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how to tell if a fork can be moved to a diff bike

jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
I've got a moderately decent (IMO) manitou fork on my old bike that doesn't get much use. I'd like to move it to my hardtail to replace the Judy that's on there now. Is there an easy way to tell if the fork will work on my hardtail? I know I could just try it and see, but...

Can I simply measure the headtube on each bike... if the headtube on my HT is equal to or shorter than the headtube on my old FS... it should work, correct? Or is there more to it than that?
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
You have to measure the entire stack height, including the headset and stem. Some headsets have bigger stack heights than others, and stems vary hugely in their height.

If you measure from the bottom of the lower headset cup, to the top of the stem, and compare that against the same measurement on the new frame, you can tell if it'll fit.

If it won't fit, see if you can find a lower stack height stem for not much money.
 
jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
binary visions said:
You have to measure the entire stack height, including the headset and stem. Some headsets have bigger stack heights than others, and stems vary hugely in their height.

If you measure from the bottom of the lower headset cup, to the top of the stem, and compare that against the same measurement on the new frame, you can tell if it'll fit.

If it won't fit, see if you can find a lower stack height stem for not much money.
Click to expand...
Cool thanks. The stem and headset I don't mind replacing if it means getting the fork to fit. Obviously I don't have much control over the headtube.
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
jacksonpt said:
Cool thanks. The stem and headset I don't mind replacing if it means getting the fork to fit. Obviously I don't have much control over the headtube.
Click to expand...
:thumb:

Headset stack height isn't as much of a concern, as that usually only varies a few mm (unless you're talking about 1.5" headsets which seem to vary a lot), but the stem can be a killer.
 
J

JRB

Guest
Uhm - you want to make sure they are both 1 1/8th inches and that one is not 1".
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
loco-gringo said:
Uhm - you want to make sure they are both 1 1/8th inches and that one is not 1".
Click to expand...
Yep, but he said that the old one is a FS, and they didn't make many FS bikes with the legacy 1" steerer tubes...
 
J

JRB

Guest
binary visions said:
Yep, but he said that the old one is a FS, and they didn't make many FS bikes with the legacy 1" steerer tubes...
Click to expand...

Didn't they make Judy's with a 1" steerer though???

Damnit - no apostrophe on Judys. :stupid:
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
loco-gringo said:
Didn't they make Judy's with a 1" steerer though???
Click to expand...
Yep, they definitly did... I'm probably assuming too much, when he referred to the "old" FS, I took that to mean he had a "new" hardtail.
 
J

JRB

Guest
binary visions said:
Yep, they definitly did... I'm probably assuming too much, when he referred to the "old" FS, I took that to mean he had a "new" hardtail.
Click to expand...

With a Judy??? :think:
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,101
1,153
NC
loco-gringo said:
With a Judy??? :think:
Click to expand...
It wasn't that long ago that they stopped making Judys.

I had a set of cranks from '98 on my Evil Imperial, purchased in 2003, for a long time...
 
J

JRB

Guest
To clarify - I didn't say Judys are bad. I rode a Judy SL for quite some time and liked it. They do still put Judy TTs on bikes now that I think of it. I'm just helping the 1" theory along. I am sure it is not 1", just making sure jackson knows to factor that in. Now leave me alone. :mad:
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,830
12,827
In a van.... down by the river
loco-gringo said:
To clarify - I didn't say Judys are bad. I rode a Judy SL for quite some time and liked it. They do still put Judy TTs on bikes now that I think of it. I'm just helping the 1" theory along. I am sure it is not 1", just making sure jackson knows to factor that in. Now leave me alone. :mad:
Click to expand...
See - I didn't know they continued to make the Judy. I thought the elastomer one from '95/'96 was the last of 'em. They were crap. I got a Z2 and never bothered looking at RS again............. :D

Until................ my new bike. It came with a UTurn Psylo and I like it OK. Maybe I'm just really easy to please. :think:

-S.S.-
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
The new Judys are poo...My dads cheapie Trek has a Judy TT on the front, it weighs in at about 6 lbs. 80mm of travel...sweet sweet MCU travel.
 
J

JRB

Guest
jacksonpt said:
Both bikes are from the 2001 model year. I only call my old FS "old" because it has been replaced by the 575.
Click to expand...

I am sure it is 1 1/8th. I think the only 1" steerer RS made in 01' was the Jett and what ever that road fork was.
 
jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
loco-gringo said:
I am sure it is 1 1/8th. I think the only 1" steerer RS made in 01' was the Jett and what ever that road fork was.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure both are 1 1/8... the Judy is on a GT Aggressor (pre-bankruptcy or whatever problems they had)... I would think GT wouldn't do 1" HT. The fork that's replacing the Judy is a Manitou SX-E off a Mongoose Pro Valiant. This isn't your typical Mongoose, so I don't think I'd have to worry about it being 1".
 
J

JRB

Guest
If it is long enough, you should be fine. Remember light taps all the way around on the crown race to remove it unless you got a homey at the shop with a puller.
 
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