NoCash27

Hello. So a friend of mine found this old 80's Schwinn road bike near his house and tried to convert it to a fixed gear. It has semi horizontal dropouts, but he said when he rides, the wheel still slides forward and the chain gets loose, so he's just going to give it to me.

That part should be fine right? Just tighten the bolts more?

Anyway, he ordered some garbage wheels from eBay that let him run a fixed cog, and the axle(?) on the front wheel he got was too wide for the dropouts in the original fork, so he used a grinder to widen it. I'm pretty sure that's not safe at all. Instead of having some room, only about half of the axle is in the front dropout when the bolts are put on.

Soooo... I was wondering where I could get a fork that would fit an old bike like that? It has an old quill stem and everything if that helps describe what I'm talking about.

ianjk

I don't know where you are living, but a local bike co-op may have a fork for you, otherwise, you could probably find one for next to nothing if you poke around (not knowing the size of steerer tube...). If you were around N. MN, I'd hook you up with a fork for a 6'er

NoCash27

I have no idea what a 6'er is, but thanks anyway for the help. Haha.

PistaRider311

Check eBay for a threaded fork. Pretty much any threaded fork should work on that bike (albeit you may have to cut the steerer tube, which is minor).

As far as the rear wheel wheel slippage, sounds like you should just be able to tighten the bolts (assuming they are bolts and not quick release skewers) tighter. Don't be afraid to really crank down on them. Using a standard length box end wrench, I've put about as much force as I possibly can onto them with no stripping problems. Using a long wrench or a long lever (for more leverage) can get you into trouble.

darksiderising

Unless it is too short or the threads do not extend far enough down, which is why these two specs are given when you are looking at replacement forks.

PistaRider311

This is true. I sort of overlooked that. Thanks for the correction.

NoCash27

So what should I measure to figure out what size fork i need or steerer tube length? Just between the headset?

ianjk

6 bottles of aged barley water infused with hops.

PistaRider311

Take the current fork out and measure from the crown to the top of the steerer column.

PunctualAlex

the size doesn't actually matter, just make sure you get one with a threadless 1 1/8" carbon steerer tube, this is the only size that will work. I hear Easton makes some of these for very cheap.

seriously though, you also have to consider how your front brake is mounted, the wheel size (27" vs 700c), and when you do get the right fork you won't be able to install it without some specialized tools unless it already has a crown race installed. Honestly, I love conversions but fork replacements are better left to folks with a little experience. If you **** up a headset installation, you could toast the frame or smash your face, so... good luck.

darksiderising

I enjoyed this.