Making a FORK for my Gravel Bike // Paul Brodie's Shop
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- čas přidán 2. 07. 2023
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#bicycle #steel #fork #fussyframebuilder
I have no more need for a gravel fork than I have for a soup knife ,, never have had , never will have , but Im still looking forwards to watching the video.
I hope you like our video :)
@@paulbrodiePaul hello good Friday morning to you nice to see you working respect back to you both 😊😊😊
@@domenicomonteleone3055 Good Morning to you as well...
@@paulbrodie Paul Brodie good later afternoon to you thank you kindly for the response back to me i really like the video 📹 😀 😊.
Your comments about gravel bikes being a bit of a marketing trick is fairly spot on. Is there any advantage to using the tapered style of steerer tube that goes from 1 and 1/8 of an inch to 1 and 3/8 of an inch? It should be a bit stronger as people also put rocks on these bikes now for little micro tours
You look like you are feeling better. It is so good to see and Mitch collaborating in the shop more often!
Yes! Thank you!
@@paulbrodieKeep On keeping us entertained !
👍Watching you make bike parts is like meditating
I love to see these videos of how bikes were made in the infancy of the MTB scene before the mass production in overseas facilities. The logic and reasoning along with the custom built jigs and tooling is impressive.
Thank you Mark. I do enjoy showing how things happen in my shop...
Good to see you looking so well Paul.
I hope you're feeling as good as you look.
Many prayers for you. 🙏.
+1
Great to see the master of masters showing his talent and teaching 👏 🏆 🙏
I love to watch you work. And Mitch does a great job of capturing the process.
Thanks Paul. Would you say that we are a good team?
@@paulbrodie
A great team indeed!!
Your workmanship is impeccable. Your attention to detail is amazing. Thanks for sharing 👍.
Thanks very much :)
This channel is a unique and precious resource.
I'm 55 and still learning new things. I visit my local school often and bring in a project and tell them how I just learned to weld, or I learned something new at the fore department. I'm always telling them, it's never too late to try something new. I love spending time working in my basement shop, working a new technique into a build or repair. I recently purchased an oxygen generator from a medical supply who was sending out their old ones to be recycled and I've been practicing brazing with propane and oxygen. I've only used this combo when brazing platinum. Currently I have an old mini jewelers torch. I've just ordered a new setup for acetylene.
I'm ordering new solder. Most of what I have is jewelers wire solder which are gold and silver from 55, 65 and 75 percent.
I taught myself to weld a few years ago and I love working metal.
I think you have a very good attitude, and sharing with a local school is excellent! All the best to you :)
“Leftovers”! They make for some really fun shop projects and lunches in the shop.
Looking 10 years younger Paul! Thank you for another brilliant upload
You are very kind. Thanks for watching!
Another fabrication master class, thanks Paul!
Thanks very much!
Fantastic as always. Thanks Mr Paul and Mr Mitch!
Thank you Pete!
@@paulbrodie You're welcome. Stay strong champ! 🙂
Really great to see you sharing with us your craftsmanship and knowledge. Just knew the bikes, now I see the man behind. As a bicycle Fan I really enjoyed watching. Thank you very much.👍👍
Thanks for watching and commenting...
Really looking forward to follow this build! I would love to hear a deep dive in forks with straight or curved legs, the subject was just touched now...
It's often ranted that gravel bikes are "just retro MTBs with dropbars" and since you were part of creating those very bikes it will be interesting to see your take on this.
IMO gravel is not a gimmick, but a very logic platform for versatile bikes that can be tweaked in many directions. Growing up in the countryside, gravel just ment "road". It's all the other bikes that are scen-specific! 😊
In the video I did comment that gravel bikes are very much like mountain bikes out of the 80's with some modern refinements :)
You make it look easy.
That is one of my specialties. Thank you very much.
Unbound Gravel 200, in my home town of Emporia, KS. Go for the beauty of the Flint Hills and tall grass prairies.
Outstanding video, especially the jigs and how they work, you are making history my friend. Thanks so much!!
And thank you for watching :)
More coffee coming your way guys, Cheers and thanks
Thank you. Coffee donations really do help our little channel :)
I used to make the Lotus 110 & the F1 cycles mountain bike.
Love your work and learning learning something new.
Thanks 👍 I bet we could share some stories!!
"A gravel bike is like a mountain bike from the 80's". Meanwhile, I've just been riding mountain bikes from the 80's in various configurations. Cruiser bars, dirt drops, alt-bars, The rack and mudguard eyelets are a nice bonus, as well as the 80's paint jobs.
Seems like we have evolved from the same era. Those were good times back in the 80's :)
I googled the gravel bike, and you are correct. They look very much like my Royce Union Mountain bike in my garage I bought in the mid-eighties. I don't think it's going to convince my teen daughter that I'm ahead of the curve cutting-edge cool, however.
Watching you work never gets old. A true craftsman!
Thank you very much!
Fantastic skills and attention to detail. Love your channel
Thank you! Cheers!
so glad that see you back at it
Thanks Jack. Yes, I do enjoy being "back at it"....
Thank you. Your videos are unique and very helpful.
Thank you. It's good to be unique. Sure wouldn't want to copy anyone!
Thanks Paul and Mitch! I loved how you finessed the joint surfaces into shape. All this using the makeshift fixturing, too. Great job!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching..
LOVE that your back!
It's good to be back, thanks!!
Paul, your forks are gorgeous. Forking amazing. I'm also impressed at how good you are with a) Sharpies, b) files, and c) a hacksaw.
New viewer from England. Love your work AMAZING!
Thank you! Appreciate your comments....
It's fascinating to watch Paul's hands. When showing a part to the camera he has a small tremor. When welding he's rock steady.
When I'm welding (poorly) my small tremor becomes a big one.
Hey Paul, thanks a lot everything. Really, I learn much more things.
This is a crazy amount of precision on one part..... I've never seen a fork made from scratch but now I want to try and make one. LoL
Crazy amount of precision... Yes, but a fork is the steering input so it had better be good. Just as much precision goes into the frame...
@@paulbrodie - I just need to play around and make mistakes so I can learn how to do it.... LoL
@@paulbrodie Not being an engineer I'm always afraid something is going to break so I tend to overbuild 'everything' which isn't so great on 'human powered vehicle' 😁
@@1crazypj Yes, you do not want a fork to fail... ever. Overbuilding a fork makes sense to me.
Hello Paul, great to see you using the file extensively I love using hand tools.
What a great job you did too. In a world of power assisted tools it is so rewarding to see true hand skills. My late grandfather taught me that you should learn how to use a hand tool before setting out to use a powered tool. Clearly sensible.
Thank you to both you and Mitch.
Regards Kevin.
Thanks Kevin. Yes, not too many of us left using hand tools. That is what I fear. It is amazing what can be done with simple hand tools.
Entertaining as always Paul. Best wishes.
Thanks Dave. Glad you are entertained by our videos!!
Such a talent and skill ☺☺
Thank you kindly :)
Really wanted to see it all finished! Looks good and super strong. Well done.
Might do a video where I mount the brake caliper... Thanks for watching!
I really love watching you work its always perfection. thank you for sharing.
Thank you for watching and commenting!
If that's fooling around to make a one off, then it's precision fooling around. We wouldn't expect anything else.
Never owned a bike in my life but fascinating to see just how complex they are to build properly.
Thank you. I highly recommend owning a bicycle. It has the potential to change you life :)
This is so even if it’s electrified (useful if you’re getting on in years and/or need to go farther distances; in my case, both of those things) and has more than two wheels. (In the future. Currently have the more usual two-wheel layout.)
@@dennisyoung4631 I have a FS e-bike and it is great!
Awesome!!
I did enjoy that vid. Thanks for the master class.
beautiful work! It's really good to see how this fork is built in comparison with the ROMAX fork (built previously) , where the jig did all the alignment, and fitment, work. Thanks for a great video!
Thank you. Yes, it really was a different approach to the Romax fork. I just like making stuff, so either way is good for me.
Very nicely done 😊
Thank you kindly :)
Beautiful fabrication and camera work. I hope you are getting better. Thanks to both of you guys for putting out this awesome content! Seeing those fork blades mitred by hand was inspiring. This channel is such an informative insight for anybody who wants to do their own fabrication work.
You're looking really good Paul, hope you feel better! Love from Australia, thanks for what you do
id love to be able to fool around and come out with a fork like that! lovely craftmanship as always!
Do something long enough and you will get good at it... Thanks for watching!
Interesting video as always Paul , great job 😁😁🤘🤘
Thanks 👍 Glad you enjoyed it..
Excelente teaching ❤
Thank you Fransisco!
It's great to see what go's into building a bike, every day's a school day thank you Paul I look forward to seeing you in the next cartoon.
Informative video, I had no idea about Westwood rims! Wish you highlighted tubulars a bit, they are still around and y'all still have a few models. Mounting up my Schwalbe Racing Ralph HTs soon!
Did I say Westwood rims? I don't think so. I have not heard of Westwood rims... Thanks for watching :)
You are looking well Paul. 😎👍
Another superb video, explaining the why as well as the how. Many thanks Paul for sharing your knowledge and Mitch for the great production skills (Sitting here in my Milling Time hoodie)
Paul & Mitch, as always, thank you! I always really enjoy your discussion of jigs & fixtures. Hole saws... ugh. I have such mixed feelings about them - when they work, they're awesome, but when they go bad, they go all the way bad. I blew up a holes saw in my lathe a maybe 3 months ago, it was ugly. The arbor thread was very thin and stripped out. I welded a new disc to the back - I've done this before with great success. I was facing the arbor mating surface flat, and the saw collapsed inside the chuck when the tool touched the disc. Something flew out hard enough snap off the quick-change tool post locking handle! I found the knob for that handle all the way across the shop.
You be careful with those hole saws! Maybe you need a higher quality, as hole saws last me very well, and I have not had problems like you have experienced...
@@paulbrodie Yes, undoubtedly. This was a big box store hole saw. What brands do you use?
@@Alanbataar Brands that have worked well for me are Starrett and Milwaukee ...
Always Rad! Cheers.
Thanks so much!
Hey Paul, You are looking good. Hope the outlook is favorable. Big fan of your craftsmanship, and know-how. All the best.
Thank you kindly. Right now I am doing just fine...
Gotta love some improvisation making custom parts.
Something that has puzzled me since I was about 12-13, how are the tapered tubes actually made?
Over the years I've cut up a few fork blades and chain-stays, there isn't a seam inside so they are hot drawn?
The technology has been used for over 100 years on all types of bicycles, including really cheap ones but I still don't know how it's done?
Tapered tubes are made on a "swaging machine"... I have never seen one. Very powerful, probably noisy too. External rollers are used to "swage" the tubes to smaller dimensions...
what`s better than hand crafted !😇👍 thanks paul and mitch
a great instalment from the dynamic duo, !
Amazing
Why thank you very much...
👏👏👌
Cheers Chris
I like what you said about how a gravel bike wasn't much different from a mountain bike in the 80's.
I have an early 90's mountain bike and some guy online was telling me to get a hybrid instead of a new mountain bike.
I'd never heard of a hybrid before, to me a mountain bike was a hybrid between a BMX and a racer, so I had to google what a hybrid was.
The description online just sounded like a gravel bike or an old mountain bike to me.
The guy online who was in his 50's and should know better kept saying a hybrid wasn't a mountain bike but wouldn't supply me his description of one, as far as I could tell it was basically mostly the same as an old mountain bike, so I don't know why it's not called a mountain bike.
I think they have too many categories for very similar bikes. As far as I'm concerned they're all mountain bikes and they're just sub categories.
Nice work on the forks.
Love your reasoning on the newest "fad" Paul, absolutely 100% accurate, a modern gravel bike is just an 80s MTB with TA instead of QR and disc brakes, i.e. some of the first 29er MTBs would be good candidates for one 😆 So, looking at your drawing and the reference 650B wheel, seems to me that you built a fork capable of running a 29er/700 wheel as well/instead - is it going to be 650B or 29er/700C? To me a 29er/700C would make the most sense and rims, tyres etc would be more widely available for it. Also curious, what did you set the offset too 37mm or 42mm, or did you do more?
Guess we'll be having the pleasure of seeing you build the rest of the bike, which has me wondering if you've settled on the geo yet? I'd say my old '08 Karate Monkey has pretty good "gravel bike" geo, if maybe a tad too steep HTA and bit short Reach, if you want to really play on the more technical off road, think my ideal "gravel bike geo would have a 70* HTA and 73* ESTA, designed around running a regular flat/MTB handlebar and 70mm stem, so longer Reach than a drop bar variant. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
I have the 650b wheels, so that is what I'm going with. A 29er wheel would have to have a very skinny tire to fit. I do like 650b. The fork offset is 45mm; I think I mentioned that in the video.. Head angle 70.5 degrees, seat angle 74; just the same as the mountain bikes we used to make :)
Paul, if you did mention the fork offset/rake, I didn't hear it, thanks for answering, sounds like that's going to be one sweet "gravel" bike. Well, maybe it won't fit a 29er setup, but sure would fit a nice 650B+ 2.8" if you wanted to take it off road on some proper trails 😀
That's very interesting, didn't realise that back then you were already making MTBs with a 74* STA, that's pretty progressive for back then.
@@lynxg4641 Thanks.. I have a FS e-bike for the trails. It suits me very well. The gravel bike is just for fun and to rip around my neighbourhood...
Absolutely beautiful! Would you consider using a ball end mill for the steerer tube miters?
The pinch bolt on non threaded side is not needed, as Maxle axle (that You are using) expands and locks itself in the dropout when You lock the axle lever. It is kinda quick release through axle.
Where I live gravel is apt to be anything from rip rap chunk to hard pack. I used to use 45mm wheelsets with drop bar but after too many flats I now use my 150mm FS bike with 2.5 tyres supplemented with a 1000w PAS mid motor....more akin to the Tiger Cub I guess but it sure is fun on the gated logging roads down here! As well as beaches and single track that are part of my routes.
Yes, I have a FS e-bike and I am enjoying that a lot. Sounds like you are on the same pathway!
@@paulbrodie Yup, the off the beaten one!
It'd be interesting to hear your reasoning behind splitting the joining process between TIG, nickel-silver, and brass. Is the TIG welding only done to spot-weld the parts into position or are there structural reasons? About the nickel-silver and the brass solder: I guess the order is dictated by the melting temperatures of the two materials. Is the nickel-silver stronger than the brass solder, or why are you using both processes?
It's always interesting to see your custom-built fixtures 👍
Cheers
Love your videos and I always look forward to new ones coming out. Do you have any videos that go into the tools in your workshop ? For example, I see you have a Record vice (not sure if it's a No.4 or a No.5), but you have recessed it into the workbench top and pulled it forward slightly. I'd love to know the reasoning for this
Thank you. My 5" vise is mounted forward because when I hold a frame in the wooden frame blocks in the vise, it needs to hang down under the vise, and not interfere with the workbench or the shelf below... make sense? The vise is very securely mounted to the steel frame of the workbench with (probably..) 1/2" NF bolts. It can't move from the force needed to align frames and forks. The plywood is cut out so that it fits around the mounting points of the vise...
Mate your looking well
I am trying, so thank you!
Man, your hole saws run true.
Do you face their mounting surface in the lathe before you mount them to their collet adapters?
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👍🏻
At 5:10 or so, you have “brazing glasses.” I’d like to know where to get some like them, for a gift.
Wish I could tell you, but I got them handed down to me from my Father, and he had them in England way back in the sixties!
Are you going to TIG the dropout/clamps or are you going to braze them too?
What kind of blast cabinet is that? Would you buy it again? I’m looking to get a blast cabinet for bicycle and other general shop use.
I believe it was made by Rotor. I bought it in 1988. I would buy it again...
How are shipping costs for Merch over to Europe?
Or do i have to stop on my next Canada Trip and say hello?
Thanks again for amazing Content that is educating and entertaining.
Hi. I have noticed that you braze over your TIG weld joints. Do you do this for cosmetic reasons or for needed strength? I love your videos, thx Bill
It's just easier and faster to Tig tack, then fillet braze. That's what I like to do. They are both very strong. And fillet brazing is personal preference, sometimes!
@@paulbrodie thank you for the response. Great video series!
Those jigs must have saved you so much time over the years
"They invented a new category to sell more bikes" Absolutely they did, much the same in motorcycling with the term 'adventure bike'. To me any bike is an adventure bike.
Yes, there is a LOT of marketing that goes on in the two wheeled world... Thanks for watching!
Paul, have you considered using a 1" ball nose mill in your milling machine to miter the forks rather than filing?
Jack, I have not considered that. As mentioned in the video, this is the very first time that I have actually filed the mitre for a uncrown fork. A 1 1/8" ball nose windmill (not 1"..) would be quite expensive, and the chances of one of the flutes catching the edge of the tube, and thereby possibly destroying it, are high. And that is why frame builders usually mitre with hole saws (cheap..) and not large windmills. Thanks for commenting.
Sensacional 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Thank you very much...
Just put a fork in the gravel driveway and you got a gravel fork... :)
Why not?
How much would it cost to have a 29er BMX fork made to fit a tapered headset?
Good question. I really have no idea, sorry. I am retired....
@@paulbrodie just figured you'd have an idea. Thanks, loved the video by the way.
Thanks. Our well known local, experienced framebuilder charges $1000 for a custom fork...
Please can we see the bike when its finished? 🙏😎
Yes, I still have to make the frame, and paint it orange with a black splatter :)
@@paulbrodie 😎✌
I love watching your videos
Hello from British Columbia Canada
🇨🇦🖐❤👌🖼🎨🖌🎠🎪🍁🏊♂️🛶👍🤭
From BC to somewhere else in BC, Thank You!
Sir please what is the thickness of the tube.
Which tube?
@@paulbrodie For the FORK please
Yes, I know that. The fork has TWO tubes: the steerer tube, and the unicrown fork blade. That is why I asked you "which tube"...
@@paulbrodie both of the tube please
🤓
The rake is positive caster. Caster helps to stabilize the wheel which is why a person can ride a bike with no hands. If there were neutral or even negative caster and a person tried riding a bike with no hands the front wheel would flop back and forth or even go 90 degrees sending the rider flying through the air with the greatest of ease. Too much caster has its draw backs however the faster a bike is going to go, the more positive caster is needed to maintain wheel stability.. Bicycles won't need to worry about this, but motorcycles would. If more caster isn't added for a bike going really fast, the same issues will result with the wheel shimmying back and forth and maybe even going 90 degrees, thus sending the rider through the air with the greatest of ease. This is why drag bikes have such an extreme amount of caster on their front forks. Cars and trucks also have caster and the faster a car or truck goes the more caster is needed to keep the wheels stable at high speed.
You're only talking about one part of the equation. What determines the handling of a bike is the "trail". Trail has 3 components: head tube angle, rake, or offset, of the fork, and wheel size...
@@paulbrodie Head tube is a function of caster, as rake is. On motorcycles and bikes its a little more involved whereas on cars its a little more enigmatic in how its designed and functions. When I built my motorcycles I always kept a stock headtube angle but Id choose forks with a little more "offset" on the end and that always worked for really good handling on the road and switchbacks and I never did any speeding so I didn't have to worry about wheel shimmy at high speed.
We used to call it cyclecross.
Bit different. In cyclocross I believe the widest tire you can run is a 35mm, but I could be wrong...
@@paulbrodie Hi, you are correct, they are different. I should google before I comment. Tire width, frame geometry, gearing, and a couple other things set them apart. Thanks for the vids, happy you a feeling better.
Sir do you have apprentice?
I do not have an apprentice.
I ride too hard for a rigid fork.
I also have a full suspension bike with a motor. For riding around the city, a rigid fork can be nice.
I watch every your video Mr. Brodie
And I cannot decide on which side I am.
Half of me wants to make bike parts and accessories by hands
Another half understands that it is much much cheaper just buy them.
Even if I can afford brazing tools, lathe or drill press I don't want to commercialize this hobby. And so I just afraid tools will be staying in garage useless after some time.
And here I am with a small propane torch, vise and file struggling to make a pizza rack :)
I do not wear black, I do not buy any black items
Shirts and hoodies come in a variety of colours once you click on the item!