Front fork bent

[Bigjayvapes]

Hi everyone, I need your help, I guess I put on my hub motor wrong on my diy tricycle and bent my front fork

 

[Bigjayvapes]

 

[Bigjayvapes]

Sorry about that i hit the wrong button I need to replace the front fork that can take the torque I'm using a 1200w Ebikeling motor, I'm over 300 pound, any suggestion, I have a 150$ budget, also I will need help putting on the motor

 

[ruffruff]

Let's ask some questions first,
Why do you think you put the motor in wrong?
How do you know that the fork just can't handle the load?

This is the question you need to answer or it will do it again and maybe with more dire consequences.

 

[indianajo]

Is the fork not steel? check with a magnet. Not steel, no front motor. I used a 1300 w geared ebikeling motor on the front of my bike, but the fork was steel and I weigh 170 lb. I'm still using the bike 5 years & 10000 miles later. Gears in motor wore out at ~4500 miles. Modern 1300 w ebikeling motor is likely direct drive, which doesn't have much low speed torque as a geared one.
Don't straighten a front fork, buy a new one. Or a donor bike, since aftermarket forks are likely to be specially lightened. The goto frames for large people are Surly.

 

[fauconnier]

You can consider to add a brace plate in front of the fork...but 1200W on a front fork is a lot.

 

[Bigjayvapes]

I can feel the tire fork or the tire prongs are bent where the tire sets in. I thought it was steel it was advertised as steel. But it might be a load grade steel. So I want to replace it. I rather just buy one than get a donor

 

[Bigjayvapes]

Also I want to add padded brakes

 

[harryS]

Okay, it's an upright trike. Probably mild steel fork.
.
Looks like a threaded fork, probably 1", but it's going to be either 1" (25.4mm) or 1-1/8" (28.6mm). The dimensions that also matter are the length of the tube, and where the threads start. The tube has to be longer than the your frame, obviously and the threads have to match. You can cut a tube that is too long, but you have to have threads that end inside the frame.
.
The tube is usually hardened steel and if the threads have to be cut longer. that needs a special hard die that only some bike shops own, You have to order a fork with all of these dimensions in mind.
.
.

The above fork is available from China for 80 bucks, but they also want 80 bucks shipping. It is steel though, and would allow your motor to use a disk brake. It has rim brake mounts but they're for a 29" wheel. DOn't know if it is strong enough for a 1000W motor and disk brakes. Will certainly need those torque arms.
.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800936998337.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt&_randl_shipto=US

.
A threaded fork can be converted to a threadless fork, but that requires a new headset, a stem, and other hardware to hold the handlebars. I had to do this once, when I was unable to cut the threads with my own die.





.

 

[Bigjayvapes]

I cant do aliexpress and the closes bike shop is a hundred miles away I live in northern michigan

 

[Bigjayvapes]

Would this work

 

[Bigjayvapes]

Or this

 

[PCeBiker]

I cant do aliexpress

I couldn't either until I joined this forum and a fellow member convinced me to join.

If you can shop on Amazon or eBay, you can figure out AliExpress too.

(maybe get a youngster to help you get set up.)

 

[PCeBiker]

You should probably remove your old fork and take measurements to make sure that you get a fork that fits your trike.

 

[PCeBiker]

There's all kinds of rigid forks to choose from on AliExpress,..
(I get prices in Canadian dollars.)

 

[PCeBiker]

Also I want to add padded brakes

I checked a bunch of forks on AliExpress and all the forks that have a bracket for mounting a disk brake don't have a threaded tube.

Check your trike and see if your fork tube is threaded.
A picture would help.

Both of the forks you posted aren't threaded but if your fork tube isn't threaded, then they should work, and the second fork that you posted has a bracket for mounting a disk brake.

 

[PCeBiker]

This one on Amazon is threaded but maybe not enough? And it's "hardened steel" not Chromoly.





This one is threaded,..
(but it's "hardened steel" too)

https://a.co/d/gpWfXGs

 

[Bigjayvapes]

alright tomorrow project figure out if my fork is threaded, today is snow blowing day and repairing a hole in my shed

 

[Bigjayvapes]

Do I need a rigid fork, could I use something with shocks like for mountain bikes

 

[PCeBiker]

Do I need a rigid fork, could I use something with shocks like for mountain bikes

I'm thinking that should work, but finding a fork with shocks, the right dimensions, and a threaded tube, might be difficult?

You might be able to buy a Chromoly steel fork online from a bike shop and have them cut & thread it then ship it to you?

I don't know how much that would cost, but converting your trike to a threadless fork would be more expensive and challenging.