fork questions

My bike was on a roof-mounted carrier. The left side of the skewer came
loose, and the bike tipped to the right, bending mostly the skewer but
also part of the aluminum dropout- the part that extends over the top
side of the skewer- by about 1/4 inch. I had to bend it back with a
vise-grip in order to get the bike back onto the rack.
The alignment looks ok (visually) but is my dropout trashed? Can a new
dropout be replaced in a carbon fork?
Assuming that all the answers are pointing to "Get a new fork", I saw
an Easton EC30 threaded fork on Nashbar for only $100 with a 10%
discount (today only, and assuming a 220 mm will fit my bike). Has
anybody had any experience with this fork?
Thanks in advance - Gary

Gary wrote:
My bike was on a roof-mounted carrier. The left side of the skewer came
loose, and the bike tipped to the right, bending mostly the skewer but
also part of the aluminum dropout- the part that extends over the top
side of the skewer- by about 1/4 inch. I had to bend it back with a
vise-grip in order to get the bike back onto the rack.
The alignment looks ok (visually) but is my dropout trashed?

Probably. If it's aluminium, yes.

Can a new
dropout be replaced in a carbon fork?

Not economically.

"Gary" wrote:

My bike was on a roof-mounted carrier. The left side of the skewer came
loose, and the bike tipped to the right, bending mostly the skewer but
also part of the aluminum dropout- the part that extends over the top
side of the skewer- by about 1/4 inch. I had to bend it back with a
vise-grip in order to get the bike back onto the rack.
The alignment looks ok (visually) but is my dropout trashed? Can a new
dropout be replaced in a carbon fork?

Not realistically - time for a new fork (as it appears you assumed
already).

Assuming that all the answers are pointing to "Get a new fork", I saw
an Easton EC30 threaded fork on Nashbar for only $100 with a 10%
discount (today only, and assuming a 220 mm will fit my bike). Has
anybody had any experience with this fork?

Easton parts have been fine in my experience (though we've never
carried the EC30). Whether a 220mm fork will fit or not depends on...
a) whether you're looking for a threaded or threadless fork
b) the length of your head tube
c) the stack height of your headset
d) if threadless, the clamp height and
e) if threadless, the number of spacers you want under the stem.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

Just checked with my mechanic who measured my head tube and told me to
get a 200 mm or cut down a 220 to size. I called Nashbar- they verified
that the threads go down 75 mm so there will be enough threading after
I cut down the 220 sized fork (they don't have a 200).
I still feel that the original fork would have been OK but I would
never be able to ride the bike without worrying about it, so it wasn't
worth it. Just my luck that the rest of the bike wasn't trashed - I
would have replaced it with a Habenero! (maybe next time.) Thanks for
all the info.

Make sure to use a Nashbar Coupon!

20% OFF any order
code: CJCT
Expires: 08-01-2005

Assuming that all the answers are pointing to "Get a new fork", I saw an
Easton EC30 threaded fork on Nashbar for only $100 with a 10% discount
(today only, and assuming a 220 mm will fit my bike). Has anybody had any
experience with this fork?

I have the threaded Easton EC30 from Nashbar on my Habanero. I was surprised
at how much lighter the front end felt vs. a steel fork on a steel frame.
Fork feels smoother on rough road, have felt no difference in stability or
turning, vs. steel.

BTW, the Habanero frame was a great deal too at $695 new!

It's in your head that it feels smoother. Genuinely.

Gary wrote:
an Easton EC30 threaded fork on Nashbar for only $100 with a 10%
discount (today only, and assuming a 220 mm will fit my bike). Has
anybody had any experience with this fork?
Thanks in advance - Gary

I've been using one for only a couple of months, but I'm very pleased
so far. It looks like it flexes quite a bit, but corners great... and I
have no troubles on 50mph descents. I think it's great for the money.

-Ron

On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 21:33:44 -0700, Gary wrote:

Just checked with my mechanic who measured my head tube and told me to
get a 200 mm or cut down a 220 to size. I called Nashbar- they verified
that the threads go down 75 mm so there will be enough threading after
I cut down the 220 sized fork (they don't have a 200).
I still feel that the original fork would have been OK but I would
never be able to ride the bike without worrying about it, so it wasn't
worth it. Just my luck that the rest of the bike wasn't trashed - I
would have replaced it with a Habenero! (maybe next time.) Thanks for
all the info.

I had a dropout come loose on a carbon fork, and re-glued it with epoxy.
But my wife made me replace it, anyway...

One recommendation: don't cut the fork down too closely -- get a few
spacers instead. That way, when you get your Habanero, you can use your
fork. I just barely managed that when I got mine, but it meant replacing
the headset to get it to fit.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Accept risk. Accept responsibility. Put a lawyer out of
_`\(,_ | business.
(_)/ (_) |