lhorn

I'm building up a backup bike using a 2004 Jamis Quest frame. I bought a Bianchi Giro with a damaged frame for parts. The Jamis came with a non original Origin 8 cromoly. Problem with that fork is that I would prefer carbon, it's heavy and requires a long reach caliper which I'd have to buy. The Bianchi conveniently came with a carbon fork.

1. Can I use this fork? Both are similar sized frames but the Jamis has a head tube that's 0.13 inches longer. Is this going to make a difference? In other words, does it seem likely that I'd be able to the get the locknut on (since the steerer was made for a frame with a .13 inch shorter head tube), or is there such thing as a low profile head set? (The Bianchi carbon fork is also threaded so I'd have to use a quill adapter because I don't want to use a quill stem, but that's not a big deal).

2. Should I use this fork? The pics show there is some significant damage to the clear coat. I don't see that there are any cracks or that the carbon weave has been touched, but I guess you don't want to play around with a questionable fork? Would anyone use this thing or is it better to pass. My reason to consider it is that it's supposed to be a budget build but I don't want to compromise safety.

Thanks for any thoughts on this.

cyccommute 

The left blade in the first picture has a wierd angle. The dropouts look like they might be misaligned as well. Measure the distance between the dropouts and if it's much more then 100 mm, you should pass.

lhorn

Sorry, I see what you mean but I think that's an optical illusion from the way I took the picture. I'll check it out, but they look quite straight and square to the naked eye.

cny-bikeman

Assuming the fork is OK you are giving up almost 4 threads on the headset - that does not sound good. If it's a problem you may be able to find a headset with a shorter stack height. You do need to make sure that the seat on the fork is the same diameter as the headset you are using.

More to the point - why would you ask rather than just measure? Measure the length of the fork from the top of the seat to the top of the column and subtract the head tube length. The headset stack height (amount of headset that is outside of the head tube) ideally should be that dimension or less, no more than 1mm or so more.

lhorn

Thanks for the reply. I'm pretty much a beginner at this. I'll try to see if I can borrow a set of calipers from a friend to do an accurate measurement of the stack height. I was originally going to just assemble it and see if it fits but the adjustable race was destroyed. It's thread were galled and got stripped horribly in the disassembly process but fortunately the threads on the steerer still look good.

Anyone got major concerns about the shape of the fork? Since it's just the clear coat, my thought is it's just cosmetic, but what so I know?

lhorn

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...39_-1___202438

Would this product solve my problem? (other than currently being out of stock). I assume you'd still use a head set made for a threaded steerer?

"In the 28.6mm size: This solution is the solution if your problem is a 1 1/8" (outside diameter) threaded steer tube fork with a 25.4mm inside diameter and you need to add 85mm of extension so you can clamp a 1 1/8" stem to the extension."

Again, I'll have to measure but it seems like it would add more than enough length...perhaps too much. I suppose either this adapter or the original steerer could be cut down, if it became too long.

FBinNY 

There are two separate issues here. Can you use this fork, and should you use this fork.

First of all, can you?

4mm is a lot of thread engagement to take from a headset locknut which typically has only about 6mm of engagement. 2mm simply isn't enough. If you can remove a spacer, or substitute a thinner you might be OK, but consider 3mm to be the absolute minimum (all fudge already used) height above the top spacer. Best bet, as suggester earlier, a headset with lower stack height if it exists.

Should you?

That's a judgment call you need to make for yourself. I'd discount minor scratches to the clearcoat, or even to the carbon near the bottom of either blade (very minor here), but I'd be more concerned about the provenance. You said the bike had been in an accident. That implies some force and might indicate hidden damage to the fork. It's impossible to say, and you might have clues based on seeing the rest of the frame and the front wheel. Look for any hint of front end impact under the front of the downtube, and for damage to the wheel. Then it's your decision. I won't advise you except to say, that I'm much more conservative in what I'll chance in a fork than I am about the rear triangle.

Gonzo Bob

The Quest uses a 1-1/8" fork and according to Bikepedia, the threaded carbon forks used on Bianchi Giros are 1". But you have the fork so you can just measure it.

If it is 1", you could get a pair of these https://problemsolversbike.com/produc...tube_reducers/ but it looks like it adds 2mm to your stack height.

lhorn

Holy crap Gonzo Bob..you are correct. That's egg on my face. I got a caliper and the Bianchi steerer is indeed 1 inch. That actually makes the decision easier. By the time I spend $25 on a headtube reducer, $25 on a new threaded headset and $15 on a steerer extension, plus shipping, all to use a cosmetically ugly fork with a questionable history, I'd be better off buying a new Nashbar fork for $89 with steel steerer or $140 for carbon steerer. The other option is to spend $30 on Nashbar long reach brakes and use my cromoly Origin 8 fork.

Thanks for everything.

Actually looking on Ebay, someone is selling what looks to be NOS or takeoff 2006 Orbea carbon forks with 300 mm carbon steerers for $100 plus $10 shipping. That would save me about 1/2 pound over the nashbar fork with steel steerer (not try to be a WW but also not trying to build a 24# bike) and hopefully allow me to use my 105 brakes that came on the totaled Bianchi. That's probably how I'll go.
Thanks.