Conned - Repairing ...
 

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[Closed] Conned - Repairing badly gouged steerer that is too loose for a crown race?

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The Rebas on 29er that I brought of the classifieds at Christmas had been making a knocking noise on large bumps and the headset was binding.
I dropped the forks out to find that the steerer had been so badly gouged where someone has ham fistedly tried to remove the crown race that the crown race just fell off and now has about 1mm clearance all round. I don't know what they thought they were doing but I'm not happy that I've been sold forks that are useless and possibly dangerous but I guess it's a case of buyer beware.

Is there any bodge that will rescue the forks?

Or 29er forks are still rare and a replacement uppers (CSUs I believe their called) cost a fortune so I was wondering if I could use some 26er uppers instead?


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 4:23 pm
 Del
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hmm. wouldn't have thought it would be that easy to take enough material off all the way around to stop the crown race seating? i'd try another crown race or complete headset if necessary.
if it really get's down to it use a bearing fit loctite ( 638 or similar ) to secure the crown race.
i'd bet on the new crown race fitting fine though.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 4:28 pm
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I agree with the loctite. If the gap around the crown race is that big you could made up some shim from a coke can and use it to pack in combination with the loctite.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 4:34 pm
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Drop some braze on it then face the fork. Argos can do it for you.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 4:41 pm
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Imm clearance all round - far more than a bit ogf gouging. Is there a part missing from the headset?

Shim it


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 5:04 pm
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Ditto del and tj's replies. Bring that loose suggests that a part is missing or the crown race is the wrong size.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 5:11 pm
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hmm. wouldn't have thought it would be that easy to take enough material off all the way around to stop the crown race seating?

It really is that bad, the race drops straight to the bottom and rattles around the steerer.
Thanks Hopster - I'll give them a ring. Did you go out with Mat today? I went down to Cheddar, it felt really tough today and wanted to give up after 35miles but struggled on to 100k .


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 5:34 pm
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Pics needed of the steerer with the crown race off I think. I just find it nigh on impossible to believe that anyone could actually damage it that badly but I guess that there are some real numpties about 🙂


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 5:38 pm
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[img] [/img]
Pic with with the race on, it looks the donner meat at a kebab shop and is actually even narrower at the bottom!
I tried the race on other forks and it's fine.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:26 pm
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I take it back! That looks like someone's tried to turn it into a 1" steerer!


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:32 pm
 ojom
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WTF? That's crazy!

Where did you get it?


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:33 pm
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I think you want a serious word with allport!

I really wouldn't use that fork. There's are marks all over the steerer Along the full length by the looks of it which add significantly to the risk of it breaking...


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:35 pm
 ojom
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Why would someone do that...?


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:36 pm
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Bizarre! And bloody dangerous.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:37 pm
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Presumably someone couldn't get a crown race on so attacked it with a file, angle grinder or similar!


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:37 pm
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SNAP then faceplant

whoever sold you that wants a bollocking !


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:38 pm
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that looks scary,


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:38 pm
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Someone has taken a grinder to that steerer - that's the only way to get those sort of marks.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:39 pm
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Blippin Nora! Looks like someone has had at it with a file, not a screwdriver. I think you might be better off with a new crown, steerer and uppers. Or walking. Removing material from the steerer is not a terribly good idea.

One thing - is that an aluminium or a steel steerer? It looks very shiny, so I'm guessing aluminium. Regardless, I'd not feel terribly confident or safe riding something like that.

Caveat emptor applies to second hand goods, but if it was described as in good condition or something similar, then you do have some rights. Have you talked to the seller?


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:39 pm
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That's truly horrible

Fork->bin, NOW!

(or use it for "owning" the guy who sold you them.)


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:41 pm
 Andy
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😯

That is shocking (no pun intended)!! How can someone sell on something like that.

Really boils my piss; got a problem, no worries, dump it on the classifieds, and con someone.

I think Allport owes an explanation.

EDIT: And I wouldn't ride that fork


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:41 pm
 ojom
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You need new uppers.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:42 pm
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Blinking Flip - I'm sorry I'm sure you don't need some else to say, but WTF ?

Totally FUBAR'd.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:43 pm
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that looks ****in death on a stick mate. who the flippin blink sold those and I take it you didn't see them before you parted with any cash. 😯


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:47 pm
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I've not contacted the seller; I can't find his details and Allport posted the add for his friend (name forgotten). The stanchions have a couple of scratches that I commented on but he said they had worked fine whilst he had them (he bought the bike second hand). I notice the clunk as soon as I went off road but not whilst testing on the road so he must of known something was wrong even IF he had never taken the forks off.
I'm not happy I was sold it but also feel stupid that I was conned. 😕


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:51 pm
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It looks like Optimus Prime has been using the steerer to pleasure himself up the wrong 'un


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:55 pm
 ojom
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Don't feel stupid. Not your fault.

Someone somewhere should feel like a tool for selling you these.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:56 pm
 br
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maybe he was dupped both dupping you...


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 6:57 pm
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If someone sold me that pile of crap, I'd be getting straight back to them. In the original ad when asked to split the forks he states there are no faults with the forks. I wouldn't feel stupid for buying it, but I would for lying back and taking it!


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 7:25 pm
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jeez thats disgraceful, seller should refund with full apology.

how did you think they would be ok to fit and use? they wouldn't have gone anywhere near my bike!!


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 8:11 pm
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Shocking!
Needs more pics but first impression was 1.5 forks ground down possibly?
(could that actually be done)?

Regardless, Allport needs to come up with answers and re-imburse for new uppers............

BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 8:13 pm
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I have little knowledge of 29er forks. Is there a chance this was a fork with a tapered steerer that someone has bought in error and tried to create a homemade normal 1 1/8th? Just a thought. I certainly wouldn't ride it. If I had no joy with the seller, I'd order a new CSU from the States. SRAM/rockshox parts are a fair bit cheaper there.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 8:24 pm
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small claims court.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 8:33 pm
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That needs to be shoved where the seller has no sunshine. If it is a Reba 29er then there is nothing fancy about the fork - no taper or anything. Butchered for what reason? Baffled here.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 8:45 pm
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cheapest option at a guess would be to buy a second hand fork off here and just use the csu (recon would be perfect and cheap)


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 8:51 pm
 iolo
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Why the hell did you use the fork at all.
I cant understand why you did not contact the seller immediately as that fork is obviously a death trap.
Did the crown race fit when you put them on the bike?Probably not.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 8:51 pm
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He bought the fork and frame as a complete bike...


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 8:52 pm
 iolo
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Oh right. Fair enough then


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 8:54 pm
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Speechless (almost).

I cannot understand (a) what whoever did that was trying to achieve and (b) how they thought it was a good idea.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 9:19 pm
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Fitted by someone who didn't understand it was an interference fit....


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 9:28 pm
 IA
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WTF!

That is all.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 9:30 pm
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peasnotwar - Member

Shocking!
Needs more pics but first impression was 1.5 forks ground down possibly?
(could that actually be done)?

I take it you've never seen a 1.5" and 1 1/8" steerer side by side? One would fit inside the other! Not possible to grind down to the smaller size


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 9:36 pm
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If those were advertised by Allport then i think we all need to think carefully before buying anything that he/she sells in the future, even if that have been advertised for a mate.

And to his mate who sold them on, YOU ARE A ****ING TOOL.

Selling something in that state is unsafe and unfair, if you ****ed up a piece of kit through your own stupidity then don't try to pass it onto someone else, throw it away and if you can't do something on your bike then get your LBS or mate who can to do it for you you tight git. If you bought them like that then more fool you for not taking it up with the original seller.

To the OP - if the seller you bought off won't refund you a fair price for replacements then for god's sake replace the steerer/uppers before its too late.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 9:43 pm
 ojom
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OP - you have mail.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 9:46 pm
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Looks like someone with no mechanical skills whatsoever and access to a grinder has tried to take the crown race off, found its very hard to do so and decided that the problem is "that the steerer is wider than the crown race" so has ground it down in an attempt to get it off, hence why its been ground more near the base. I guess when he has realised whats happened he has sold it on.
Jesus, it always suprises me how dumb some people can be. If he had crashed and died after his botched attempts he would have been in line for a darwin award


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 9:53 pm
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Wow.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 10:00 pm
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jesus H christ on a fu*$in bike,they look well dodgy mate. whoever sold them to you should give you your money back, i was looking for some forks , but think i will stay away from the classfieds on here to be honest.


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 10:01 pm
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well the crown/steerers of 26 inch reba's fit so finding a donor pair shud be easy, saying that i have a spare set of 29er rebas in bits..may sell


 
Posted : 07/02/2010 10:24 pm
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swampi - ygm


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 7:49 am
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Jesus, it always suprises me how dumb some people can be. If he had crashed and died after his botched attempts he would have been in line for a darwin award

So he sold them on to me and if I had crashed and died what award would of it been then?

I'm going to ring the seller later. I've a good mind to tell him that they snapped and I ended up in hospital, and then see what he says.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 7:53 am
 hora
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I'd love to know the logic of how the steerer ended up like that.

Ps. Claiming to sell for another party is the oldest trick in the book to avoid admitting full knowledge later.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 7:56 am
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Scary what some people think is ok, reminds me of a frame we had in a few years ago, in an attempt to fit a short steerer, they'd hacksawed through the top of the headtube(at about 10 degrees slant).At least they didn't try selling it on though.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 8:02 am
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I've battered my rebas and the steerer is all smooth like new.

Personally I would not have fitted that fork and sent back straight away.

Classifieds is getting ruined by a few muppets recently.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 8:14 am
 hora
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Classifieds is getting ruined by a few muppets recently.

Disagree. I've had a few incidents over the past year or two. Settled off-forum.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 8:19 am
 ojom
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Zaskar-i think from previous posts he bought a bike complete rather than the forks so would not necc have seen the steerer earlier.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 8:20 am
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If the OP actually ever gets in contact with the seller - Is this going to end up with the seller saying he had also never removed the forks from the frame & also bought it is as an 2nd-hand assembly?


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 8:27 am
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It does make me wonder how people end up going from 'that looks a bit of a tight fit' to 'I know we'll grind the steerer down' without ever thinking 'it can't be that everyone has to do this maybe there's another way to do it?'.

I do hope the OP gets a result on this (and the bike-chain appear to be offering to help) but I'm not hopeful.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 8:34 am
 hora
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Is there no way STW can block user IP's?


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 8:35 am
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That's diabolical, possibly the dodgiest thing I've seen on here.. apart from the welded up Heckler that somebody tried to sell.

Is there no way STW can block user IP's?

I don't think that really helps.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 8:37 am
 Del
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flippin heck. you're gonna need a [i]really[/i] big bottle of loctite. 🙂

that's quite staggering. don't know if i'd be angry, or just really thankful that i'd investigated before needing a wheelchair.
hope you can get some redress.

i've never really liked the idea of sh forks unless i knew the seller personally.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 9:30 am
 hora
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Del-(personal experience) I wont buy anymore secondhand forks from STW. Not a chance.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 9:32 am
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Just to clear things up Allport advertised them for a friend, that's not to say he didn't know about the damage. I met the actually seller and I have now found his phone number so I will be contacting him tonight.
Unfortunately he is 150 miles away so I can't appear on his doorstep.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 1:44 pm
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Where is he - I reckon STW could put together a rent-a-mob 😉

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 1:52 pm
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I have bought two forks off here and both were fine.

One collected in persona and the other from a regular poster.

I think that is the key - buy from regular posters and you are fine.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 1:53 pm
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@TandemJeremy

One collected in persona...

Who did you go as? 😀


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 1:56 pm
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Oh, I should say that I've bought and sold loads on here (including several sets of sus forks) and not had a problem yet.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 1:57 pm
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here is he - I reckon STW could put together a rent-a-mob

I did think about paying a visit and taking Agency Scum along for a 'talk' 😈


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 2:01 pm
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I just don't understand why you would need to angle grind the steerer?

Horrific 😯


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 2:06 pm
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THREAD OF THE MONTH!!

The crown race isn't for a 1" steerer is it? I really dont understand how anyone would be so stupid to do that to a pair of forks.
Shame for the OP, hope you get it sorted out.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 2:09 pm
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my fork histroy off STW:

manitou minutes: borked internals
Two sets of bombers: worn bushings, £30 to fix, but still anoying that I seem to buy them a week before they fail.

Off SDH:
manitou minutes: should have learnt my lesson from the fist set


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 2:17 pm
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@cheers drive,
if you're up sh1t creek mate I've all the parts for a hard nut hardtail you can borrow for a couple of weeks.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 2:35 pm
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He lives in Rougeley thats not far from me and I have some bombers if you need to borrow them to 'own him'


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 2:44 pm
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if you're up sh1t creek mate I've all the parts for a hard nut hardtail you can borrow for a couple of weeks.

Thanks for the offer mate but I've still got the PA and Zesty so it won't stop me riding.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 2:53 pm
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The crown race isn't for a 1" steerer is it? I really dont understand how anyone would be so stupid to do that to a pair of forks.

Hmm sounds like a reasonable theory there !!


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 3:22 pm
 hora
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Hmm sounds like a reasonable theory there !!

This person shouldnt hold knives, apply for a firearms licence, work with any sort of animal, be in charge of machinery or be allowed off the sunshine bus without a carer or responsible adult present.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 3:31 pm
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Thats an Air Ambulance shout waiting to happen that is.!!!

If he agrees to refund I'd cut them in half before posting, in case the wally tries to sell them on again.

I_Ache...Was that Rougeley or Rugeley ?


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 3:39 pm
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Sorry don't get you there hora do you mean the seller or me? ❓ I was also wondering why you would need to angle grind the steerer down - either to fit a crown race thats too small or maybe it was siezed or head set/stem too small? 😐


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 3:51 pm
 hora
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The seller dummy! 🙄


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 3:52 pm
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OK 😉 wasn't clean as you quoted my quote 8)


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 3:53 pm
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Wow! That picture beggars belief.


 
Posted : 08/02/2010 4:05 pm
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