1993 Specialized Hard Rock fork change



andrew143

New Member
Feb 7, 2004
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Hi folks, i'm new to the world of mountain biking and new to the forums. I've done a couple of searches on this subject and need a bit of a clarification/lesson.

I have a '93 Specialized Hard Rock, it's a sport, if that makes a difference. I've inherited this bike from my dad and we're discussing putting a suspension fork on it. I've consulted my LBS and was told the Judy tt is a good buy.

I've done a little research, and have speculated that its probably a threaded fork/ headset. Now i'm not exactly sure what the headset is, and what all the different components that connect the fork to the rest of the bike. Can anyone explain, or direct me to a site with pictures that can explain this to me?

Also, I have a few questions:

What kind of measurements do I need to be aware of when purchasing a new fork?

Is the cheapest route to purchase a threaded fork rather than a threadless fork?

Thanks
Andrew
 
Originally posted by andrew143
Hi folks, i'm new to the world of mountain biking and new to the forums. I've done a couple of searches on this subject and need a bit of a clarification/lesson.

I have a '93 Specialized Hard Rock, it's a sport, if that makes a difference. I've inherited this bike from my dad and we're discussing putting a suspension fork on it. I've consulted my LBS and was told the Judy tt is a good buy.

I've done a little research, and have speculated that its probably a threaded fork/ headset. Now i'm not exactly sure what the headset is, and what all the different components that connect the fork to the rest of the bike. Can anyone explain, or direct me to a site with pictures that can explain this to me?

Also, I have a few questions:

What kind of measurements do I need to be aware of when purchasing a new fork?

Is the cheapest route to purchase a threaded fork rather than a threadless fork?

Thanks
Andrew

You need to start by finding out what the headtube on that bike is. Is it 1" or 1 1/8"? You'll have a very hard time finding threaded forks. The few that are available are probably not even worth it. You're best bet is to replace the headset with a threadless one so you can take a standard fork. If its a 1" steerer your choices will be limited but there is some stuff out there. If its 1 1/8" you can get just about any fork in the market. You will need to get a threadless stem too. Just don't get too carried away with upgrading that bike. You might find out that it just turns out to be almost as expensive as buying a a new low end or used bike.
 
Originally posted by andrew143
Hi folks, i'm new to the world of mountain biking and new to the forums. I've done a couple of searches on this subject and need a bit of a clarification/lesson.

I have a '93 Specialized Hard Rock, it's a sport, if that makes a difference. I've inherited this bike from my dad and we're discussing putting a suspension fork on it. I've consulted my LBS and was told the Judy tt is a good buy.

I've done a little research, and have speculated that its probably a threaded fork/ headset. Now i'm not exactly sure what the headset is, and what all the different components that connect the fork to the rest of the bike. Can anyone explain, or direct me to a site with pictures that can explain this to me?

Also, I have a few questions:

What kind of measurements do I need to be aware of when purchasing a new fork?

Is the cheapest route to purchase a threaded fork rather than a threadless fork?

Thanks
Andrew
You are actually better off not spending alot of money on an old low end bike.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. If the headtube is just a 1" i'm not going to bother, but if its not, then which headsets can you recommend? I was checking out a Cane Creek S-2 1 1/8" threadless on ebay, is that something acceptable for my application?

Also, is the length of the headtube an issue?
 
Originally posted by andrew143


Also, is the length of the headtube an issue?
Headtube length + HS stack height + sterm height if threadless determines minimum steerer length. Similar senario for a threaded setup. Short answer,yeah, it is a big issue.
 
Originally posted by andrew143
Well i've determined that its a 1" fork. I've found one on ebay, and it says that they have 2 measurements available. I've been measuring my old fork to see if I can figure out what size I need and can't seem to match up any sizes.. How do I determine which size is correct??

Specialized fork: http://awilmut.freeshell.org/fork.jpg

Ebay Fork:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36135&item=3659781676

140MM/30MM or 177MM/50MM

Andrew
Don't waste your money on that junk. The Repair section at www.parktool.con has the how to on determining steerer length. You really need to know what you are doing,otherwise you will just be throwing money away.