Stripping road bikes down

Harry B

I need to get my bike down as small as possible so as to get it in the back of teh car along with some luggage, etc. I don't want to use a roof rack.

Obviously wheels and seat posts come off fairly easily. But what about forks? Is it a time consuming operation requiring the use of various expensive tools or is it just a matter of a couple of allen keys?

Mechanics is not my strong point and it there is a possibility of putting something back together wrong then there's a good chance that I'll do it and I don't fancy the forks coming away whilst I hurtle downhill at 40mph :shock:

Any thoughts fellow cake stoppers?

Mystique

Removing forks is a borderline one. If you're confident mechanically then no problem (just a couple of allen keys), but as you say it's a critical thing to make a cock of if you're not sure.

Popping the handlebars off so they lay across the frame is easy enough...

ChrisLS

...I would say there is no need to take the forks off. Mystique is correct to say just take the handle bars off.

Harry B

ChrisLS wrote:

...I would say there is no need to take the forks off. Mystique is correct to say just take the handle bars off.

Just trying to save space. The frame on it's own will occupy less space than with the forks on. I'll try twisting the bars at the weekend and see how I get on. if worse comes to worse I'll just have to leave one of the kids behind

Stewie Griffin

Harry B wrote:

ChrisLS wrote:

...I would say there is no need to take the forks off. Mystique is correct to say just take the handle bars off.

Just trying to save space. The frame on it's own will occupy less space than with the forks on. I'll try twisting the bars at the weekend and see how I get on. if worse comes to worse I'll just have to leave one of the kids behind

So if you have this option why are you faffing about taking bits off the bike?

Harry B

Stewie Griffin wrote:

Harry B wrote:

ChrisLS wrote:

...I would say there is no need to take the forks off. Mystique is correct to say just take the handle bars off.

Just trying to save space. The frame on it's own will occupy less space than with the forks on. I'll try twisting the bars at the weekend and see how I get on. if worse comes to worse I'll just have to leave one of the kids behind

So if you have this option why are you faffing about taking bits off the bike?

Mrs B gets a bit funny about things like that. Unreasonable I know but that's wives for you

DavidBelcher

Harry B wrote:

I need to get my bike down as small as possible so as to get it in the back of teh car along with some luggage, etc. I don't want to use a roof rack.

Obviously wheels and seat posts come off fairly easily. But what about forks? Is it a time consuming operation requiring the use of various expensive tools or is it just a matter of a couple of allen keys?

Mechanics is not my strong point and it there is a possibility of putting something back together wrong then there's a good chance that I'll do it and I don't fancy the forks coming away whilst I hurtle downhill at 40mph :shock:

Any thoughts fellow cake stoppers?

If it's a bike with threadless forks and caliper brakes, easy-peasy. Remove front brake bolt, tape caliper to frame with masking tape. Then undo the bolts clamping stem to steerer and the forks should slide out easily for separate storage in the boot. Don't forget a plastic bag so's you don't lose the headset bits! Reassemble at your destination, which is the fiddlier bit if you're unsure about settting up an Aheadset from scratch.

David

Ash_

Hmmmmmm...

Tricky one. I don't think you'd really save that much space (unless boot space is really, really tight). And, you hint that you're not that mechanically minded - the faff for you may not be worth it, especially if you get to your destination and find you can't reassmble the headset and so can't ride your bike. Though this is unlikely - if you put the headset back together wrong, you'd know about it, and there's only about three or four combinations you could put the bits back in anyway.

That said - i´m guessing you're off on holiday somewhere and want to get some rides in. If taking the forks off is the only way you can get your bike in the car, and so the only way you can do some holiday riding (and cycling somewhere new really is great), then you should go for it.

If the worst comes to the worst - take it apart yourself, that's easy, and get a bike shop at the other end to put it back together. It'd be a pretty mercenary so-and-so that wouldn't do a job like that instantly and for a few quid.