"Looks like your fork is bent."
 

Why do so many people on here say it looks like your fork is bent when they see a photo of your bike on here and most of the time it's not.

Jealousy. Often the camera angle and the angle of the front wheel in relation to frame can make it appear bent. In some cases the fork is bent but the owner refuses to believe it because it has been like that for years.

I think it's mostly this. It can be a stubborn illusion. Sometimes one fork blade is poking out behind the other because of the angle and blends together to look like a single blade that seems further back than it really is. Also, your message mind likes to make straight lines and a straight line from the bottom of the headset to the front hub makes the fork seem to bend back.

Also, probably most of us have come across enough bent forks to be traumatized. It's surprisingly common.

And I think it's mostly this!

There are a lot of bent forks out there. Many times when people say that fork looks bent, it's because it is.

Because there are a lot of "reds" and troublemakers on this forum.

2000: "Bent fork? What's a bent fork?"
2010: "That looks like a bent fork - here's how you can straighten it so you can experience that bike as it was built."
2020: "People who point out bent forks are jealous troublemakers with potentially communistic political leanings."

What in the name of Fausto Coppi is going on here?

Did somebody introduce a foreign substance into the precious bodily fluids of this forum when I was out?

Or has the joke flown over my head with Chuck Yeager at the helm?

I've yet to see someone pointing out a bent fork for outright malice. Yes, some folks get it wrong with French bikes and others that have their fork blades brazed parallel to the tapered rear edge of the blade, but this is a simple rookie error and not presented with ill intent. I will say that I think it's courteous to footnote such a post with some information about straightening a fork (if the owner is obviously unfamiliar with the process), rather than leave someone hanging, wondering "what do I do now?," but outright jealousy? WTF?

There's no stigma against providing any other advice on this forum (e.g., where to find pulley wheels for a Nuovo derailer, adjusting the height of a FD so it works better, etc., etc...), so where did the conspiracy theorists launch this poppycock from?

EDIT: Just realized after reading the following posts that the OP was selling a bike with a fork that was suspect. That's a whole other discussion (of which I've addressed in a later post).

-Kurt

It's not the fork that is bent, but you who are bent, Neo.

The Bianchi Veloce I bought recently has signs of trauma, but only as far as wrinkling the paint a bit, right by the lugs themselves. l’ve had that bike going pretty quickly down the foothills lately, and it’s easily one of the best-riding bikes I’ve owned or ridden. So apparently, nothing’s bent, at least not by much. 🤔😁

OP, for this bike you had for sale, someone asked if the fork was bent. It was an appropriate question, given the photo. What may compound this issue for you is the fact that you didn't mention the large dent in the seat tube of a Specialized you also listed in the sales forum. It's better to state any glaring issues, even if they may be limited to aesthetics.

Sometimes it's just a friendly, passing remark.

Because if it is, it is, if its not, better safe than sorry.

There are also ones that are bent and don't look like it so they don't get called out at all.

If I'm in doubt, the seller won't cooperate and I can't see it in person then there will be no sale unless the price allows for it.

Many sellers don't know the ins and outs of a bent fork, won't call it out even if they do and argue which is a red flag in and of itself.

If you show us a bike for sale, we're always going to err on the side of caution. ;)

Much of our expertise comes from learning the hard way so if you show or ask, we are going give you all we have based on that.

Sure looks bent. Is it?

It's a joke, just a BF meme.

Translate it to: "Nice bike. Great price. I'm jealous."

I say that all the time to local friends when they get a new bike. Just a joke.

If it's a serious comment about a bent fork, usually the poster will say so and explain why. Otherwise I wouldn't take it seriously.

I'm convinced some people just can't perceive straightness. Kind of like how so many people, mostly guys, can't tell purple from pink or blue. Some forks are obviously very, very bent, and the owner can 't comprehend.

I'm just relieved that this discussion is limited to bent forks and does not include bent frames with undamaged forks. That's a whole different level of owner non-comprehension.

Are you saying if I can tell pink from purple then I'm not straight? :lol:

But seriously - suppose I was a seller and wanted to prove with pictures my frame/fork weren't bent, how would I do that?

That's what I though when I read that. Jealousy? Are you effin kidding me? I don't give a rat's ass about that middle of the line Nishiki someone bought on craigslist. If there is a potential safety issue, ie a bent fork/steertube/frame, I'm going to point it out.

For the same reason you start so many threads.

That's a whole other issue. A reasonable degree of straightness (talking bikes here) can be shown using straight edges, strings, etc. But sight unseen, you don't know until you know, unless you are buying from a trusted seller who knows his or her stuff.

I bought a bike that looked fine. It had a bent steerer tube. Couldn't tell from a direct side view.

Ohhhhh, I get it now. The OP had bike for sale, someone said the fork looks like it could be bent, and decided to complain about it in the main forum...six days after selling the bike?

Tough!

If there's a possibility the fork may be bent, it is the seller's burden to provide photos and data so buyers can determine whether the fork is or isn't bent. Also, it is completely reasonable for any potential buyer to ask for clarification as to whether a fork is bent or not in this scenario.

I might add, a seller's refusal or indignation at the question is automatically suspect. Case in point, there's a seller on eBay who's spent over two years trying to sell a Rudge with an obviously bent fork. For ages, they'd refuse to disclose it and get all uppity at any suggestion that it was bent. Finally they gave in and admitted it - and, surprise...it sold on the 9th of September.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c473aefd97.jpg


Incidentally, my personal opinion is that the fork crown on that Miyata was brazed cockeyed into the steerer tube, resulting in a crown tilted forward in relation to its cross-axial plane with the steerer. As such, the blades themselves angle backwards with the tilt of the crown. If this is the case, the steerer tube should show no damage if the fork is dropped. However, if it was hit, the type of bend seen here would be exclusively at the steerer tube and not at the blades. The smoking gun would be if the front of the steerer has a witness mark from rubbing against the lower headset cup.

At any rate, if that fork is factory fresh, I'd personally cold-set the blades to appear inline with the headtube anyway. I'd do it purely for aesthetics, but it'd probably correct the geometry to what the factory intended.

-Kurt

Your conclusion is not logically supported by the info you gave us. It could well be that the bend is why you like the handling. It's just about as likely to improve the handing as to detract, for some people, because people vary in their preferred head angles and fork rake. One man's squirrelly is another man's lively.

I had two bent bikes that I got that way, bent by their previous owners, and I just rode them because I liked them that way. The steeper head angle and/or the reduced fork rake made it much more my cuppa tea than the original geometry.

Mark B in Seattle

And especially if not just aesthetic.

Omission is always suspect. ;)

And once you've been here for awhile should not happen IMO.

I think it may be because we all fear that we could be riding a vintage bike with a bent fork that we never noticed. I recently went back to a bike I bought a few years ago and rode for a while, but then moved to other bikes. Now when I look at it I am pretty sure that the fork is bent, and it makes me think that might be why this bike never really appealed. Someday I will straighten it...or replace it...or neither. But it is the kind of issue that I am now focused on. It is truly a joy to have enough bikes that a bent fork can be a problem that does not have to be dealt with today.

-Will

Wasn't really referring to sales this I can understand if you're buying a bike. I'm just talking about people that post photos of their bikes. It even happens on Facebook