Ken Bensinger wrote:
> Earlier this week I wrote in to ask advice on whether to cut a vintage
> Colnago fork. Survey said yes, overwhelmingly, that apparently forks
> were made to be cut.
>
> So since I don't have a saw guide or a machine shop, I called around
> to a few bike stores in town to ask about getting this cut down and
> the thread extended. And here's where things got strange. Nobody wants
> to do it.
>
> The basic line I got was that while cuttiing the fork is no problem,
> the threading is a pain. And one shop went so far as to say they
> don't, as a rule, do threading of steerers. Reason: because it's
> "murder on the $70 tool." It was odd, and I said, "so, what, you
> simply don't use your $70 fork threading tool for fear of ruining it?"
> And the guy said that the only use it to "clean" dirty threads;
> cutting the "ruins" the tool. (snip)
The usual problem is cutting new threads on a steering column that has been chrome plated. The chrome plating does a number on the cutter. Best to remove the chrome before extending the threads; not an easy job! Usually easier to just tell the customer "no."
Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California
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