How to Straighten a Bent Fork?

[Rollin Double Sixes]

I am now the proud owner of some bent forks. They look like the pilot has rammed straight into something causing the forks to bend towards the frame. Judging by the bend the pilot was sent screaming over the bars into some terrible fate from which they swore off biking and never rode again. It would be nice to have the forks straight again. I read the bending forks thread and saw a post about turning the fork around and bashing it the other way but I don't have a conduit bender and I don't really want to just bash the fork straight. I would like to straighten them with the least possibility of further damaging them and also to maintain the paint. I searched the forum and wasn't able to find much more info on this. Any Ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Here is the fork.

 

[Markm]

someone somewhere had an old bumperjack set up to bend 'em...hooked on the BB and "jacked the fork" straight

 

[carolina rat]

Turn fork around backwards and snug the stem, sit on seat hold on good and hit a large unmovable object enough times untill straight. Also take and post a video of this.

But really I hold them in a large vise and put a pipe over them up to were I want them to bend and PULL. Some times a long pipe is needed for leverage.

 

[dangratsdan]

someone somewhere had an old bumperjack set up to bend 'em...hooked on the BB and "jacked the fork" straight

That would be Bicycerick at his bicycle shop, Peddlers Bicycle Shop in Independence, Mo.. I seen him use it on an old Hawthorne, and he didn't have to take anything apart. He just hung the bike in a stand upside down, and used his bumper jack tool placing one end on the BB and the other end on the front axel, and racheted the jack a few times until the fork was straight. Smooth, easy, and perfect.

I tried to use the vise method on a tube style fork, and used the frame as the lever. That did not work for me, it just put dents in my fork from the vise jaws.

On another project the fork had a slight bend and I tried to straighten it using the hole in the concrete I use to bend seatposts. Well, I didn't put a nut on the threaded end of the fork and just put it in the hole and pulled on it, It felt like it moved, but what moved was the threaded end went flat on one side. I was lucky, and was able to round the tube back out and salvage my original Monark springer fork.

Wish I had a fork straightner like Ricks, or lived closer to Peddlers Bicycle Shop.

Dangerous Dan

 

[Rustinkerer]

Well, if I had a problem fork, I'd jack up a wheel on my truck, and place the ends of the fork on some 2x4 scraps, and lower the jack, using the truck tire as a low buck press! I'd probably go a little past straight, so when you take the weight off, it'll spring back to straight. I don't know if this will actually work, but I'll probably try it eventually! ~Adam

 

[KOTA]

Well, if I had a problem fork, I'd jack up a wheel on my truck, and place the ends of the fork on some 2x4 scraps, and lower the jack, using the truck tire as a low buck press! I'd probably go a little past straight, so when you take the weight off, it'll spring back to straight. I don't know if this will actually work, but I'll probably try it eventually! ~Adam

Not a bad IDEA!......I would put a 2 x 4 underneath the head (threaded tube), then one going across the forks, on top, then apply pressure. I've bent a few forks before and the metal on THOSE is fairly soft, it won't take much to bend them back. GOOD LUCK!

 

[sensor]

someone somewhere had an old bumperjack set up to bend 'em...hooked on the BB and "jacked the fork" straight

hmmmmmmmm.................ive now found a new use for my monkey on a stick!

 

[Rustinkerer]

[quoteNot a bad IDEA!......I would put a 2 x 4 underneath the head (threaded tube), then one going across the forks, on top, then apply pressure. I've bent a few forks before and the metal on THOSE is fairly soft, it won't take much to bend them back.][/quote] ..Yeah, that's what I was thinkin'. ~Adam

 

[Rollin Double Sixes]

Thanks for all the ideas guys! I got it both figured and straightened out. I will post some pics of how I did it later if anyone wants to see.

 

[KOTA]

WE WANNA SEE! :lol:

 

[Rollin Double Sixes]

Here it is straightened.

I used the 2x4 idea.

Well, if I had a problem fork, I'd jack up a wheel on my truck, and place the ends of the fork on some 2x4 scraps, and lower the jack, using the truck tire as a low buck press! I'd probably go a little past straight, so when you take the weight off, it'll spring back to straight. I don't know if this will actually work, but I'll probably try it eventually! ~Adam

Not a bad IDEA!......I would put a 2 x 4 underneath the head (threaded tube), then one going across the forks, on top, then apply pressure. I've bent a few forks before and the metal on THOSE is fairly soft, it won't take much to bend them back. GOOD LUCK!

I substituted a truck with a large pipe bender I bought a couple months ago. I couldn't think how to bend it without denting the fork. 2x4 scraps were the key to my success. They allowed for two things to happen, the fork did not get dented from the pipe bender and I was able to tell when the fork was straight. Thanks again for the ideas guys!

I took some pics but without X-ray eyes it's hard to see whats going on and where the fork is sandwiched.

 

[sensor]

yeah 2x4's are a life saver(they work great for getting those pesky door shells to fit 'just right' also)
glad to see it worked out for you!

 

[KOTA]

Looks good. NICE JOB!

 

[Rustinkerer]

Yeah, or if you had a shop press, same thing really. Cool solution! ~Adam

 

[JOScatRATrod]

all i do, is take out the front wheel, stick the fork dropouts into a sturdily constructed set of WOODEN steps, or under a latched well hung door, line up the frame and use it as a lever. expect plenty of dents on your woodwork. some good forks won't respond to this technique but most do! a quick lowbrow way to (hopefully) straighten BOTH legs Evenly. can also be used to adjust fork pitch. however this blue jack looks more precise

 

[blackdiamond]

Well, if I had a problem fork, I'd jack up a wheel on my truck, and place the ends of the fork on some 2x4 scraps, and lower the jack, using the truck tire as a low buck press! I'd probably go a little past straight, so when you take the weight off, it'll spring back to straight. I don't know if this will actually work, but I'll probably try it eventually! ~Adam

Not a bad IDEA!......I would put a 2 x 4 underneath the head (threaded tube), then one going across the forks, on top, then apply pressure. I've bent a few forks before and the metal on THOSE is fairly soft, it won't take much to bend them back. GOOD LUCK!

Think it would work with An ashtubula Schwinn type fork?