Wanted 1" 'nice' fork - how big an ask is this?!

[trailwright]

Or from here for less, but you’d still have to get it threaded:

Tange 800C curved blade unicrown fork for 26″

Solidly built, Japanese 26″ fork for MTBs or Touring bikes

bicyclist.cc

Now that is a bit of a NOS bargain

 

[ferrus]

Can I ask why you don’t like Ritchey Logics? I’d have thought their compliant feel would compliment the frame nicely…?

 

[2manyoranges]

@TreaderSteve
This is lovely, but you'll need to get the steerer threaded - easy enough I guess.

NOS Retro Tange Cro-Mo Steel 1” Steerer Rigid Fork Marin/GT/Breezer/Fat Chance | eBay

Excellent Tange quality, made in Japan. Tough, dependable, sweet riding, sensibly lightweight forks. 972g with uncut 229mm steerer. Axle to crown length is approx 395mm which suits most 26” wheel retro mountain bikes.

www.ebay.co.uk

And if you changed your mind about spending big bucks then this is a beauty...

Bontrager Tange Composite steel bike forks 26 rigid 90s retro rare | eBay

Rare and beautiful Bontrager composite steel forks. I picked these up in The US a few years back with the intention of building the ultimate mtb but alas it’s time to find them a new home. The alloy was originally anodised but I removed that and polished the bare metal as well as given the fork...

www.ebay.co.uk

You can’t simply thread steerers made for Aheadset application - the tubing tends to be a different (thinner) diameter. That’s a big safety no-no. And extending thread on an existing threaded steerer can be extremely hard if it’s Reynolds or similar cro-mo tubing.

 

[2manyoranges]

Can I ask why you don’t like Ritchey Logics? I’d have thought their compliant feel would compliment the frame nicely…?

Agree

 

[Dr Dremel]

I don´t want to speak on the OP´s behalf, but I don´t read it all that he doesn´t like Ritchey forks, it´s just that they are really hard to find with a long steerer (ask me how I know). Hence the question about extending.

Personal opinion: I find the Logic forks to be almost too flexible and especially in combination with an earlier Merlin frame the handling can be a bit scary in technical terrain. That being said, I´ll not be changing mine and just accept it to be part of the character of the bike.

 

[TreaderSteve]

Are we saying that those Tange forks are the same as 'Ritchey Logic'?! If they are, would they really not take a good threading from my LBS to suit?

 

[Dr Dremel]

Nope the Ritcheys are made by Tange, but the tubeset is different. If you don´t have them side by side the appearance may be similar, but the blades on the Ritchey are thinner and the steerer is internally ovalized ("force directionally butted") which can be seen from below. Dropouts typically have no fender mounts. Earlier forks did not have Ritchey marked dropouts. But weight is the real telltale sign. Even with a long steerer they should not be over 800g.

 

[bikeworkshop]

I bought dozens of Ritchey Logic inch threaded forks (98?) when the distributor wanted shot of them as everything was 1&1/8 ahead.
Remember those days?

I'd say none of the steerers were 210mm - maybe non-existium, maybe short supply.

The internal diameter of an ahead fork isn't necessarily 22.2mm, so a quill might not fit, be sloppy, or cause failure.

Doesn't mean it hasn't been done many times though, and sometimes manufacturers used the same tube for threaded and non- threaded construction even though the requirements are clearly very different.

Here's the overlapping thread:

Possible to have new steerer fitted to forks?

I see Mercian appear to be able to do it for £95. What's the general consensus on fork construction? All the undersides of forks I can remember seeing look a bit knobbly as if the steerer is TIG'd in, rather than smooth as if they are brazed in and are then un-brazeable and the steerer can be...

www.retrobike.co.uk