Cycling UK Forum

PH wrote: ↑28 Sep 2024, 12:58pm How much would they charge for a new one? Ask them why that price is different to the ones you've shortlisted, decide if that's relevant to you, job done.

50 euros for the cheap fork that I showed in the first post, while repairing my fork costs many hours of labor, and the estimate was about 120 euros, so, given that it is of the same type, i.e. tig welded with a mass production process, it makes no sense for me.

pwa wrote: ↑28 Sep 2024, 7:31am As a side issue, if you've had a shunt that bent your fork, the front end of the frame will need careful checking too. I'd be looking at the paint on the top and down tubes where they meet the head tube, for any signs of cracking.

I did better

I know a frame builder who specializes in steel and titanium frames check my frame.
As I reported here, the crash was pretty bad, with a lot of damage.

The paint is pretty bad from the rocks that hit the bottom of the bicycle during the impact, also ruining the wheels.
So, he sandblasted the whole frame, removed the paint, sanded the marks left by the impact and checked for dents or cracks.

Result: frame in good condition, rear derailleur mount straightened on a jig.
Frame ready for new fresh paint!

The labor cost to recover the fork far exceeds the value of that fork, since it is the same type as the cheap fork I posted

531colin wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 10:51pm It’s a pointless comparison, because the handling will change.

I tried to find a criterion for a minimum comparison between the "cheap fork" and the "expensive one" that I reported in the first post.

I thought about the offset, but apparently it is about the same.

How much I hate that they never publish a datasheet for a fork like they do for electronic components!
For bicycle components it's really frustrating to never understand anything and never have a damned technical sheet in your hands that at least lists the characteristics and properties.

I see that there is a different welding technique, the weight is different (~300g less), and the profile of the blades changes ...
However we are at the usual question: why does that bloody expensive one cost 5 times as much as the cheap one?
Is it better? if so, in what way? and how can I get an idea without having to try it?

To try it I have to buy it, and I can't return it.

Freddie wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 10:49pm if your frame comes with forks then they are likely best (for the purpose the frame is intended).
New forks may be different to your current ones, but whether different is better is another question.
Personally, I wouldn't bother changing forks unless you are doing it for a very specific reason and understand how the change may affect the steering.

There would also be the bicycle I had a bad crash one month ago. In this case, the list of damages also includes the steel fork that bent in a way that in my opinion is not even worth trying to repair.

In these cases, you have a still good frame, you have to change the wheels, and replace the fork, and again you find yourself having to choose one.

First you should understand exactly what the criteria are to be able to choose one, possibly even better than the previous one, because it wouldn't be bad at all to rebuild the bicycle with a few improvements, while we're at it.

So, I certainly don't start looking on eBay for *exactly* the fork mounted by the brand that assembled the bicycle.

Freddie wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 10:49pm on what frame and does it not have forks already?

I ride with a complete bicycle that obviously has its fork, chosen by the same brand that marketed the bicycle.

Bianchi, Moser, Coppi, Benotto, ... all these brands market complete bicycles where you find the fork that they have chosen, and not so exactly if it is handmade, rather than an industrial thing similar to the cheap fork that I posted in the first post, obviously repainted by them, with maybe the addition of the pantographed logo.

This is what happens with all the bicycles in the low and mid-range.

* * *

I then have a steel frame of a bicycle that I am building myself, there is no fork yet, and this leads to having to choose one.

Manc33 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 10:10pm Three pages... and no one's mentioned Reynolds 953 yet?
When I was a kid that steel was out of reach, too expensive, TdF riders had it.
Even having 531 was somewhat luxurious back then.

953 and 531 are very difficult to find in my area, but yeah, very interesting

Freddie wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 8:58pm What is it you are looking to achieve?

the use is road racing, average 30Km/h, max speed 55Km/h, 70% training, 0% racing, 30% touring

I usually ride 50km a day, every day, fairly flat roads, some climbs, some potholes, but nothing serious.

I would like to understand if it makes sense to spend 250 euros for a steel fork, and what exactly I buy with those 250 euros, what are the criteria to quickly understand what to expect from a fork, what is going to improve, and if you pay only for the fact that it is a brand (e.g. Coppi, Bianchi, Moser, Pinarello, ...) or for the fact that it's made by a "famous" craftsman.

531colin wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 4:26pm the diagram is wrong, or at least mis-labelled
It should be labelled more/less fork offset. "Trail" is a function of 3 things, wheel size, fork offset and head angle, perfectly explained

trail(wheel_size, fork_offset, angle)

we are comparing two forks for the same bicycle frame
therefore

• wheel_size = const = 28"
• angle = const = 73
• trail(wheel_size, fork_offset, angle) ~= trail(fork_offset)

Interesting topics ...

• Advantage of flexible forks, see here
• ...

Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 2:04pm Why do you say that more trail = longer wheelbase?

ops, my mystake. I fixed the post. Thanks

I'm tempted to buy both forks, measure them, mount them on the same bike, with the same wheels, and ride 200km to see if the expensive fork is worth the money compared to the cheap one ...

Too bad I can't return the expensive fork like we all do with Amazon' products, also because I will have to cut it to fit the head-set (Campagnolo Victory) of my bicycle.

It's 300 euro, in total for both the two forks ...

Forks built in the 1930s through the 1950s typically had as much as 90mm of fork rake resulting in very little trial, often zero.
There was a "theory at that time" that trail made steering heavy and sluggish ...

... more/less trail is also a question in my head.

less trail means longer wheelbase -> straight line stability, but but worse quick steering response
This because a shorter wheelbase means the bike will turn on a tighter radius.

For road bikes, it is generally accepted that 55-60mm of trail is ideal, providing a good balance of manoeuvrability and stability.

• Larger amounts of trail are typically used for gravel bikes and MTB.
• Less trail is often employed for loaded touring bikes.

the weight of front panniers makes the front wheel more difficult to turn, hence the need for a quicker steering response.

(from here)

edit:
I wrote "more train" instead of "less trail".
Fixed.

Also interesting is the crown. Lovely fork crowns here. Nice to see.

of the expensive fork you can see that the welds are not visible.