maustin1979
Dirt Disciple
OK, time for my first proper thread. Apologies in advance for any newbie behaviour, still getting with the programme!
Bit of a crazy request for my first go, so please bare with me if this is just too much!
I have a 95 Kona Lava Dome, owned from new. I've tricked out lots of bits and pieces over the years, however the most major component changes being the headset and fork (aside from the Hope Titamium rear hub that is). Back in about 99, I decided I wanted some nice triple clamps susp forks, and combined this with the subsequent need to update the headset to one of "these new fangled Ahead wotsits!" in the process.
Since then, the bike has had the Rock Shox Judy XC's installed and working fine - until recently that is. After finding this site and re-awakening my passion for bikes (and custom pimping), I read quite a few posts from people who had rediscovered/installed their Project Two forks, and were loving the results.
Honestly, I had gotten a bit fed up of the suspension experience, mainly due to unnecessary bouncing/wasting of energy (no lock-outs) when climbing or using on tarmac (for my sins, primary surface of my use) and decided a return to the pin-point precision handling of the old P2's was a great idea. It quickly became apparent that (as is often the case) that I wanted the best of both worlds - both retaining the threadless system for future upgradability/stiffness/less hassle in replacing the threaded headset again, as well as utilising my original fork. It quickly transpired that this wouldn't be too viable - I had hoped to use a quill to ahead adapter, not realising initially that to do this I would still need to swap the headset to threaded again. In the end I decided the easiest thing to do would be to buy a new (or secondhand) threadless P2 fork to solve my problem.
This I did and managed to get a pair of (crucially) dirtjump P2's from eBay for a good price. It was only afterwards I paid that bit more attention to the fact that this variety is not only fatter and heavier tubed, but also and most importantly does not sport the classic geometry of the P2 that I was hankering after (tube-end dropouts, rather than stantions). Now they're installed, they feel pretty good, but the handling's not quite as sharp as I wanted to remember, and cosmetically they just don't quite provide that classic Kona look.
And I've still got my original P2's winking at me in my office! Luckily I wasn't as hasty as originally planned to get them on eBay myself.
This brings me to the point of all this...
Is it theoretically possible to extend the steerer tube of my original threaded P2 fork, converting it to a threadless system? Would any joint be strong enough to withstand any relevant strain? Can it physically be done? Would it cost more than its worth?
I've had an idea of how it could be possible to physically do this, by cutting off the existing thread, cutting a thread inside of what's left and screwing an extender piece of tube into that. To add strength I was then entertaining the idea of carbon wrapping the resulting length of steerer, obvioulsy whilst maintaining the current external diameter (28.6mm). I have considered that this may require a little metal lathe action and got quite disheartened to realise that spinning a pair of off-centre forks on one of those bad-boys is not likely to appeal to many owners of said kit!
Obviously I have considered that extra weight may be a possible issue, lack of strength at joint, prohibitive expense or just plain old physically impossible to achieve the correct result...
All I really want to know is this...
Is there anyone out there who has had a similar idea and made it happen? If so how, who, where did you manage to do it, and are you pleased with the result? Or, of course, on the flipside, am I completely barking for even thinking such a thought?
btw I have considered the option of buying a brand new P2 and having it sprayed the classic light golden colour (which I've decided I would want to keep, even if respraying the rest of the frame), however I've read many a post about the newer versions being a pale comparison to the original 90's P2's...
Any help/general comments etc welcome, please do!! (though try not to take the michael too much, even if it is justly deserved!!!)
Cheers
Bit of a crazy request for my first go, so please bare with me if this is just too much!
I have a 95 Kona Lava Dome, owned from new. I've tricked out lots of bits and pieces over the years, however the most major component changes being the headset and fork (aside from the Hope Titamium rear hub that is). Back in about 99, I decided I wanted some nice triple clamps susp forks, and combined this with the subsequent need to update the headset to one of "these new fangled Ahead wotsits!" in the process.
Since then, the bike has had the Rock Shox Judy XC's installed and working fine - until recently that is. After finding this site and re-awakening my passion for bikes (and custom pimping), I read quite a few posts from people who had rediscovered/installed their Project Two forks, and were loving the results.
Honestly, I had gotten a bit fed up of the suspension experience, mainly due to unnecessary bouncing/wasting of energy (no lock-outs) when climbing or using on tarmac (for my sins, primary surface of my use) and decided a return to the pin-point precision handling of the old P2's was a great idea. It quickly became apparent that (as is often the case) that I wanted the best of both worlds - both retaining the threadless system for future upgradability/stiffness/less hassle in replacing the threaded headset again, as well as utilising my original fork. It quickly transpired that this wouldn't be too viable - I had hoped to use a quill to ahead adapter, not realising initially that to do this I would still need to swap the headset to threaded again. In the end I decided the easiest thing to do would be to buy a new (or secondhand) threadless P2 fork to solve my problem.
This I did and managed to get a pair of (crucially) dirtjump P2's from eBay for a good price. It was only afterwards I paid that bit more attention to the fact that this variety is not only fatter and heavier tubed, but also and most importantly does not sport the classic geometry of the P2 that I was hankering after (tube-end dropouts, rather than stantions). Now they're installed, they feel pretty good, but the handling's not quite as sharp as I wanted to remember, and cosmetically they just don't quite provide that classic Kona look.
And I've still got my original P2's winking at me in my office! Luckily I wasn't as hasty as originally planned to get them on eBay myself.
This brings me to the point of all this...
Is it theoretically possible to extend the steerer tube of my original threaded P2 fork, converting it to a threadless system? Would any joint be strong enough to withstand any relevant strain? Can it physically be done? Would it cost more than its worth?
I've had an idea of how it could be possible to physically do this, by cutting off the existing thread, cutting a thread inside of what's left and screwing an extender piece of tube into that. To add strength I was then entertaining the idea of carbon wrapping the resulting length of steerer, obvioulsy whilst maintaining the current external diameter (28.6mm). I have considered that this may require a little metal lathe action and got quite disheartened to realise that spinning a pair of off-centre forks on one of those bad-boys is not likely to appeal to many owners of said kit!
Obviously I have considered that extra weight may be a possible issue, lack of strength at joint, prohibitive expense or just plain old physically impossible to achieve the correct result...
All I really want to know is this...
Is there anyone out there who has had a similar idea and made it happen? If so how, who, where did you manage to do it, and are you pleased with the result? Or, of course, on the flipside, am I completely barking for even thinking such a thought?
btw I have considered the option of buying a brand new P2 and having it sprayed the classic light golden colour (which I've decided I would want to keep, even if respraying the rest of the frame), however I've read many a post about the newer versions being a pale comparison to the original 90's P2's...
Any help/general comments etc welcome, please do!! (though try not to take the michael too much, even if it is justly deserved!!!)
Cheers
