I just bought a new bike today for the first time and after going back to where I work (which is very far from where I bought the bike)
I noticed that the fork (if that is what it is called) are not in a straight line with each other, but what's weird is even though the fork is like that the wheel is still straight so to say. I was wondering that maybe It is just built like that and I am regretting the fact that I bought it unaware even after inspecting it. Well here are picture as it is very hard to explain.









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So if you will notice the right tube is slightly forward.

That looks seriously wrong. Something appears to have bent one fork leg backwards. I can't see how that fork can be reliably ridden like that. The fork ends/dropouts can't meet up squarely with the ends of the hub. There's probably plenty of stiction as the fork compresses.
I'm guessing you bought it used, since I can't imagine a shop releasing a bike looking like that.
You need to discuss that with the seller, as he sold you a bike that's unfit for use.

Thank you for the reply, well it is my fault for being a beginner so all I could do now is just have it replace.

Return for refund

While I agree with the assessment of a twisted fork and perhaps one leg being shorter then the other (and this really isn't so uncommon to one degree or another) I don't agree with the suggestion of the inability to ride this fork. I see bent, twisted, misaligned forks being used every week. Pretty much all these are on bikes that are being ridden and are giving reliable service to their owners. In fact many riders never pick up on this. But most misaligned forks I see are not as bad as the one in this thread. I tend to take issue when alignment is confused with function.


The common example most of us have dealt with is squealing brakes. When a customer comes into the shop and complains about their noisy brakes the first thing I usually ask back is "do they stop you?" To a person they say "yes, but..." Andy.

This appears to be a disc brake fork. Most disc brake forks still have traditional q/r axles.
On a disc brake fork with a traditional q/r you really need to make sure the front wheel is well clamped in to avoid wheel ejection when braking. given the degree of deformation shown here, I really wonder what kind of alignment there is available between dropouts and locknuts.

picture inconclusive .. out of the bike .. in a shop that owns one of Park's alignment gages,

then you may be able to judge is each tip equidistant from the center line
and does 1 blade precede or fall behind the other..

(i picked up an old Tange MTB fork in the 90s, with some of those issues , the shop I left it with was so equipped,
and they bent it back into alignment)




Suspension fork , if it fails the alignment test you (a) throw it away
or (b) just ignore it since you cannot do anything about it, other than (a)

I agree, I tried riding the bike to see if there are any problems or anything noticeable and to me there are literally no problem(but I'm a beginner so...) . As it will require a lot of effort transporting this bike back without a private vehicle, I am thinking whether or not this defect is major enough to be returned, I'm not planning on using this bike for sport right now and just bought it because it seemed sturdy enough, anyway what are specific steps can I take to check the fork?

Just loosen those triple clamps and re-align it.

I don't have tools. And there is no bike shop near where I work. So I really don't see me getting anywhere to fixing this it hasn't been a day since I bought it so there really is no trouble if I return it on next Sunday and have it swapped with one of the same model.

I dont see the kind of fork crown trail angel is imagining is there .

The blade stancions are fused to the fork crown..

You just got the bike return to the dealer and discuss your issue with him ..

New Bikes typically have a Year to sort out defects in parts Manufacturing Processes and Materials.

excluding tires .. for flats ..

Simple tools and a good eye are all that are needed to work out the possible fork misalignment.


A straight rod about the same diameter as the drop out slot fitted into the slots serve as a straight edge indicating the dropout end of the fork. A second straight edge placed across the tops of the upper legs, just below the crown, does the same for that end of the fork. Are the two edges parallel when viewed from above?


A good dished and true wheel placed fully in the drop outs (without clamping any QR as that can shift the wheel) serves as a indicator for the "blade" lengths being the same. If the rim is off center near the top of the fork then the wheel is situated off plane from the steerer.


Sighting through the steerer (star nut and any other inside the steerer part removed), through the above rim's valve hole (is this hole centered in the rim?) to the bottom of the rim (opposite the valve hole) and seeing if this view is centered on the rim will indicate if the fork is splayed to one side or the other.


Creative people will come up with refinements of this but this is very basic 3 axis aligning checks stuff. Andy.

Steerer tube in a V block on a FLat surface , then getting the fork crown square to that is the basis to work from.

if the fork crown is parallel to a known flat surface then the axle should also be parallel to that surface.

Agreed and the essential basis of my frame/fork building aligning system. But I doubt the OP has this equipment. Hence my simple tooling suggestion. Andy.

I see it as a If its not right take it back, situation .. only the distance to taking it back
has made the post Necessary.

Put the bike upside down and begin to loosen the front wheel. Watch how the inside face of the dropout lines up with the outside face of the hub/locknut. Should be nice and parallell, like ][.
If it's more like ]/ it's wrong. If the wheel is a press fit between the dropouts, it's wrong. If there's a considerable gap between drop outs and locknuts(say, more than 1/4" total) it's wrong.
Once the wheel is out, try putting a known flat surface - like a laptop - against the fork lowers. The fork lowers should be parallel, meaning that it should be possible for both legs to make contact with a flat surface simultaneously, and along the whole length.