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    Is straightening this bent fork a bad idea?

    Got a free Mercier Kilo TT from a friend but shop told me it’s got a bent fork when I brought it in to install a front brake. I was told my model uses a threadless fork and the cost to replace was pretty high. They mentioned the frame looks fine but the bike was involved in a bad crash.

    Would you guys recommend I try to straighten or simply replace? What I thought was a free bike is turning into an expensive fix!

    by IRS_OPENUP

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    20 Comments

    2. alcervix on

      I guess you could try to straighten it, but I would think there’s a good chance of cracking the steel, your call ultimately

    3. kernal42 on

      If you straighten the fork out, it will look better in the dump.

      So it’s not a bad idea, but a bit of a waste of time.

    4. WrenchHeadFox on

      What do you consider “pretty high” for the price? If you have a bike co-op near you I’d recommend going there and they should be able to get you sorted with a replacement fork for cheap. I would not personally bend it back. It would probably be fine if you did, but getting it aligned properly will be a pain, and even if you do that, the risk of failure – while minute – is enough that I’d ask if I cared more about $100 or my teeth.

      It’s a decent bike otherwise.

    5. glowhol on

      Bending a fork is not backyard bike maintenance. You need a rig. 

      Safety first and most cost effective answer: measure the fork and buy a new one. It doesn’t have to match if cost is an issue. Get a used steel fork and you can even paint it black and buy new decals for cheap.

      If you want to go all in and buy all the tools to bend steel accurately then go ahead, watch some tutorials, and make sure everything is proper. It won’t be as strong as it was out of the factory.

    7. IntoxicatingVapors on

      I would certainly give it a shot if I had access to an old VAR or Park fork alignment gauge. It’s pretty simple work if you have a large enough lever like a Park FFS. It sort of looks like the crown itself bent which isn’t great. but it may still be salvageable. I’d check the state of the steerer itself though. If it’s at all warped or rippled it’s too compromised and not worth trying to straighten.

    9. Lazar4Mayor on

      You can get a new Steamroller fork for ~$100, which is certainly cheaper than dental work

    10. celeste_ferret on

      Bike shops used to straighten forks all the time. Steel forks are amazingly resilient, but it’ll never be as strong as new.

      Call around to older bike shops and find one that has a Park FT-4 fork alignment tool. If they have that, they’ll also have the frame and fork straightener for bending the blades, the dropout alignment tools, and the where-with-all to judge whether or not it would be a safe and economical repair.

    11. broom_rocket on

      I’d try to straighten it, but it’s not going to be that easy to ensure you straighten it where is bent(steerer?) vs just bending the fork legs out accidentally.

    12. lrbikeworks on

      Normally with steel I’d say have at it, bend that right back. But the fork leg actually looks pretty straight, it’s the crown itself that’s twisted.

      That’s a different ball of fish. If it were me, I’d plan on replacing that fork. The crown is not a closed tube, so it’s more prone to fatigue cracking after bending.

      Those bikesdirect steelies are actually pretty good bikes. I trained, raced, and commuted on one for a minute. For the price of a new fork, you’ll have a sturdy, comfortable, nice-handling bike that will last a long time. Not a bad deal IMO.

    14. Mogli1199 on

      Bending lugged frames or forks leads usually to complete damage of the Frame/fork. But give it a try, a damaged fork cant be damaged.

      You could buy a fork for like 50$. Thats not very expensive for a new bike, or am I wrong?

    15. mu9937 on

      Bent at the crown race, no fixing this, needs to be replaced. Even straightened as best as possible, the bearings will never be right. I’d assume the bike shop was also including a new headset as well as a new fork install.

    17. catlips on

      I straightened a fork once. It feels safe, but I didn’t get it quite straight enough, so now the bike’s a little more twitchy than it was. I don’t think bike shops even do fork straightening any more, do they? Mine wasn’t one with a crown like that, just the two steel tubes that are curved on top and welded to the steering tube. Just get a new one.

    18. AdditionalFly8641 on

      I hate to change the subject but these Merciers, were they made in England years ago? Buy a new fork.

    20. BD59 on

      BikeIsland.com – Bicycle Parts, Accessories and Clothing at Affordable Prices with Free Shipping https://share.google/EIIbt9ydTfdH3w4FS

      This is page showing forks available that may fit. You’ll need to determine the correct steering tube size. The one fork that is a 1 inch steerer is threaded, but might be able to be used threadless if it’s long enough.

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