Wrecked my Bridgestone RB-1 on the way to work the other day. Severely bent the fork and handlebars. A family member picked up the bike for me and took it to their home which is 1.5 hours away. I need to know what kind of fork to get to fit that bike. I don't have the bike in front of me and am not knowledgeable on bike repairs or part replacement. Any info would help. I am looking to order online. I believe the bike dates to 1993 and is 59cm.
Wrecked my bike. Need help.
- Thread starter Matt714
- Start date
The RB-1 used a one inch threaded fork with moderate (43-45mm) rake.
But before you go out and buy a fork you should have someone knowledgeable (ideally a framebuilder) look at the frame. If you trashed the front fork then there's a very good chance you crumpled the top tube and or downtube as that's very common when you crash a steel bike hard enough to visibly bend the forks. It should really be checked by a builder on a jig but you can often tell if the tubes have been badly damaged by running your fingers along the two main tubes right behind where they meet the steering tube, check for any wrinkles in the paint or deformities of either tube to the touch in that region.
The RB-1 was a classic and hasn't been produced in years so it might be hard to part with, but don't just slap a new fork on the bike if it's out of alignment and has a damaged main triangle. If the tubes are damaged they could be sweated out and replaced by a frame builder but that's hard to justify financially when you can get fantastic deals on older steel frames of that vintage in mint condition.
Good luck,
-Dave
But before you go out and buy a fork you should have someone knowledgeable (ideally a framebuilder) look at the frame. If you trashed the front fork then there's a very good chance you crumpled the top tube and or downtube as that's very common when you crash a steel bike hard enough to visibly bend the forks. It should really be checked by a builder on a jig but you can often tell if the tubes have been badly damaged by running your fingers along the two main tubes right behind where they meet the steering tube, check for any wrinkles in the paint or deformities of either tube to the touch in that region.
The RB-1 was a classic and hasn't been produced in years so it might be hard to part with, but don't just slap a new fork on the bike if it's out of alignment and has a damaged main triangle. If the tubes are damaged they could be sweated out and replaced by a frame builder but that's hard to justify financially when you can get fantastic deals on older steel frames of that vintage in mint condition.
Good luck,
-Dave
I really appreciate the quick help. You are right. It is very hard to part with. It is my first road bike and my father in law gave it to me and he road it for many years. I am not to concerned with the frame because when i wrecked, I some how managed to jump off the bike and bring all my 210lbs down directly on the fork while landing on both my feet. Don't ask me how, it happened so quickly I couldn't even remember exactly what happened. Just remember coming straight down on the fork with both feet at same time and yelling "nooooo!"
At the very least I'd check that, as Dave said, that there's no wrinkles or kinks in the tubes. Big cracks are obvious - normally the paint will crack too, especially a paint job of that vintage. One easy check that you can do at home to check that the frame is at least straight involves such rocket science items as a long piece of cotton thread, a piece of tape and a ruler. Tie one end of the cotton to one of the rear dropouts, run it around the headtube and all the way back to the other rear dropout and tie it off. Tape the cotton thread to the middle of the headtube so as not to 'catch' on the lower headset race. Make sure that each tie off point on the dropouts are oriented the same. All you need to do then is measure the distance from the side of the seattube to the cotton. It should be the same on both sides. If not then something is bent. It's a basic test but better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. I've had a handbuilt custom frame that didn't pass this...
Matt... you got some good advice.
That RB-1 is a nice Classic Road frame, but if the Triangle is damaged you could be putting yourself at risk if you try to ride it. I had similar damage to the front end of a Masi Gran Criterium. A guy crashed in front of me in a race and I nailed his thigh. I broke his Femur, and folded up the front end of my bike. The forks were bent pretty good and I had a small crease on the bottom of the top and down tubes. It is VERY RARE that you will bend a steel fork without damage to the main frame. If these were Aluminum forks you might be ok with the frame because aluminum will bend easier than steel. (I folded up a set of aluminum forks without damaging a Carbon frame once)
The best advice... is have this checked by a Local Frame Builder... like has been said previously.
Also... what happened to cause the wreck? I get the feeling this involved a car pulling out in front of you, I could be wrong, just a hunch. If it did though, did you get the drivers info? Because they should be the one that worried about what you're going to do about a frame, among other things.
If you get a chance... Follow a riders return to the bike after a 15+ year "offseason" http://theprodigalcyclistca.blogspot.com/
That RB-1 is a nice Classic Road frame, but if the Triangle is damaged you could be putting yourself at risk if you try to ride it. I had similar damage to the front end of a Masi Gran Criterium. A guy crashed in front of me in a race and I nailed his thigh. I broke his Femur, and folded up the front end of my bike. The forks were bent pretty good and I had a small crease on the bottom of the top and down tubes. It is VERY RARE that you will bend a steel fork without damage to the main frame. If these were Aluminum forks you might be ok with the frame because aluminum will bend easier than steel. (I folded up a set of aluminum forks without damaging a Carbon frame once)
The best advice... is have this checked by a Local Frame Builder... like has been said previously.
Also... what happened to cause the wreck? I get the feeling this involved a car pulling out in front of you, I could be wrong, just a hunch. If it did though, did you get the drivers info? Because they should be the one that worried about what you're going to do about a frame, among other things.
If you get a chance... Follow a riders return to the bike after a 15+ year "offseason" http://theprodigalcyclistca.blogspot.com/
I was just going to order the fork/bars because I miss riding so much already. But I decided to wait to get it checked out because of how strongly people seem to think about it on here.
Embarrassingly, I was riding down the road not paying attention. I knew no cars were on the road so I wasn't really watching where I was going but to look up for cars every now and then. I then looked up and see a piece of center block right in front of me. I quickly steer to avoid it and barely clip the curb on the side of road to my right causing the fall.
Embarrassingly, I was riding down the road not paying attention. I knew no cars were on the road so I wasn't really watching where I was going but to look up for cars every now and then. I then looked up and see a piece of center block right in front of me. I quickly steer to avoid it and barely clip the curb on the side of road to my right causing the fall.
