Thoughts on this fork?
 

It looks like a pretty cool fork and possibly a good deal.

My issue is that it's not threaded. Do I pony up and get a threadless headset and all that jazz? Or is there an economical and affordble way of getting it threaded?

Thanks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT



I am looking for a couple forks for project frames btw.

looks okay. Not personally a fan of Threadless headsets. I'd be interested in the manufacturer of the dropouts. Could provide a bit more info.

they look better in pictures than in life, kind of heavy Chinese steel, but not bad for something made by a robot (I assume). I actually have one I was selling for the same price and (shameless plug) I have a couple more which are nicer (and threaded) so take a look, see if anything might fit...scroll around to see all the forks here, (I also have 2 more in another album I have to locate):
http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w...%20or%20trade/
Here's the album with the other forks, the first Tange is duplicated in the first link, then there's pix of the Chinese threadless and a much nicer Taiwanese fork with threads:
http://s55.photobucket.com/albums/g1.../chrome_forks/

I know nothing of this sort of thing, but I would think most any basic machine shop could thread that for you for cheap. There's one by me that I go to when I need a bushing pressed in/out for my car. $15+ for a mechanic to press the bushing or $5 for the small machine shop... And they do it on the spot in a few minutes. It also helps support a local business which is a huge plus in my opinion. I'd go there even if the price were the same or a couple $ more than the auto shop.

Unworthy1, got anything lugged for cheap that wouldn't weigh a ton and should fit a 54cm bike? The fork on my bike is the style in the OP except you can see the welds rather than it being smooth and I don't really care for it.

^you might think it should be something any old machine shop could do, but here in the SF Bay Area there was nobody. I ended up sending it all across the country to Francis Bollag in Mt. Vernon, NY, who not only chucked it in a lathe and cut the threads absolutely perfectly, but he did it cheap! You want to find a machinist who has done this before (cut threads on a fork steerer using a lathe) or you could end up with an unusable fork. Chrome has to be OFF before the cutting is done, adding threads is far easier than threading a blank steerer from scratch.

There's so many goodies in there that I couldn't even concentrate. I'm trying to get my girlfriend's bike on the road, as well as acquire some parts for my Schwinn.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/Bikes109.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/Bikes078.jpg

OK, I can't help myself. It looks bent.

I've pretty much decided against it. I really want a nice used fork.

It might be harder to get your stem lower on that Schwinn if you have a threaded fork. Really depends on how you want the bike to look. There's a lot more choices with stems and angles with a threadless fork. Chrome forks will be much heavier though. Have you tried bikeisland or Niagara Cycles for Forks. Google will get to those fast.

Bike Island in a 45 minute drive for me. The original fork on the Schwinn was a threaded Tange unit. This is my second Schwinn frame like this one.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g..._Sale005-1.jpg

Why do you say that a chrome fork will be much heavier?

If you *do* get a threadless, be careful of the crown diameter. It can be a 1" fork but the crown diameter may be more than 25.4 and it'll have to be milled.

Chrome itself does not add much weight. I think he's speaking in reference to putting a chromed chromo fork on the Schwinn. I would really like an aluminum one. Don't really care too much for carbon fiber. I will say that the fork that came on the red 563 weighed almost as much as the frame.

Never been a big fan of chromed forks either. Even though I have a bike with one. And its original too. Too much work shining it up! :)