s.warneke

Howdy y'all. Like many before me, I am interested in converting my trusty steel road bike from threaded to threaded. However, I am not doing this solely for the sake of weight savings... I want to do it for ease of maintenance while touring. I really love the fork on my bike, a mid 80's Trek 400, and even toyed around with the idea of getting a framebuilder to take off the old and weld on a new threadless steerer tube. But I don't even know if that is feasible!

So what I am wondering is, do any of you know of any decent lugged threadless 1 inch forks? I would prefer slightly curved legs and a sloping lugged crown. And the fork would absolutely NEED eyelets. I have run across some, but they are mostly like Surly Cross Check's and other such cross forks that have canti posts, which are unnecessary and unsightly when using caliper brakes as I do. I also know about those chromed Tange Prestige forks that mostly fit my bill, but I don't want to deal with the task of stripping chrome plating in order to get the fork powdercoated with my frame...

If anyone could point me in the direction of a good lugged 1 inch fork with eyelets, please let me know!!

rpenmanparker 

Replacement steel forks often come chromed because, well, they have to be finished somehow, and chrome is very durable and neutral. There is no way to match a replacement fork with everybody's frame, so the best solution is a durable finish that matches none.

Are you sure chrome would have to be stripped, couldn't just be powder coated over? I know chrome is often painted over when chrome frames are sprayed. Usually accents are chromed first without masking then the chromed accent is masked off and the rest of the frame is painted. Lots of chrome gets painted over quite satisfactorily. I am not sure how this would work with powder coating, but I would be optimistic until proved otherwise.

Actually your original idea sounds just fine: to replace the steerer. Could be pricey vs. the inexpensive replacement forks, but finding what you want ready-made could be difficult.

Robert

s.warneke

That makes sense about how factory replacement forks come chromed as a solution for not being able to ever perfectly match all the different frames they will be paired with. That also explains how most non-chrome forks are black... another "neutral" choice.

People I know in the auto world say that you can either giving the chrome an acid bath in a certain acid or sandblasting off the chrome is the best way to make sure you have a stable substrate underneath to apply the powdercoat over. Chrome plating can flake off over time, just like paint or even powdercoat. And you need to strip old paint or powdercoat before you have an item powdercoated...

Maybe I could go for this black fork from Tange? https://www.bikemania.biz/forks/tange...cross-cx-fork/
... and then hack saw off the canti studs, and neatly file/sand away he bits the hacksaw can't quite get? before I powdercoat it?

LesterOfPuppets

Surly Steamroller.

Oh, wait, you want sloping crown? My 1988 Trek 400T had flat crown, IIRC.

All-City Big Block, but it has straight blades.

All-City Mr. Pink, but it has flat crown. Might be 1-1/8, too.

canam73

How about finding a long, threaded steerer fork of the type you want and cutting the threaded portion off?

Obviously this will be difficult if you already ride a larger frame.

And/or if you can find a fork you like with canti posts it would probably be easier to cut them off and repaint then it would be to weld a new steerer on to your current fork.