straight forks for fixie?
Hi All,
I have just finished building up (for a second time) an old Raleigh lenton Sports frame as a fixie. Long story, but the first time I built it up, I realised that due to the realxed frame angles and huge fork rake, the front wheel was miles too far ahead of me, making the steering slow and dull.
This time I bought a new, cheap set of chrome forks with a shallower rake but the front wheel is still too far forward. I think this is mainly due to the angles of the very old frame. I am wondering if a straight fork would solve the problem and if so, where do you get a cheap, 1", quill, straight fork? Anyone any ideas/ advice?
There is a pic of the bike in it's first guise here:
http://www.glasgownightingalecc.org.uk/ ... lin_m.html
I have just finished building up (for a second time) an old Raleigh lenton Sports frame as a fixie. Long story, but the first time I built it up, I realised that due to the realxed frame angles and huge fork rake, the front wheel was miles too far ahead of me, making the steering slow and dull.
This time I bought a new, cheap set of chrome forks with a shallower rake but the front wheel is still too far forward. I think this is mainly due to the angles of the very old frame. I am wondering if a straight fork would solve the problem and if so, where do you get a cheap, 1", quill, straight fork? Anyone any ideas/ advice?
There is a pic of the bike in it's first guise here:
http://www.glasgownightingalecc.org.uk/ ... lin_m.html
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Comments
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In fact with more relaxed angles, you need more fork rake not less in order to prevent the steering slow. That's because it's largely the trail (how far the tyre contact patch is behind the steering axis) which makes the steering stable and slow, and decreasing fork rake simply increases this.
In answer to the question: nowhere, as nobody makes such a thing since it wouldn't be useful for a normal bike geometry. In answer to the broader question, there's really not much you can do as the way the bike handles is down to the frame angles and no amount of fiddling with the fork will change it that much.0 -
BigSpecs wrote:I am wondering if a straight fork would solve the problem and if so, where do you get a cheap, 1", quill, straight fork? Anyone any ideas/ advice?
Ask a bike shop/framebuilder - they may have a set or two lying idle left over from customers who've brought in bikes/frames for carbon and/or threadless fork swaps, which would probably just end up in a skip otherwise.
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
Hi Colin.
You could speak to Martin Coopland - he's got a whole pile of period Bates tubing and forks stocked up. Might have something that would suit you. Martin's in Airth - I'll pm you his email when I find it...
Oh, and that's a fixed bike, not a 'fixie' - you've been reading too many American websites!
Cheers, Andy0
