Anyone know what steerer tube length would be suitable for a 456 summer season? The head tube is small I think, so that should be an advantage in getting second hand forks that have been cut down ( I guess )
But how much do you have to leave sticking up for the stem? Sorry. I'm ignorant in such matters.What length can i comfortably get away with?

And what's a star fangled nut? And is it a good thing or not if it's already installed? Cheers.

Based on a 105mm headtube length (18" Inbred…can't see the length for a 456 on the O-O site) I'd say the very minimum steerer length would be 180mm…Thats 105mm headtube, 40mm for a stem (Thomson is 40mm) and 35mm for a headset (Chris King is 31.8mm).

Of course it you do get a short steerer and you like the bars higher you can't just add spacers under the stem and you'll have to use higher rise bars or a stem with rise on it so if you're unsure about how much you need, better to go for a second-hand one with a good length steerer (say around 200mm+) as it could save you money in the long run.

Star fangled nut goes in the steerer tube and is used to pre-load the bearings in the headset…it saves a trip to your bike shop or a DIY job if one is already installed.

Thanks. That was a close call. I was gonna bid on something with 175mm steerer. Would have sucked to be 'caught short', as it were.
I supose another thing I have to think about is spacers. Maybe better to start off with some and reduce later, even though it means taking things apart and making another cut to the steerer.

I've got Pikes on my red 456 with a 175mm steerer, still leaves room for 20mm of spacers, the headtube on the frame is very short compared to a lot of other frames.

Hi Simon. What kind of stem are you using? I was thinking of getting a 50mm On one stem. Don't know what kind of headset.
Still got my eye on those 175mm forks, but got two slightly conflicting pieces of advice here 😕 Cheers.

50mm FSA fr230 stem I think, low rise Easton EA30 O/S bars and an FSA XL2 headset.

got two slightly conflicting pieces of advice here

Not really…I suggested the very minimum based on that fact you don't seem too sure of your requirements and you haven't specified a stem and a headset. Hell, it you really want to go for the very, very minimum you could consider an FSA stem at 35mm height and a CB headset at 21mm, add the 105mm and you're looking at 160mm steerer! Up to you at the end of the day 🙂

:edit: Maybe Simon or someone could confirm it's 105mm as I'm taking that from the 18" standard Inbred as I couldn't see details on the headtube length of the 456 on the O-O site

I've just measured the head tube and it's 90mm, but mine's a "normal" red 16" 456 not a Summer Season.

I've just measured the head tube and it's 90mm

Blimey, that is very short! CB headset and FSA stem…145mm steerer 😯 😉

Worth checking with O-O for 18" 456 Summer headtube length

Yep, if it is 90mm, maybe the 175mm forks OP is looking at would be okay although personally I'd go for a bit more for versatility/adjustability

Mmmm! Now I'm really not sure. According to this http://getsatisfaction.com/onone/topics/456_vs_inbred_head_tube_length
the inbred and 456 have the same head tube on 105mm. But yeah, nothing about the Summer season on the on one site. I'll e-mail them if nobody else comes up with anything. Thanks for the replies.