I noticed a crack in the crown of my Palo Alto fork. I have a replacement fork but the steerer is too long and I need more threads. I went to Missing link in Berkeley and they tried a bit on the old fork but didn't get too far. Apparently their threader is "toast". I asked Bernie Mikkelsen but he said he couldn't do it. American cyclery also says no. Velo Sport seems to have kicked the bucket so I'm all out of ideas. Does anyone know where I could get this done? I hope I don't have to go over to the dark side and get a threadless headset. Oh the horror.

Surprised American Cyclery said no to you, as they would be the first one I would think of to do it. Their store in SF have two buildings, across the street from each other. One side seems to have a service/mechincs department that caters more to new bikes while the other seems to have guys that know more how to handle older bike issues and parts needs. Make sure you check out both sides of their stores in SF before giving up on AC.

Chombi

Any full service bike shop.

You might try Brent Steelman in Redwood City.

Steelman Cycles
3600 Haven Ave. #5
Redwood City, CA 94063

Phone: 650-364-3939
info@steelmancycles.com

The Pedaler in El Sobrante did one for me for $25. There's that frame builder in Point Richmond whose name I can't recall. Bigbossman knows.

It just came to me:

https://www.classicrendezvous.com/USA/Ed_Litton.htm

In the past, I have noticed a reluctance of frame shops to want to add a great length of threads, and they charge by the inch, 20 dollars at last count.

The tools can require frequent, expensive re-sharpening, patience in use, and a skilled operator.
Starting threads where none exist requires a lathe or screw machine, so extra expense there.

Now that I have a 1" die and handle (out past Sacramento) I seldom use it, but it did a nice job recently of cutting usable English threads into a French steerer.

I would be reluctant to apply my own die to any threads that had been "worked" by a dull cutter, since there is a hardening that occurs.

I had my last one done at Velo-Sport a few months ago. They were absorbed by the skateboard shop or whatever it is next door. I haven't been there since that happened, so don't know what they're up to.

^ Velo-Sport is now closed. They briefly moved into the (scooter?) store next door, but now both are gone and a for lease sign is up at both shops. As GB suggests, The Pedaller or Ed Lytton would be good options, but Ed Lytton may not be able/willing to get to it right away if it's your only bike.

Btw, for other local East Bay folks, a new bike shop on Gilman (Blue Heron Bikes) is opening up just around the corner from my house.

SF/Berkely?

Threads?

I'm going to say counter-clockwise.

They are clockwise from the top, but counter-clockwise if you are looking from the bottom. Trippy, huh? Did I just blow your mind?

to the left. to the left. i left my wife and forty-two kids...

If the fork steerer is chromed, threading will be very hard on the tool -- that might be a reason some folks would refuse to do it.

OK. Stone's Cyclery in Alameda said he could do it. I need about an inch threaded - $30. The steerer is chromed but that's not why the other folks refused. I called, so they never saw the fork. Anyway, thanks for all the replies. It's nice to know about all the other shops around. Pity about Velo sport.

When I went looking there was NObody in the Bay Area who would add threads to a steel steerer. I ended up shipping it all the way to NY State! The job there was performed beautifully and without drama, I had to sand off all chrome in the affected area with emery cloth...good thing Emeryville is nearby!
The guy in NY who did it cut the threads with a lathe, I think that's the only proper way to do it, chrome or no chrome, since using a die can be dicey.

Not every shop has the right die for that thread cutting. Around here, the shop offered to do it if I bought the $40 die and then paid them $40 to do it. I understand, not something they can generate revenue with.

I removed the chrome from the part of the steerer to be threaded before I took it to The Pedaler. They didn't ask me to do it, I just didn't want to give them an excuse to refuse.

Ed Litton

that is quite true, and another reason I heard from those who refused the job was that "the dies are only good for thread clean-up, not cutting new threads". I can't say if that's true or just an excuse, but it might be that some dies are better than others and not every shop has the right kind.

In the interest of complete information: who was this?

Hooray for Dennis Stone! Glad he is able to take care of you.

This is weird about bike shops not taking on threading jobs for steerer tubes. I dunno what the big fuss is about threading a steerer tube anyway. It's not like rocket science. Heck!, they must have been threading jillions of steel steerer tubes in the third world every year on bicycles and we do not hear of jillions of bikes asploding because of a bad steerer tube threading jobs.
Anyway, I've seen lots of factory threaded steering tubes in my life and I don't think they all look that perfect, specially at the slotted or notched areas where the headset spacer washer tabs or flats go. It all should work fine as long as the proper prep and cleaning is done before and after the threading job.

Chombi

Why most shops won't do it.

I think it's just the hassle of maintaining two (2) 1" dies, so as to always have one at-the-ready for in-shop emergencies.

With the phasing-out of 1" steerers on the high-dollar bikes, (and the further "spreading out" of threaded steerers between 1" and 1-1/8" threaded sizes), I suspect most shops these days would keep, at most, one 1" die, and cutting a full inch of threads can very well use up the die's usefulness, leaving the shop without until it can be sent out for re-sharpening.

I think modern shops have just easier ways of making money, while Stone's, with their lifelong experienced mechanic(s) on board, is choosing to hold on to an old and loyal customer base. Bravo.

Ouch! Guess I'll try Stone's too. Just discovered I'm trying to use a fork without enough threads too! Obviously, it was never installed in the frame it came with, threads about 1/2" not deep enough down the fork steerer.