Bergz

Can anyone identify this steel fork I got yesterday from a second hand bicycle parts store?
Has 390mm from crown to dropout and 50 mm width at the crown so lots of clearance for big tires/mudguards. Has distinctive cut outs in the crown and "lawyer lips" so not too old.
No tubing maker stamp but ES1406 C stamped on steerer. Rim brake.

FBinNY 

Looks to be a fairly generic Japanese fork. The double fender eyelets speak to it being OEM on a utility bike, or maybe one marketed as a touring bike.

If you offered a prize for best guess, I'd say it was off a Bridgestone from early eighties. However, if I had to pay to guess I'd pass.

If you haven't already posted this on the C&V forum, do so now. That audience tends to be more focused on details of identification.

NVFlinch 

Not a fork expert, but possibly the 'ES..' is the matching bike serial number? You might check to see if any major brands use the ES prefix, or that form of two letter+number encoding for serial numbers.

Bergz

Thanks for your replies, I appreciate you taking the time.
The fork is heavy, 2.2 lbs, so I wondered if it was chrome moly or high tensile, thus trying to identify where it's from. My purpose in buying it was to gain tire and mudguard clearance for my Woodrup road bike that I purchased as a damaged bare frame less fork. This might do as it's got clearance but will add weight...🤔

FBinNY 

FWIW you can't tell various steel alloys apart by weight. It could be CrMo, or a carbon steel such as 2020 or 2030, all of which are commonly used for frames and forks.

One thing you might do is shine a light down the steerer. Better forks use butted steerers with thicker walls at the bottom few inches. Cheaper forks are often reinforced with a sleeve instead.

The only other issue I see is that less expensive forks have thicker walls in the tapers near the tips. This can make them stiffer and ride more harshly, which would possibly degrade the ride of your nice frame.

In your shoes, I'd probably buy the fork if the price is right, use it, then keep my eyes open for a potential upgrade.

Bergz

Thanks for your helpful advice. The steerer tube is seamed and butted, thicker where brazed into the crown.
Here in NZ, steel forks other than close clearance racing types are very rare. I've been riding the Woodrup (a tourer) with just such a fork for about 22 years, always on the lookout for a touring fork to swap.
I'll have to keep looking....

FBinNY 

Typo? Did you mean seamless?

Seamed steerers are rare, and butted ones on the order of hen's teeth.

Also, since the vast majority of forks are steel, I gather you mean high quality steel forks, not garden variety.

In any case, assuming the price is decent you have a choice of riding or not riding while you search for something nicer.