A steel fork can be straightened 'good as new' if it's not kinked or bent in the steerer, by someone with knowledge and a jig.
We charge $50 if I hafta remove the fork. I would think in the DC environs you could find the necessary talent--if the fork is fixable-- easier than finding the fork.
A taunt: I have the fork, too! But my wife wouldn't appreciate parting with an integral part of her 728.
Jeff Slotkin usually at... The Bicycle Shoppe Charleston, SC
On Apr 17, 2009, at 6:07 PM, <ikersey@aol.com> <ikersey@aol.com> wrote:
>
>
> I returned this past Saturday from a week-long trip down the C&O Canal
> tow path with my son and Scouts from Troop 103.? For those that don't
> know, the C&O Canal runs 184 miles from Cumberland, Maryland, to the
> Watergate in Washington, DC.? With side trips into Little Orleans,
> Hancock, Fort Frederick, Williamsport, Shepherdstown, and Harpers
> Ferry,
> we totaled over 220 miles.?
>
> I rode my '82 Trek 728 (see
> http://www.cyclofiend.com/
> with Schwalbe Marathon XR tires (an awesome tire!) and loaded down
> with
> 40+ lbs of gear in Gilles Berthoud front and rear panniers, handlebar
> bag, and large rack saddle bag, a la randonneur.? I've read in this
> forum that the 728 was a bit whippy as a loaded tourer, and now I can
> confirm this!??
>
> During the ride, just 5 miles out from Williamsport, running about 12
> mph in tight formation, I was thrown over the handlebars.? I suspect
> (but never could confirm) that 1) a stick was thrown up by my front
> tire
> and lodged itself against the back of fork blades, or 2) a stick
> knocked
> the Trangia fuel bottle out of the cage on the underside of the down
> tube, causing it to lodge against the tire/fork/down tube.
>
> Fortunately, beyond a couple of scrapes, neither I nor the rider
> behind
> me was seriously injured.? However, I had to return to the LBS in
> Williamsport to have my now bent front wheel straightened.
> Unfortunately, my fork blades were also wrenched back from the crown
> significantly.? No other frame damage was apparent from the crash.?
> The
> bike remains rideable (I completed the ride with the scouts), but I
> don't trust it for higher speeds.?
>
> To make a long story short, I'm dismounting the fork this weekend and
> taking it into my LBS to see if they can salvage/straighten it, but
> I'm
> not hopeful.?
>
> Does anyone out there have an early 80's Trek 720 fork (Reynolds
> 531, preferably without the canti posts) that they are
> willing to sell?? My frame is a 22?1/2"
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ian Kersey
> Williamsburg, VA?
>
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>
>
>
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