Cross fork on a Mtn bike?

[konstantkarma]

My wife hooked a basketball net with the bar end on her mountain bike handle bar :crap: . Luckily the bike rack is still attached to the car.

The Rock Shox suspension fork took the worst of it, suffering a snapped brace (the one that connects the 2 suspension cylinders), and a search of the internet shows no replacement parts anywhere. This is an inexpensive Gary Fisher Big Sur, circa 1997. She only rides it on gravel bike paths, usually with our Burley kid's trailer attached.

I looked at replacement suspension forks, and I think they are pretty pricey, and really heavy for such a low-impact purpose. So, I was wondering about the possibility of replacing it with an inexpensive and light non-suspended cross fork.

Has anyone done this? What rake of fork would be reasonable? Will it adversely affect handling?

BTW, the one that came with the bike was a 1-1/8" with about a 16cm steerer tube.

Thanks!

[shanerpvt]

do you think the head tube is ok? it would concern me.

[konstantkarma]

do you think the head tube is ok? it would concern me.

Good point! I took the fork and headset off of the frame. The head tube looks fine....round, and no cracks. It is a pretty solid cromo frame.

[Fixed]

bro i use a kona project 2 steel fork on my fixed gear mt. bike
i dig it .i think i paid 40 bucks for it
cheers

[gdw]

Most shops have a bunch of old ones gathering dust under a work bench which they would be happy to get rid of. If they can't help you, buy one off of Ebay or place a wanted ad on Craigslist.

[woolly]

Nothing wrong with a rigid fork, but I think you should be looking at ones made for a 26" wheeled mountain bike. When you say "cross fork", I think 700c, which would put the canti bosses in the wrong place for the wheel that came stock on a Fisher of that period.

I agree with Fixed, the Kona is not a bad fork - especially for the money. Not bad at all. Just make sure you get the right model.

[konstantkarma]

Thanks! As I expected your advice filled me in on the stuff I did not think through when I had the idea to swap the fork. I probably do not want a cross fork, but rather a rigid mtn bike fork that is "corrected" for suspension. A quick check revealed several inexpensive options available in cro-mo.

Thanks again! KK

[Ken Robb]

or you could just buy her a used bike of similar quality for little $$$. I see many entry-lower middle grade mtn. bikes for $100-$150 and they usually have very low miles too.

[konstantkarma]

or you could just buy her a used bike of similar quality for little $$$. I see many entry-lower middle grade mtn. bikes for $100-$150 and they usually have very low miles too.
Yeah. I thought about doing that, but I'd still have to deal with the busted one. It also has sentimental value, since it once bombed down the singletrack in Colorado...when we were younger, sweeter, and kid free! :D