busted fork/steering tube

Welll.....my fault for getting cheap parts and not getting back to the mechanic when I could get reimbursed....but I'm not sure who did what to begin with.

I had a threadless to threaded converter (big rod with a chuck on the end) and it ate through my STEEL steering tube.  I knew this might be a problem because a gasket seal ring, which was supposed to be on top of the headset nut, was inside the tube when I got it back from the LBS in 2009.  I only discovered this after twisting the snot out of the allen bolt holding the converter on. 

I let it go until last Sunday I was on Lake Cook road on the way to Lake Zurich and BINGO - my handlebars started to wobble and there was no pushing ahead.  The converter chuck had broken through the steering tube wall and was rubbing against the inside of the head tube. It's not the headset, trust me.

 

So here is the fork:

SJS Fork (Dawes Galaxy Replacement)

 

I don't know if it's chromoly steel or hi-ten.

 

I haven't taken it apart.  I just assume it's easier/cheaper to buy a Surly Cross Check fork and threadless headset and forget it.

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Permalink Reply by mark stetson on July 4, 2012 at 7:10am

Hard to tell what happened without seeing it.  I guess the steer tube could be  badly enough rusted to break if the bike sat out with no top nut seal.  Not really a problem caused by the threadless converter, a quill stem wouldn't be any different.  You might check some local shops for a fork before buying a Surly, not that it's a bad choice.  The last time I needed a similar fork, I found a new take off at a LBS for around $20. 

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 5, 2012 at 4:52am

I am confused as to what exactly happened because I have no idea what a 'converter chuck' is  What gasket are you talking about as well?

Can you post some pictures?

If you have a 1" threaded fork you cannot install a Surly fork because they are 1-1/8 threadless and there is not an interchange there you need a 1" steerer fork but you can go threadless if you so desire.

Permalink Reply by mark stetson on July 5, 2012 at 9:50am

I believe the OP is talking about a quill to threadless stem adapter like those sold by Velo Orange, Profile and others.  Basically just a quill with a 1" or 1 1/8" round section at the top that takes a threadless stem.  If I understand correctly, the mechanic left the O ring (that seals around the quill) out of the headset top nut.

Early Crosschecks were 1".  I've seen a couple of NOS forks on ebay, and have a new one I bought at a swap meet for $50.  You may be correct that they are no longer making 1" forks.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 5, 2012 at 2:12pm

A lot of headsets have no seal there.

A little water down there on a properly built bike and maintained bike, or even a poorly maintained one, is not going to rust through the steerer. 

I am interested to see what is meant by it having 'ate' through the steerer....

Did the wedge at the bottom go through the steerer?  That is an uncommon occurrence that is usually seen when the stem bolt is severely over tightened which, reading the O/P again I think is what occurred considering you 'twisted the snot' out of the stem bolt.  Torque specs exist for a reason my friend.

I have not seen a Surly Crosscheck that had a 1" steerer and the 2001 model, I think the first year, had an 1-1/8" threadless headset. 

Permalink Reply by mark stetson on July 5, 2012 at 3:59pm

DUG, I'm merely trying to get to root of the OP's question.  I don't understand what the failure is either, as I stated in my first post.  Yes, some headsets are sealed, some aren't.   Rust may have been the problem, may have not.

Here are some pics of the 1" CrossCheck fork.  I am fairly certain that they do exist. 

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on July 5, 2012 at 4:15pm

Thanks for your two cents, gentlemen.....  I used the original headset from the Raleigh C50, a steel hybrid/cross bike, when I had the Dawes replacement fork installed.  The original headset had a gasket on the top to keep out the weather.  Unfortunately at some point the gasket became lodged in the new steering tube, resulting in overtorque to stabilize the handlebars before I was aware of the problem.

 

I would like to know what to do with the Dawes fork when I get it off the bike....but I suspect it may be beyond repair. 

 

As a result I purchased the 1" Surly Cross Check fork today - 25.4 clamp diameter - from Amazon, along with a Ritchey threadless headset.  Universal Cycles' listing for the 1" steering tube version is here:

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=7000...

 

I'll post the broken fork when I get the new parts.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on July 24, 2012 at 4:25pm

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on July 24, 2012 at 4:27pm

As you can see, the cracks follow the vertical groove in the steering tube and the threads in the steering tube.  It would have been better perhaps if I had a longer stem that went below the threads.

Permalink Reply by mark stetson on July 24, 2012 at 4:48pm

You nailed it.  Stem may have been overtightened, but really, a fork shouldn't have that much thread length.  That looks like a one size fits all sort of fork, a concept that functions much better in the threadless mode.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on July 24, 2012 at 4:54pm

Thanks.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 24, 2012 at 6:15pm

This is completely wrong.

The threading on the fork is normal and a properly tightened stem would never have been an issue.  The issue is the stem was WAY over tightened and the steerer could not take it.  To say the threading caused it is a cop out; no matter what they wedge was WAY to tight.

mark stetson said:

You nailed it.  Stem may have been overtightened, but really, a fork shouldn't have that much thread length.  That looks like a one size fits all sort of fork, a concept that functions much better in the threadless mode.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on July 25, 2012 at 12:19am

In any event, an extremely unfortunate outcome.

 

I'm a very lucky man.  I'll post pics of the completed repair once everything is put together properly.

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