Ive been looking at a few frames lately, and have always just naturally steered away from frames unless they had the matching, original fork. Yes I see tons of frame-only sales.

Question is: when you buy a vintage frame only, what do you do about finding a fork?

Just take the time until the perfect original-needle-in a haystack pops up somewhere?
Replace with one from similar model? repaint?
I don't know. I suppose a lot depends on the scarcity of the frame and such, but for those of you who have bought/buy frames without original forks, how do you track on down?

I know I saw a post in the FS/WTB recently for a peugeot fork, is that the best/only way? Curious about experiences out there.

Some aftermarket forks are nicer than original. But if originality is what you seek then buy complete. The nice thing abut most new frames is they all use aftermarket CF forks. So, it really doesnt matter how you buy it.

[MENTION=348979]mnmkpedals[/MENTION] - I can understand your challenge! A recent purchase was a Trek 760 that was a project, meaning it was incomplete. Since it was rattle canned black, I didn't even think to check the fork. The price was right too but now I would like a correct fork. The one on the frame is a Giant unicrown! I have searched without success and don't expect to find the needle in the haystack. A search on the specs show that the offset was 38mm. Most aftermarket forks have a 43mm offset. The frame is a 60cm so finding a used fork is extremely remote possibility. Oh and the fork crown is unique too so finding just a Trek fork won't line up either. Forks are the sacrificial part of a front end collision, and I suspect less likely to find as a result.

Somec and Soma both offer a track fork built with Tange in chrome with an offset of 38mm for about $130 ish. I guess it is the next best choice. I would have preferred to try a carbon fork but the dimensions don't line up with a respectable price. Even at $130, the price is higher than what I paid for the bike.

Patience is a virtue, paint is an option.

Tange chromed forks are another good option.

Last fall, I spotted an eBay auction for a Raleigh fork plus head tube and headset. Evidently, someone had sliced this head tube right off of the rest of the frame from a Super Course:

Note: It did not come with a head badge.


Skip ahead a few months, and I scored a cheap Super Course on CL. Unfortunately, the fork of that one was tweaked. Fortunately, the earlier one I had picked up on eBay was the right color and size. Problem solved.

Some companies keep fork offset measurements under wraps. I passed a frame up last month, for this reason. Often times the fork can sell for as much as the frame. At that point you've just pissed away a bunch of money. You want to know that the fork you are buying will fit into the jig the frame builder used or you really aren't enjoying the the frame the way is was built to operate. Been there, done that.

Chrome forks (newly made or vintage) will fit a lot of different frames. The trick for those of us who require large (over 60 cm) frames is finding ones with long enough steer tubes. I'd like the perfect fork that matches my frame, but, until then, the chrome one I bought of eBay for $50 will do me just fine.

Soma carries some nice steel forks if you don't care about finding the original. They're chrome, so it's easy to match.

Road Forks

I go to one of the many co-ops & see what they have.

That is where I found my candidate but instead of a road fork, 43mm offset, I will likely choose the track fork, 38mm, that is the same offset as the original. It is drilled for a brake too.

Forks can be found. There are new ones, there are used ones... was that really the question?

I'll let someone else tell you how to measure your frame to determine the dimensions of the desired fork. My advice is find any kind of fork that looks like it might fit --borrow one from another bike, for example-- and fit it. Then check if the top tube is level. Check if there's toe strike. If the trial fork isn't perfect, you should be able to estimate what it would take to make it better; so come up with the dimensions of the fork you want. Then... hope you got it right.

My Lambert frame came with a fork; but of course not the quick-release aluminum "death fork." Just some chrome thing. With that fork, the top tube sloped downward from the headset to the seat. The fork legs were too long. l fixed this by changing the rake of the fork (bending them a bit). This enabled me to figure out what I needed, and to ride the bike; I eventually found Electra was selling a fork with pretty much the exact specifications needed, and I got one. Fit perfectly!

I source replacement forks from my local co-op, sometimes from friends in the local bike community, and most often, eBay. I've also bought touring forks from Soma, and once from Action Bicycle for a Peugeot UO-8 restoration.

You can usually get a decent made-in-Taiwan lugged steel road fork on eBay for $50-80. It starts getting pricey when you want one with a specific brand engraving (like Eddy Merckx, Colnago, etc.). One-inch threaded touring forks (with canti studs and extra rack mount points) are also harder to find. Predictably, French-threaded forks are often cheaper and there's a nice supply on eBay.