Question about forks. When you replace the original fork in a bicycle, doesn't that change the ride and handling? The new fork will not have the same rake and/or trail or is it all interchangeable like plug and play?

Yes, & yes.

I've switch out forks for less rake & more trail on at least 5 of my 10 bikes for that exact reason. It's easy to swap to get the ride characteristics you like. I like slack geometry low rake, high trail. That's me. Others like quick, responsive & nimble bikes & would do the opposite of what I've done.

Been there ... done that with my UO-8, which I bought originally as a bare frame when I worked at a Peugeot/Nishiki dealership. My after-market fork has less rake and slightly less crown-to-tire clearance than the original. I am very pleased with the way it rides, and my small amount of toe-to-tire overlap has never been cause for concern, although I am sure it would freak out the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Looks like for a tour bike which for many over the years has been a sturdy road bike without a CF fork, makes vintage bikes look good because they fill the bill so... even if you would never consider putting 35 lbs. of additional weight on the back of your vintage Raleigh Grand Prix, you still expect a restoration to stay faithful to the original build.

I ask this question because some used bikes come with non-original forks due to damage or up grade (carbon fork). When you change the fork the handling and the ride is different from the bike manufacturer's intented characteristic traits. So when you are buying a Merck with a non-original fork, are you experiencing something close to what the manufacturer intended?

Having had an '87 Corsa Extra, I'd say no.

Thank you for your response and everybody who responded.

Tange made a lot of replacement forks BITD. They were available in everything from cheap ones with stamped steel crowns and gas pipe tubing to full slopping Cinelli style crowns, forged fork ends and Tange alloy steel blades.

I bought a Motobecane Team Champion frame. Did a local pickup. It wasn't mentioned in the listing that it had a Tange replacement fork. As soon as I picked up the frame, the fork didn't look right. I saw it had Tange fork ends.

The first thing that I did was reach under the top and down tubes and felt small ripples. It had been in a front ender! I had the frame alignment checked and it had been properly straightened so the frame angles were correct. I negotiated a substantial refund on the spot!



It''s a nice fork but there's a number of problems with it: The rake is about a 10mm longer than the original fork plus clearance for 27" wheels rather than short reach 700c. The fork raised the front of the bike up at least 15mm which increased the 74° head tube angle and made the bike handle very twitchy.



I had a spare fork from Gitane Super Corsa that had the correct dimensions. It fixed some of the twitchy handling and looks correct.



So yes, replacement forks can present problems with handling, brake reach and tire clearance. On a performance bike this can be a real issue, not so much on a beater.

When I see a bike with a replacement fork, I want to know why? A carbon fork could be an excuse for a frame that's been in a crash that damaged the original forks, especially if it's a repaint!

verktyg

Many replacement forks, sold as such or swapped out from another frame set (of even the same brand but possibly of different year) can make a noticeable difference.
Humans are very adaptable.
Even "wrong" handling can be tolerated.

it's best to find a fork with the same A-C (axle to crown) measurement. I doubt you would feel +/- 5mm. A friend bought a bike with a carbon fork which rode like it was on rails, i.e. you couldn't turn. It was okay at speed, but in a parking lot, watch out. I never did figure out what was wrong, but I'm sure it was the A-C. I think the fork was too short and had less rake than the bike was designed for.