Help choosing an air fork

[PCeBiker]

I'm thinking of buying an air fork but I'm having trouble finding something that will fit.

I have a 26"X4" fat forks with a 135 mm drop-out.

They are the TNL 26" version with the coil spring and the hydraulic lockout, 75mm of travel, and 1.5" to 1.125" tapered steel steerer tube.

I want to get a double shoulder downhill fork with as much travel as possible but my tapered steerer tube and 135mm dropout is limiting my options.

I like these and they are nice and cheap (I don't want to put a $10 saddle on a $2 )
$118 plus $59 shipping.

But they don't come with a tapered steerer tube, so I'm thinking of getting a 30mm to 38mm steerer tube/bearing shim.
The top of the steerer tube is 28.6mm and the bottom is 30mm.

Does anyone know if such a shim exists?

The closest I've been able to find is this,..

I'm thinking that I don't want a split shim?
I think that I want a one piece steel press on shim?

Does anyone know if such a beast exists?

 

[PCeBiker]

I can get a downhill fork with double shoulders and a tapered steerer tube but it has a through axle and seems to only be available with 110mm or 150mm dropouts.

I took some pictures of my steerer tube when I installed my handlebars but I didn't take measurements,..

 

[kevinmccune]

my advice is go to a builder or a good bike mechanic, these little details will sure put a frown on your face and if a dealer or established mechanic is ordering and doing the parts and conversion the mistakes will be on him or her( ask me how i know after getting a growing pile of unrelated parts-oth , you do learn a few things pretty quickly.

 

[None]

Tappered steertube on the fork will not fit a straight steertube on the frame.

 

[fooferdoggie]

good shop can get it setup with the right bearings for a tapered headset and non tapered fork .I had that. but since this is a low end bike there may not be any good standards on it. plus the fork may change how the bike handles.

 

[PCeBiker]

I intend to all the work myself.
That's more than half the fun of my new hobby.

Turns out that all I need is a one piece crown race and the specialized tool that @m@Robertson posted.

Show Us a Tool

Here's a tool, a Kool Stop Bead Jack. It unfortunately doesn't work for my purposes. I think it would work on thinner tires, but I couldn't make it work with 2.6" MTB tires. Minor investment from Amazon that I gave away to a "roadie" buddy who rides bikes with slimmer tires. Others have...

forums.electricbikereview.com

 

[m@Robertson]

Tappered steertube on the fork will not fit a straight steertube on the frame.

Cane Creek makes a conversion crown race that will work perfectly. I've got at least one of them installed on a bike somewhere in the garage.

You can also go in the other direction and put a tapered steerer into a straight head tube. You need a conversion lower headset cup. Cane Creek makes them as well and this frame has one installed already. If you didn't know what you were looking at you'd think it was just an external cup headset.

 

[m@Robertson]

Here is the conversion crown race. Cost is less than $15. Its a Cane Creek 110 made of stainless steel with double seals. I looked back and my Stormtrooper from 2018 is one bike that uses it. Build was a Motobecane Lurch frame with tapered head tube, and Luna Lander suspension fork with straight steerer. Never a lick of trouble. Amazon tells me I bought one in 2021 so I must have two bikes using them.

 

[PCeBiker]

Here is the conversion crown race.

Awesome thanks!!
That's exactly what I need.

I knew what needed, but I didn't know what to call it of how to Google it.

I pictured something different, something more like a sleeve or bushing.

That looks way more effective. The bearing centers itself on the crown race because the race is tapered.
Cool !!

Now I can be all redneck ridiculous and pimp my ride into a chopper.

 

[PCeBiker]

That's not redneck ebike. It's a Cheece and Chong ebike.

 

[kevinmccune]

Lol yeah man back in mid 90s GI Joe friend came home with some Afghan hashish.
He wanted to meets up some ladies
I had a 1967 VW beetle we park at the paid parking in Honolulu Zoo walking distance to all pubs bar and grills before we set off we torched hashish in my VW, before we go to hot ladies spots. In case you did not know VW doors and windows are sealed tightly. I was on cloud 9
Bar hopping felt like one them speed walking escalators at the airport.

good grief thought it was battery fire.

 

[PCeBiker]

good grief thought it was battery fire.

,.. No, that was supposed to be Cheech and Chong "hot boxing" their van.
I posted the wrong picture though.

This was their van that was made out of weed. It caught fire and started smoking.

This is them hot boxing their car.

 

[PCeBiker]

good grief thought it was battery fire.

Actually, my freind was going on a trip to Florida with his parents about 35 years ago in a brand new VW camper van.
They were only an hour into their trip when smoke started coming out of the dash. They had just enough time to pull over and get out of the van.
It burned to the ground on side of the highway with all their stuff inside.

That picture may indeed be an actual VW van on fire?
It looks too old for it to have lithium batteries involved though.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Here is the conversion crown race. Cost is less than $15. Its a Cane Creek 110 made of stainless steel with double seals. I looked back and my Stormtrooper from 2018 is one bike that uses it. Build was a Motobecane Lurch frame with tapered head tube, and Luna Lander suspension fork with straight steerer. Never a lick of trouble. Amazon tells me I bought one in 2021 so I must have two bikes using them.

And the exact reason I prefer to do my own work. Knowledge gain and experience.
Typically with a days research you'll know more than just about every bike shop and so called bike mechanic out there on any particular repair... and this goes double for the juniors they hire.
People a bicycle is not rocket science and the people that do it for a living typically are not rocket scientist.
Your brainpower and pocketbook may vary.

 

[PCeBiker]

When I was 12 years old, my friend and I used to hang out at the local bike shop and watch the owner/operator work on bikes.

I remember saying that I can true a wheel, he said "No you can't !!"
So he put a warpy wheel in his truing machine and I straightened it out.

The truing machine was way easier to use than clipping hockey cards to your forks to make measuring tools, but the cards make a way cool noise when they hit the spokes.

Then my coaster brakes failed so I spent a couple days taking my wheel apart to try and fix it.
I found a clip ring with a tab that rubs on an axle and the tab had broken off.
I managed to figure out how the broken tab kept the brakes from working.
I went to the bike shop with the broken clip ring to get a new one, but he didn't know what I had in my hand so I went home and got the rest of the wheel.
I ended up showing him how the internals of a coaster brake work and he found a used clip ring in his collection of parts and gave it to me.

He said,. "Don't Tell Anyone That You Taught Me That !!"

 

[Rome]

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
It's 6am awake still on my bed.
Replacing new forks on an e bike is as easy as your ABC.
This one looks nice .

 

[PCeBiker]

I remember going to a bike shop with a freind about 25 years ago and he asked for "Anti-stiction Grease"

I asked "What the Hell is that ? Sticky friction ?"

All grease works to reduce fricken friction and stop stupid sticking, but if you invent a new word then you can sell Specialized brand name bike grease that's just regular grease at 10 times the price. (It may have a few drops of proprietary snake oil mixed in to make it magical. )

 

[Rome]

I use red mobil SCH grease for my bike. White lithium grease for CNC machine at my workplace.
Anyway it's wet now I'm going to make tea instead of riding to McDonald's for coffee and apple pie.

 

[PCeBiker]

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
It's 6am awake still on my bed.
Replacing new forks on an e bike is as easy as your ABC.
This one looks nice .

I'm looking again now.

There's a lot of options now that I can use a fork with a straight steerer tube.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I remember going to a bike shop with a freind about 25 years ago and he asked for "Anti-stiction Grease"

I asked "What the Hell that ? Sticky friction ?"

View attachment 170298

All grease works to reduce fricken friction and stop stupid sticking, but if you invent a new word then you can sell Specialized brand name bike grease that's just regular grease at 10 times the price. (It may have a few drops of proprietary snake oil mixed in to make it magical. )

I actually use a micro coat of SLICKOLEUM on my stanchions as it was recommended by Manatu for just that purpose and I notice the difference when I neglect to do so..
Not all greases should be used in all situations.
Viscosity and plastic/rubber compatibility are important as well.
Ever see a rubber anything swell from using a petroleum based anything with it?