Bend my forks please?
11-03-09, 03:29 PM
#1
Wood
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Bend my forks please?
Does anyone know who I could send my forks to, to bend them into more of a flexy bend, like a touring bike?
They are on my Bridgestone 300.
They are on my Bridgestone 300.
11-05-09, 10:20 PM
#2
weirdo
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Still no repiles?
My semi informed take: If you were to have your forks bent more, it would probably affect handling by decreasing trail by a considerable amount and slightly steepening the HTA (both would be "anti-touring" changes) with very little difference in smoothness. I think fork bends are more of a style thing than a comfort issue. Hopefully the geometery gurus will correct me if I`m wrong here.
Can you fit fatter tires in there? That would probably make a bigger difference in comfort without any real pitfalls and would definitely be cheaper and easier, also easilly undone and guaranteed not to do any damage.
My semi informed take: If you were to have your forks bent more, it would probably affect handling by decreasing trail by a considerable amount and slightly steepening the HTA (both would be "anti-touring" changes) with very little difference in smoothness. I think fork bends are more of a style thing than a comfort issue. Hopefully the geometery gurus will correct me if I`m wrong here.
Can you fit fatter tires in there? That would probably make a bigger difference in comfort without any real pitfalls and would definitely be cheaper and easier, also easilly undone and guaranteed not to do any damage.
11-05-09, 10:53 PM
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it ill make the steering slacker its not a great idea but you can do it yourelf with a little map gas and a bench vice. you are going to have to repaint it either way. i know its a horrible sounding idea but i have done it to a fork i rode every day for years and hasnt failed yet. i wouldnt do it to that bike, because you should be able to buy a steel threaded fork with a greater rake for about the same price and alot less effort than sending it to somebody if you can find someone.
11-12-09, 01:28 PM
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I had a CrMo fork de-raked by about 8 mm, by Chicago framebuilder Ron Boi. He can be found at RRB Cycles, in Kenilworth, Illinois.
It raised the head tube about 0.25 degree. When I estimated the new trail value including that correction, it ended up that I still got a significant increase in trail, even though the angle change tended to oppose the reduction in rake.
I was also told it would be safe to reverse the bend of that fork if I did not like it.
The cost was around $40 for that alone, but I combined it with a thorough frame alignment.
It raised the head tube about 0.25 degree. When I estimated the new trail value including that correction, it ended up that I still got a significant increase in trail, even though the angle change tended to oppose the reduction in rake.
I was also told it would be safe to reverse the bend of that fork if I did not like it.
The cost was around $40 for that alone, but I combined it with a thorough frame alignment.
11-12-09, 01:32 PM
#7
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it ill make the steering slacker its not a great idea but you can do it yourelf with a little map gas and a bench vice. you are going to have to repaint it either way. i know its a horrible sounding idea but i have done it to a fork i rode every day for years and hasnt failed yet. i wouldnt do it to that bike, because you should be able to buy a steel threaded fork with a greater rake for about the same price and alot less effort than sending it to somebody if you can find someone.
Please share your sources, if they're better than this.
When I had a fork's rake adjusted, it took a few days and about $40, and the framebuilder did not heat it.
11-12-09, 07:44 PM
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weirdo
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A brand new fork would probably have to be custom. If I liked the bike but wanted different steering, I`d probably start hounding eBay or bike junkyards. I know they rarely give specs for stuff like that, but if you can find them cheap enough it isn`t much of a gamble.
