fork appears to be welded on investment cast crown?
04-25-21, 11:52 AM
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fork appears to be welded on investment cast crown?
Not sure if this is the right forum but have a question on an old Tange fork I've come across. I was told it was an investment cast crown however when examining the underside it appears to have been welded. Is this just a bad lug that had to be repaired? Ideas why it looks welded? Never seen that on a lug before. The steerer is stamped 'Tange 8B'. Thanks-
04-25-21, 12:01 PM
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I think those crowns are formed out of sheet steel and welded. The steerer and legs are then brazed. I've had a number of mid 80s Treks and Cannondales with those Tange forks. They were fine.
04-25-21, 12:59 PM
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As I recall this was the same basic crown that Trek needed to recall.
Not excited with all the cracked paint I see there, at the fork leg and steerer.
Not excited with all the cracked paint I see there, at the fork leg and steerer.
04-25-21, 07:16 PM
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Yes, that's a crown made by welding thick sheetmetal that's been bent around. Not cast. Perfectly OK way to make a crown, though not high-end or fashionable. Strong enough (usually) and pretty light. The Nervex Professional crown made famous by the '60s-'70s Peugeot PX-10 was made the same way, and it is also light and strong.
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04-25-21, 07:19 PM
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I had to recall the brand- Ishiwata sold them, made them.
04-25-21, 09:12 PM
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Isn't that a bit unlikely on a fork made by Tange? I have seen Tange-built forks made with Reynolds 531 tubing, so we know Tange will make forks with other people's stuff, but Tange using Ishiwata steel seems less likely to me. Not impossible, just less likely.
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04-26-21, 04:43 PM
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Yes, that's a crown made by welding thick sheetmetal that's been bent around. Not cast. Perfectly OK way to make a crown, though not high-end or fashionable. Strong enough (usually) and pretty light. The Nervex Professional crown made famous by the '60s-'70s Peugeot PX-10 was made the same way, and it is also light and strong.
I also saw a picture of a Keirin track bike (forget the brand) that had what looked like an identical fork down to the color, styling and welds.
Last edited by tendency; 04-26-21 at 04:53 PM.
04-26-21, 04:47 PM
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Now it's curious you say that 'cuz the fork came on a Japanese bike from the early 80s that is made with Ishiwata tubing. However, my understanding, based upon limited knowledge of Tange's fork date stamps is that my fork was made in 1988, so, does not appear to be original to the bike.
Last edited by tendency; 04-26-21 at 04:50 PM.
04-26-21, 05:10 PM
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Nothing to see, here, move along.
You'll see this construction on literally millions of bicycles.
You'll see this construction on literally millions of bicycles.
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04-26-21, 06:00 PM
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04-26-21, 06:53 PM
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No, the OP's title seemed alarmist "fork appears welded on investment cast crown".
1. The fork crown is not investment cast, it's sheet metal that's been bent and welded (just like many lugs from that era).
2. I'm pretty sure Bike Forums doesn't have millions of people visiting here.
3. I think my post, along with others hopefully educated the dozens of people who will read this thread.
1. The fork crown is not investment cast, it's sheet metal that's been bent and welded (just like many lugs from that era).
2. I'm pretty sure Bike Forums doesn't have millions of people visiting here.
3. I think my post, along with others hopefully educated the dozens of people who will read this thread.
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
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04-26-21, 07:21 PM
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Formed and welded lugs were quite common on middling quality bike frames from that era. Heck, lots of very nice frames out of France had pressed and welded lugs, you can even find them from time to time on eBay. A quick perusal of the interwebs shows this pic:
Some custom framebuilders in England stamped thin metal and wrapped them around tubes for reinforcement and/or decoration in conjunction with fillet brazing - the so-called "bilaminate construction". I recently had a very nice Gillott mixte come through my shop for some modifications that clearly show this feature.
Some custom framebuilders in England stamped thin metal and wrapped them around tubes for reinforcement and/or decoration in conjunction with fillet brazing - the so-called "bilaminate construction". I recently had a very nice Gillott mixte come through my shop for some modifications that clearly show this feature.
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04-27-21, 06:16 AM
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Yup. That's not an investment cast crown. Advantage: they're lighter than an investment cast crown, but they have that ugly weld seam on the bottom.
04-27-21, 06:22 AM
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Tange had their own line of welded crowns. The "CCL 1120" looks like the OP's crown:
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