This fork goes with my Colnago Super, which I wrote about in this post from last December. You can check that out if you'd like. In that post you'll note that I stated that it was determined that this fork was too rusty to use anymore, but upon close inspection, I am giving that some reconsideration.
For sure, it is pitted and the chrome is in bad shape. No wonder, as I stated in the earlier post that this was a Winter hack for the previous owner. But the damage is not structural, at least I cannot see that it is, and the fork crown looks to be a solid, perhaps forged crown, so I don't see any reason not to trust it.
So, I was considering what- if anything- I should do here. Use it? Get it re-chromed? Sand it down and paint it? Stick with the current carbon fork? Hmm.....
What I'd like to see is if this fork clears the tire I am using and I already know it is wide enough for that tire, so that's not an issue. Brake clearance and crown clearance? Might be a different story there. But even if that tire doesn't fit, I'd still would rather get the OG fork on it and use appropriate tires and not use the Profile carbon fork.
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| The pitting seems pretty superficial to my eye. |
Of course, the Profile fork has a threadless steer tube and the original fork has a threaded steer tube which means I would need a new head set. Fortunately enough for me I have a threaded, 1" Campagnolo Athena head set at hand which I could install if I decide this fork is okay for use.
Regardless, I am willing to stick with what I have if this fork is deemed to be unusable. I'm just not sure it is that far gone. What do you think? Give me your take in the comments section.
My intentions are to use a big tire like those 32mm WTB tires I have on there now. So, I think the Profile fork is going away no matter what, and eventually I will find a proper fork if the original one doesn't seem good. Maybe that will mean having one made, but I don't think it will take that.
At any rate, it was awesome to find that I still had the original fork all these years hidden away back behind a bunch of other stuff. Who knows what else I'll find under there. The quest to clean and organize will continue!
10 comments:
I would bead blast the chrome off and paint it. Maybe experiment with some of the new spray.bike paints. I've been wanting to try that stuff.
I would get it chromed.
After checking out the original post on the bike, I would go with chrome. You could try a nice mild chrome polish on it and see how it cleans up. If you had it painted I wonder how well it would match the old paint on the bike. Either way, the carbon fork does need to find a new home.
I second a nice paint job on those forks. Maybe just buff and polish out the upper crown lugs if possible. Might look pretty spiffy that way. A good chrome plate job would cost way more than it was worth to do these days I should think. That winter hack thing got me to wondering aloud, what do you do in the winter when you commute or just go out and ride to get that salty muck and street crud off your bikes when you get home? You obviously can't just go hose 'em down in the back yard and I know you generally don't just ride 'em and put ' tum up wet. Inquiring minds want to know....
Could buff/ polish out the rust and just spray polyurethane on it? If you dont like the results, easy enough to try something else. I wonder, with your stable of modern steeds, how frequently that old horse would see the light of day?
Pre-prep the week generally the same way you would an automobil. Wax and a strategic wipe down of oil (not all days are wet) will provide a barrier. When the time is available ride over to the car wash and piggy back on someone rinsing down a truck. Truck or pickup drivers seem less likely to care if they waste 30 seconds of wash time. Subaru owners are the worse to ask in my opinion.Then prep with an oil wipe down again. The wax should last a few coatings of salt.
@baric - To piggyback onto what @teamdarb says above, (EXCELLENT advice, by the way), I usually use my fat bikes in Winter on streets, but I have to say that I avoid that 'car-snow', brownish-black slush like the plague. That's going to kill your drive train and where all the salt/mag-chloride hides.
So, my bikes take minimal amounts of maintenance as a result. Both my fat bikes also have single speed drive trains,(Blackborow has dual-parallel SS and the Rohlof is two cogs and a chain with 14 internal gears) which reduces the number of parts that are exposed and you'd otherwise have to maintain.
Frame-wise I usually treat my stuff with a silicone based cleaner such as Pedros Bike Lust or the Muc-Off equivalent and that builds a barrier to that corrosive stuff, pretty much what @teamdarb is doing with oil, or you can even wipe down with WD-40 as well.
For what it's worth, I've had some pretty good success using a pump sprayer to knock off the crud on my bike. I'll usually fill up the reservoir with water/soap before my ride. Then when I get home, I'll hose it down pretty good. The pump sprayer isn't all too powerful and you're able to control where you're spraying pretty good. It's convenient during spring thaw, when you come home with a bike that's got gravel cemented on the frame. I usually don't do it often, only when conditions get particularly bad during a time of year where my garden hose is inaccessible.
Did you ever try using aluminum foil with water as a lubricant to remove rust (from a fork)? Try it if you have not; it works. Mention it in a post if you have success at this. Regards, B.Saul
@ Unknown (B. Saul) - I hadn't until tonight based upon your suggestion. It seems to work okay. I'll show my results in a post soon.
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