cbbond

Hello Frame Builders:

The road bike that I own - a hard tail vintage (an Ochsner with Columbus tubing) sustained catastrophic damage:

1. Severe front fork damage
2. Seat and post bent way back (but I don't think that area of main frame got damaged)

I need advice on how to attain a new front fork with Columbus tubing or advice from an expert with frames‼️

Please help‼️

Thanks‼️

More details:

I have looked at seat post tube area at least 100 times (correct spelling: Othon Ochsner
👀 I don't see any buckling, rippling, small waves in the seat post area or anything of that nature on the main frame. The seat post is stuck in there - so I can get some help getting seat post out (not a problem). The problem is that I need to find somebody who can partner with me to help me find a new front fork with Columbus Tubing 🚲. I want to find a new fork within 30 days - as I am moving out of state. Tomorrow I will get out my professional camera and take pictures of entire bicycle📸

Thanks for reaching out !! Look forward to your responce ‼️

Thanks,

KC

Kontact

Ebay would be happy to partner with you:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...m&_osacat=7294

Andrew R Stewart 

Sounds like a garage/roof rack moment...

I would carefully assess the complete frame before spending money. For this kind of damage to happen the chances of secondary issues is strong. That the seat post is stuck might mean previous galvanic corrosion is at play, if so removing the post can be more involved than thought.

get the post out and have someone who known about this stuff take a long look at the frame for yet to be found issues before buying a fork. This likely isn't something that will happen quickly. Do you have a relationship with a currently local shop? If so are they steel frame experienced (or motivated)? If not does the area you're moving to have a LBS that might be easier to deal with after the move?

Unless you are set on a name there is no mechanical reason to replace the fork with one that has Columbus tubing. There's nothing special about Columbus that a few other tube companies don't duplicate, but that name... Andy

cbbond

I'm going with a front fork that has Columbus tubing (prefer a NOS front fork with triple-butted seams❗

Thanks❗

unterhausen

I don't recall Columbus ever having triple butted blades. You haven't offered nearly enough information for anyone here to help you.

I suggest you post some pictures of the bike to an album in your gallery on your profile and we'll rescue them for you and post them here.

Andrew R Stewart 

I'll also add that I most all the Columbus fork blades I've seen have no seams.

Fork blades from the major tube players are generally seamless, bar stock is pierced through to create the tube then drawn over mandrels and through dies to form the shape and wall thickness. Some blades will have a tapered wall thickness so when the thin walled end is reduced in diameter (swedged) the resulting wall thickness becomes consistent over the length of the blade. Some don't taper the wall first and, thus, might be called single butted as the small diameter end will have a far thicker wall then the top end does.

The only mechanical aspect that Columbus does to differentiate it from other companies' forks is to have a spiral ribbing in the ID of the steerer at its lower (and thicker walled) end. Tange has also done this and it is debatable that the ribs add any real benefit. Andy

Atlas Shrugged

Weren’t we just down this road? Still stuck for a solution even though they have been offered previously on numerous occasions?
https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...road-bike.html

unterhausen

I don't know that Columbus ever made seamed tubing, but I don't think so. I'm not sure they ever made tubing for cheap bikes. They showed up fairly late as far as tube manufacturers go, and there were plenty of places to get low-end tubing at that time. Of course, True Temper showed that you could make good welded/seamed tubing, but it took them a while to perfect it.

The function of the rifling in the steerers is to make me laugh, because it's funny they are still doing it. It does add strength and stiffness to the steerers, it's just a really inefficient way of doing it. Maybe they still do it that way for the same reason Gibson still makes their top-end guitars with breakaway head stocks: lots of people expect it.

guy153

Cromor is seamed, but only before the last few drawing stages and butting. I think it's basically what a metal shop would call "drawn over mandrel" or DOM tubing as opposed to "cold drawn seamless". But yes it's certainly not the basic seamed tubing you would see in a cheap bike, that isn't butted and is just rolled up electrically welded sheet metal.