Geometry Cargo Fork Trail And Rake Numbers
#1
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Geometry Cargo Fork Trail And Rake Numbers
I am in the planning stages of building my own cargo fork similar to the popular Crust Clydesdale. These forks use a 20" BMX wheel and have a solid rack attached. I know this is not the best cargo bike solution.
I was wondering if I could get an opinion on how much rake should be used? The bike I plan to use has a head tube angle of 71 and I would like to carry approx. 25-50lbs. I am using an online bicycle trail calculator to play with the numbers but I am not sure what would be best for this type of project. Any thoughts?
I was wondering if I could get an opinion on how much rake should be used? The bike I plan to use has a head tube angle of 71 and I would like to carry approx. 25-50lbs. I am using an online bicycle trail calculator to play with the numbers but I am not sure what would be best for this type of project. Any thoughts?
#2
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with a bmx wheel and 42mm offset, the Crust fork has fairly low trail. Low trail is good with a front load. It may be more comfortable to steer with something up front vs. no-load, but it generally only takes a couple of pounds to slow down the steering enough. For example, a lock or spare tire is usually enough. For 50 pounds, you might feel better with a little more rake, but maybe just 45mm
#3
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with a bmx wheel and 42mm offset, the Crust fork has fairly low trail. Low trail is good with a front load. It may be more comfortable to steer with something up front vs. no-load, but it generally only takes a couple of pounds to slow down the steering enough. For example, a lock or spare tire is usually enough. For 50 pounds, you might feel better with a little more rake, but maybe just 45mm
#4
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I ended up with 44mm of trail. I used Columbus Unicrown fork blades on top and a set of heavy duty chain stays below the rack. The rest of the tubes are .035 straight gauge 4130. I made my own brake mount. This is what I have so far.










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Last edited by Tdotbikes; 03-08-23 at 07:45 AM.
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Thanks for the pictures, that looks great