Crash, Trashed fork, a way forward?
03-16-19 | 12:15 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2011
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From: Seattle WA
Bikes: 2009 Handsome Devil, 1987 Trek 520 Cirrus, 1978 Motobecane Grand Touring, 1987 Nishiki Cresta GT, 1989 Specialized Allez Former bikes; 1986 Miyata Trail Runner, 1979 Miyata 912, 2011 VO Rando, 1999 Cannondale R800, 1986 Schwinn Passage
Crash, Trashed fork, a way forward?
On Wednesday we had a sunny beautiful day locally so I took a ride, like you do. I took my 1987 Nishiki Cresta GT a bike I got from a Forum Member (@The Thin Man) I put a lot of time and effort and $$ into building this bike up and I was really liking the end result. I gave myself the xmas gift of a Nitto front Rack, I will say for context that when I mounted the rack I used a nut with a built in nylon washer on the bolt that attached the rack to the fork crown, the kind that makes it hard to get the nut on and off the bolt without a wrench. I say this because I crashed on my ride and my theory is that the bolt came loose, the rack then slipped forward (it was mile 3 of the ride) acting as an emergency brake on the front wheel; endo city, me on bike path. It sucks that I did this to myself and doubly sucks because I thought I was being extra careful in mounting the rack. Again this is my theory i don't know what actually happened but that's kind of a moot point now.
I am ok aside from bruises and a sore wrist and knee, it could have been alot worse, but the fork is toast and my question to the forum is has anyone else had a crash resulting in a trashed fork? what are my options? what should I look out for? I know I could probably look for a canti 27" fork at the co-op but I am leery that there is more damage than just the fork. I can certainly salvage alot of what is on the bike onto a new project and if I am honest half the fun for me is finding the project, and restoring an old neglected bike to usefulness and tweaking it to be comfortable for me. I am prepared, I think, to walk away from the Cresta and I don't have a ton of extra $$ to have the frame fixed if its damaged (head tube etc) but am interested in others experiences with this type of damage. I have other bikes but I like the Japanese touring bike of the late 80s and I was digging the Tange 2 steel frame, then again maybe the universe is saying "this is why you can't have nice things"
Pictures or it didn't happen.
September refurb complete
after, trashed fork, death by Clydesdale
post crash
I am ok aside from bruises and a sore wrist and knee, it could have been alot worse, but the fork is toast and my question to the forum is has anyone else had a crash resulting in a trashed fork? what are my options? what should I look out for? I know I could probably look for a canti 27" fork at the co-op but I am leery that there is more damage than just the fork. I can certainly salvage alot of what is on the bike onto a new project and if I am honest half the fun for me is finding the project, and restoring an old neglected bike to usefulness and tweaking it to be comfortable for me. I am prepared, I think, to walk away from the Cresta and I don't have a ton of extra $$ to have the frame fixed if its damaged (head tube etc) but am interested in others experiences with this type of damage. I have other bikes but I like the Japanese touring bike of the late 80s and I was digging the Tange 2 steel frame, then again maybe the universe is saying "this is why you can't have nice things"
Pictures or it didn't happen.
September refurb complete
after, trashed fork, death by Clydesdale
post crash
Last edited by ryansu; 03-16-19 at 12:19 AM.
03-16-19 | 02:41 AM
#3
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 809
Likes: 132
Im sure plenty of crashes resulted in trashed forks. VISUALLY its a dead give away. Replace the fork, check the frames alignment, if it costs more than what the bike costs, maybe invest in a new project. I know you like the bike..but the bike is definitely replaceable, sorry to say.
03-16-19 | 02:53 AM
#4
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2014
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From: Eugene, Oregon, USA
I don't see any signs of a bent frame. 
Of course, it never hurts to look for signs in the usual places... Top tube, Down tube, 1" behind the head tube.
You'll find a good replacement fork, perhaps needing painted if you keep your eyes peeled.
I'm not seeing anything on Ebay that makes me terribly excited. Of course, there are a lot of forks that could be modified to fit your needs. Adding canti posts, etc.
Of course, it never hurts to look for signs in the usual places... Top tube, Down tube, 1" behind the head tube.You'll find a good replacement fork, perhaps needing painted if you keep your eyes peeled.
I'm not seeing anything on Ebay that makes me terribly excited. Of course, there are a lot of forks that could be modified to fit your needs. Adding canti posts, etc.
03-16-19 | 04:29 AM
#5
Sophomore Member
Joined: Jan 2019
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I would replace the fork, though it could be difficult to find a nice enough canti'ed (non-unicrown) one, depending on the selection at your local co-op. Then look around for a shade of white paint that matches pretty close. The color can be off a little and it won't be noticeable. Save those "Tange" stickers by steaming them off or using a hair dryer to carefully remove, and put them on the new fork.
I think the frame is probably fine. It may have been stressed momentarily, but not stressed enough to actually bend (i.e., it withstood the stress successfully) so unless there's something I'm not seeing in those photos, I think you're fine, frame-wise.
I think the frame is probably fine. It may have been stressed momentarily, but not stressed enough to actually bend (i.e., it withstood the stress successfully) so unless there's something I'm not seeing in those photos, I think you're fine, frame-wise.
03-16-19 | 04:39 AM
#6
Senior Member
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From: Near Pottstown, PA: 30 miles NW of Philadelphia
Bikes: 2 Trek Mtn, Cannondale R600 road, 6 vintage road bikes
Take it to Gugie. Or a local fame builder. I would not be surprised if they said the frame is fine and the fork can be restored. I'll bet they'll need to remove the fork to inspect the steerer tube. Call ahead to see if they would prefer you remove all the components first or bring it "as is". Lovely bike so don't make assumptions unless you have the expertise.
03-16-19 | 05:58 AM
#8
Bianchi Goddess
Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.
Glad your OK Forks are relatively inexpensive, if you intend to use this a lot I'd look for a new fork.
This is interesting because I use those Nylock nuts myself for things like racks and fenders.
This is interesting because I use those Nylock nuts myself for things like racks and fenders.
__________________
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
03-16-19 | 06:35 AM
#9
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From: Fredericksburg, Va
Bikes: ? Proteous, '65 Frejus TDF, '73 Bottecchia Giro d'Italia, '83 Colnago Superissimo, '84 Trek 610, '84 Trek 760, '88 Pinarello Veneto, '88 De Rosa Pro, '89 Pinarello Montello, 'Litespeed Catalyst'94 Burley Duet, 97 Specialized RockHopper, 2010 Langster
[MENTION=231285]ryansu[/MENTION] - Repairable. Take advantage of the repair options provided. I did my own with success. You must take the fork off the bike and examine the steerer. If it is not bent, it can be salvaged. Like this one.
WP_20150430_008, on Flickr
P1020998, on Flickr
This one did not meet the criteria:
P1030228, on Flickr
WP_20150430_008, on Flickr
P1020998, on Flickr
This one did not meet the criteria:
P1030228, on Flickr
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Bikes don't stand alone. They are two tired.
Bikes don't stand alone. They are two tired.
03-16-19 | 06:42 AM
#11
feros ferio
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us
Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;
I prefer a bit more toe-to-tire clearance than that. 
Seriously, I am glad you are OK. As others note, the frame appears to be OK, as well. If the fork is straightened slowly and carefully by someone who knows that they are doing, it may be salvageable. Otherwise, a Cresta is too nice a frame to part out of scrap, so find a usable replacement fork and continue to enjoy the ride. Fear of front wheel mishap is one reason I use panniers on a rear rack, instead, with just a small handlebar bag up front.
Seriously, I am glad you are OK. As others note, the frame appears to be OK, as well. If the fork is straightened slowly and carefully by someone who knows that they are doing, it may be salvageable. Otherwise, a Cresta is too nice a frame to part out of scrap, so find a usable replacement fork and continue to enjoy the ride. Fear of front wheel mishap is one reason I use panniers on a rear rack, instead, with just a small handlebar bag up front.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
03-16-19 | 06:57 AM
#13
Cat 6
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,522
Likes: 236
From: Mountain Brook, AL
I've bent a fork back. It took a lot more force than I anticipated, but it came back.
I used this homemade contraption with a car floor jack sitting on the longer board pushing up on an axle (the one taped down) bolted between the fork ends.
This is the after picture, as you can see all is well. (The picture angle is not great, but the fork is)
I used this homemade contraption with a car floor jack sitting on the longer board pushing up on an axle (the one taped down) bolted between the fork ends.
This is the after picture, as you can see all is well. (The picture angle is not great, but the fork is)
__________________
72 Frejus (for sale), Holdsworth Record (for sale), special CNC & Gitane Interclub / 74 Italvega NR (for sale) / c80 French / 82 Raleigh Intl MkII f&f (for sale)/ 83 Trek 620 (for sale)/ 84 Bruce Gordon Chinook (for sale)/ 85 Ron Cooper / 87 Centurion IM MV (for sale) / 03 Casati Dardo / 08 BF IRO / 09 Dogma FPX / 09 Giant TCX0 / 10 Vassago Fisticuff
72 Frejus (for sale), Holdsworth Record (for sale), special CNC & Gitane Interclub / 74 Italvega NR (for sale) / c80 French / 82 Raleigh Intl MkII f&f (for sale)/ 83 Trek 620 (for sale)/ 84 Bruce Gordon Chinook (for sale)/ 85 Ron Cooper / 87 Centurion IM MV (for sale) / 03 Casati Dardo / 08 BF IRO / 09 Dogma FPX / 09 Giant TCX0 / 10 Vassago Fisticuff
03-16-19 | 07:37 AM
#14
Extraordinary Magnitude
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 14,080
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From: Waukesha WI
Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT
The BIG thing is that you're OK. I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt.
To use the third most used phrase on Internet forums (behind "do a search" and "pix or it didn't happen")
"That'll buff out."
Good luck!!!
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Last edited by The Golden Boy; 03-16-19 at 07:59 AM.
03-16-19 | 07:45 AM
#15
Bianchi Goddess
Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.
How tough is that bracket? I wonder if you hit something, bent the fork and the bolt gave out. Any idea what grade it was?
__________________
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
03-16-19 | 07:57 AM
#16
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,841
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From: Seattle WA
Bikes: 2009 Handsome Devil, 1987 Trek 520 Cirrus, 1978 Motobecane Grand Touring, 1987 Nishiki Cresta GT, 1989 Specialized Allez Former bikes; 1986 Miyata Trail Runner, 1979 Miyata 912, 2011 VO Rando, 1999 Cannondale R800, 1986 Schwinn Passage
Fork appears to bent in a favorable location. As mentioned in post #6 check around to see if it can be fixed locally. If nobody wants to do you can send it to me in Tampa, FL and I'll do it for free.
Last edited by ryansu; 03-16-19 at 08:09 AM.
03-16-19 | 08:02 AM
#17
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From: Seattle WA
Bikes: 2009 Handsome Devil, 1987 Trek 520 Cirrus, 1978 Motobecane Grand Touring, 1987 Nishiki Cresta GT, 1989 Specialized Allez Former bikes; 1986 Miyata Trail Runner, 1979 Miyata 912, 2011 VO Rando, 1999 Cannondale R800, 1986 Schwinn Passage
03-16-19 | 08:08 AM
#18
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,841
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From: Seattle WA
Bikes: 2009 Handsome Devil, 1987 Trek 520 Cirrus, 1978 Motobecane Grand Touring, 1987 Nishiki Cresta GT, 1989 Specialized Allez Former bikes; 1986 Miyata Trail Runner, 1979 Miyata 912, 2011 VO Rando, 1999 Cannondale R800, 1986 Schwinn Passage
The bolt was a tru-value hardware store M5 I think, I was on a flat bike path and although I was a bit shaken I did look in the immediate area for the bolt assuming if it had come off as a result of the crash I would see it, I did not find it. I didn't do a hard target search but it wasn't lying near the bike. I would like to think the rack was adequately secured to the bike but seeing as the rack was loose it seems like the most likely scenario was the bolt came off.
03-16-19 | 08:30 AM
#19
Extraordinary Magnitude
Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Waukesha WI
Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT
We have a winner! I was hoping someone would go John Candy, well played sir!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vjAXB3G4Ys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vjAXB3G4Ys
Along THOSE lines... a parking gate hit my BMW and scratched and dented it. I was mad, sad and everything... With as many times over the years I've posted that- it didn't even ONCE occur to me to try buffing it out until someone legitimately suggested it to me. It was pretty amazing.
Originally Posted by The Golden Boy, post: 16159581, member: 7900
The other week, I was driving along minding my own business when I noticed a school bus full of children crash through a barricade and perched itself perilously upon the edge of a cliff. Being a man of action, I downshifted my car, popped a wheelie- got up to speed on two wheels- flipped my car up into the air- up the 80 foot cliff and struck the front tires of the school bus full of children... and their nuns- and the bus flipped up into the air and landed safely on the road.
Having done my good deed for the day I noticed that when I saved the school bus full of disabled children and their nuns, a slight bit of damage had been done to my car. Although it looked more like the arm of a parking gate had struck the side of my car on the front quarter panel and rear door- it was actually caused by dramatically saving a school bus full of left handed disabled children and their nuns.
Over the past week I've driven around with that badge of honor on my car. But today I decided to attempt to remove these heroically attained scratches by using some rubbing compound. Having used the phrase "it'll buff out" in all kinds of inappropriate settings, it's almost ironic that I've never actually attempted to buff out scratches... even though the scratches were from saving a school bus full of legless , left handed, disabled children and their nuns.
I got a bottle of the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and these little terry cloth puffy buffing circle things. I watched a couple of YouTubes and just applied the stuff in the circular motion- a little pressure, but mostly just like I'd be applying shoe polish when spit shining boots.
Holy cow- I saw the results and I thought of all the dings and scratches I've just lived with over the years- when it seriously took less than 5 minutes to buff that **** out and wax it up and what I thought would be a thousand dollars in body damage was pretty much gone.
So now, instead of letting the badges of honor on my car tell the story of how I saved the school bus full of puppy dog eyed, orphaned, legless, left handed disabled children and their nuns... and supermodels- and although it looked like the arm of a parking gate struck my car- I am going to just live with just the memory of the lives I've saved.
Having done my good deed for the day I noticed that when I saved the school bus full of disabled children and their nuns, a slight bit of damage had been done to my car. Although it looked more like the arm of a parking gate had struck the side of my car on the front quarter panel and rear door- it was actually caused by dramatically saving a school bus full of left handed disabled children and their nuns.
Over the past week I've driven around with that badge of honor on my car. But today I decided to attempt to remove these heroically attained scratches by using some rubbing compound. Having used the phrase "it'll buff out" in all kinds of inappropriate settings, it's almost ironic that I've never actually attempted to buff out scratches... even though the scratches were from saving a school bus full of legless , left handed, disabled children and their nuns.
I got a bottle of the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and these little terry cloth puffy buffing circle things. I watched a couple of YouTubes and just applied the stuff in the circular motion- a little pressure, but mostly just like I'd be applying shoe polish when spit shining boots.
Holy cow- I saw the results and I thought of all the dings and scratches I've just lived with over the years- when it seriously took less than 5 minutes to buff that **** out and wax it up and what I thought would be a thousand dollars in body damage was pretty much gone.
So now, instead of letting the badges of honor on my car tell the story of how I saved the school bus full of puppy dog eyed, orphaned, legless, left handed disabled children and their nuns... and supermodels- and although it looked like the arm of a parking gate struck my car- I am going to just live with just the memory of the lives I've saved.
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
03-16-19 | 09:39 AM
#20
Senior Member
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From: The Le Grande HQ
Bikes: Gängl, Trek 938, Raleigh Professional, Paramount, Allez, Guerciotti, Specialized Stumpjumper, Trek 750, Miyata 1000 < Huffy
03-16-19 | 09:57 AM
#21
Bianchi Goddess
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 28,874
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From: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.
There is a great meme of Joe Dirt saying with with a small expletive but I keep getting in trouble for posting it here.
__________________
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
03-16-19 | 10:51 AM
#22
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 79
Likes: 24
From: SoCal
Bikes: Bikes: 1979 Trek 930, 1979 Trek 710, 1996 Trek 970, 2000 Merlin Extralight, 2005 Merlin Agilis Framesets: 1980 Trek 410, 1981 Trek 610, 1984 Trek 400, (2x) 1985 Trek 600
This looks like ot would fit, but it looks like a stamped crown.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163483783352
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163483783352
03-16-19 | 11:03 AM
#23
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,841
Likes: 535
From: Seattle WA
Bikes: 2009 Handsome Devil, 1987 Trek 520 Cirrus, 1978 Motobecane Grand Touring, 1987 Nishiki Cresta GT, 1989 Specialized Allez Former bikes; 1986 Miyata Trail Runner, 1979 Miyata 912, 2011 VO Rando, 1999 Cannondale R800, 1986 Schwinn Passage
This looks like ot would fit, but it looks like a stamped crown.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F163483783352
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F163483783352
03-16-19 | 11:20 AM
#24
Phyllo-buster
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,259
Likes: 2,683
From: Nova Scotia
Bikes: roadsters, club bikes, fixed and classic
The bolt probably sheared as opposed to the nyloc nut working loose. The rack supports might have saved your fork from the trash bin. I'd likely use them again, the rack and the fork.
03-16-19 | 11:52 AM
#25
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,893
Likes: 352
From: Oakland, CA
Bikes: centurion cinelli equipe, look hinault 753, Zunow z-1, 83 stumpy sport
To go along with that- Years ago on a BMW forum- somebody's engine burned up. It was awful- I felt so bad for the guy- and I posted the "that'll buff out" thing... I don't think went over with the levity I thought it would.
Along THOSE lines... a parking gate hit my BMW and scratched and dented it. I was mad, sad and everything... With as many times over the years I've posted that- it didn't even ONCE occur to me to try buffing it out until someone legitimately suggested it to me. It was pretty amazing.
Along THOSE lines... a parking gate hit my BMW and scratched and dented it. I was mad, sad and everything... With as many times over the years I've posted that- it didn't even ONCE occur to me to try buffing it out until someone legitimately suggested it to me. It was pretty amazing.
(this is actually true but not the buff it out thing)