Fork question.
 

Hi there,

I've been riding my single speed centurion super le mans for some time now and i want to dish out some money on new forks. i was thinking of getting this one:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...TOKEN=17779483


would there be any problems of fitting or sizing? any help would be greatly appreciated.

Before
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...3/DSCF1809.jpg

After
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...3/DSCF1824.jpg

Get a threadless headset to go with it, and you shouldn't have a problem.

-Kurt

I can understand wanting to buy stuff. I have that urge a lot. It looks like you have good wheels. etc. The bike would benefit from a carbon fork but unless you are totally in love with the frame you might consider spending that much money on a fixed/single speed frame. There are several to choose from that will be light and ride really nice.

my 2¢ worth.

The link shows a fork, headset, stem combo.

Some things to think about:

Rake, old vs new. If there are large differences in the fork offset you may find that the handling of the bike is not to your liking or that there is lots of toe overlap, measure carefully.

Handlebar diameter. It's probable that your new stem won't fit your old bar.

Brake mounting. Your old caliper is nutted, the new fork will required recessed mounting.

Wheel size. The bike was probably originally equipped with 27" wheels, even if you currently have 700s in there. Going from a fork sized for 27" wheels with lots of fender clearance to a 700c fork with very sporty clearance will pretty seriously affect the geometry of the bike, probably adversely.

Looks. I think it will look goofy personally, but this last one is obviously a matter of preference.

If it were me I'd spend a modest amount of money upgrading almost every other part on the bike with quality used stuff before I'd concern myself with the fork. As it stands you're looking at buying the fork/hs/stem combo, plus a new handlebar and front brake to end up with a hi-ten bike with a steel seatpost, mattress saddle, odd ball cranks and a shiny new carbon fork.

+1

purevl +1. Alot of good points.

Yep with purevl +2.

On a 700c bike, no problem, but with 27", you've got some finagling to do.

The 1" threadless headset/fork path may be the way to go, with a different caliper, but I'm not sure the investment is worth it. If it was my bike, and I liked it and simply wanted to do it, I sure would.

I've often wondered if a cross fork would work, brakes and all. anyone?

It'll work but you can throw 'need cable hanger' into purevl's list of stuff.

Thanks for all the advice. the more i think about it, i'll probably stay with the same forks and upgrade on other things. don't know what though. any suggestions?

what you guys think about the color of my? im thinking about keeping this same color but powdered coated. or some type of metalic orange. i have a buddy that does powder coating so he's going to charge me $25 for it.

Frame and fork for $199 isn't bad:


http://www.performancebike.com/produ...0-BLK-SIDE.jpg

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...TOKEN=34817152

But a fixed gear frame is probably the way to go. Come on, start the Joel Stimulus Plan.

If I was to paint a bike, I would definitely go with the metallic orange. If I could get a powder coat job for $25, I would be painting a few bikes right now.

I would start with an alloy micro adjustable seatpost, a (Brooks) saddle and a better crankset.

You Brooks saddle fans sure like to proselytize. You're almost as persistent as recumbent riders.

I do recommend a decent saddle, but one doesn't have to spend a wad of money for it. Lots of used and NOS saddles, even Brooks, are available on ebay.

By the way, Joel, you've built yourself a classy ride.

I concur with wrk101 on the color and the number of bikes I would get powder coated if it were only $25 a pop per bike. :)