Is this bent ? (1961 Holdsworth)
 

Hiya Folks,
This has been niggling me - the forks on my 1961 Holdsworth Cyclone isn't totally straight, I just couldn't work out if it was actually bent.
That's bent as in would cause some effect when riding it. Or if it was just the fact I knew it wasn't straight that was niggling.

It seems to be straight in the other dimensions, I'm just imagining that somebody ran into something and pushed the forks back a bit:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1eaec4faa5.jpg

So my question is: should that be fixed ?
I know sombody who would straighten it for £30, and that may just be the easiest option.

I think it's visible in the full picture too (if you know to look):
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9039b98047.jpg

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appears there may be a very shallow bow in steerer about three to five cm north of crown

concave on backside and convex on front side

try checking this area with a straight edge in strong backlight

our framebuilder members are sure to be able to give better information:

Doug Fattic bulgie gugie scarlson


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Well spotted, applied a metal ruler and you're right.
How difficult would that be to fix ?

Agree its bent, the lineup with wood doesn't tell us anything, taper of fork tubes and standoff of the crown against it negates any comparison. ;)

Going out on a limb with little to work with, I am going to say not bent. The lack of alignment to the straight edge (?) is probably built into the fork to determine rake. Course, the fork could be bent. That said...

Mount the wheel properly in the drops and then observe the space between the rim and fork inner edges. They should be equal. Also, turn the wheel around and repeat. If this checks out, then you are likely OK. That said...
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6928cbe259.jpg

If the fork did get bent like that, have a look at the bike frame for something that looks like this. The rust is not the indicator of frame damage but those cracks in the paint scream front end collision out loud...
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...095ecbd607.jpg

In truly capable hands, not hard at all. ;)

I see your dilemma. I had a UNIVEGA fork just 1.5-3° degrees bent back. There were no signs of injury to the rest of the frame what so ever. The only real problem I had was my front tire hitting my toes on a tight turn. I am sure I could have used wooden blocks and my weight to bend the fork back but as I am not allowed another accident I decided to replace it.

WOW! What a difference after replacement. The whole bike changed!

Considering the fact that you most likely will not be able to find a suitable replacement it would be worth it to get the fork professionally aligned.

I've had Varonha Frameworks (www.varonha.co.uk/) fix the forks on my Avanti after a dog issue for £30.
The guys there did it by hand/eye and managed a fine job in 20 mins.

Luckily they both worked at Holdsworth (in the 80's), so it's probably worth going round and asking their opinion.

I don't have a decent image of the 'original' paint to check for front ends, it had been repainted anyway:
Here's one from the Ebay add, don't think I'm seeing any front end impact.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e5871f5ac7.jpg

OK, I'm convinced.
I'll go round and ask the experts :)

It's a morning out in south east London anyway (1 hour each way).
Luckily I'm over 60 so I get free travel in London on public transport - will cost nothing to go there.

Agree on all counts and definitely see some crown weirdness here despite the angle, have the lads yank on it if they will. ;)

I have and ride (:o) a couple of vintage bikes that - when riding upright with no hands - exhibit a small "list" (seems always to port). Put your hands on the bars and everything is 100%, including my twisty 35mph descent and hard braking, plus on a smoother faster descent.

My advice would be: Make sure you put minor fork tweaks in the hands of a very competent (experienced?) person. The "Do No Harm" type of mechanic. :thumb:.

edit: Missed your above post about builder repair. Slow typer.

This is a very zen framebuilder thing IMO, if they have to think about it, pass, if they take it in their hands, give it a quick eyeball or check in the checker without pause, you should be good.

Not sure if the frame builders were zenning on the frame's manufacturing date, or if my old framesets/bikes (purchased used) may have had minor 'crash' issues.

The front wheels on my bikes mount with the tire centered under the crown. That's a first giveaway for problems, even if paint appears perfect.

Yeah, probably not zenning bitd, just good old fashioned expertise.

I should have linked this to the OP's post too/instead. I was fully agreeing with you on the "very competent, experienced, do no harm" statement.

I have always adhered to this, core tenant in all my work at work, on the road, at the dragstrip and everywhere in between. ;)

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have a solid steel rod in me workshop use for steerers

it is about eighteen mm in diameter and about .7m or .8m in length

with the steerer chucked up in the fork alignment tool can use this for straightening

t'is usually necessary to deburr the south end of the steerer with a half-round file to gain entry

steerers have an internal butt of about five to six cm in length at their south end

generally when steerer receives deformation from a head-on impact it gets concentrated just north of the butting

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Varonha Frameworks to the rescue :)

Apparently

• Definitely bent at some point
• dropouts left/right by 2 or 3 mm
• dropouts slightly twisted
• slight bend in steerer - possibly a bad try at fixing forks

They also chased the threads.
All for £30 - took about 25 mins.

Now I'm a happy bunny, no more niggles.