chissi

Hi,
here's the story.
I was riding and talking with my friend. I guess it was about 5-10 mph? So, I was talking to him and couldn't see the pole (with the no parking sign etc.), then (Bam!) hit the pole and fell. Everything was okay, I was okay. However, when I looked close onto the fork, it seemed it got closer to the downtube of the frame. It doesn't seem that bad since it's not actually touching the frame.
I'm guessing it got bent finally and looking for a suggestion.
should I get a new fork? or is it okay to ride just like that with the bent fork?
please help me out.
Thanks in advance!

the_don

Should be fine.

Steel is quite malleable.

inertiadreamer

I'd go ask around and see which lbs could fix it and how much. Obviously with out a pic I can't see how bad it is, but I'd rather not ride around w/ a bent fork.

oldfixguy

The fork has been very heavily stressed. The reality is it is probably OK. But, do you want to place your personal well being in the hands of "probably". If it were me, I'd keep riding the bike, stop by the LBS to prompt them I'd be looking for quick turn around (and/or order the fork if required) and come payday I'd replace it. If your fork is threadless, replacing it is a snap. You'll need your LBS though to cut the steerer tube down to the proper length unless you have a pipe cutter then you can measure and do that yourself, too.

queerpunk

The good thing about steel is that it can be bent back into shape. A guy I know was riding, hit a pothole hard, and his fork flexed to the point where the front tire hit the downtube. He flipped over the bars; the fork was bent backwards and the downtube was bowed. He got that thing bent back into shape by a skilled framebuilder with an alignment table.

Another buddy was riding on an MUP and hit a bollard he didn't see. Bulges in the HT and DT; took it to a shop that's got an alignment table and guess what? Fixed for cheap.

What's the moral of the story? If you've got a shop that knows anything about steel, or has a mechanic who's been a mechanic for, oh, say about fifteen years or so, they might be able to bend it back into place. It's not a terribly complicated or expensive repair, steel can handle it, and your bike will be pretty much good as new.

Hirohsima

See, everyone is saying you can bend it back. My first thought was GREAT, time to ge a new fork! The last time I crunched my road bike into the garage on top of the car I was pissed, for all of about 5 min before I realized I get to go out and buy a new bike.

That said, nobody here can tell you if your fork will be fine or not. I always error on the side of caution. If I am in any doubt, I just buy a replacement.

das_pyrate

i'd get it coldset or whatever