Finished Project...
 

Hey All,

Just wanted to post some pics of the latest project. Just completed the paint job and she got a new fork. Next on the list is a set of tires (still deciding ).


Cheers
Chris

move to Chicago...so I can swipe that beautiful fork!

Lovely!

Very nice! What make is it?

The frame is an 80's Araya the fork is a Colnago knock-off from Bike Works NYC. I found the frame at my LBS for 30$.

I like the radial lacing of the front wheel, I cannot figure out what hubs those out though...

Did you do the painting yourself???

Phil

Thanks. The rear hub is a suzue basic and I have no idea what the front is. It's sealed with no markings. I'll post a pic if you want. I'd love to find out what it is. I did the painting. Stripped the frame, filled a small ding (per earlier post), primered, and used spray paint for the base. I did about 5 layers of clear-coat.

you can see what it looked like before on the FFG.

That's a pretty cool masheen. I like the forks too. Actually, I'd like to do a lugged crown 1 1/8th ahead fork with straight blades. Unfortunately, such a dedicated crown doesn't exist. Booooooo.

That's the kinda bike that just says "Come, lets ride".

What kind of brake is that? Where did you get it? I am also working on "project fixie" and will need a brake.

The lever is an in-line brake from specialized (LBS 20$ for 2) the brake is (I think?) an 80's shimano 600. in the few times I've used it it has worked well.

What's the rake in that fork?

Not sure...how do you measure that?

Hell if I know. See 165's post on this thread?

That just explains what rake is....I know that;) I'll keep digging around on Sheldon's site.

Sorry, can't be more help. I would imagine it would have something to do with measuring the angle as the fork extends beyond a straight line.

I'm sure that's right. I need an easy way to measure. Maybe I'll call the guys at BikeWorks NYC (that where I got it) to see if they know. It's a knock-off of the Colnago, it may have the same rake...not sure. I'll let you know if I dig something up.

Cheers

do they still sell the fork or was it just a single piece? how much was it?

Yeah. Just bought it last week. it was $57 plus whatever for shipping. They were great on the phone, very helpfull.

cool! thx!

Sometimes it helps to see it.

jim

Sweet bike. I think what you're really interested in on the fork is the "trail" You draw a line thru the steering axis (steer tube) to the ground. Next drop a vertical line thru the center of the axle. Measure. The greater the number the more stable the bike will be. It also won't respond to input as fast. It doesn't matter if the fork is straight or curved. It's the relationship between the steering axis and the axle.

If it's a Colnago imitation, it's probably a 50 rake.

Track bikes tend to have alot of trail (and little rake). I think that 'large trail' bikes tend to be more stable the faster you go. In the Jan. 2004 Rivendell Reader there is a short and somewhat cryptic article about Marc Muller's (Waterford) ideas on the subject. While working for Schwinn, he was tasked with creating bikes with a consistent steering feel regardless of head tube angle, tire size and rake. His efforts led him to conclude that there was another factor which he termed 'steering angle'. This is the angle formed by a line drawn from the front axle to the point on the ground where the steering axis is projected and is measured relative to the line dropped straight down from the front axle. It's hard to explain so I added it to the drawing. See below.

Anyway I found it interesting and as a point of reference, he says that a steering angle less than 9.5 degrees results in a twitchy bike. The upshot is that it may be a mistake to place too much stock in rake and trail. Anyone else read this article?

Jim