Re: [CR] New member intro and some fork questions.....

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Avocet)

To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Sat, 8 Aug 2009 00:30:35 -0700
From: donald gillies <gillies@ece.ubc.ca>
Subject: Re: [CR] New member intro and some fork questions.....


Dear Bradley,

First, any "too long" fork can be cut shorter by a good shop who can then rethread the shortened fork. In this case, don't raise up the stem too high because the threaded area may be thinner than normal, I think that many steerers are butted for the threads.

Second, any "too short" fork can have the steerer removed, and a steerer cut to the exactly right length can be brazed back into the fork.

Third, any "too short" RALEIGH/CARLTON fork requires SPECIAL HANDLING. These bikes were tack-brazed with a very high-temperature material like pure copper. You need an even higher temperature to melt it the 2nd time around. YOU MUST GET THE FRAME BUILDER TO GRIND OUT THE TUBES, DONT EVEN LET HIM TRY TO UN-BRAZE A RALEIGH-CARLTON.

My builder burned the crown and ruined it, cracking it half. On the other hand it is also one of the lightest steel crowns on the planet (Raleigh Pro MK V) at only about 85 grams, so maybe it was the crown's fault, too :

http://www.ece.ubc.ca/~gillies/maybe_fork/pc280010.jpg

==========

Raleigh Pro sloping crowns show up on ebay about once every 6 months. I've seen at least 8 in the past 5 years. Ron Boi at RRB cycles (13ron on ebay) once had 2-3 NOS. Expect to pay at least $75 for used one and at least $120 for NOS. That would be cheap.

A correct fork has a very squared-off look and campagnolo ends, and is fully chromed, although polished only on the crown and 8"-10" from the tips (important : don't just do 6" of chrome, raleighs have some of the highest chrome of any brand on the forks.) My pro is MK IV so I'll defer to some MK III owners on the rake and reach, etc.

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Retro-Raleighs/71-Catalog.pdf

The last time I "saw" a raleigh pro fork on ebay, the guy was selling a bent raleigh-pro frame, MK IV. I emailed him and he still had the bent fork laying around. For the cost of shipping, you can take it to a frame builder and either get it straightened (cheap, $15-$20) or have the crown rebuilt into a new fork (expensive, $200-$300).

Here is an email thread that identifies the Raleigh Pro crown as being made by Davis :

http://search.bikelist.org/getmsg.asp?Filename=classicrendezvous.10906.0092.eml

The crown has a very distinctive look, as evidenced by the photo in the upper right (center of 3) of the 1974 catalogue page :

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh74/03Pro.jpg

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA, USA