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got an old 95 gary fisher montare the other day, it has a quill stem which is 28.6, making the steerer of the fork larger than 1,1/8 (???)
So around 1.5" steerer?
I was thinking of running some 1,1/8 forks, with a standard steerer, so i need to convert it somehow to an a head set up,
Questions!
1) can i just fit a standard headset (obviously not an integrated or semi integrated type), ie will the headtube accept it? and if its in question what do i need to measure?
2) Can i use the threaded headset, by just doing every thing up, poking the forks through, and then puting some shims round the steerer, and clamping on the stem? (potentially silly idea this i am sure there is a reason why not...)
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Would be suprised if it's 95 as 1 1/4" was dead by then but slighly earlier and GF did do 1 1/4" ones.
1 - No
2 - I wouldn't
You'll need a 1 1/4" headset or one which is designed to reduce it to 1 1/8"
BTW I have a set of 95 Judy XCs with a 1 1/4" steerer if that might be of interest.
A bit Heath Robinson but here goes;
Use an M-part 28.6 to 25.4 split shim over a 25.4 quill adaptor to keep original headset and forks.
Also I think sjscycles co.uk do a Thorn alloy shim to convert 25.4 quill adapters to fit 28.6 [1 1/4] threaded forks.
Edit;
Ooops sorry, misread your question, now realise you want to fit threadless steerer. Doh!
clubber maybe, does it have a threaded steerer?
if so how long is it and how wides the thread?
pictures would be good to laura.pell1@ntlworld.com
cheers
tim
I'll have a check tonight.
That's a Gary Fisher Evolution headset, which is a 1 1/4", rather than 1.5"
Do not, under any circumstances, try to fit a Quill stem to an a-head steerer. Trust me on this. 1 1/8" threadless steerers are designed to be clamped, not to have expansion pressure, which is what a quill steerer does. Also, they are not threaded, and cutting a thread into the steerer will weaken it. Think about the consequences of a broken steerer or a stem that self-extracts.
Your best bet is to look out a step-down headset (see below) and get an a-head, rather than quill, stem.
Here's a bit of blurb from the Fisher site:
[i]1989 Gary introduces the Evolution headset, tubing and seatpost, the first oversize component system for off-road bikes. Fisher rider Sara Ballantyne wins her third world championship. Bicycle Guide Magazine names the Fisher Gemini Tandem "Best of 89". Bicycle Dealer Showcase names Fisher a "Top Supplier" for 89. Fisher produces its first hybrid bicycle.[/i]
You may be lucky enough to find a NOS Evolution step-down headset - basically, something that fits into a 1 1/4" Evolution head tube, but fits 1 1/8" forks. Cannondale adopted the standard for a while, too, so you might be lucky. Try a specialist place - Thorn or SJS Cycles might be able to help. Alternatively, try Cane Creek, FSA, Hope or (gasp) King. A quick check on the Hope site shows it makes 1.5" stepdown to 1 1/8" headsets, but nor Evolution to 1 1/8"
Explanations above are good. Advice on what to do though - either stick with what you've got, or if you're desperate for some squish take clubber up on his offer. Any modern 1 1/8" suspension fork is going to be far too long.
Mr bent udder
there are a few threadless steerer extenders on the market which use the quill type (expansion method ) to secure. Are you saying they are unsafe?
I myself bought one from chainreaction a few years back (although it didn't fit ..as different steerer tubes have different wall thicknesses)
Wall thicknesses might be a giveaway, there.
Just to clarify. If you're putting an extender [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3970 ]like this[/url] into a threadless steerer, you're asking for trouble. It's not the intended application, which is not only threaded steerers, but threaded steerers on bikes that won't be going offroad too much.
If you are cutting thread into a threadless steerer, and also putting an expanding wedge into it, then yes, that's a bad thing, and a good way to win a Darwin award.
Some threadless steerers - specifically aluminium ones - will be thinner to save weight, or fatter but lighter (thinking specifically of the old Judy SL steerers, which needed a different SFN). that means the internal diameter will be different.
If it's a case of cutting a thread for a threaded headset into the outside of a threadless steerer too, then the resulting mess is unlikely to be terribly safe. The outside diameter, from memeory, might be slightly out as well.
Personally, I'd stay well clear of steerer extenders like the one you mention, especially for off road riding or hard road riding. I've spent a lot of my life racing big and small boats, and have seen plenty of aluminium and carbon sections fail when subjected to forces outside their intended application. It's usually not pretty.
Tim - have emailed you the pics - It's actually 1 1/4" ahead though which may or may not be an issue for you...
If Tim can find a 1 1/4" Aheadset, spacers and a stem, should be a goer.