Ever straightened forks?

[swee'pea99]

Forks, slightly bent out of true - not much...but too much to be ignored. Has anyone ever straightened bent forks and can offer some advice on how to go about it? Do I just grab a fork in each hand and pull? Or apply leverage somehow? Any advice very much appreciated. (Oh, by the way, these are old steel forks - nothing fancy.)

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

Don't do it - forks are cheap, reconstructive facial surgery is not.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Forks, slightly bent out of true - not much...but too much to be ignored. Has anyone ever straightened bent forks and can offer some advice on how to go about it? Do I just grab a fork in each hand and pull? Or apply leverage somehow? Any advice very much appreciated. (Oh, by the way, these are old steel forks - nothing fancy.)[/quote]
It's hard to do well, and if the bend is only slight, you may just end up making things worse.

If you decide to try, make some careful measurements beforehand, and get a firm idea of where the problem is, and what needs to move to correct it. Is the crown twisted? Does one leg need to move more than the other?

Avoid pulling one blade against the other - you don't have any control over which bends first. Try to clamp the steerer and bend each blade individually. It's easy to overshoot. Measure as you go.

In a pinch I've stood on the headtube with the fork mounted in the frame and pulled on the blades one at a time. Ugly, but it worked.

It's probably easier to find a used replacement fork.

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks - that's just the kind of help I needed - makes v good sense. The trouble is a replacement is actually quite hard to find - it's a freakishly large frame, with forks to match. I shall have a pull or two and see how it goes.

 

[walker]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Thanks - that's just the kind of help I needed - makes v good sense. The trouble is a replacement is actually quite hard to find - it's a freakishly large frame, with forks to match. I shall have a pull or two and see how it goes.[/quote]

No item is unobtainable, ask your LBS if they can sort you out.

 

[hubgearfreak]

Straighten & re-track forks from 20.00
http://www.daveyatescycles.co.uk/

 

[mickle]

Drop-out tools make the job a lot easier, you anywhere near York?

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks all. I'm a long way from York, sadly, and also from DaveYates Cycles. Also I'm trying to do this for no money, and I'm perhaps naively assuming it can't actually be that difficult. It's only a matter of (slightly) bending a bit of steel, right? If it all goes pear-shaped, I'll be back. But for the moment I'm going to have a go with the help of Jim's tips above. Thanks again for all messages.

 

[mickle]

It's not difficult. Go for it. Get it on a flat surface so you have a base line to work from.

 

[bonj2]

Bent?! can't think of a much better excuse to get new forks?

 

[mickle]

Bent?! can't think of a much better excuse to get new forks?

Ahem. Every steel fork I've ever seen on a bike has been bent in some way. Usually by the manufacturer.

 

[02GF74]

how did the forks get out of true?

steel is more happy to be bent by aluminium and will give some warning, bending beforre snapping, unlike aluminium.

you should be able to do it as suggested.

nowadays with H&S and PC and other nonsense, this kind of stuff is frowned on but if you understanding the engineering principles then it doest not make an iota of difference.