Slightly bent fork
 

I have discovered my fork is slightly bent.I posted a short time ago on my top tube being slightly not level and wondering if this is normal and received myriad and valuable feedback.Since then I brought it to a mechanic and he said it is most definitely bent.On returning home I noticed a s slight wrinkling of the chrome right below the crown in 2 places.My estimate is it was bent backward a grand total of 1 cm.It feels the same except my toes are closer to the front tire than they were previously though the wheelbase is normally quite short anyway.
The bending ocurred when I rode into a chain link fence at about 10 mph in the dark.(It was laid across a previously open bike trail)I rode off with no difficulty just a little neck pain.I'm wondering if people think the fork is compromised enough to reevaluate riding at high speeds.I actually can still ride handless and it feels good.The frame is a Pinarello Montello 1989 and the fork is a Tommasini of the same Era.Here is a link to the previous post with a picture of the bike but the pic is pre collisionWould a bend of 1 cm.really make any difference whatsoever? http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...op-tubes-Level

Steel is pretty forgiving and could most likely be unbent. I have a fork alignment tool for just that purpose.

What type of fork alignment tool?tool?Does it straighten forks? Here's the present condition of the fork by the way.

I straightened a fork like this once by taking a straight wooden dowel and taping it to the top arms of the fork and then taking a all threaded rod and putting it in the bottom of the fork. Then I would twist the fork holding the bars with my feet or if you can get someone to hold the bars as you twist that is even better. When the top and the bottom of the fork arms are straight the dowel and the all threaded rod will be parallel. Then I had some shipping pallets so I stuck the fork arms between the cracks in the pallet planks and then used the bike frame as leverage to tweek the fork arms back forward.

If you try this just go slow and don't over bend the arms.

If the bikes still rides well -- and from your narrative this seems to be the case -- I'd just leave it alone and ride it. Steel is quite forgiving, but every time you bend it, it works-hardens a little more so straightening the fork would actually result in more hardening.

The tool holds it and has a guide to show you if it is straight. The actual bending is done by another tool called bicep.

Had a guy reverse over my front wheel in traffic, bending the front fork on my 1973 Raleigh.

Flipped over the back, feet on the handlbars, and stuck a hammer between the arms of the fork, and twisted it to fix it. Once or twice doing this, I could ride freehanded again. You'll know which way the fork is bent from the direction you start to fall when you take your hands off the bike.