Well, I can't say now that I would recommend Harbor Freight calipers. New ones from Home Depot gave me measurements of 26.4 multiple times in several areas of the fork crown.
Thanks for the pointers, gentlemen. It wouldn't be a project of mine without asking a silly question or two.
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Everyone thinks they have had a long strange trip, until they look at other folks' journeys. Then they realize everyone has had a long strange trip, just using different modes of transportation.
"The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience."