Blade fork

[jamesdart]

Do all blade forks steer like crap? I have this straight bar schwinn I had built up as klunker, decided to go more of a rat cruiser. Put a typhoon blade fork on it and I feel it wander around turns

 

[dropstep]

I find tires with the square edges too cause that. Putting on a more rounded tire with the same forks helped me.

 

[Wildcat]

The Typhoon fork is middleweight, maybe that's why it has more flex then a heavier fork. I had a BMX style fork on my bike and it was way more rigid than anything else I've put on it. The original forks were heavy but had a little flex. I've since put a springer on it and it has plenty of flex now.

 

[jamesdart]

I have bmx tube fork on most of my bikes. I removed the wald fork from this one to use on my varsity trail bike.

I had thick bricks on it and didn’t like the way it rode. I put these crusty old Electra white walls that take more
Psi. It’s better but it still steers funky.

 

[MojoK]

It all works together. In mountain biking we figure an extra 10mm of axle to crown decreases head angle half a degree and also sets off the seat tube angle. If the fork deflects, it might also change how the wheels flex. The small changes can add up to significant changes to the handling.

 

[us56456712]

I have had that exact problem with a Schwinn fork on a Klunker. It was dangerous on single track as I was always fighting it to keep on the narrow trail. I took it off and put it on a flat surface and used levels and everything looked straight. I replaced it with an old Colson blade fork and the problem went away. I use Duro white wall street tires on this bike to give it the old look. These are balloon tires and very round, which also helps. At slow Klunker speeds they work great, except when it is wet, then they slip on rocks and roots. I think the fork may have been slightly off but not enough to see. Try a different blade fork to see if it gets better.

 

[SILVERKINGPC]

Bladed forks cannot resist twisting forces as well as the more structured fork designs. The softer, wandering feel these forks deliver up front is something riders may want to combine with a stiffer framed' road setup.

 

[us56456712]

Bladed forks cannot resist twisting forces as well as the more structured fork designs. The softer, wandering feel these forks deliver up front is something riders may want to combine with a stiffer framed' road setup.

Maybe that is why the Colson fork worked better, it has truss rods and the Schwinn fork didn't. Interesting idea.

 

[MojoK]

Following up to Silverking….you might be able to limit the torsional flex a little bit by just using extra wide flanged nuts on the axles (inside and out). Never hurts to double check spoke tension too.