cudak888 

On my seemingly endless quest to stick an original-appearing fork onto my '77 and '83 Guerciottis, I've been scratching my head over something:

Where in blue blazes have all the decent, lugged, chrome 700C forks dissapeared to?

I know they're out there - Tange made some nice lugged, sloping, lugged crown forks back in the '80s, and so did other companies, and they've all but apparently dissapeared. I've bugged Bike Forums, Oldroads, the CR list, tore eBay apart right and left - you name it - and I've come up with NOTHING.

Can anyone explain this phenomenon?

Take care,

-Kurt

robtown

How about $59 for a Chromed Raliegh Reynolds 531 Hand Made Fork? Try https://www.nycbikes.com/item.php?item_id=627
https://www.nycbikes.com/item.php?item_id=628

cudak888 

All chrome? I don't think so.

-Kurt

robtown

Close, but no cigar

cudak888 

It stinks when one's only option are cheap Pyramid-branded unicrown forks...

-Kurt

bigbossman 

Dunno if this is what you're looking for, but go HERE and theb click on Misc Parts. There are some NOS one's for $40.

frank121

1 1/8" headtubes, carbon fiber forks, automation

cudak888 

That is not a good explination, for one can get a half-dozen different types of lugged, all-chrome, 1" threaded 27" forks in the aftermarket. Current trends do not directly dictate the entire selection of aftermarket parts for older bicycles; the availability of 27" forks is evident of that.

-Kurt

cudak888 

Steerers are all too short, unfortunately. Weird crowns too. Looks like '90s stuff.

-Kurt

Otis

Uh, I think you want to set the way-back machine to 1996 at least. Face it, the stuff has been disappearing for years, with a rapid acceleration over the last couple of years. Lots of stuff I've always taken fro granted are now "rare" parts.

Noah Scape

QBP carries this fork...I can't vouch for the quality (marketed under the Dimension brand). Hi-ten with a JIS Fork crown seat

bigbossman 

Refresh my memory - what size steerer do you need?

poopncow

times change...even since Nov. Over T'giving, I saw a threaded version in the store and they only wanted $60. Maybe there was another cheaper model and I wasn't dreaming.

https://trackstarnyc.com/store/catalo...roducts_id=143

cuda2k

Kurt, what length steerer did you need again, I'll call my local vintage bike shop (well, kinda local) and ask what they might have on hand later this week for you.

iab

How about this one on ebay, needs some work.

https://cgi.ebay.com/Italian-Lygie-Fo...QQcmdZViewItem

cudak888 

Noah: That is a 27" fork though, isn't it?

Bossman: 222mm minimum.

Poop 'N Cow : It's nice, but the angle of a track fork won't match that of a road fork.

Cuda2K:222mm, preferably, and recessed brake mounts. Thanks!

IAB: Too short a steer tube - and butt ugly!

Take care,

-Kurt

doco

I don't know why you are having trouble...I have scored 4 all chromes in the last 6 months from here, ebay and cl...I just got a perfect condition vintage lugged chrome benotto fork 250mm uncut that will be going on my frame that I am building up...

why don't you just find a fork that will work, send it to cycle art and have them chrome it for 150...that is what I did for my track bike fork..came out just fine

GCRyder

If you find the answer, please post it here. I can sympathize, having gone through the same thing looking for a chromed, lugged crown fork to replace the unicrown on my not-quite-vintage Wheeler. I looked for 2+years, and looked at most of the options already posted above, and found that they were a) for 27" wheels, or b) raked for track use, or c) had steerers that were inches too short for the headtube on my 59cm frame. I even bought one that was specifically represented to be for 700 wheels, only to find it was the 27" JIS fork that Noah pointed out above. I've now found one that looked like it was going to work, but even that steerer has revealed itself to be about 5mm too short to work with my headset. I now have a shorter headset on order, but I've noticed that this fork also has slightly less rake than the fork I took off. Beginning to doubt that I'll be happy with it, and considering tossing in the towel. I love the way the bike rides with the unicrown, so maybe I need to get over how they look.

cudak888 

You local CL might be better then, but I haven't seen anything on eBay in the last 4 months or so.

The chroming is not the issue - there is a shop here in Miami that does pro chrome work for less then Cycleart - the problem is the steer tube issue.

In fact, the local frame repainter had a beat-up Guerciotti fork on hand that I could have easily had chromed, but the steerer is too short. Can't torch it out either due to the use of brass on the steeer - would require cutting out the steerer and grinding out the remains out of the crown with a die grinder.


I dare say the answer is to find another high-end roadbike with full chrome forks that has enough frame damage or looks ugly enough that you don't care whether you pull the fork or not (and straighten it if nessesary, provided the steerer isn't bent).

P.S.: Would that fork that you found work on my application (222mm steerer)? Let me know if it would, and if you decide to keep the unicrown.

Take care,

-Kurt

poopncow

Tell us more about this chromer nearby you

Have an old fork that could use a new finish.

cuda2k

I'll try to give them a call later this week, or if get a chance I might drive over.

cudak888 

Say, Noah, just curious, did you ever get a chance to send on out those Arabesque DT levers?

Take care,

-Kurt

cudak888 

It's two shops actually - a polishing shop and a chroming shop. I rarely go there, for I try to stay away from anything that requires chroming. It would probably be easier for you if you were local.


I don't know how to thank you. Feel free to call me on my cell if you find something while you're at the shop. Will PM my cell # to you.

-Kurt

cyclotoine

Check the yellow pages, there are definately chromers in the nearest large city to you but it is dangerous. I had a fork done for $60 but lost some of the detail at the dropouts, the chrome was way to thick and I think they may have tried to hide the marks from the locknuts and skewers which means they either sanded to DOs a bit of filled them in, or the chrome was just too dark thick at the tips as it was hug from the stear tube. I was pretty upset but what is done is done... in the future I would go with a pro like cycleart.

cudak888 

You got to make sure they DON'T stick common "triple-plate" on it - read up at Cycleart about this. Triple-plate is the chroming eqivilant to thick powdercoat as a frame finish.

Furthermore, if you don't want those details lost, when you have the fork cleaned, detail all those little crevices by hand - make sure they're polished and there is NO paint or contaminants in there. If there is, most shops, when polishing the part, will simply go overboard and sand off lettering instead of picking out the little paint and other crap sitting in there with a wirebrush.

Another thing for everyone else to know about chroming shops: If the shop does NOT nickel-plate before chrome-plating, do NOT, and I repeat, do NOT use that shop.

-Kurt