welding forks

[Sam Bixby]

i have a pair of steel forks, is there anything wrong with getting a guy i know who welds, to weld
some nuts on so that i can use low riders?

panda

 

[Tbgibb]

In article <[email protected]>, "sam bixby" <[email protected]> writes:

>i have a pair of steel forks, is there anything wrong with getting a guy i know who welds, to weld
>some nuts on so that i can use low riders?

There are devices available through bike shops called bosses. These have longer threading than a
simple nut.

When I had bosses attached to the seat stays of one of my bikes the frame builder brazed them on, I
think brazing is prefered but I'm not sure why.

On a fork intended for mounting lowriders there is a threaded hole through the fork, if you are
willing to go to the trouble of welding consider having a machine shop put some threaded holes in
the forks for the purpose.

Tom Gibb <[email protected]

 

[Chris Zacho "Th]

I wouldn't weld them, the tubing is too thin and the heat from the welding will remove the temper
(heat treatment) from the metal.

Find a good frame builder and have him (or her) properly braze on some low rider mounts.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

 

[Frank Miles]

In article <[email protected]>, sam bixby <[email protected]> wrote:
>i have a pair of steel forks, is there anything wrong with getting a guy i know who welds, to weld
>some nuts on so that i can use low riders?

What kind of material are these forks made from? If the material is thin enough, and your 'welder'
not particularly skilled, s/he could damage them in a subtle way -- they could suddenly fail on you
when you hit a bump careening down some hill.

I'm assuming that you're talking about welding mid-blade. At the fork tips it would be much more
difficult to create a subtle defect. I'd be cautious in the upper/mid-fork blade area.

-frank
--

 

[Basso]

This is an EXTREMELY simple process for ANY frame builder to do. The only trick is that low rider
mounts have a specific location on the fork and need to be placed precisely or your rack wont fit.
All the process involves is locating the position, drilling a hole in the fork blade and then silver
brazing in a water bottle boss...simple! T

"Frank Miles" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, sam bixby <[email protected]> wrote:
> >i have a pair of steel forks, is there anything wrong with getting a guy
i
> >know who welds, to weld some nuts on so that i can use low riders?
>
> What kind of material are these forks made from? If the material is thin enough, and your 'welder'
> not particularly skilled, s/he could damage them in a subtle way -- they could suddenly fail on
> you when you hit a bump careening down some hill.
>
> I'm assuming that you're talking about welding mid-blade. At the fork tips it would be much more
> difficult to create a subtle defect. I'd be cautious in the upper/mid-fork blade area.
>
> -frank
> --

 

[A Muzi]

"sam bixby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> i have a pair of steel forks, is there anything wrong with getting a guy i know who welds, to weld
> some nuts on so that i can use low riders?

Generally rack/mudguard mounts are brazed to the end, not the tube. If you weld it, advise your
friend that the joint may be brazed and welding too close to that joint risks brass inclusion in the
weld - not recommended.

If you mean welding halfway up the fork blade - don't. The mount which wraps around the fork blade
is much preferred to the hole-in-fork style.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Tbgibb]

In article <[email protected]>, "A Muzi" <[email protected]> writes:

>If you mean welding halfway up the fork blade - don't. The mount which wraps around the fork blade
>is much preferred to the hole-in-fork style.

Why is that?

My wife's newest bike has the lowrider mounts as a "hole-in-fork," is this sub-optimal?

Tom Gibb <[email protected]

 

[Mark McMaster]

TBGibb wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, "A Muzi" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>>If you mean welding halfway up the fork blade - don't. The mount which wraps around the fork blade
>>is much preferred to the hole-in-fork style.
>
>
> Why is that?
>
> My wife's newest bike has the lowrider mounts as a "hole-in-fork," is this sub-optimal?

It's probably fine. The threaded fittings are probably mounted far down on the fork blade, whereas
the highest stresses in the blades are at or near the crown. The fittings are probably also mounted
on the side of the blade, whereas the maximum stresses are at the front and back of the blade.

Oh, did I mention that the wall thicknesses of a tapered fork blade are typically thickest at
the bottom?

Mark McMaster [email protected]

 

[A Muzi]

> In article <[email protected]>, "A Muzi"
<[email protected]>
> writes:
> >If you mean welding halfway up the fork blade - don't. The mount which wraps around the fork
> >blade is much preferred to the hole-in-fork style.

"TBGibb" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Why is that?
>
> My wife's newest bike has the lowrider mounts as a "hole-in-fork," is this sub-optimal?

Well, I have avoided it because I can't see any advantage to putting a hole there. The clamp system
really works well and is a bit more consumer-tolerant than a single bolt.

Will your fork blade break? Probably not.

My impression after post-vacation conversations is that of all the things a consumer needs to look
after when crating/uncrating bikes, one more vibration-prone fastener is easy to botch. The
clamp-type mounts seem to stay on more dependably. Big deal? no.

Back to the OP - I wouldn't drill the blade.
--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971