Orange Dynamo Info Wanted

[i-am-iron-man]

Very nice bike, Sir.

You're probably right to give some thought to the forks. There's a good reason nobody makes forks from aluminium now and your Dynamo is no spring chicken. Best to check around the crown and the dropouts (with the wheel removed) for hairline cracks, but in this instance you might be better adopting a more preventative approach. Aluminium can fail with no prior indication of a problem - as in, suddenly and catastrophically. Cracks are not always obvious and by the time one is visible it's already too late. I'd replace the fork sooner rather than later. That way you get to retire the fork whilst it's still in one piece and you get to keep it for posterity ... and if you're regularly hitting 40, maybe be better safe than sorry.

Looking for a carbon fork with a 1" steerer, another thing altogether. I'd be looking for pair of Looks or Times if it was me.

My other thought is, please tape up your drops!

 

[cce]

You can get brand new 1inch Columbus minimal carbon forks...

 

[mikeyfive]

Re:

Thank you very much for the reply I didn't know that about aluminium forks weakness... Funnily enough, I was just looking on eBay for carbon forks as I received your email!

I'm not especially well up on modern components so forgive me, wouldn't I just be able to replace my Ultegra 600 screw-in headset with a FSA Orbit XL II 1 1/8" (for example) and buy some Columbus Tusks?
I already had to replace the stem as it was cracking around the front as the Cinelli Criterion are slightly too large for the stem clamp and seems to have caused some issues over the past 20 years!

I've just bought some Campag Zondas for the bike as I need to rebuild the Mavics too.

I love my Dynamo and really want to add new components rather than mothball it and buy a new bike.

Really appreciate your advice.

 

[i-am-iron-man]

Mikey,

You can either go for an old threaded fork or a new threadless fork.

If you plumped for a threaded fork you get to retain the original look of the bike and you get to keep your shopping list short. However, this means a search for a suitable fork with the right length steerer (with enough thread...). It also means you'd be replacing an aged aluminium fork for an aged carbon fork. Carbon has come on a long way - personally I would want to avoid a used carbon fork.

If you want to replace the fork with a modern threadless one, you will need a 1" headset. The FSA Orbit you've been looking at will not fit. You'll also need a threadless stem with a 26mm bore (you'll need a shim if you buy a 31.8mm stem - I would avoid this if you can and stick to 26mm, or replace the handlebar).

Wound Up make 1" forks that might be more in keeping with the rest of the frame, work checking out but Columbus will be more readily available in the UK.

Also, make sure your Zondas are Shimano-compatible! - they're usually ready for a Campagnolo cassette.

Cheers
Alistair

 

[mikeyfive]

Re:

Thanks for that, I foolishly assumed that the headset diameter would still be the same... Why did they ever add 1/8th of an inch? Does this mean the the headset tube is wider on modern bikes then?

Disappointingly I just bought a Deda stem with a 1&1/8" steerer! This obviously won't fit on 1" steerer forks that I now need as I can't fit 1&1/8" forks on my Dynamo!
I also realised, after fitting it (onto a Profile 1"-1&1/8" quill stem converter), that it won't fit my bars, as like everything else, it's too big (needs a shim). Ugh.

Also, I'm struggling to find 1" carbon forks at a decent-ish price... In fact I'm struggling to find 1" steerer carbon forks at all! I'm definitely not buying used ones. I'd pretty much bought a pair of 1&1/8th" Columbus Tusks and an FSA headset yesterday, so at least I haven't ordered those yet! Think I should have researched this a little more before setting out...

Amazingly, the 2015 Zondas are actually compatible with my old Shimano 600 STI 8-speed with the spacer provided! So that's about all that fits.

Very discouraging but thank you all for your time and advice.

 

[i-am-iron-man]

Nil desperandum. Remember, if you've bought your gear from the internet the distance selling regs are on your side, you can send things back. However, you can run your new stem easily enough with a threadless set-up using a shim (no biggie).

As CCE says, Columbus Minimal are available in one inch flavour. Wound Up also sell 1" threadless and threaded forks (I've actually got a pair of new / boxed 1" forks I can sell if you're interested ...).

Totally up to you Sir, but if it were my bike, I'd give some consideration to fitting hardware that's in keeping with the gear that you're keeping. I'd avoid that quill adaptor like the plague, and you might find your new Campagnolo wheels are a little 'loud' when your bike is sitting on them. I'd maybe consider some Shimano hubs laced onto silver Mavic Open Pro rims or similar to retain the look of your bike as it is, whilst using more up-to-date components.

... or avoid getting all involved in shopping for ridiculously specific components and get parts bought quickly so you can get the bike back on the tarmac where it belongs

 

[mikeyfive]

I think you're absolutely right about getting my bike back on the road! I've just been rebuilding it tonight with the replacement 1980s Shimano 600 stem, I had the laugh-a-minute task of re-threading the internal brake cable routing through the Criterion bars...

Just another quick (idiotic) question (sorry)... If I were to buy the 1" Minimal forks, which sounds rather good and are just the ticket for the uber-stiff Zondas, would I have to replace the threaded headset that's on the bike at the moment? If so would a Cane Creek 40 / Forty 1" threadless work?

Another idiotic question, when the forks say "none-integrated fork", is this referring to the headset they are compatible with? I have googled this but I'm still none the wiser...

And another one... When I come to buy a new stem, do I just look for a 1" steerer clamp as opposed to a
1&1/8th" steerer? Are these fairly easy to find?

 

[cce]

the Columbus minimal is designed for modernising older bikes without integrated headsets so it's exactly what you're after.

you can get shims to fit 1" 1/8 threadless stems on 1" steerers which will give you a far better choice of stem, like this

http://www.totalcycling.com/en/MPart-Ah ... tedKingdom

 

[mikeyfive]

Thanks for that, they sound absolutely perfect... much lighter than the Tusks too at 390g.
Just to clarify, does this mean I could buy the 1" Minimal forks, take my old ones out and put the new ones in? I wouldn't need to replace my headset?

Just like to say thanks to everyone who's replied, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the advice... Used to ride a lot in the 90s but haven't been on the scene for years... Everything has changed! Everything is now oversized! So please excuse my naive questions

 

[cce]

no, you'd need to switch to a threadless headset and stem.