tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post8041700024069422158..comments2024-03-28T11:56:48.304-04:00Comments on The Retrogrouch: Lovely Fork CrownsBrookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-35016038838251187722019-06-15T08:07:08.999-04:002019-06-15T08:07:08.999-04:00What a great find! Congrats!What a great find! Congrats!Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-5887275659332238202019-06-15T04:16:33.369-04:002019-06-15T04:16:33.369-04:00REALLY enjoy reading your stuff, & all the GRE...REALLY enjoy reading your stuff, & all the GREAT images. Right up my ally. Just spotted an original condition California MASI,(think a 74'so far) in my size hanging in an antique & cowboyhat shop in a Colorado mountain town last week on a trip. It's in a box on the way to my place, right down the road from where it was made. Have met & known several of the guys from mid 70s build & finish crew. REALLY stoked to get my hands & my ass on it.<br /> On the brink of buying a pantographed slotted "M" chainring for it.<br /> Maybe we are of a likemind to some degree.....retrogroucho@gmail.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06455801394739690488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-74907907301210137752016-05-09T08:37:01.287-04:002016-05-09T08:37:01.287-04:00I think the Mercian crown is a standard late 50s o...I think the Mercian crown is a standard late 50s or early 60s Vagner with the long point cut down and split into the small fishtail end. felixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12363991252776819712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-8489186109952171592014-04-23T07:53:44.061-04:002014-04-23T07:53:44.061-04:00No puedo decir por las fotos lo corona, esto es ex...No puedo decir por las fotos lo corona, esto es exactamente. Lo siento.<br />I can't tell from the photos what crown this is exactly. Sorry.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-21616362317571541412014-04-22T19:49:45.062-04:002014-04-22T19:49:45.062-04:00Quisiera saber si esta horquilla de esta zeus es o...Quisiera saber si esta horquilla de esta zeus es original Zeus o no. Muchas gracias por la ayuda.<br /><br />Dejo el link con las fotos:<br />http://serjforius.blogspot.com.es/2013/03/zeus-pista-terminada-pinon-fijo-fixed_2048.htmlAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01272998294940421771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-30755340303387773152013-12-21T01:22:29.997-05:002013-12-21T01:22:29.997-05:00I like your blog. I have a 84 stumpjumper that I&#...I like your blog. I have a 84 stumpjumper that I'm restoring and will be selling to a friend. You're right, the biplane forks are beautiful, and the lugged frame looks classic. I also have a 90 Bridgestone MB3, welded, unicrown fork, which I use as my commuter. It's not quite as elegant looking as the Stumpy, but it weighs a couple pounds less. Its steeper angles make for more nimble steering. I powder coated the Stumpy pearl black and will put on Schwalbe cream Fat Franks. With inverted Northroad bars and a honey Brooks, it will make for a great pathracer.MT cyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17451590809473759574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-74704402486009252772013-12-14T13:47:04.007-05:002013-12-14T13:47:04.007-05:00I've been searching but haven't seen an ex...I've been searching but haven't seen an exact match for that crown on the Mercian. I did search some of the styles from Ekla, but to my eye the ones from Vagner seemed to come the closest in the shapes and proportions overall. But I admit you could be right about that. Mercian tended to use frame parts from lots of different manufacturers.Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-87504878507916734732013-12-14T09:55:14.774-05:002013-12-14T09:55:14.774-05:00And the flat-top crown on the Mercian Superlight i...And the flat-top crown on the Mercian Superlight is made by Ekla, they made quite a variety of patterns. I have one of these on my 1960 Mercian Vincitore. Great article, thanks, keep it up!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12099462458461177530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-25557782625830061112013-12-13T18:14:36.745-05:002013-12-13T18:14:36.745-05:00Great article, thanks!
FYI, that integral fully...Great article, thanks! <br /><br />FYI, that integral fully-sloping crown on the Raleigh Pro was made by Davis. It's often referred to as a Cinelli or "Cinelli style" but they're easy to tell apart if you have 'em side by side. Pretty much any British-made fork with a crown like that (e.g. Holdsworth, Bob Jackson et al.), it's a Davis. I made a bunch of forks with Davis crowns and still have a few. I have some real Cinelli ones too, old rough ones, look sand-cast.bulgiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12173291263982222878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-23153045005574874392013-12-13T09:17:45.601-05:002013-12-13T09:17:45.601-05:00Nice article—thanks. There is a young builder John...Nice article—thanks. There is a young builder John Fritzgerald doing some really nice work with fork crowns and lugs: http://www.fitzcyclez.com/ My bike is the the "Juice"<br />Tomtduskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14975301570220504914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-34869640511643341732013-12-13T07:03:25.366-05:002013-12-13T07:03:25.366-05:00Thanks John -- I've been getting emails from a...Thanks John -- I've been getting emails from a few people suggesting that I should do a "part II" on this because I left out so many of their favorites. It's awesome to see how many others have an appreciation that there are so many favorites out there!Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-20298784953206065092013-12-12T20:06:06.903-05:002013-12-12T20:06:06.903-05:00Nice, thanks. Here's a couple more for your co...Nice, thanks. Here's a couple more for your collection:<br /><br />Some Zeus crowns, the road crowns are internally lugged:<br /><br />http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/zeus-crowns.jpg<br /><br />Takahashi internally lugged crown:<br /><br />http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/takahashi-crown.jpg<br /><br />A modified Ishiwata SCM crown. This started out similar to the Cinelli MR, but was modified by milling away some of the shoulder between the steer tube and the blade sockets, and filed to follow the contour of the blade:<br /><br />http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/ishiwata-1.jpg John Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412902233015183333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-29932586512991408252013-12-12T17:49:18.549-05:002013-12-12T17:49:18.549-05:00Very interesting post, Kyle. Thanks for a great p...Very interesting post, Kyle. Thanks for a great presentation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-61151998583387667422013-12-11T13:13:01.670-05:002013-12-11T13:13:01.670-05:00Thanks for the great collection of images!
My VO...Thanks for the great collection of images! <br /><br />My VO Pass Hunter frame arrives today. While the attractive fork crown was appealing, the aesthetics of the level top tube were even more important to me. If the subject interests you, I'd enjoy hearing your views on the history of the level top tube and the transition to what I think are called "compact" geometries.<br /><br />There is a tension between the aesthetics of real minimalism (I'm thinking Mies Van Der Rohe) and to use a really ugly word, the decorative arts. Some fork crowns have so much filigree that I feel like they have not only abandoned function, but have exaggerated even the historical role of lugs. <br /><br />I constantly fear that my nostalgia will obscure the beauty of an innovative bike frame. That said, I cannot reconcile myself aesthetically with the Trek Madone that I park next to in my work garage.<br /><br />Thanks again for the postbillyhackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01147372135927774269noreply@blogger.com