WOW! I have never seen a fork shear in half like that before! Glad you had a backup option ready. Sounds like you got a plan! Looking forward to seeing how you execute it.
TRADITIONAL DILEMMA
- Thread starter sdframe
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:
Ouch!
I'm not sure the original fork would have held up to a disc brake. This looks a much better option and can be painted for a better match.
Yes. That is kind of scary.
Just occurred to me…d-uh! They’re the same companyI’m biased towards Murray’s as well (Although there’s a Higgins in my den that needs finishing) and I love the curves of a cantilever. I’d just mash the two up and ditch the step through but different strokes for different folks. Really keen on seeing how this will turn out
Sorry about the steertube, but it looks like you are still on track. Glad the rear wheel is lining up well.
Now I have a nice pile of parts that need cosmetic attention. Some cleaning, some rust removal, some compounding, and either a BLO treatment or a clearcoat.
The original handlebars in that pile are narrow, leaving very little room for mounting all the "enhancements" I plan to add.
So . . . . the Murray may be donating a much wider version.
My disc-ready fork is not the right color, so I'm going with white (since I have some handy.) Here it is with some white primer coats.
The original handlebars in that pile are narrow, leaving very little room for mounting all the "enhancements" I plan to add.
So . . . . the Murray may be donating a much wider version.
My disc-ready fork is not the right color, so I'm going with white (since I have some handy.) Here it is with some white primer coats.
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2012
- Messages
- 1,055
- Reaction score
- 4,072
I remember you posting that when it happened
That was when I learned what it felt like to be a "meat crayon." I was badly bleeding out of my knees and especially my right hand, but even worse was how sore my arms and hands were after the crash. I couldn't straighten one of my elbows for at least a month!
That's why whenever someone mentions breaking or modifying forks, I bring up that incident; I don't want anyone else to suffer through what I did when that fork snapped, especially if they plan on going any faster than I was at the time. Be smart, play it safe, wear safety gear, and don't stress the fork any more than it needs to be, because you DO NOT want that part to break while you're riding.
Last edited:
I knew I'd goof up on the documentation of this build. Yesterday and today I did quite a bit of work, but I got so immersed in it, I forgot to take pictures. Here's how it went:
Yesterday I cleaned up all the metal parts with a little oxalic acid, removing surface rust from the painted metal and chrome parts. Then I had to remove the OA white film from the parts with soap and water.
Today, I gave the new fork a coat of glossy white and then used boiled linseed oil on all the painted parts. Everything dries quickly here in the Great Sonoran Desert, so I was able to start putting the freshly treated parts together, including the wheels and tires. It's more or less a mockup at this point, but I do like the stance the new fork gives it;
Tomorrow I'll endeavor to add the handlebar and attach truss rods, parade bars, a fender and a disc brake on that fork. I'll need to fashion a simple bracket to hang the fender on the fork. Oh yeah, and a headlight needs to be attached to the fender.
Yesterday I cleaned up all the metal parts with a little oxalic acid, removing surface rust from the painted metal and chrome parts. Then I had to remove the OA white film from the parts with soap and water.
Today, I gave the new fork a coat of glossy white and then used boiled linseed oil on all the painted parts. Everything dries quickly here in the Great Sonoran Desert, so I was able to start putting the freshly treated parts together, including the wheels and tires. It's more or less a mockup at this point, but I do like the stance the new fork gives it;
Tomorrow I'll endeavor to add the handlebar and attach truss rods, parade bars, a fender and a disc brake on that fork. I'll need to fashion a simple bracket to hang the fender on the fork. Oh yeah, and a headlight needs to be attached to the fender.
The curve of that fork blends well with the rest of the bike. Will you add a little touch of pigment to bring it close in color to the rear fender? A really light amount of schellac on a rag wiped on might work.
I'll try that, Lee. I also have some dark green reflective decals to make it look less stark in contrast to the rest of the painted surfaces.
This morning I sprayed the front caliper to match the rear. Metalspeck red. I may do a couple more small parts in the same color, just to add some pop.
This morning I sprayed the front caliper to match the rear. Metalspeck red. I may do a couple more small parts in the same color, just to add some pop.
Looking good. I like the stance as well.
Today I removed the new fork to give it a coat of shellac, as per OddJob's suggestion. While the fork dried, AmEx dropped of the huge battery, which just fit.
I ran into another dilemma today. I tried fitting the fender (with vintage Delta headlamp,) the disc caliper, and an additional 1080 rim caliper (I'll use a twin pull brake lever.) The poor little fork couldn't accept the fender brace with the disc caliper in the way. I'm thinking of bobbing the fender, but first I'm gonna sleep on this.
Is there a way to modify the fender brace to go around the brake caliper? Or maybe you could make your own custom fender brace that could work.
It sure does seem like there would be some kind of bracket you could make to attach to the fork and loop around and past the caliper and cabling. Then shorten the fender brace to attach to the bracket.
Great ideas, guys. I do need to get more creative, especially if I want to add all that old school bling. I reinstalled the fork sans the fender setup, keeping just the dual brakes. But it looks nothing like my original plan!
