Is this fork repairable or should it just be replaced?
03-30-12, 07:37 PM
#1
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Is this fork repairable or should it just be replaced?
Just looking for a few of your opinions on if this fork can be straightened. The cracking paint is on the front of the fork about 2-3 inches below the fork crown.
03-30-12, 07:42 PM
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It can be straightened but how strong will it be? Personally I think there are enough good used and lowcost replacement forks that unless you can do the job yourself... you better off replacing it.
However it is also a matter of what bike this is off of. Of course you want to keep your Eddy as stock looking as possible so that will also come into play. for me though I would shelve that fork and buy a chrome replacement.
However it is also a matter of what bike this is off of. Of course you want to keep your Eddy as stock looking as possible so that will also come into play. for me though I would shelve that fork and buy a chrome replacement.
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03-30-12, 07:47 PM
#3
Keener splendor
Yes. It can be straightened.
No. It's not worth it. Getting a qualified frame shop to do within a mm tolerance that is going to run you $65 to $80. You can get a fork for that amount that includes peace of mind.
No. It's not worth it. Getting a qualified frame shop to do within a mm tolerance that is going to run you $65 to $80. You can get a fork for that amount that includes peace of mind.
03-30-12, 08:01 PM
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It can be straightened but how strong will it be? Personally I think there are enough good used and lowcost replacement forks that unless you can do the job yourself... you better off replacing it.
However it is also a matter of what bike this is off of. Of course you want to keep your Eddy as stock looking as possible so that will also come into play. for me though I would shelve that fork and buy a chrome replacement.
However it is also a matter of what bike this is off of. Of course you want to keep your Eddy as stock looking as possible so that will also come into play. for me though I would shelve that fork and buy a chrome replacement.
Oh yeah forgot to mention it's from a '73 schwinn world sport
03-30-12, 09:12 PM
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Well thanks for the input, guess the search is on for an orange/chrome schwinn fork to replace this one. i've always wanted an orange/chrome schwinn world voyageur since the first time I saw one back in the early 90's so i'd like to replace it with the same. If anyone knows of a matching fork listed somewhere please lmk.
03-30-12, 10:12 PM
#7
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i would try to fix it myself. if it is really hard to bend back (i think it will be), then i think it is probably ok. if it is an easy task, then it probably isn't safe.
03-31-12, 07:14 AM
#9
Riding like its 1990
Fork is not specific to 73 world sport. Just another Schwinn from the era should do, Traveller, le Tour etc. Could also buy a new chrome fork and it'll look fine on the orange bike.
03-31-12, 09:44 AM
#10
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It's from this '73 World Voyageur, which can also be seen here, in which case it should also have forged Suntour dropouts. I agree that those don't pop up every day, which is exactly why I'd try to straighten it.
Last edited by Metacortex; 03-31-12 at 09:48 AM.
03-31-12, 12:59 PM
#11
Keener splendor
To the OP: how did you do this? Is there a risk of it happening again?
My answer was incorrect before, a chrome fork is more expensive. I still would not repair this fork by hand. A qualified shop will have the jigs and alignment tools to do this right. The fact that the question is being asked leads me to infer that the OP does not have fork straightening experience.
Frankly, I hate this question. It comes up all the time. Find someone who looks at forks a lot (like a good lbs or framebuilder) and ask them. My experience from this forum is that there is an answer and there's a lot that everyone else says.
I'm also saying this as someone who rides an average of 500+ miles/month. I would feel a fork that is bent. If this is a garage queen (it isn't anymore, obviously), then that makes a difference, too.
My answer was incorrect before, a chrome fork is more expensive. I still would not repair this fork by hand. A qualified shop will have the jigs and alignment tools to do this right. The fact that the question is being asked leads me to infer that the OP does not have fork straightening experience.
Frankly, I hate this question. It comes up all the time. Find someone who looks at forks a lot (like a good lbs or framebuilder) and ask them. My experience from this forum is that there is an answer and there's a lot that everyone else says.
I'm also saying this as someone who rides an average of 500+ miles/month. I would feel a fork that is bent. If this is a garage queen (it isn't anymore, obviously), then that makes a difference, too.
03-31-12, 01:45 PM
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It can be straightened, it'll last longer than you will, and the only problem is finding someone who'll do the job correctly for a reasonable price.
Granted, a replacement chrome fork may be simpler in some cases, but they can be a pain as well - the replacement may not have the ideal fork blade length (result = replace the front brake), the steerer tube threading may not be ideal (I don't believe in anything exceeding 30mm of steerer threads after you've cut the fork, for risk of splitting the steerer post-installation - regardless of the 100mm of threading replacement forks come with), and the crown race may be the wrong size (result = buy new headset).
Don't listen to anyone who tells you that it'll be weakened. Sure, there will be a marginal reduction in tensile strength, but not enough to make a difference in safety - especially with that tubing. I've seen hi-ten and 4130 forks bent 20 degrees backwards brought back to spec., with no issues yet. It's been done thousands of times before; ask any shop that remembers how they used their Park FFS-1 back in the day.
-Kurt
Granted, a replacement chrome fork may be simpler in some cases, but they can be a pain as well - the replacement may not have the ideal fork blade length (result = replace the front brake), the steerer tube threading may not be ideal (I don't believe in anything exceeding 30mm of steerer threads after you've cut the fork, for risk of splitting the steerer post-installation - regardless of the 100mm of threading replacement forks come with), and the crown race may be the wrong size (result = buy new headset).
Don't listen to anyone who tells you that it'll be weakened. Sure, there will be a marginal reduction in tensile strength, but not enough to make a difference in safety - especially with that tubing. I've seen hi-ten and 4130 forks bent 20 degrees backwards brought back to spec., with no issues yet. It's been done thousands of times before; ask any shop that remembers how they used their Park FFS-1 back in the day.
-Kurt
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03-31-12, 02:36 PM
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Forks aren't hard to bend. You can bend anything if you have a long enough lever. Bending them correctly is a different story.
03-31-12, 04:46 PM
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To the OP: how did you do this? Is there a risk of it happening again?
My answer was incorrect before, a chrome fork is more expensive. I still would not repair this fork by hand. A qualified shop will have the jigs and alignment tools to do this right. The fact that the question is being asked leads me to infer that the OP does not have fork straightening experience.
Frankly, I hate this question. It comes up all the time. Find someone who looks at forks a lot (like a good lbs or framebuilder) and ask them. My experience from this forum is that there is an answer and there's a lot that everyone else says.
I'm also saying this as someone who rides an average of 500+ miles/month. I would feel a fork that is bent. If this is a garage queen (it isn't anymore, obviously), then that makes a difference, too.
My answer was incorrect before, a chrome fork is more expensive. I still would not repair this fork by hand. A qualified shop will have the jigs and alignment tools to do this right. The fact that the question is being asked leads me to infer that the OP does not have fork straightening experience.
Frankly, I hate this question. It comes up all the time. Find someone who looks at forks a lot (like a good lbs or framebuilder) and ask them. My experience from this forum is that there is an answer and there's a lot that everyone else says.
I'm also saying this as someone who rides an average of 500+ miles/month. I would feel a fork that is bent. If this is a garage queen (it isn't anymore, obviously), then that makes a difference, too.
I just bought the bike and didn't look it over close enough when buying and only noticed the fork problem when I started stripping it down to the frame to clean it up/overhaul everything. I've fixed a few forks in my days to make bikes rideable for people who couldn't afford replacement parts. It's not the strength issue i'm worried about, its just getting it back to stock spec whatever that may be and how easy it would be for someone to get it back to spec.
03-31-12, 05:23 PM
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I can understand why you want to retain this particular fork - and I sympathize with you about not getting the info on the damage beforehand. I hope you were able to work something out there 
A nice bike, and one that surely deserves to be fixed up correctly. Good luck!
DD
A nice bike, and one that surely deserves to be fixed up correctly. Good luck!
DD
03-31-12, 05:30 PM
#16
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Be bold. Bend it back. I straighten forks like that all the time. Metal has a remarkable memory. It should go back in place fairly easily.
I worked at a bike shop for a while in the 80's. Forks like that were very common. Rear triangles mangled by Mom running over the bike with a car, Kids running their bikes up tree trunks, you name it, we bent them back. Sometimes we had to straighten the frames on Murrays, Huffys, Free Spirits, just to get the derailleurs to work and the wheels to spin. Bikes are simple machines, they can be manhandled to a certain extent.
I worked at a bike shop for a while in the 80's. Forks like that were very common. Rear triangles mangled by Mom running over the bike with a car, Kids running their bikes up tree trunks, you name it, we bent them back. Sometimes we had to straighten the frames on Murrays, Huffys, Free Spirits, just to get the derailleurs to work and the wheels to spin. Bikes are simple machines, they can be manhandled to a certain extent.
04-01-12, 08:09 AM
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If you want to save a buck then by all means I concur.
04-01-12, 09:38 PM
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Looks like the left (non-drive) blade is bent backward (toward the rear of the bike). In my experience it's harder to reallign blades that are bent this way than those that are bent side-ways. Since the major riding forces on forks are front-to-back, I'd worry that your fork is too structurally weakened to ride safely even if you re-alligned it. Looks like crash damage, and I'd also advize checking for frame tube damage.
04-01-12, 09:55 PM
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Edit: seriously, it is very difficult to realign a fork with
bend like this without a jig of some kind and a little
experience. you usually run into the problem of, when
you bend it, you cannot figure out how to limit your
bending force to the area you want to rebend, so you
end up with bends all over the place.
OTOH, you've got nothing to lose by attempting to do it,
and can get another fork (likely) if you fail. Try to make
yourself a jig out of dowels and board or plywood that allows
you to focus your efforts on the damaged area only.
Try to do one leg at a time and be prepared to spend
some time on it. You'll learn a lot.
That metal has a memory business works reasonably well
for milder steel, not so much for this I fear.
Last edited by 3alarmer; 04-01-12 at 10:04 PM.
01-28-14, 06:22 PM
#21
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Alright been searching for a replacement for over a year and have not been able to find one. Anyone know of a shop or someone with the correct jigs to get this one fixed?
01-28-14, 07:02 PM
#23
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My local shop had a '73 WV (yellow) with a stuck seat post. He took it to a local machine shop to drill it out. They didn't do it straight and the bit came out the seat post; frame was toast. He put the fork on an old Azuki. He'd probably sell you the fork, but not for less than the cost of a replacement and his time/effort. Probably best just to buy a nice replacement like Electra.
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01-28-14, 07:19 PM
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But that doesn't appear to be a particularly high-end fork, and the end result might cost almost as much as a generic chrome fork, readily found on eBay or ordered through your LBS.
01-28-14, 09:25 PM
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It's not real high end I think one step below the paramount. Just a wonderful riding bike and with the parts I've put on it in the last year it's time to replace the all Chrome fork thats on it now with the correct fork so Ican call it done and enjoy putting miles on a beautiful bike.