DANGER PLEASE READ ABOUT MONARCH SPRINGER FORK

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karfer67

karfer67

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ok guys and gals i have a customer that i built a custom felt for. we used the monarch style springer fork and it failed where the main legs of the fork join the crown. when i pulled the cover off the fork i was shocked to see that both legs had only been tack welded into place and because of the thick powdercoat i did not notice it when i put it in. i highly suggest all of you running this fork stop and take a good close look at them.
 
I think anybody that is thinking about these forks should search for and read any of several threads on this site that concern them. I and others have tried to detail all of the workmanship issues encountered(and they are numerous) with these forks which can only be seriously considered for looks and should not be considered for a rider.

http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=599&hilit=crossbow
 
i know that i myself included have had issues with this fork in the past it was fitting them and fitting wider tires that were my only real complaints. but to see this thing fold like that and find out that it was spot welded together makes me quite angry and worried about others on here using this fork.
 
Crap! I just bought these. I wasn't worried about making them fit but if they give out on me that's a different story. How do I check the weld (I'm a novice)? Do you think they are all poorly constructed?
 
I have found in life if you buy cheap expect problems. I have an original and its not the most heavy duty thing i have ever seen. I havent looked at my repop yet but maybe it can just be rewelded. The paint on mine wasnt really good to begin with. There arnt many choices for forks when designing bikes. It would be nice if there were.
 
I had the same problem as the OP. After contacting the manufacturer was sent a replacement "lower" fork. The new part has the same amount of mileage as the old, and no problems yet. This does not mean it will not break in the future. However, this is my cruiser which doesn't go fast, or far.
 
no problem but even if your going slow or not far it would still be a bummer to be rolling along and have your fork fold in half.
 
I got a chance to look at mine today and it was welded all around the bottom part it slides through. maybe you got one they forgot to weld. I guess sometime if i get around to using it ill find out. all the old stuff was brazed. i trust bad welding to brazing. you can still use some other forks with the front springer part if your afraid of their welding.
 
i really like the look of those forks, but can't afford $120 for one... and finding out that despite the steep price, they're junk... im really disappointed. :?
 
I like the Electra springer front much more in my opinion. It's a nice looking fork, but to me hearing about bad paint and shoddy welding is enough for me not to be into these mon(l)archs. I wish there was a way I could look at old bikes and their different fork setups. I have had a few ideas for forks from leaf spring designs to crazy springer setups to taking aircraft landing leg components and converting it to a bike design. The thing is every time I think "is it worth it?", I dunno. I need a machinist or millwright I can work with and willing to risk it and then the cost of materials too and a bike expert so i can make them to fit all bikes. The thing is I am a very picky person, the whole design would have to be perfect. No fudge factor. which means the price would be a little more.
 
uncle stretch i dont mean the lower plate it was where the legs but into the top crown that failled. so really the only way to check would be to remove the fork and take the chrome cover off. maybe i did get a rare one that was just tacked on the top but anytime i see something like this and i know of the issues others are having with it makes me think i might not have the only one like this.
 
Since my last post in this thread, I've put about another 200 miles on a this fork. I noticed the wheel was cocked to one side, and the fork legs rotated. So I took the front end apart to realize that I (again) cracked a tack weld that connects the legs to the crown. I bent it all back into shape with a stone wall and and some muscle. Now I'm off to get some of this ridiculously thick powder coat off (not sure how I'm going to do that one) and find somebody with a welder to get this thing welded all the way around, not just some crappy tack weld.
 
I have been considering this fork for my custom monark but so far the only good thing I've read about them is they look pretty. This greatly worries me since I am building this bike to ride, and if its just going to fall apart then what's the point? :roll: Crossbow's website has a Serious lack of information which is far from comforting. I dont want to spend $120 on scrap metal! Perhaps it would be better to just build my own. I planned to customize it for my 24" frame anyways. What I find odd is that even with all of the issues they are still selling well, I guess looks really are more important.
 
Mine just broke.
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Luckily it was about a half mile from my truck, at the end of a 12 mile ride.

forkbreak.jpg
 

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