Peter Jon White wrote:
>> You're sure the frame is ok? No dimples under the down tube or anything?
>>
>> It's possible the fork could be salvaged. Basically, you need a vise
>> to clamp the steer tube firmly and some means of levering the blades
>> back into alignment.
>>
>> IIRC, a lot of the Raleigh Pros used those lovely Zeus internally
>> lugged crowns. I recall them as being particularly stubborn to
>> cold-set, but it's worth a try.
> That's my concern too. Those Reynolds fork blades are pretty stiff. And
> the top tube is only .8mm at the butt ends. So when you bend the fork in
> a front end crash, the top tube and down tube generally bend as well.
> I've seen several that only had damage to the main triangle, and the
> fork was fine.
On the 753-tube team frames we made for Trek, we used a malleable Ishiwata fork crown that would bend on strong front impact. Forks were a lot easier to replace than complete frames in the inevitable crashes.
--
-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA