So I impulsively bought an 88 Le Tour frame a couple of weeks ago for $30 - without a fork. (My avatar image is from that frame.) I'd been having no luck finding a tall frame vintage touring bike so when this came along I just got it. Subsequently I've been having not so much luck finding a fork. The headtube is 200 mm, which as far as I can figure out means that I'll need a steerer at least a bit larger than 200 mm, so the pretty chrome Pyramid High-Ten fork that is for sale everywhere

https://www.ebikestop.com/pyramid_27_...rome-27440.php

won't fit - it has a 200 mm steerer (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong about that).

There is a black Sunlight repair fork which is available up to 250mm, but it is less fun than the chrome so I'm holding out for something used.

Today I find a 27" Raleigh touring fork on eBay with a super long steerer (9 3/4") but it has cantilever brakes.

I don't think I have the patience to bring the Le Tour back to its original state - it could be years before a period correct fork shows up for sale - so in the interest of getting this project moving I solicit your opinions on using this Raleigh fork on the Le Tour. (I realize that I may not win the auction, and frankly, if the bidding goes up much higher than the cost of a new repair fork I'm pretty sure I won't keep bidding. So this question isn't so much about the Raleigh fork in particular but a fork with canti brakes in general.)

Is there any reason other than vintage correctness to avoid cantilever brakes? The bike could end up riding through some mud and snow someday, so the cantilever appeals to me from a strictly functional perspective.

Thoughts? Thanks.

if it was a good price I would certainly get the Raleigh fork. atleast you can build the bike and ride it while looking for something more suitable

how big is this frame? I just took a quick look and a 200mm steerer looks like it would fit 58/59cm bikes I have sitting here.

atoms - If it was anything other than a Le Tour (touring) bike - I might say no to the canti's, but since that is NOT the case, get the canti fork !

- It'll help you stop when loaded, and then put a nice rack on the rear, so that the aesthetic (front canti to rear side pull) will not be apparent to the eye. (Every touring bike could use a rear rack anyway, if it doesn't already have one IMHO)
Good luck in the auction.

what about this? https://cgi.ebay.com/road-fork-1-for-...item1c0cfac13a

I know it is a bit more than that Sunlite but it is chomemoly steel

I'm getting 62cm from the center of the bottom bracket up the seat post to the center of the top tube.

A good price is subjective. The current bid is like $10 and shipping is $10 something, so already this fork is getting to the point where it will cost more than it is worth to me. If the bidding is still in that vicinity tonight I'll throw a bid at it and see where it goes.

Thanks, that looks like a really nice fork for this application. But I plan to add fenders and racks so I need eyelets. And $70 is way over my budget. My budget is $20 per item for: BB, cranks, pedals, headset, stem, bars, brakes, fork, seatpost, saddle, FD, RD, shifters. Obviously at that price I'll be getting pretty much everything used. And it is just a target average - I know I'll probably spend more for the fork, but I'll make up for it somewhere else (I think I still have some pedals in teh parts bins and used bars seem to be universally $10 here in Chicago for example.)

And yes, I am still keeping my eyes open for a donor bike, which could provide all this stuff at a much better price - but for the fork I'm assuming that a donor bike won't have a large enough steerer anyway.

Thanks for the confirmation of my tentative wacky plan. And don't worry. Whatever I do with this bike if I end up riding it, it will definitely get a rear rack. And fenders. Most of my riding is commuting, but I also do the occasional tour. Yesterday I rode 40 miles on my '83 Continental. it was fun of course, but some kind of 80's touring bike would have made that ride a bit more pleasant I'm guessing. (oh right - my '83 Continental IS an '80s touring bike technically - I mean an 80's touring bike with '80's tubing)

I thought the chromoly might be a bit pricy but it did look nice. go for the the Camti fork and then keep an eye out for some MOOTS mounts for the rear

What size frame does the bike have?

62cm

(I think Schwinn was still using English measurements back then. By that way of measure I guess you'd call it a 25".)

Stem, seatpost, bars, shifter and FD will cost at most half of what you are budgeting, maybe a quarter. It does not make sense to skimp on the fork (and the saddle). That said, a good source of a fork (and maybe some parts) might be a donor bike. Look around Thrift stores and yard sales and CL for anything big with 27 inch wheels. Lots of older Schwinns out there

+1 Building bikes on a low budget = find a donor bike. That's a strategy I have used several times.

By '88 Schwinn had a 7/8" stem, right? I've had some trouble with 13/16" stems on my Schwinn but it's older.
For brakes, those V brakes are really easy to set up and can be gotten off of any kids bike you find in the gutter. I think they need they're own levers, though.

Thanks for the advice. I have been looking for a donor bike. The initial problem with that approach was that I almost immediately found a tall frame '82 Voyageur SP in fairly good shape, rendering the whole '88 Le Tour project a lot less urgent!

Is it feasible to braze on some extra steerer tube if I find a donor with an otherwise good, but too short fork? that would open up my options hugely.
EDIT!
ok I did a bunch of searching in the Mechanics forum and the consensus there seems to be that extending a steerer is either expensive or very expensive, possibly not safe and in all but the pickiest of situations, not worth it. So I will rule that out.

Also I forgot to mention that by the time I got onto eBay last night, the auction for the Raleigh canti fork had ended. The winner paid $11 + $10 something for shipping.

I'll be keeping a closer eye on eBay (I do have an automated search running there), visiting the Working Bikes collective (they have tons of uses parts for sale) and continuing to look for a donor bike.

Nonsense.
It will probably be above your budget, true, but there's nothing "not safe" about a steerer splice that's done right. I have one done by Bernie Mikkelsen in Alameda, CA that's perfect and will probably last as long as any of my bikes. He charged me $60, well worth it to save a good fork.

Good to know. Thanks. $60 + cost of the fork definitely exceeds my budget, but if I find a red 88ish Schwinn fork somewhere that is too short I'll keep this in mind. One of the owners of my favorite LBS is a frame-builder so I'll check with him if the necessity presents itself.