Positron400

Hi,

I am in the process of converting my stem mounted brake cable hanger to a fork mounted version. Unfortunately, it turns out, the fork crown only has one hole in the front and none at the back. The Tektro cable hanger I got (https://www.edinburghbicycle.com/tek...t-cable-hanger) comes with a recessed nut and washers. Another one i got (https://activesport.co/Dia-Compe-128...t-cable-hanger) has a regular screw with washers. But the issue still stands, since the screw is too long.
Can i cut the screw down to "just" mount it at the front hole, or should i drill out my fork... . Really wouldnt want to drill it out though, since I have no idea how that would affect the integrity of the fork.
Btw. we are talking about a 90ties MTB steel fork from a specialized rockhopper.

Thanks for your input!
BR
Positrion

HillRider

Drilling out the back of the fork crown will have no weakening effect on the fork. Most forks are drilled through right from the start. That said, shortening the bolt to only go through the front hole is just as easy. Either choice is fine.

Positron400

Thanks! much appreciated. Then I will likely go for the less involved option of cutting down the screw.

andrewclaus

I'd be wary about putting braking torque on just one wall of the steerer tube. Drilling the hole through will be much stronger. It will give a more substantial "lever arm" to counter the torque.

It's not a difficult project to drill it out. It can be done to acceptable tolerance with hand tools.

dedhed

Drill baby drill

hokiefyd 

The added benefit of having the crown drilled through is access to that hanger mounting hardware without having to remove the wheel or fiddle with a very small wrench up through the steer tube to get to that fastener. You may want to periodically check tightness of that hardware, especially as you test ride after install and for several rides after that, and this will be easier if that's a through bolt.

The Tektro uses a recessed nut (I have the same one on one of my bikes), but you could easily replace that with a longer bolt and use a conventional nut as well.

Positron400

Right, so drilling the fork through, might be the more sensible option then - gotcha. Should i be drilling throu the exisiting hole, or measure from the other side up? I am wary of not alining the holes properly.. any advice on that?

Yan 

I wouldn't bother drilling. You will need a drill press for that. Go to the hardware store and get a shorter M5 bolt.

Mr. 66

You'll be fine with the electric hand held, probably be fine to leave the fork on the bike even. The one hole can pilot the drill bit, it shouldn't "walk" but you will need to hold the drill steady.

andrewclaus

I've drilled fork crowns before with a hand-held drill, but only for accessories like hangers and fenders. I wouldn't trust my eye for aligning a brake caliper.

Use eye protection, use cutting oil on the bit, use a lower speed, start with a smaller pilot hole, etc. Research metal drilling if you haven't done it. Maybe practice on a piece of EMT or something.

dedhed

How about a picture?

hokiefyd 

This isn't a brake caliper -- just a cable hanger. Just do your best to get it as aligned as you can and it should be fine. I would do it from the rear so you can be as precise with the position as possible. Center-punch the position and start with a small drill bit and drill a pilot hole. Work to enlarge the hole with a series of larger and larger drill bits until you get to the final diameter. You'll need a larger diameter to use the recessed nut option than you will if you want to use a longer through-bolt with a nut on the back.

I have had one of these Tektro hangers on a Trek 750. The rear hole was not large enough for the recessed nut, so I did have to open it up a bit. I think I did it in two steps using slightly larger bits each time.

dedhed

Rear hole needs to be 8mm (5/16") for a recessed nut.

depending on fork it might also require this.

​​​​​​

Positron400

cool cool - thanks for the tips! I don't mind drilling metal, I was mostly concerned about the structural integrity and the alignment, but since this doesn't seem to matter too to much for a brake cable hanger, i will do my best to get it "somewhat" aligned.

EDIT: Just finished the drilling. Wasnt too hard of a job, and also expanded the hole at the front to remove the threads. Now the cable hanger fits properly thru the fork. Thanks you lot