Choosing a threadless fork length
 

Hey everyone, I'm replacing a 1" threaded fork with a 1" threadless fork -- including headset, etc. The fork I'm looking at comes in 4 sizes: 170, 200, 230 and 300.

(http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...Road+Fork.aspx)

Can I just order the longest (300) since I'll most likely be cutting it to fit anyways? Thanks.

That's what I would do. You can always cut it shorter, but stretching it will be hard as hell :p

Bike makers usually sell the bike with the tube cut too short, in my opinion. Getting shorter tubes limits how you can adjust the bike to fit you. You may not need the longest length, but it would probably be good to give yourself plenty of room.

definately get a 300.

My cannondale is a 56cm and has a 15.5cm headtube, integrated headset and the steerer is 210mm. I have zero spacers. I dont know of any bike that would need a 170 or 200mm steerer unless is was smaller then a 52 or so.

Weird. Why would they sell a threadless fork with different steerer lengths? Most eventually get cut down anyway.
It's so much easier for the supplier to just stock one size.

That's true. I didn't think of that. Weird.

Maybe they were trying to b convenient for people with small frames?

unless these forks were originally intended for production bikes...

I'm thinking the ad isn't exactly right.

QBP has a Tange road fork in their catalogue. It's offered in 170, 200, or 230mm lengths threaded and 300mm threadless.

That'd only make sense if the length was exactly what was needed for a given frame--and there are many different lengths required. It takes the same amount of effort no matter how much you gotta cut off.

I think you have it right. The fork is made threaded in 170, 200 or 230 mm lengths and threadless in 300 mm. That's the only explanation that makes sense.