Bicycle Mechanics - Cracked front fork

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rtciv
10-01-10, 04:09 AM
Last week I noticed a surface crack on one side of my old Dawes Galaxy's forks. It could have been there a while and I wouldn't have noticed it. While taking apart the front of the bike so that I could get at the crack to repair it, the whole thing just fell off - you can see from the pics perhaps that it seems to be quite an old crack.

Now, I need to get it repaired. A couple of years ago a rear dropout snapped in half on this same frame and I just got a car mechanic to weld it for me, no problems at all. I spoke to a guy who builds bikes and does a lot of steel work and he said that he couldn't weld this kind of metal, and that it needs to be brazed on instead.

Oh and the handlebar stem is frozen, too :notamused: so that makes it hard to access the fork on its own.

Here are some pictures. I've not embedded them because they're quite large so that you can see the area clearly.

The crack as I found it:
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/8633/dscf8095large.jpg
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/636/dscf8096large.jpg

The separated fork arm:
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/2562/dscf8100large.jpg

And the bike-side of the fracture:
http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/7182/dscf8098large.jpg

Inside the cavity are a lot of crumbly deposits and so on. The fracture is clearly very jagged but no metal was lost and both halves fit together neatly.


"What shall I do?!?!"

thanks

bradtx
10-01-10, 04:29 AM
rtciv, Prudent advice is to replace the fork.

Brad
rtciv
10-01-10, 04:31 AM
rtciv, Prudent advice is to replace the fork.

Brad

http://catmacros.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/lalala_cant_hear_cat.jpg?w=640&h=480

:'(

dabac
10-01-10, 04:47 AM
Ouch, that is NASTY. I wouldn't want to have a go at repairing that, let alone riding the repaired item. Count your blessings that this hasn't had you doing a faceplant and get another fork. They don't need to be that expensive.
Esteban32696
10-01-10, 05:01 AM
OUCH ! I wouldn't try to repair it. I would take a good close look all over the bike before I did anything else. There may be more rust/cracks !!
wrk101
10-01-10, 05:08 AM
+1 I would want to see the rest of the bike before I put anything into it. Replacement chrome forks are cheap.
cappuccino911
10-01-10, 05:22 AM
The hassle of fixing that as well as cost and then not even knowing if it was truly fixed would keep me from doing it. New fork can be had for 40 bucks. I'd be tearing that bike down completely and giving it a thorough look over too, maybe frame saver it.
JohnDThompson
10-01-10, 06:34 AM
A replacement fork would be cheaper and safer than repairing the present fork.
MichaelW
10-01-10, 08:10 AM
Not repairable in any safe and cost-effective way.
New 1" touring forks start at about £30 from sjscycles.
Check the frame before investing any money.
cycle_maven
10-01-10, 08:45 AM
It would be way more costly to have a new fork crown brazed onto the old blades and steering tube, than to just get a new fork. Plus, if the crown is that rusty, then the blades are probably compromised as well. You'd have to do it yourself, because a reputable frame builder wouldn't touch it.
fietsbob
10-01-10, 10:24 AM
A frame builder can clone that fork, and make one that will function like the old one.
Fork offset-rake, blade length, would need be maintained, to do that, off the shelf spares may not.

Whether you are up to that cost is separate ..