Forks not in line with steerer

[SRV]

I have a 25" (63.5mm) frame which may or may not be an aero Record Sprint. The fork legs are not in line with the steerer tube, but rather trail it by 2 or 3 degrees. There appears to be no damage to either legs, crown or steerer. The bike handles OK. I have another pair of forks (from a smaller-framed aero RRS) which are nicely in line.
Has anybody got any idea what is going on?

[rogerzilla]

Common on Holdsworths of a certain vintage. Sloppy brazing, basically - the steerer isn't held straight in the crown, the brass cools and it's like that forever. It can really change the fork offset; I had one where the offset was under 30mm. On a tourer.

[alexnharvey]

Post a picture of you can.

[Brucey]

IME the issue the OP describes invariably means the front has been overloaded. The damage will most probably be in the steerer or fork crown. You can tell which it is by inspecting the crown race for 'swash' when the steering is turned.

NB when I say 'overloaded' I mean in relation to the strength of the materials used; in some cases this can merely be enthusiastic application of powerful brakes, whilst a rear load is being carried.

In some cases it is OK to straighten (cold set) the forks, and then inspect for cracks at regular intervals subsequently. However the risk/consequence balance is far from ideal; replacement forks should be a better idea.

cheers