bending forks???

[KOTA]

Love that bike KOTA! You did it again, each bike better than the last...

Thanks Gdcast, but PeterBuilt and I did this one together.

So I REALLY like the bent forks. my question is how strong are they? Obviously the more the bend the more strength you would lose, no? I ask because I am 220 lbs and have to worry about these things... Lol. Thanks!

JGood, you'll notice that some of them have support rods........220, your just a light weight, I weigh 255.

Great thread folks! Awesome info and the jig is pure genius.
I'd imagine that you get zero sidewalk of the forks while bending on that rig.

The jig is a GREAT idea. What I noticed on the last one, we used a 1/2" bender, instead of a 1" bender. The bend was refined more to the tips of the forks, BUT the side bending was minimal and easy to control...I like them both, but the 1" bender gives a more drastic bend.

If anybody decides to do it...READ the whole thread...I mentioned before, do it at your own risk. The "handling" will be drastically changed ( but the bike looks sooo cool!).

 

[Gdcast]

Looks very similar to your green one, definitely the same style, even thought the head light was the same, my bad

 

[KOTA]

Looks very similar to your green one, definitely the same style, even thought the head light was the same, my bad

:lol: :lol: :lol: Good eye! PeterBuilt lives two houses away from me. So he is the recipient of a lot of parts I'm no longer using......I'm getting "older", and I can't take them with me when I go! :wink:

 

[akhenaten]

I wonder if tapping some "1by" rails into the jig base would prevent sidewalking even more?
The idea being that the 1bys would brace the forks and prevent rolling to one side or the other...obviously
I haven't used the tool, but sounds feasible if I understand it's operation correctly.
Use a dowel system in the 1bys/base for wider/narrower forks if you are going to be bending a ton of them.
maybe?

 

[KOTA]

I haven't used the 1" bender in a while. I plan on taping a piece of 1/2" conduit to the forks to fill the gap on the bender. I'm going to do a test fork in the near future. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Been wanting to try this for a while now, but have not found a conduit bender to use...

I was bored today and there was these forks sitting on my workbench, so I did it the old fashioned/use what ya got way...

Needed a cheater bar to get it as far as I wanted:

Came out nice and even, and no kinks! Not as nice and gradual a curve as the conduit ones Kota has done, but it will do for me.

Also fits a 24" tire well...

Luke.

 

[Fv2]

Been wanting to try this for a while now, but have not found a conduit bender to use...

I was bored today and there was these forks sitting on my workbench, so I did it the old fashioned/use what ya got way...

Needed a cheater bar to get it as far as I wanted:

Came out nice and even, and no kinks! Not as nice and gradual a curve as the conduit ones Kota has done, but it will do for me.

Also fits a 24" tire well...

Luke.

That's actually the same method I used the first time I bent forks. Before stormtrooper, I wasn't trying to bend them tho. I was trying to straighten a bent fork and messed it up, so I just wrapped them around a post like that but they kinked.

That's why I used the KOTA method on stormtrooper.

Anyway, looks good Luke.
You just playing with parts or is this something we'll see on a project?

 

[horsefarmer]

Been wanting to try this for a while now, but have not found a conduit bender to use...

I was bored today and there was these forks sitting on my workbench, so I did it the old fashioned/use what ya got way...

Needed a cheater bar to get it as far as I wanted:

Came out nice and even, and no kinks! Not as nice and gradual a curve as the conduit ones Kota has done, but it will do for me.

Also fits a 24" tire well...

Luke.

Wow that is a great Idea - have to try it! Thanks Luke !

 

[LukeTheJoker]

That's actually the same method I used the first time I bent forks. Before stormtrooper, I wasn't trying to bend them tho. I was trying to straighten a bent fork and messed it up, so I just wrapped them around a post like that but they kinked.

That's why I used the KOTA method on stormtrooper.

Anyway, looks good Luke.
You just playing with parts or is this something we'll see on a project?

Not sure yet, was really just messing around, but I may build something around them yet, that little 20" girls bike I posted could make an alright lowrider...

Luke.

 

[GuitarlCarl]

CycleDelic

26" tourer forks bent with a 1/2" conduit bender for the current MBBO. 20" wheels.
I've done a few and like the results.

Carl.

 

[SwissGuy]

Today I got bored at work. So I took a scrap fork I had laying around for months and tried the LTJ-approach on bending. I don't know what wheel will fit, but I like the result and might use it in a future build.

Gesendet von meinem SUNSET2 mit Tapatalk

 

[user 15387]

I would be cautious bending forks forward so that the rake is greatly increased. It changes the way the fork stresses in normal riding conditions and can lead the fork to collapse, sending you clean over the bars. Minor changes and "straightening" or "fixing" the fork so that it is back in its as-manufactured state is different than over-bending the fork into an increased rake. You need to monitor any increased rake fork as you ride it.

 

[SwissGuy]

I would be cautious bending forks forward so that the rake is greatly increased. It changes the way the fork stresses in normal riding conditions and can lead the fork to collapse, sending you clean over the bars. Minor changes and "straightening" or "fixing" the fork so that it is back in its as-manufactured state is different than over-bending the fork into an increased rake. You need to monitor any increased rake fork as you ride it.

I'm fully aware of the consequences of bending a fork in such a way and you can believe me that I will watch it closely on my rides. As the bike the fork is intended for is only meant for slow cruising I'm not that worried about it breaking. But nevertheless I'm thinking about adding fork struts to releave a bit of stress on the bent fork.

 

[user 15387]

I'm fully aware of the consequences of bending a fork in such a way and you can believe me that I will watch it closely on my rides. As the bike the fork is intended for is only meant for slow cruising I'm not that worried about it breaking. But nevertheless I'm thinking about adding fork struts to releave a bit of stress on the bent fork.

On the bright side, steel usually is forgiving and gives some warning before failing. Aluminum and carbon fiber tend to go with much less warning.

 

[bastien nault]

these are my bent forks ive start with 27inch fork and now its 20 inch wheels

 

[LukeTheJoker]

these are my bent forks ive start with 27inch fork and now its 20 inch wheels

Looks good! What method did you use?

 

[bastien nault]

the pipe bender

 

[bastien nault]

this is my inspiration

 

[A.S.BOLTNUT]

One of my favorite images, I've used a pipe over the head tube before and used a tree trunk before , the last one I did I laid the fork on the driveway and backed the car onto it and bent it that way . Old school tech.

Rafael

 

[Fv2]

One of my favorite images, I've used a pipe over the head tube before and used a tree trunk before , the last one I did I laid the fork on the driveway and backed the car onto it and bent it that way . Old school tech.

Rafael

That reminds me of the time I wedged a shockease fork over a tree limb to cut threads in the steer tube, probably not the best idea but it worked.