad idea.

I don't even want to know why you did this. but it's a REALLY bad idea.

fixed

you haven't seen a ruptured steerer before have you??
yup a quill wedge can do that
The wedge should be below the threaded portion. If you're cutting the threads yourself, there's no point in going any further than you absolutely need -- a couple cm in total is plenty.

I wasn't talking about the threads I was talking about a butted light weight steerer made for threadless not threaded

you see the over all wall thickness can be thinner with threadless because of the way the stem clamps one
but with a quill you need a thicker tube to handle the single point at which pressure is applied

I wasn't talking about the threads I was talking about a butted light weight steerer made for threadless not threaded

you see the over all wall thickness can be thinner with threadless because of the way the stem clamps one but with a quill you need a thicker tube to handle the single point at which pressure is applied
1) Vintage threaded steer tubes are also butted.
2) Since the OD diameter needs to remain constant for the headset parts to fit, the only way to get a thinner steer tube in a threadless steer tube would be to increase the ID, which means the quill stem wouldn't fit even without threads being cut. Is that the case?
3) There is no "single point" of pressure with a properly fitted quill stem. The pressure is spread along the length of the stem insertion.
4) The stem clamp at the top of a threadless stem represents another stress point, where reducing thickness would be unwise. Isn't that where the threads would have to be cut if you were to thread a threadless steer tube?

dude read 2 and 3 and realize my point

they op had a threadless fork threaded get it

3) There is no "single point" of pressure with a properly fitted quill stem. The pressure is spread along the length of the stem insertion.


no, it is spread along the point of expansion.

Nothing makes the stem diameter at the top of the headtube bigger.

exactly why when i odered my frame from Affinity Cycles
(http://affinitycycles.com/) i asked for a fork that they would thread, but without the threading so when i got the headset i wanted i would know where to chop and thread for a good fit.

Why not just get a fork with pre-cut threads that start just below the top of the head tube. Then cut off the extra above where you want the lock nut to be. Thats how it's been done for 100 years. How would threading the steer tube yourself help out at all? If you don't overtighten your stem, even pressure in the threaded area will not cause damage.

Why not just get a fork with pre-cut threads that start just below the top of the head tube. Then cut off the extra above where you want the lock nut to be. Thats how it's been done for 100 years. How would threading the steer tube yourself help out at all? If you don't overtighten your stem, even pressure in the threaded area will not cause damage.
Maybe the OP already has a 1" threadless fork he'd like to use.

I wasn't talking about the threads I was talking about a butted light weight steerer made for threadless not threaded

you see the over all wall thickness can be thinner with threadless because of the way the stem clamps one
but with a quill you need a thicker tube to handle the single point at which pressure is applied
the op had a threadless fork threaded get it
Out of curiosity I took a generic, Taiwan built modern threadless fork with 1" steel steer tube and a 1982 vintage, NOS Reynolds 531 butted steel 1" unthreaded steer tube of the type we would cut and thread ourselves at Trek and compared the wall thickness at the top of each steer tube. Both were identical, at 1.50mm thick. Therefore I conclude that there is sufficient material on a modern threadless 1" steel steer tube to cut new threads, should the OP decide to go that route.

Maybe the OP already has a 1" threadless fork he'd like to use.

The post I was replying to (directly above mine) said that he asked specifically for an un-threaded fork when he got his new bike so that he could "chop and thread for a good fit".

In truth, aftermarket threading is risky at best. If the fork is so awesome that you have to have it on this exact bike, why would you risk ruining it? And if it's not such a big deal if it gets ruined, it can't be that awesome of a fork and you should probably find something else.

Therefore I conclude that there is sufficient material on a modern threadless 1" steel steer tube to cut new threads.

true in one case does not make it true in all cases, i hope you will agree.

I think this whole discussion is off base. The maximum bending stress in a steerer tube occurs at the bottom, where the tube is connected to the fork crown, and that's where failures occur. The bending stress decreases up the tube, and is essentially zero at the location of the top headset bearings. Both the wedge in a quill stem and the clamp on a threadless stem are located far away from the high stress point. Does that mean I would recommend trying to add threads to a threadless steerer? No, but not because of safety, but because it is not cost-effective and won't work very well if not done right.

true in one case does not make it true in all cases, i hope you will agree.
Certainly, but although I can think of a number of reasons why threadless 1" steel steer tubes would continue to use the same wall thickness as threaded 1" steel steer tubes (e.g. ease of manufacturing -- you only have to make one type of fork, thread some of them for the threaded market, leave the rest unthreaded; allowing for the possibility of aftermarket threading, etc.) I can't think of any reason why a threadless 1" steel steer tube of lighter gauge would be offered without prominent marketing ("it's soo much lighter!") and/or cautions about incompatibility with threads and quill stems.