Greetings, All.
I have been on the list for about a week and half and I have already learned more about bicycles than I ever thought there was to know. It has been a blast so far....
I have a '70 Puch that I have had forever. It is set up as my year-round work commuter - lights, fenders, rack, panniers, etc. Even a commuter coffee mug holder. Fairly recently, I picked up a 1971 Raleigh Professional from a colleague at the office. What a wonderful machine. It is all original EXCEPT the front fork. It has a newer style chrome fork which works OK, but it does not provide the rake and trail that I would expect on a bike of this era and I think the the handling is suffering as a result. I do not know what the original rake and trail is for this bike, but, after following this list for a while, I'm sure someone out there does. I have been tracking with interest a recent discussion concerning finding "vintage" front forks and I can certainly appreciate now how hard it is to find a replacement. I have found some forks that would "almost" work except the steerer tube is either too long or too short. Is it possible to replace the steerer tube on an existing fork assembly or I am doomed to have to find the right fit in a complete fork? Of course, if anyone reading this has some old Reynolds 531-type forks they would like to sell or know where some might be hiding, I would indeed be interested. I would need one with a 1" steerer between 205-210mm long with Campy threading. I can paint and chrome as needed.
You may contact me off-list with any questions or ideas if it seems like they may not be of interest to the overall group.
Thank you for any info. I am looking forward to more happy reading....
Bradley.
Bradley Wycoff
Eugene, Oregon, USA
bradleywycoff@jrhweb.com