Replacing French Threaded Fork (Motobecane)
#1
Replacing French Threaded Fork (Motobecane)
I did a dumb thing and bent my bike fork. I did an even dumber thing and road the bent fork for months. Fortunately, someone random on the street talked the senses into me (also inclimate weather helped).
I'm struggling to replace this French threaded fork, and it doesn't help that I have a tall bike (~230mm steerer length). I'd also like to not start changing it to ISO parts.
I'm curious what folks on this forum would do in my shoes. I've been camping eBay and searching around for weeks, and I haven't found a replacement. Given how important biking is to my mental health, I'm getting stir crazy.
Thank you!
I'm struggling to replace this French threaded fork, and it doesn't help that I have a tall bike (~230mm steerer length). I'd also like to not start changing it to ISO parts.
I'm curious what folks on this forum would do in my shoes. I've been camping eBay and searching around for weeks, and I haven't found a replacement. Given how important biking is to my mental health, I'm getting stir crazy.
Thank you!
![](https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x532/img_8380_9a9089901bd8fba14d6859499c92167d22beb279.jpg)
#2
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I know you just said you wouldn't but when I bought a similarly trashed Peugeot, I purchased a used Japanese fork. (I think it was a Bridgestone.) Bought both a French and an English Tange headset. Used the races that fit that part. Easy. (I did go English stem and bar as I was building up the frame from scratch.)
This does leave you with a lot of extra work with the handlebars, at least one lever, tape, maybe a shim ...
Edit: cheaper than mental health would be ordering just what you want from a framebuilder. I'm guessing a fork would cost one, maybe two visits to the shrink. No follow-ups required and much, much better long term prognosis.
This does leave you with a lot of extra work with the handlebars, at least one lever, tape, maybe a shim ...
Edit: cheaper than mental health would be ordering just what you want from a framebuilder. I'm guessing a fork would cost one, maybe two visits to the shrink. No follow-ups required and much, much better long term prognosis.
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#3
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If this is your only bike, any chance of sourcing something in a similar size until you find a fork that works for you? Really tall bikes are sloooooow sellers and it could work very well in your favor.
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#4
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That fork looks pretty high-end, along with French and tall. I'd do an ISO conversion so I could ride while doing the search for an appropriate replacement...thinking that might take a while.
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#6
Junior Member
I did a dumb thing and bent my bike fork. I did an even dumber thing and road the bent fork for months. Fortunately, someone random on the street talked the senses into me (also inclimate weather helped).
I'm struggling to replace this French threaded fork, and it doesn't help that I have a tall bike (~230mm steerer length). I'd also like to not start changing it to ISO parts.
I'm curious what folks on this forum would do in my shoes. I've been camping eBay and searching around for weeks, and I haven't found a replacement. Given how important biking is to my mental health, I'm getting stir crazy.
Thank you!
![](https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x532/img_8380_9a9089901bd8fba14d6859499c92167d22beb279.jpg)
I'm struggling to replace this French threaded fork, and it doesn't help that I have a tall bike (~230mm steerer length). I'd also like to not start changing it to ISO parts.
I'm curious what folks on this forum would do in my shoes. I've been camping eBay and searching around for weeks, and I haven't found a replacement. Given how important biking is to my mental health, I'm getting stir crazy.
Thank you!
![](https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x532/img_8380_9a9089901bd8fba14d6859499c92167d22beb279.jpg)
1) Continue looking for a french threaded fork or
2) Have a frame-builder weld your old french threaded steerer onto another fork.
#7
Wow! You must have went flying. I’m glad you are ok.
Was it a frame pump to the front wheel like in the movie ‘Breaking Away’? or the wild squirrel running across the road?
Your fork bend may be beyond realignment. Check your frame over real good, it may now have buckled or twisted.
Was it a frame pump to the front wheel like in the movie ‘Breaking Away’? or the wild squirrel running across the road?
Your fork bend may be beyond realignment. Check your frame over real good, it may now have buckled or twisted.
#8
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I don't understand why you would not just go to an ISO threaded headset top cup and nut.
There are some varables but the crown race should fit.
Absolutely no harm running a mismatch headset stack, I actually do it on several bikes.
/markp
There are some varables but the crown race should fit.
Absolutely no harm running a mismatch headset stack, I actually do it on several bikes.
/markp
#9
+1 That fork is pretty worked. I would be worried about the frame as well. Although admittedly we don't know quite what happened.
The more fundamental problem you have is you seem to only own one bike. You've come to the right place to be cured of that.
The more fundamental problem you have is you seem to only own one bike. You've come to the right place to be cured of that.
#10
Senior Member
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one simple solution would be a Tange Champion chrome replacement fork in metric dimension
they are fully chromed with a full-sloping crown and forged ends
the ones have employed in the past are for 700 wheel with 52mm brake centres
they even come in individual corrugated cartons
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one simple solution would be a Tange Champion chrome replacement fork in metric dimension
they are fully chromed with a full-sloping crown and forged ends
the ones have employed in the past are for 700 wheel with 52mm brake centres
they even come in individual corrugated cartons
![](https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/1542x975/tange_champion_replacement_forks__c7b4bfec8114440babf133612a23248e968d57fe.jpg)
-----
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#11
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I know you just said you wouldn't but when I bought a similarly trashed Peugeot, I purchased a used Japanese fork. (I think it was a Bridgestone.) Bought both a French and an English Tange headset. Used the races that fit that part. Easy. (I did go English stem and bar as I was building up the frame from scratch.)
This does leave you with a lot of extra work with the handlebars, at least one lever, tape, maybe a shim ...
Edit: cheaper than mental health would be ordering just what you want from a framebuilder. I'm guessing a fork would cost one, maybe two visits to the shrink. No follow-ups required and much, much better long term prognosis.
This does leave you with a lot of extra work with the handlebars, at least one lever, tape, maybe a shim ...
Edit: cheaper than mental health would be ordering just what you want from a framebuilder. I'm guessing a fork would cost one, maybe two visits to the shrink. No follow-ups required and much, much better long term prognosis.
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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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#12
Like AdventureManCO mentioned, there's a few 62cm or so bikes that seem like they've been on the market for a while. It seems like the right strategy is either to switch it to ISO (and see how sentimental I am when considering shelling out money if anything pops up) or the Tange that juvela mentioned, or use this as excuse to "find a backup for the future."
![Smilie](images/smilies/smile.gif)
Thank you everyone!
#13
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I was kinda hoping you'd pick Gugie to build you the next fork. (He's 10 minutes up the road from me by velocipede.) Does good work and you'd get to pick any wild extra that crosses your mind. (Custom rack that bolts on neatly to carry that offending bag in civil but containing manner? Gugie would be just the person to come up with something that would look perfect. I have no idea what that would be but that's why you go to him, not me.)
#14
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I don't think the Tange forks are available in metric dimensions, but that's not a show-stopper. French headset pressed fittings are the same dimension as ISO; only the threaded parts are different. Using the Tange fork would allow a much broader selection of headsets. But you may have to replace the stem as well.
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I have a chrome Motobecane fork with a 244mm steerer tube I bought in case the fork on my Peugeot PKN-10 couldn't be straightened. Long steerer tube French threaded forks being hard to find as you may have noticed.
It's not an exact match for yours, the crown is like the Tange 124 in [MENTION=333224]juvela[/MENTION]'s post but it's straight, the chrome is in really nice shape AND I no longer need it. The downside is I paid dearly for it ( in my opinion, then again maybe not ) but it's available if you can't find an exact match.
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Last edited by Murray Missile; 01-20-24 at 12:01 PM.
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#16
blahblahblah chrome moly
That's more like a 180 mm steerer, since you mustn't tighten the stem quill in the threaded part. There's at least 60 mm of excess thread on that one (estimated from photo), probably more for optimal threading. I define the optimum as the minimum amount needed for the headset to screw on, which might leave the steerer more like 170 mm.
Putting that many threads on a steerer is criminal negligence. I don't use the word criminal lightly; I mean it is literally a crime and the company that did it should pay a hefty fine, whether or not anyone is injured when the steerer inevitably cracks. I know, I dreaming of a world where there is justice — dream on!
Too bad, I used to have a favorable opinion of Motobecane, but it's really only the mid-'70s and earlier models that I liked so well. Workmanship and designs were top notch at just about every price point.
Putting that many threads on a steerer is criminal negligence. I don't use the word criminal lightly; I mean it is literally a crime and the company that did it should pay a hefty fine, whether or not anyone is injured when the steerer inevitably cracks. I know, I dreaming of a world where there is justice — dream on!
Too bad, I used to have a favorable opinion of Motobecane, but it's really only the mid-'70s and earlier models that I liked so well. Workmanship and designs were top notch at just about every price point.
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#17
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That's more like a 180 mm steerer, since you mustn't tighten the stem quill in the threaded part. There's at least 60 mm of excess thread on that one (estimated from photo), probably more for optimal threading. I define the optimum as the minimum amount needed for the headset to screw on, which might leave the steerer more like 170 mm.
Putting that many threads on a steerer is criminal negligence. I don't use the word criminal lightly; I mean it is literally a crime and the company that did it should pay a hefty fine, whether or not anyone is injured when the steerer inevitably cracks. I know, I dreaming of a world where there is justice — dream on!
Too bad, I used to have a favorable opinion of Motobecane, but it's really only the mid-'70s and earlier models that I liked so well. Workmanship and designs were top notch at just about every price point.
Putting that many threads on a steerer is criminal negligence. I don't use the word criminal lightly; I mean it is literally a crime and the company that did it should pay a hefty fine, whether or not anyone is injured when the steerer inevitably cracks. I know, I dreaming of a world where there is justice — dream on!
Too bad, I used to have a favorable opinion of Motobecane, but it's really only the mid-'70s and earlier models that I liked so well. Workmanship and designs were top notch at just about every price point.
![Thumbs Up](images/smilies/thumb.gif)
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".....distasteful and easily triggered."
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Last edited by Murray Missile; 01-20-24 at 12:54 PM.
#18
blahblahblah chrome moly
Ooh, good point! I forgot about that. I was going to use a NITTO Technomic stem or a LONG threadless stem adapter that put the wedge below the threads and have the OD turned down slightly to fit in the steerer tube. Although the OP would need to take about 15mm off the OAL and with the right stem it would put the wedge well below the threaded area so it still could work for them if they had no other options. Their call but very good that you pointed that out, something they neede to be aware of. ![Thumbs Up](images/smilies/thumb.gif)
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