bent fork or just old?
 

does this fork look bent on this old Iver Johnson?If bent wouldn't the tire be closer to the frame?
Its not mine so I havent seen the bike close up.
http://images.craigslist.org/3k33m23...42a7da109a.jpg

Double bent!

The tire is very close to the frame. That fork and tube looks crushed!

I don't know, but with the laid back angles on those old bikes, you typically also want substantial rake in the fork so you don't get 7" of trail. Compare this I-J.
http://buyvintage1.files.wordpress.c...pg?w=474&h=725
http://buyvintage1.files.wordpress.c...5/03smith2.jpg

And also the one in this ad:

http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X134...4%2Fiverad.jpg

That is the wrong question to ask. The right question to ask would be: does it look bent?. Yes. Very much so.

It's an old bent fork.

-Kurt

Fork is not damaged

But your vision is?

http://images.craigslist.org/3k33m23...42a7da109a.jpg

Actually seems to be displaying negative rake in this condition.

It's a shame. A previous owner must have really rammed into something.
Mind you, a bladed carbon fork would look sweet on that sucker.;)

There was a Raliegh in the yard that had a fork like that . I thought it was made that way Cant take a pic. Its on a slow boat to china,

Maybe this is a question for the Bike Mechanics forum, but is it possible/advisable to heat it and re-bend it?

I think the fork is toast.

Given that, you can try to straighten it. I've had good success buy removing a front tire but leaving the fork attached to the bike, then putting the fork between the rungs of a ladder and pulling down on the rear of the bike until the fork is straight. When I did it, it was very controllable. (The leverage you get from having the bike attached to the fork helps.) If it gets screwed up worse, I say no big deal because you can't use that fork as it currently is anyway.

Remember this thread?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ht=curvey+fork

How about this one?

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/abce/bates.jpg

Bike makers did some goofy things back in the day to try and set themselves apart from the crowd.