# Backwards fork thread! Post pictures of incorrectly installed forks!



## BikeBro (Nov 13, 2012)

I have seen quite a few bikes now with the fork installed the wrong way around, so far this is the only suspension fork I have seen done like this though. Post pictures/links to whatever bike butchery you have seen, anything is welcome.















I wonder what negative rake handles like...

Giant AC Down hill mountain bike


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## knutso (Oct 8, 2008)

A few goodies 
https://www.google.com/search?q=backwards+fork+bike&client=ms-android-sprint-us&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj2kI66uoDLAhVByGMKHR4yB0gQ_AUICCgC&biw=360&bih=559

Men's Journal:


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Well judging from this ad he bought the bike from South County Cycles in San Diego. You may want to "steer" clear < pun intended of that place.

Giant AC Down hill mountain bike


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## EABiker (Jun 24, 2004)

Oh wait, that's a Manitou, it's what they do!


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## Thatshowiroll (Jan 30, 2009)

Just go to the Walmart bike department.


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## shopcat_cycles (Dec 28, 2007)

That's the first time I've seen it in a magazine. Wow. 

I did see this guy cruising around the parking lot at a local trail recently with his fork backwards. I felt kinda like a **** for mentioning it, but he said he had it that way on purpose. Go figure.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

I used to work in a shop that sold bikes that came with this sticker:









I think that is because they are willing to send their products direct to customers who are that clueless, but also because they sell bikes to some retailers that don't hire mechanics who have any idea what they are doing.

so I started collecting these stickers and carry one in my wallet at all times. the Target near me has this fat bike- I noticed the backwards fork over 6 months ago and put a sticker on it. I saw it again a few months later and mentioned to a manager that there was a bike in the bike department with a backwards fork and "someone even put a sticker on it to make the point." the next time I saw the bike a month or two later, the fork was pointed the correct direction because someone had turned it around, along with the bars. no one bothered to fix it, they just turned the bars backwards. in response, I put another sticker on the other side of the fork. it was still sitting there the last time I checked a week or two ago. I have made a hobby out of checking on this bike. my wife is not nearly as amused by this as I am.










I avoid going into walmart and have little reason to enter toy and sporting goods stores, but this happens a lot. there's no stopping it, but I get a chuckle out of distributing stickers this way.


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## blkangel (Aug 8, 2014)

The forks are correct in this pic. That is a Manitou fork. Their arches are all on the back of the fork vs the front.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

^yeah, there's a manitou further up in this thread and the person who shared it did so as a joke and said it was a joke.


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

EABiker said:


> View attachment 1050851
> 
> 
> Oh wait, that's a Manitou, it's what they do!


Damn, those front tires look like they're just a few inches off the tarmac. Guess they don't plan on going in or out of a driveway. And Allah forbid they should back out!

*skraaaaaape...bennnnnnnnd*


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

One from our local CL Sondors Ebike / eletric


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

You get what you pay for


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

I shiver at the thought of these being sold to children.


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## 786737 (Mar 13, 2015)

I suppose this qualifies:


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

ncfisherman said:


> I felt kinda like a **** for mentioning it, but he said he had it that way on purpose. Go figure.


No he didn't. He just didn't want to admit that he had zero clue.


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

the one ring said:


> I suppose this qualifies:


Ha! That's great!!


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Finch Platte said:


> Ha! That's great!!


It's brilliant isn't it? Love to see what happens when she tries peddling.


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## John (Apr 25, 2004)

Clueless: "Yo Wal-Mart bike building dude, I want my front brake on the right MX style, How you gonna do that?"

Wal-Mart dude: "Simple, just flip the fork. Easy Peasy"

Clueless: "SWEEEET!!!"


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

Not a backwards fork but half of the bikes at the nearby Target have the cables coiled up like this.


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2016)

mack_turtle said:


> View attachment 1054597
> 
> 
> Not a backwards fork but half of the bikes at the nearby Target have the cables coiled up like this.


hey atleast the fook is installed properly.


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## byron555 (Apr 24, 2015)

I see this more often on disc equipped bikes, but I have seen it occasionally on traditional brakes. It is my theory that whoever does this thinks a bike fork is like a caster wheel on cart or a chair.... Has anyone ever tried riding a bike this way? Must be twitchy as hell.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

byron555 said:


> Has anyone ever tried riding a bike this way?


No, but the woman next door has!

A few years ago she asked me to check out a bike of hers that she was going to give to a woman she worked beside. After pulling it out of the garage I said to her:

"How often did you ride this bike?"

"Once."

"How did it feel?"

"Not very good."

"This woman you plan on giving the bike to, do you _like_ her?...."

Apart from the fork being on backwards, the bike was the most horrible cheap crappy contraption you've ever seen. Plastic brake levers_ and_ callipers!! You could pull the levers to the bar with very little effort. Bikes like that should be banned.

It's still in the garage, she didn't give it away.


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## Bruce in SoCal (Apr 21, 2013)

When I first saw the title of this thread, I though it was a joke and didn't look at it ... until I saw a Walmart bike with the fork on backward!


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Bruce in SoCal said:


> When I first saw the title of this thread, I though it was a joke and didn't look at it ... until I saw a Walmart bike with the fork on backward!


No, it's very real. You've probably passed multiple bikes with the fork backwards and not noticed.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

Upon visiting Terrrget tonight, I was surprised to see that there were no backwards forks. Then I saw the reason why.


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## Timon (May 11, 2008)

i don't think any amount of stickers is going to keep a target/walmart employee from inevitably assembling it backwards.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

Bonus points to the first person finding a fork on backwards, with the sticker.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

mack_turtle said:


>


SUN RUN?? At least the brake callipers are made of metal.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

Silentfoe said:


> Bonus points to the first person finding a fork on backwards, with the sticker.


challenge accepted. I had to pick up some things at Target yesterday and found this:










sorry the photo is blurry, but there's a "front" sticker on the front of the fork, and the fork is backwards.

the fat bike I noticed with the backwards fork over six months ago still has a backwards fork. I am surprised they are not selling more bike such that stuff like that would move.


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## Steel Calf (Feb 5, 2010)

The Fork on most of this pictures is installed backwards not due to stupidity but because the bike is shipped this way (shorter wheelbase = more compact) and the fork will certainly be turned around the right way as soon as the bike is sold


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## watermonkey (Jun 21, 2011)

Just fixed the neighbor kids new Target bike on Saturday. Fork on backwards, brake levers parallel with the ground, saddle pointing way up, axle bolts rounded off from using a crescent wrench. 2 minutes with the bike and I tightened almost every allen bolt on it. Not a death trap anymore. Told her it was an awesome bike, hope she loves it, and she rode away smiling. For most of the world, if it rolls, it goes.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

Steel Calf said:


> the fork will certainly be turned around the right way as soon as the bike is sold


Only if the customer is that smart. Those bikes are sold as-is and sent right out the door. I have watched customers do it. The baffling thing is when you 30 bikes on a display and two have backwards forks and no one cares.

These bikes are not shipped with the fork backwards, they are shipped with stem removed. The assembler makes a choice to put it on the wrong way and the retailer makes a choice to ignore this.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

Steel Calf said:


> The Fork on most of this pictures is installed backwards not due to stupidity but because the bike is shipped this way (shorter wheelbase = more compact) and the fork will certainly be turned around the right way as soon as the bike is sold


What?! Uh, no. The fork may come shipped backwards (not likely) but then it'd be the assemblers job to put it together correctly. An incorrectly built anything should never make it onto a retail showroom, even at Wal-Mart.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Silentfoe said:


> An incorrectly built anything should never make it onto a retail showroom, even at Wal-Mart.


These places have a reputation to consider.


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## oldbroad (Mar 19, 2004)

No photos 😑 but a couple years back, a guy brought a 29r with a backwards fork into the shop for a tune-up. The paint on the under side of the down tube was worn off from the tire rubbing every time the shock compressed. The mechanic gently pointed out the backwards fork. The guy said he had heard such wonderful things about 29rs, and he didn't understand why because he never liked the way his handled. After it was fixed, he rode it around the parking lot and was like, Oh, wow!


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## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

My friend in highschool got a job as a bike assembler, he would travel around to Target/ Wal-Mart/ Fred Meyer and assemble their newly arrived bikes, they issued him a simple generic (non-bike specific) toolkit and he was payed per bike, with the expectation being that he only took ten minutes each. He wasn't into bikes, it was just a job, I have no idea if he ever put forks on backwards, but I can definitely see how it could happen. He ended up quitting after about a month because he couldn't keep up with the pace they wanted him competing bikes at, with the result that he didn't end up even making minimum wage.


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## Steel Calf (Feb 5, 2010)

Davidfs said:


> My friend in highschool got a job as a bike assembler, he would travel around to Target/ Wal-Mart/ Fred Meyer and assemble their newly arrived bikes, they issued him a simple generic (non-bike specific) toolkit and he was payed per bike, with the expectation being that he only took ten minutes each. He wasn't into bikes, it was just a job, I have no idea if he ever put forks on backwards, but I can definitely see how it could happen.


That's the guy!!
share his personal details!
Ok we cannot prove that he's responsible for any backwards installed forks but we desperately need a scapegoat here


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## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

That was over ten years ago so I doubt any of his bikes are still in stores, actually they are probably mostly in landfills... Unless he worked at Mack_Turtle's local target


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## Steel Calf (Feb 5, 2010)

We should still visit him for interrogation and show him some pictures posted in this thread ("...do you know this bike...? ...what about this bike?")

Even if it's 10 years ago he might be willing to confess his sins!


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## bakerjw (Oct 8, 2014)

Dammit people.... I work on a bluff overlooking a Wal-Mart. Now I have to go down and look for improperly assembled bikes.


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## flyfisher117 (Jul 3, 2011)

Does this count as a backwards fork? There was another one with the fork right way forward but the handle bars off at 270 degrees.









Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

Is that out in the sales rack without being fully assembled? :nono:


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## flyfisher117 (Jul 3, 2011)

Davidfs said:


> Is that out in the sales rack without being fully assembled? :nono:


After looking at the other bikes I think it was assembled but who ever is in charge of it didn't care.

I will say walmart is now in the + sized bike game. The tires on all the bikes there now are 3 inches wide.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I almost never go to Wal Mart but I went today. While in the store, I saw a store employee, obviously the bike assembly guy, walking a freshly assembled bike out of the back toward the bike section. He was walking with that "serious business" expression on his face. I looked at the fork and sure enough, it was backwards. 
For about one second I pondered pointing it out to him but he didn't look like he'd be receptive to help.


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## banditpowdercoat (Aug 13, 2015)

I woulda asked who the idiot was that assembled that bike. But I'm like that


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

flyfisher117 said:


> I will say walmart is now in the + sized bike game. The tires on all the bikes there now are 3 inches wide.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


You know... I thought I noticed that too.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

banditpowdercoat said:


> I woulda asked who the idiot was that assembled that bike.


Yeah, that's what I would have done.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

NYrr496 said:


> I almost never go to Wal Mart but I went today. While in the store, I saw a store employee, obviously the bike assembly guy, walking a freshly assembled bike out of the back toward the bike section. He was walking with that "serious business" expression on his face. I looked at the fork and sure enough, it was backwards.
> For about one second I pondered pointing it out to him but he didn't look like he'd be receptive to help.


Pics or it didn't happen.;-)


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Curveball said:


> Pics or it didn't happen.;-)


I promise a pic next time. I probably wont be back in there for a few months. 
OH wait!! I'll be in Florida in July and I always end up in those super Wal Marts down there. I'll keep my eyes peeled but they seem to have their act more together than up here in New York.


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

Assembled thousands of bikes, never found one with the fork backwards in the shipping box. People that put bikes in boxes all day long have more common sense than a low wage assembler that doesn't give a flying rat.


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)




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## Steel Calf (Feb 5, 2010)

it's a women's bike, that doesn't count.


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## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

Yeah but it's also not a Wal-Mart/big box store brand, I've only ever seen diamondback in bike shops... Maybe they bought it online and it came with the stem removed for shopping...?


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## Steel Calf (Feb 5, 2010)

Maybe she likes the way it rides with the steeper steer/shorter wheelbase. Pushing the front brake too hard could result in a deadly accident tough...


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## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Not a backwards fork, but a... still trying to figure this one out.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Cornfield said:


> Not a backwards fork, but a... still trying to figure this one out.


Don't bother, it's just a heap if shengus.


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

Davidfs said:


> Yeah but it's also not a Wal-Mart/big box store brand, I've only ever seen diamondback in bike shops... Maybe they bought it online and it came with the stem removed for shopping...?


They sell Diamondback at Dick's, the Wal-Mart of the outdoor/sports stores.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

Davidfs said:


> Yeah but it's also not a Wal-Mart/big box store brand, I've only ever seen diamondback in bike shops... Maybe they bought it online and it came with the stem removed for shopping...?


Diamondback sells to some chain stores that have questionable credentials (Dick's) and chain stores that generally have good mechanics (REI) and they sell bikes online to be shipped _direct to customers_. I think they do this to compete, but crap like backwards forks is the result.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

At my local supermarket:


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Damn... They messed that one up good. Even the fender is mounted up incorrectly.


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## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

They just wanted a quick steering, maneuverable beach cruiser...

@ flamingtaco & mac_turtle:

I haven't been in a Dick's, are they worse than Sports Chalet or Big 5?


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Maybe whoever assembled it had to get back to sorting fruit in the produce aisle.


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

Davidfs said:


> They just wanted a quick steering, maneuverable beach cruiser...
> 
> @ flamingtaco & mac_turtle:
> 
> I haven't been in a Dick's, are they worse than Sports Chalet or Big 5?


I've never been to those other two stores, so...


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Davidfs said:


> They just wanted a quick steering, maneuverable beach cruiser...
> 
> @ flamingtaco & mac_turtle:
> 
> I haven't been in a Dick's, are they worse than Sports Chalet or Big 5?





Flamingtaco said:


> I've never been to those other two stores, so...


I've been to all 3 and I'd say they are all equally as shitty.

Sports Chalet I heard went out of business. Out of the 3 that one was the best, go figure.


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## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Sports Chalet


We'll Take You to The Limit!


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

While waiting for a table at an open air seafood restaurant the other day, a waitress rode up to start her shift on a beach cruiser with the fork on backwards. Bike looked fairly weathered. It's been ridden for a while like that.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> I've been to all 3 and I'd say they are all equally as shitty.
> 
> Sports Chalet I heard went out of business. Out of the 3 that one was the best, go figure.


Actually BIG 5 is not bad, they are seasonal store for the most part but you can find some cycling stuff, although mostly I used to buy soccer stuff. Sports Chalet is a sad story after they became "corporate". Sports Authority is also out of biz. Good old internet.


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## deke505 (Jul 29, 2012)

Steel Calf said:


> The Fork on most of this pictures is installed backwards not due to stupidity but because the bike is shipped this way (shorter wheelbase = more compact) and the fork will certainly be turned around the right way as soon as the bike is sold


wrong, when bikes are shipped the front wheel is taken off as well as the handle bars. There is a cardboard tube holding the fork to the frame with the fork turned side ways.


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## TSpice (May 15, 2015)

Anyone seen the infomercial about the multi-purpose ladder? Where it can bend in half and act as a table, or lock out and be an A frame?

Thing doesn't lock, guy gets on it, it tips a little bit. Fiddles around with it and hears a click, "Ok, now its locked." Gets on to it and the whole thing collapses into a pile. Before it cuts away you hear "I guess it wasn't locked yet..."

Makes you really want to buy it, haha!


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

Any thing that is designed to serve more than one porpoise, serves no porpoise particularly, well.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Flamingtaco said:


> Any thing that is designed to serve more than one porpoise, serves no porpoise particularly, well.


You won't have much use for that wiggly thing between your legs then?


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

Flamingtaco said:


> Any thing that is designed to serve more than one porpoise, serves no porpoise particularly, well.


This is so true. Last week I served my dinner guests a porpoise. Two (or more) porpoises would have been just too much.

However, even serving just one porpoise was not very well received once they found out what they were eating.


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## Steel Calf (Feb 5, 2010)

Curveball said:


> This is so true. Last week I served my dinner guests a porpoise. Two (or more) porpoises would have been just too much.
> 
> However, even serving just one porpoise was not very well received once they found out what they were eating.


stop making fun of people who got obviously jacked by their auto correct, it happens to me all the time and I feel sympathy for the poor guy above

edit: Ok I got curious now. Next time you serve dinner, wanna come too.


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## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Steel Calf said:


> stop making fun of people who got obviously jacked by their auto correct, it happens to me all the time and I feel sympathy for the poor guy above


Maybe he did it on porpoise.


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

oh no's!!

Diamondback 18" 21 Speed Outlook Mountain Bike in VIC | eBay


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## Steel Calf (Feb 5, 2010)

^ That fork is bent, not backwards. It's a steel fork so no danger here


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## Davidfs (Feb 18, 2016)

No danger?I wouldn't go that far...


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Steel Calf said:


> It's a steel fork so no danger here


None besides the fact that the bike now has an effective 87 degree hta and the fork has been weakened significantly.


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## Steel Calf (Feb 5, 2010)

The steeper headangle will make the bike turn quicker, a big plus if you're commuting and in the hurry. The weakened area of the fork might flex thus giving the rider increased comfort.


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

Yeah when I saw the thumbnail of the ad,I'm like Oh that fork is so on backwa....Oh! Oh dear thats a whole lot worse.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

Steel Calf said:


> The steeper headangle will make the bike turn quicker, a big plus if you're commuting and in the hurry. The weakened area of the fork might flex thus giving the rider increased comfort.


The bike has razor-sharp handling and a patent pending "flex fork" for increased comfort without the weight of a suspension fork.


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## Boomchakabowwow (Sep 8, 2015)

funny stuff.

has there ever been a backward bike helmet thread? maybe less of an issue since we all seem to have visors. but damn..this lady where i used to live..looked goofy.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

Boomchakabowwow said:


> funny stuff.
> 
> has there ever been a backward bike helmet thread? maybe less of an issue since we all seem to have visors. but damn..this lady where i used to live..looked goofy.


Now that you mention it, I have seen altogether too many instances of backward helmets around my area.


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## Steel Calf (Feb 5, 2010)

I've never seen someone wearing a bike helmet or riding a fork backwards in my whole live. But maybe we Europeans are just too clever for that haha


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

Steel Calf said:


> I've never seen someone wearing a bike helmet or riding a fork backwards in my whole live. But maybe we Europeans are just too clever for that haha


Since cycling appears to have greater cultural significance in Europe than in the US, that may account for it.


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

Cornfield said:


> Maybe he did it on porpoise.


All my posts are served up with a heaping helping of fowl in tents.


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## mr_wrong27 (Jul 16, 2016)

Haha. I bought a bike online from Target (mistake #1) a few years ago. Me and my buddy assembled it and were stumped as to why the front tire was rubbing and brakes weren't lining up. Almost took it to LBS but we figured out that the front fork was backwards and it was just a simple flip around.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

mr_wrong27 said:


> Almost took it to LBS but we figured out that the front fork was backwards and it was just a simple flip around.


Oh yes the FRONT fork, which is on the opposite end of the bike as the REAR fork. Got it.


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## fatcat (Mar 11, 2006)

DT Swiss makes them backwards too. 2016 RX w/ DT Swiss OPM100


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## cobba (Apr 5, 2007)

fatcat said:


> DT Swiss makes them backwards too. 2016 RX w/ DT Swiss OPM100


Magura makes them backwards and forwards.


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## fatcat (Mar 11, 2006)

cobba said:


> Magura makes them backwards and forwards.


Talk about a dirt magnet, is there a hole or vent where water or debri can roll out? I see the advantages of a stiff arch structure but thats weird


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## StuartTX (Apr 2, 2016)

This has to be backwards, right?









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

Jeebus, people!


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## ColinL (Feb 9, 2012)

mack_turtle said:


> Oh yes the FRONT fork, which is on the opposite end of the bike as the REAR fork. Got it.


Amen brother, preach on!

http://forums.mtbr.com/all-mountain...g-people-get-these-terms-confused-878221.html


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## StuartTX (Apr 2, 2016)

From Craigslist Austin.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

All I see is fat tired DIY track bikes ITT. They're just in their pre fixie stage, they haven't mutated yet.


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## burtronix (Jun 5, 2006)

flamingtaco said:


> all my posts are served up with a heaping helping of fowl in tents.


lol!!


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## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

Another in Austin. We're winning it today...









I actually wonder if anyone's gotten rid of a bike for this reason. I can just imagine someone complaining about how twitchy the steering is when they have an 88 degree headtube on their road bike with a backwards fork.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)




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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> View attachment 1096997


Even if one is left handed?


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

jcd46 said:


> Even if one is left handed?


Really, man... That's how I eat.


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## burtronix (Jun 5, 2006)

Ever see brake levers mounted backwards (facing the rider)? In college I used to see a guy riding a bike like that. Never saw him apply the brakes though. Not sure how he didn't go OTB. Or maybe he did.


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## watermonkey (Jun 21, 2011)

*DeLuxe!!!!*


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

Super deluxe when it rains


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## bmwjnky (Mar 5, 2009)

Wish I could have gotten a picture but saw someone riding with their stem backwards Wednesday coming home from work. Handlebar, levers and fork were correct but stem was over the top tube. It was an older bike as well so it looked to be at least a 90mm stem.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Harryman said:


> Super deluxe when it rains


Definitely, shoots extra water in front of your wheel for full-on hydroplaning.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

jestep said:


> Another in Austin. We're winning it today...
> 
> View attachment 1096989
> 
> ...


Kawasaki has always been a bit different. 

I had a Kawasaki motorcycle once that had the carburetor mounted inside the crank cover. The worst part was that it was a finicky sucker and needed adjusting quite often. Opening up that cover to get to it was a pita.


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## dirtywragg (Oct 30, 2016)

I reckon putting forks on backwards is not a good idea?


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## ryguy79 (Apr 12, 2007)

The Pros Closet on ebay. I bought a frame from them once...

2007 KHS DJ-300 Mountain Bike Frameset 17" MEDIUM Alloy Dirt Jump 26" Manitou | eBay


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## Ducman (Feb 29, 2004)

bmwjnky said:


> Wish I could have gotten a picture but saw someone riding with their stem backwards Wednesday coming home from work. Handlebar, levers and fork were correct but stem was over the top tube. It was an older bike as well so it looked to be at least a 90mm stem.


I've seen this a bunch. Lots of older people with bad backs and DUIs in the area


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

mack_turtle said:


> the Target near me has this fat bike- I noticed the backwards fork over 6 months ago and put a sticker on it. I saw it again a few months later and mentioned to a manager that there was a bike in the bike department with a backwards fork and "someone even put a sticker on it to make the point." the next time I saw the bike a month or two later, the fork was pointed the correct direction because someone had turned it around, along with the bars. no one bothered to fix it, they just turned the bars backwards. in response, I put another sticker on the other side of the fork. it was still sitting there the last time I checked a week or two ago. I have made a hobby out of checking on this bike. my wife is not nearly as amused by this as I am.


update- I stopped in the same Target yesterday and the bike is still there. it has two "fork direction" stickers but there by yours truly, and a sticker on the front of the fork that says "front," with the sticker facing the back of the bike. the same bike is still sitting there with a backwards fork for over one year. because I have too much time on my hands, I have mentioned this to employees twice and emailed Target corporate to draw attention to the issue. zero response.


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## Jwiffle (Jan 26, 2004)

the one ring said:


> I suppose this qualifies:


Ok, that has to be a joke.


----------



## Jwiffle (Jan 26, 2004)

Flamingtaco said:


> Assembled thousands of bikes, never found one with the fork backwards in the shipping box. People that put bikes in boxes all day long have more common sense than a low wage assembler that doesn't give a flying rat.


That's hard to believe. I own a shop and have worked in shops for years. Most bikes come with the fork backwards, makes it easier to fit in the box. Of course, if the stem is installed, it's all forward, just the whole thing has been turned around to fit in the box. Betting that many of these bikes come that way, and the "assembler" thinks he's straightening it out by loosening the stem and turning it around, but leaving the fork backwards!

When I ship a bike, I turn the fork and stem around to fit it in the box. Some bikes (like larger sizes) won't fit in the box at all unless you do.


----------



## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

Jwiffle said:


> Ok, that has to be a joke.


Oh no, you get quite a workout pushing that stand around the room. Doesn't work on carpet so well, though.

I wonder if they thought it was just for balance and you pedal the bike backwards? But surely they would have noticed the resistance wheel that the bike's wheel rests on.

Maybe the art director thought putting it on the back would block the view of the product too much.


----------



## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

ERMERGERD!!! :eekster:

I found one today on craigslist. :lol:

26" Roadmaster Granite Peak Mountain Bike


----------



## watermonkey (Jun 21, 2011)

This is a new one, backwards fork, backwards stem, bars mounted so you can ride it this way.


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

I think the backward stem is an adaptation to create a more rearward riding position since if you hit a pothole and that fork flexed a little = instant superman.


----------



## Nels (May 18, 2004)

*Seen at a trailhead...*

Ready to ride!


----------



## Rockbrook (Apr 17, 2015)

This is the funniest sh!t I've seen in a while. 
I've never noticed backwards forks in any of our Big box stores...then again I never thought someone could be so stupid! LOL. I have to be on the lookout for these next time just to give myself a laugh haha.


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## BikeBro (Nov 13, 2012)

Nels said:


> Ready to ride!


Thats the nicest fork I have seen mounted backwards, thats incredible.


----------



## yakkoTDI (May 4, 2011)

Someone that parks in the same work garage as I do.


----------



## BikeBro (Nov 13, 2012)

Another craigslist special

Edit - looks like with sag the rear sus will be locked out with the seatpost jammed into the coil - must be a great climber.


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Nels said:


> Ready to ride!


Winner ^


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

I can understand the majority being Wal Mart specials where the assemblers just came off a crack smoking break. But bikes that appear to have been bought at a bike shop, WTF.


----------



## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

Bike shops don't pay enough to consistently employ good mechanics. The industry has no defined standards. It's a vicious cycle.

I would guess that the nice bikes were assembled, disassembled, then reassembled at home. Also, many "bike shop brands" now sell direct to the customer.


----------



## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> I can understand the majority being Wal Mart specials where the assemblers just came off a crack smoking break. But bikes that appear to have been bought at a bike shop, WTF.


I had a local shop, and a supposedly decent one by the amount of business they get and their yelp reviews, who's mechanics didn't know what a star nut was, so nothing surprises me anymore.


----------



## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

jestep said:


> I had a local shop, and a supposedly decent one by the amount of business they get and their yelp reviews, who's mechanics didn't know what a star nut was, so nothing surprises me anymore.


those are for carbon forks, right?


----------



## azimiut (Feb 21, 2014)

I had a city/hybrid bike that I took the fork off and replaced it with a rigid fork. upon inspection I fount it had 3 start nuts in it. first 2 were crooked. third times a charm I guess


----------



## chimpanzee00 (Dec 16, 2006)

*Specialized Epic Expert Carbon - $1800*



> Bike is in excellent condition. Never had a problem with it and loved every moment riding it.
> 
> Wheels and Tires
> Hubs: Front: Specialized Hi Lo disc; Rear: DT Swiss 370
> ...


?????


----------



## richj8990 (Apr 4, 2017)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> I can understand the majority being Wal Mart specials where the assemblers just came off a crack smoking break. But bikes that appear to have been bought at a bike shop, WTF.


From what I've read and experienced, a large percentage of bike box forks are bent beyond fixing and the bike either has to be returned or the fork thrown away. (Not that the fork does much anyway even if it's not bent). Personally I've had one of five box bikes have a horribly bent fork, and I ordered another to a store and they said it arrived bent so I cancelled the order, so really 2/6 bent. The one I received at home wasn't even bent it was forged wrong. There is no way it could have bent that bad during transit, they just didn't care and put it in the box anyway. It almost looked like the fork was heated up to 800F, twisted 1 cm off center, then cooled. Fortunately I had a matching fork from another bike that was destined for the trash bin.

Last but not least, I really tried to find this thread and picture on here, couldn't find it, but some dude built a $6000 Lynskey titanium 17lb XC racing bike, was bragging about all nuts and bolts being spec'd to military grade, blah blah blah, and then he takes a picture of the fork being backwards. I'm like WTF?


----------



## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

richj8990 said:


> From what I've read and experienced, a large percentage of bike box forks are bent beyond fixing and the bike either has to be returned or the fork thrown away.


What's a bike box fork? Do you mean like a walmart bike?


----------



## Dexter-01 (Sep 30, 2016)

chimpanzee00 said:


> ?????


I know right!? Awesome stopping power from Elixir brakes?!


----------



## richj8990 (Apr 4, 2017)

J.B. Weld said:


> What's a bike box fork? Do you mean like a walmart bike?


It doesn't have to be from Walmart. Ever heard of Amazon.com? They ship bikes in boxes too. The highest end is some Diamondback carbon bikes for $2-3K, nothing sold over that price point. Some of the lower end hardtails look like a pretty good deal (although I'd prefer 2x10 and it looks like this is 1x11 below):

Raleigh Bikes Tokul 3 Mountain Bike $999
120mm Suntour XCR32 Air Fork
27.5" x 2.8
SRAM 11-speed
Tektro Hydraulic Brakes
Aluminum frame, 27 lbs

It's not a bad hardtail for a box bike, correct? Or is there a dealer/LBS sourced bike on the sales floor that beats the price of this bike with equivalent components?


----------



## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

richj8990 said:


> Ever heard of Amazon.com?


Isn't that a [email protected] river in South America? I didn't know they made bikes down there.

Anyway all bikes are shipped in boxes, most from China by boat, rail and truck. I've unpacked thousands of them and can probably count on 1 hand (ok maybe 2) how many damaged forks I've seen so I wouldn't call it common. Maybe you just have really bad luck?

Also many bikes come shipped with the fork backwards, maybe that was throwing you off?


----------



## RobLyman (May 8, 2006)

Nels said:


> Ready to ride!


Did anyone else notice the brake spot-tied to the fork?


----------



## richj8990 (Apr 4, 2017)

J.B. Weld said:


> Isn't that a [email protected] river in South America? I didn't know they made bikes down there.
> 
> Anyway all bikes are shipped in boxes, most from China by boat, rail and truck. I've unpacked thousands of them and can probably count on 1 hand (ok maybe 2) how many damaged forks I've seen so I wouldn't call it common. Maybe you just have really bad luck?
> 
> Also many bikes come shipped with the fork backwards, maybe that was throwing you off?


Yes, that particular one came backwards but trust me it was bent really bad, I think I have a picture somewhere. For the earlier bike the Walmart guy (in the photo dept., doubles as a bike delivery location) told me their bikes come with bent forks all the time, and they simply put a return slip on the box and ship it back to the distributor. With most of those cheap bikes they may as well keep them rigid because their forks don't really do much anyway, front or back.

For the 'good' fork I currently have, I need to change it out anyway because the dropouts are really thin and I want to try a front hub motor on it, and cannot risk the dropouts snapping under torque.


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

For someone craving the old days with old geometry, a simple flip of the fork around on your new geometry bike will fix that craving for a short time.


----------



## richj8990 (Apr 4, 2017)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> For someone craving the old days with old geometry, a simple flip of the fork around on your new geometry bike will fix that craving for a short time.


Speaking of which, not to get off topic but can someone recommend a strong rigid fork, preferably steel (weight is not a factor), can be either for a 26" or 27.5", must be a mountain bike fork though not a road bike one, thanks.


----------



## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

richj8990 said:


> Speaking of which, not to get off topic but can someone recommend a strong rigid fork, preferably steel (weight is not a factor), can be either for a 26" or 27.5", must be a mountain bike fork though not a road bike one, thanks.


Surly makes some nice steel ones still, disc and v brake versions. Just over $100 and will clear a fairly large tire.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

richj8990 said:


> Speaking of which, not to get off topic but can someone recommend a strong rigid fork, preferably steel (weight is not a factor), can be either for a 26" or 27.5", must be a mountain bike fork though not a road bike one, thanks.


I just ordered a Nashbar fork for my GT beater. I don't know what your application will be, but for me it should work fine.  and for $50.00 can't beat it. It has good reviews.

Nashbar Rigid 26" Mountain Bike Fork - Nashbar


----------



## richj8990 (Apr 4, 2017)

jcd46 said:


> I just ordered a Nashbar fork for my GT beater. I don't know what your application will be, but for me it should work fine.  and for $50.00 can't beat it. It has good reviews.
> 
> Nashbar Rigid 26" Mountain Bike Fork - Nashbar


OK cool I found it on Amazon, thanks. This may sound very odd but I want to put on a front electric hub. And yes I know performance will suffer with an extra 9 lbs of motor on the wheel... It's about getting front traction up the mountains (and I mean mountains, not hills) and just casually exploring back roads and trails over the said mountains. This would take 1-2 hours to even get over to by pedaling/walking bike up. With an e-bike you can get to those backtrails/roads in 1/2 the time.

Several dealerships and manufacturers don't recommend a front electric hub with a mountain bike suspension fork, that's why I wanted to go rigid and have strong dropouts for the torque. I'll probably have to pump up the front tire a lot, maybe even 50 psi but again this is not for shredding trails it's for exploring, I don't think the guys in the e-bike forum understand the difference in concept.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

richj8990 said:


> OK cool I found it on Amazon, thanks. This may sound very odd but I want to put on a front electric hub. And yes I know performance will suffer with an extra 9 lbs of motor on the wheel... It's about getting front traction up the mountains (and I mean mountains, not hills) and just casually exploring back roads and trails over the said mountains. This would take 1-2 hours to even get over to by pedaling/walking bike up. With an e-bike you can get to those backtrails/roads in 1/2 the time.
> 
> Several dealerships and manufacturers don't recommend a front electric hub with a mountain bike suspension fork, that's why I wanted to go rigid and have strong dropouts for the torque. I'll probably have to pump up the front tire a lot, maybe even 50 psi but again this is not for shredding trails it's for exploring, I don't think the guys in the e-bike forum understand the difference in concept.


Good deal, same fork?


----------



## RonSonic (Jan 8, 2005)

Nashbar sells through Amazon. Guess they want the market exposure. 

I've got one of their road forks and it's been solid and much nicer fit and finish than I expected. 

Don't know how well it would hold up with a motor, but then again, don't see why it wouldn't.


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## richj8990 (Apr 4, 2017)

RonSonic said:


> Nashbar sells through Amazon. Guess they want the market exposure.
> 
> I've got one of their road forks and it's been solid and much nicer fit and finish than I expected.
> 
> Don't know how well it would hold up with a motor, but then again, don't see why it wouldn't.


Well, OK I know this is a backward fork thread, and maybe I should repost this in the e-bike form; how wide are the dropouts on this Nashbar rigid fork? My 26" currently has ones that are like 4mm wide, REALLY thin. I don't want a bad crash if they snap from the motor's torque. The 100mm fork I have on another bike is more like 1 cm wide dropouts so maybe that would be better for safety. In other words upgrade the other bike to an air fork and put the 100 mm Suntour XCT on this bike with the front hub motor.

Check out a couple of reviews of this 26" fork, it makes me hesitate to buy it now; you also need to do a complete psychiatric analysis of the 2nd review, totally confusing:

Mentally stable review: "Don't use this for an electric wheel. Tried it with an electric wheel. It did not hold the wheel in for very long before the tangs stretched out and the wheel came out."

WTF is a tang? Does he mean the dropouts stretched? Maybe it looks like tongs to him and he can't spell?

Mentally unstable review: "For some reason the UPS clowns sent it to the...Actually I was going to use this Fork on a Mountain Bike that I set up for multi day journeys camping. But according to whomever it may concern you seem to think you are the all knowledgeable sportman[sic] who should be filled in on every minute detail of my activities. So here it comes. Ready? When you have a suspension fork on a bicycle with panniers and a trailer it moves unnecessarily. That is called "SLOP" and when the fork legs moves every pedal stroke two time per revolution on a 10 hour day that is called "WASTE". That is called waste. Because it wastes my time money and resources. Much like you have done with this consumer product that is NONE of your business never was and shall never be any of your concern."

Is he saying he likes rigid forks but doesn't like this one? I can't understand what he's talking about.


----------



## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

http://forums.mtbr.com/general-disc...et-new-steed-2018-a-1066178.html#post13487529



Birddog1148 said:


> I got 2 a Gravity Bullseye Monster LTD and a Motobecane 529HT
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

^ Oh dear. I see huckleberry hound point it out to him, hope he sees it.


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## Birddog1148 (Dec 23, 2017)

mack_turtle said:


> http://forums.mtbr.com/general-disc...et-new-steed-2018-a-1066178.html#post13487529


I fixed it

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk


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## Birddog1148 (Dec 23, 2017)

Birddog1148 said:


> I fixed it
> 
> Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk


See, fixed









Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk


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## Kasey1 (Nov 9, 2017)

*Manitou Markhor*

I was thinking of getting one of these for my spare xc bike and was wondering about the backwards arch? Would this make my headtube angle steeper? I am new to mountain biking and am wondering the difference betweed Manitou fork desighn and putting a normal fork on backwards?


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Kasey1 said:


> I was thinking of getting one of these for my spare xc bike and was wondering about the backwards arch? Would this make my headtube angle steeper? I am new to mountain biking and am wondering the difference betweed Manitou fork desighn and putting a normal fork on backwards?


One is an unusual arch on an otherwise normal fork. The other is feckwit retardation suicide city.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

Kasey1 said:


> I was thinking of getting one of these for my spare xc bike and was wondering about the backwards arch? Would this make my headtube angle steeper? I am new to mountain biking and am wondering the difference betweed Manitou fork desighn and putting a normal fork on backwards?


Manitou makes great forks and it will not steepen your headtube angle unless it has significantly less travel than the fork that it's replacing. Just put it on with arch in back and enjoy.


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## Kasey1 (Nov 9, 2017)

Thank you for your reply!


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Birddog1148 said:


> See, fixed


Partially, it's still green.


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## Birddog1148 (Dec 23, 2017)

Mr Pig said:


> Partially, it's still green.


I like it

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Birddog1148 said:


> I like it.


Have a green bike myself.


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

Kasey1 said:


> I was thinking of getting one of these for my spare xc bike and was wondering about the backwards arch? Would this make my headtube angle steeper? I am new to mountain biking and am wondering the difference betweed Manitou fork desighn and putting a normal fork on backwards?


You could always try sticking on a bent fork, they're cheap and you can make them as steep as you want.


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## MCHB (Jun 23, 2014)

Text below read "Schwinn onus bike for sale 7 speed 17" frame Used about 6 times on the road. Comes with extra cushion for the seat. Excellent bike. (My kid was 5'9 and fit this bike well) $550 (paid $700)"


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## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

MCHB said:


> View attachment 1206569
> 
> 
> Text below read "Schwinn onus bike for sale 7 speed 17" frame Used about 6 times on the road. Comes with extra cushion for the seat. Excellent bike. (My kid was 5'9 and fit this bike well) $550 (paid $700)"


At least the price is good...


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## singletrackmack (Oct 18, 2012)

Something just doesn't look right with that fork :skep:

It looks like just the upper stanchions are on backwards and the lowers forward.


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## ninjichor (Jul 12, 2018)

singletrackmack said:


> Something just doesn't look right with that fork :skep:
> 
> It looks like just the upper stanchions are on backwards and the lowers facing forward.
> 
> View attachment 1210751


How avante garde! It's the short fork offset trend taken further. Much more stable at speed!


----------



## singletrackmack (Oct 18, 2012)

Just looking at that bike makes me feel like I’m about to endo.


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## JackWare (Aug 8, 2016)

Already living up to it's name;


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

singletrackmack said:


> Something just doesn't look right with that fork :skep:
> 
> It looks like just the upper stanchions are on backwards and the lowers forward.
> 
> View attachment 1210751


It sure does. Nothing says "quality" like a product photo with the product assembled incredibly wrong. But I guess the people that would buy this don't have a clue either. But somehow they packed a lot of bike into it:

ANCHEER Power Plus Electric Mountain Bike / Road Bike / Men's Bike / Cyclocross Bike with Lithium-Ion Battery


----------



## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

chazpat said:


> It sure does. Nothing says "quality" like a product photo with the product assembled incredibly wrong. But I guess the people that would buy this don't have a clue either. But somehow they packed a lot of bike into it:
> 
> ANCHEER Power Plus Electric Mountain Bike / Road Bike / Men's Bike / Cyclocross Bike with Lithium-Ion Battery


It's just that the lowers are installed wrong on the fork itself, right? Then, whoever ends up with the thing for the photo shoot would just have to guess at it. Not giving this a pass....someone at the company should have seen the picture and caught this before it was published...but there is no correct way to install that fork the way it was assembled.


----------



## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

chazpat said:


> It sure does. Nothing says "quality" like a product photo with the product assembled incredibly wrong. But I guess the people that would buy this don't have a clue either. But somehow they packed a lot of bike into it:
> 
> ANCHEER Power Plus Electric Mountain Bike / Road Bike / Men's Bike / Cyclocross Bike with Lithium-Ion Battery


The position of the seat says enough without even seeing the fork...


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

I have a feeling that the Wally World bikes backward installed forks epidemic is caused from one Wally World assembler making the mistake and the rest just copying his work out of pure laziness.


----------



## Wombat (Jan 25, 2004)

Resurrecting an old thread, but this picture needed a home:









It's nice to see that they like it enough to have 2 locks on it, just a pity they riding it like this.

Tim


----------



## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

Wombat said:


> Resurrecting an old thread, but this picture needed a home:
> 
> View attachment 1212142
> 
> ...


Plus, look at the position of the brake levers. How the hell do you wrap your hands around that far to grab the brakes?


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

chuckha62 said:


> Plus, look at the position of the brake levers. How the hell do you wrap your hands around that far to grab the brakes?


Awesome! :thumbsup:


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

Only ridden 10 times!


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## Squeeze (Apr 14, 2015)

chuckha62 said:


> Plus, look at the position of the brake levers. How the hell do you wrap your hands around that far to grab the brakes?


That's the opposite of what I usually see on beater bikes in the city - brake levers that are level with the grips, or even higher, sometimes.

I always wonder how far back they must have to rotate their elbows and wrists to get their fingers up and over the brake levers.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Seen in Callander today:


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)




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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

I think that's supposed to be like that.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Mr Pig said:


> I think that's supposed to be like that.


Yeah, Lauf Fork?


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)




----------



## rider95124 (Oct 19, 2013)

eBates ran a commercial during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade featuring bikes from Dicks Sporting Goods. All of the forks were backwards.


----------



## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

Has anyone posted a Manitou fork yet? Lol
They look goofy, took me a while to get used to it.


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## Squeeze (Apr 14, 2015)

Craigslist ad:

https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/d/littleton-specialized-rockhopper/6853625108.html


----------



## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

That's a clean old Rockhopper!


----------



## levity (Oct 31, 2011)

Shark said:


> Has anyone posted a Manitou fork yet? Lol
> They look goofy, took me a while to get used to it.


With disc brakes the fork bridge doesn't have to be in the front.
That said, does anyone know why Manitou put the brace in back?

pic shows a "goofy" Manitou fork (44mm offset), mounted the correct way


----------



## ninjichor (Jul 12, 2018)

*tries to understand how front brake hose is routed*

*expects it to be routed behind the right-half of the crown*

*confused seeing it go straight between the sliders*


----------



## levity (Oct 31, 2011)

Sharp eye, ninjichor! :yesnod:

The OEM fork had a front brace so the brake hose was too short to wrap around "The Manitou Way". However, it fit nicely between the sliders clearing the tire and stanchions. Hard to tell, but it's zip tied to the Manitou holder on the brace.


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

levity said:


> With disc brakes the fork bridge doesn't have to be in the front.
> That said, does anyone know why Manitou put the brace in back?
> 
> pic shows a "goofy" Manitou fork (44mm offset), mounted the correct way
> ...


They put the brace in the back claiming it was stiffer that way. It was the Manitou Black fork that debuted in 2003 that started it. The stiffer claim was never proven and it never really caught on.


----------



## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

Yeah I have a couple of sets of R7's as well as looking wonky (although they work nicely through the travel and were cheap), they are far from what I would call stiff.
I know DT also had/have the reverse arch going on and Magura run on both in front and behind... no idea if stiffer for those or not.

ALso the looks I got from people at DH races back in the mid 90's when I was racing on my Manitou with the forks for the rear end, people thought I made it myself, gaddam it, it was megabucks people


----------



## ninjichor (Jul 12, 2018)

Manitou's own words on it. Being patented is a factor preventing it from catching on.

Cliff-notes:
- less material to arch over the tire behind it for same stiffness
- shields seals from debris flung by tire
- better protects the brake hose


----------



## slowpoker (Jun 4, 2008)




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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

The mind boggles.

LOL
Check out the cable routing.


----------



## Squeeze (Apr 14, 2015)

26" BMX Framed twenty6er - $200

Does this count? I'm not a BMX guy but I can't imagine this is correct.


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

The fork and bars are correct it’s just how the bike was parked with them facing to the rear. BMX bikes can spin the bars and fork in an entire 360° rotation. Unlike normal bikes.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

I don't disagree with DJ, but once the bars and fork are facing in the right direction the brake lever should be rotated around to the correct position also. It looks like the brake lever is facing in the right direction while the fork, bar and stem are backwards.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

dbhammercycle said:


> I don't disagree with DJ, but once the bars and fork are facing in the right direction the brake lever should be rotated around to the correct position also. It looks like the brake lever is facing in the right direction while the fork, bar and stem are backwards.


Good catch, I missed the brake lever facing that way, the mind boggles. At least it's an easy fix.


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

Backwards stem and fork, bars and brake lever are facing forward.

That's one mixed up bike assembler.


----------



## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

I can tell you guys don't know anything about DCBMX.


----------



## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Even in DCBMX, it is customary to remove the circular plastic cardboard box spacer from the outside of the rear hub axle prior to being photographed for sale. Although, it does imply the bike has not yet been ridden to the 7-11 for a cherry freeze.


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)




----------



## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

jcd46 said:


> I can tell you guys don't know anything about DCBMX.


I don't have a clue what DCBMX is but it looks to me like the stem and fork are oriented correctly with each other, they just need to rotated 180* so the axle offset is forward and then the bars would need to flipped 180* due to the angle of the grips and then the lever mounted correctly. I'm aware of BMX bikes that can spin the front 360* but those have a special configuration for cables and it doesn't appear that frame is set up for that configuration. Wrong?


----------



## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

Squeeze said:


> 26" BMX Framed twenty6er - $200
> 
> Does this count? I'm not a BMX guy but I can't imagine this is correct.


Is this the bike one of the members here just received in the mail?
I can't quite tell what is wrong. Like mentioned above the stem/fork are oriented properly. However, the bars are configured for a rider to sit down and ride off. Spinning the steering 180* would have the bars tilted back too far.

Unsure if this was set up this way for shipping or if it was really assembled improperly.
Or it was set up this way on purpose for purposes of this thread so everybody could pick apart what is wrong. LOL


----------



## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

All you gotta do is take the bars off, leave them exactly how they are in the pic, then spin the front end 180 degrees and put that bars back on.


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Oh My Sack! said:


> I don't have a clue what DCBMX is but it looks to me like the stem and fork are oriented correctly with each other, they just need to rotated 180* so the axle offset is forward and then the bars would need to flipped 180* due to the angle of the grips and then the lever mounted correctly. I'm aware of BMX bikes that can spin the front 360* but those have a special configuration for cables and it doesn't appear that frame is set up for that configuration. Wrong?


This is correct and basically what I said. The detangler as they are called is not on this bike. The piece that keeps the cables from getting messed up in a 360° rotation. After my post above I realized it didn't have one but I was correct in saying the fork bars stem are all correct and just need to be spun around and facing the right way. The brake lever however that dbhamner noticed is facing the wrong way. It's bizzaro 101.

Here's the special piece that BMX bikes have that allows the 360° rotation which this bike doesn't have.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Squeeze said:


> 26" BMX Framed twenty6er - $200
> 
> Does this count? I'm not a BMX guy but I can't imagine this is correct.





DIRTJUNKIE said:


> The fork and bars are correct it's just how the bike was parked with them facing to the rear. BMX bikes can spin the bars and fork in an entire 360° rotation. Unlike normal bikes.





dbhammercycle said:


> I don't disagree with DJ, but once the bars and fork are facing in the right direction the brake lever should be rotated around to the correct position also. It looks like the brake lever is facing in the right direction while the fork, bar and stem are backwards.





DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Good catch, I missed the brake lever facing that way, the mind boggles. At least it's an easy fix.





Cornfield said:


> Backwards stem and fork, bars and brake lever are facing forward.
> 
> That's one mixed up bike assembler.





jcd46 said:


> I can tell you guys don't know anything about DCBMX.





dbhammercycle said:


> Even in DCBMX, it is customary to remove the circular plastic cardboard box spacer from the outside of the rear hub axle prior to being photographed for sale. Although, it does imply the bike has not yet been ridden to the 7-11 for a cherry freeze.





Oh My Sack! said:


> I don't have a clue what DCBMX is but it looks to me like the stem and fork are oriented correctly with each other, they just need to rotated 180* so the axle offset is forward and then the bars would need to flipped 180* due to the angle of the grips and then the lever mounted correctly. I'm aware of BMX bikes that can spin the front 360* but those have a special configuration for cables and it doesn't appear that frame is set up for that configuration. Wrong?





Forest Rider said:


> Is this the bike one of the members here just received in the mail?
> I can't quite tell what is wrong. Like mentioned above the stem/fork are oriented properly. However, the bars are configured for a rider to sit down and ride off. Spinning the steering 180* would have the bars tilted back too far.
> 
> Unsure if this was set up this way for shipping or if it was really assembled improperly.
> Or it was set up this way on purpose for purposes of this thread so everybody could pick apart what is wrong. LOL





Cornfield said:


> All you gotta do is take the bars off, leave them exactly how they are in the pic, then spin the front end 180 degrees and put that bars back on.





DIRTJUNKIE said:


> This is correct and basically what I said. The detangler as they are called is not on this bike. The piece that keeps the cables from getting messed up in a 360° rotation. After my post above I realized it didn't have one but I was correct in saying the fork bars stem are all correct and just need to be spun around and facing the right way. The brake lever however that dbhamner noticed is facing the wrong way. It's bizzaro 101.
> 
> Here's the special piece that BMX bikes have that allows the 360° rotation which this bike doesn't have.





Cornfield said:


> All you gotta do is take the bars off, leave them exactly how they are in the pic, then spin the front end 180 degrees and put that bars back on.


Ahh.. yes that is correct, good catch. I didn't notice the bars are facing the right way just mounted on the stem which is facing the wrong way as well as the fork. Someone needs to set the crack pipe down several hours before assembly.

ut::lol::lol::lol:


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

Ok, Mr Costco bike assembler guy, besides the fact that they provided you a QR code to access a video with assembly instructions, there's a 50% lifesize picture of the assembled bike on the box and you still got it wrong!


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Lol
About a month ago I was talking with a guy from an outside company who was assembling grills at Lowes. He said he just came from building a couple hundred bikes for several Wal Marts. I laughed and asked if he put the forks on facing forward and correct. He gave me a dumbfounded look as I walked away laughing.


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## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

Just perusing my local CL and found this in S. San Francisco.


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## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

those bars are upsidedown too


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## 93EXCivic (Mar 12, 2018)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> This is correct and basically what I said. The detangler as they are called is not on this bike. The piece that keeps the cables from getting messed up in a 360° rotation. After my post above I realized it didn't have one but I was correct in saying the fork bars stem are all correct and just need to be spun around and facing the right way. The brake lever however that dbhamner noticed is facing the wrong way. It's bizzaro 101.
> 
> Here's the special piece that BMX bikes have that allows the 360° rotation which this bike doesn't have.
> 
> View attachment 1249234


You don't have to have a gyro to spin bars 360 degrees. Just a long enough cable. I can spin my BMX bars a full 360 without a gyro.


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> those bars are upsidedown too


I'm not sure if they are upside down but rather rotated forward until the rise of the bar is level with the ground.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

I forgot about this one. The show Seinfeld had a mountain bike hanging on the wall in the background. First it was a Cannondale and then a Klein. For a few episodes the Klein had the fork mounted backwards. It's unclear if this was an oversight or intentional. May have been either and left that way for a few episodes as just another joke in a hysterical sitcom.


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## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> I forgot about this one. The show Seinfeld had a mountain bike hanging on the wall in the background. First it was a Cannondale and then a Klein. For a few episodes the Klein had the fork mounted backwards. It's unclear if this was an oversight or intentional. May have been either and left that way for a few episodes as just another joke in a hysterical sitcom.
> 
> View attachment 1268083


I totally missed that. I'm a Seinfeld junkie, too.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

chuckha62 said:


> I totally missed that. I'm a Seinfeld junkie, too.


I had a habit of always looking for that bike in all episodes.


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## dbhammercycle (Nov 15, 2011)

Oh boy...

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bik/d/minneapolis-karate-monkey/7081224794.html


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

dbhammercycle said:


> Oh boy...
> 
> https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bik/d/minneapolis-karate-monkey/7081224794.html


Craigslist ads have a habit of coming down before we all get a chance to laugh at them, so I recommend posting a screenshot for the sake of posterity.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

"Thecanoe"
Posted this in the sad bikes thread the other day. Seems appropriate here as well.


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## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)




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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

Cornfield said:


>


All that work and the fork is backwards.


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## Cornfield (Apr 15, 2012)

the-one1 said:


> All that work and the fork is backwards.


How is that even possible!? :lol:


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## SuperUltraKel (Sep 18, 2018)

Apparently a relatively popular corporate event is to do "bike builds" as a sort of team building exercise. At one such event, I was hired to do "safety checks" on the bikes and assist the teams if they had any questions while building them according to the instructions in the boxes. They had about 20 teams going and I was walking around giving advice whenever I saw something egregiously wrong. Of the 20 bikes, I would say that on about 8 of them, I had to advise them to turn the fork around. After they were all built, they came over to my stand and I basically had to rebuild most of them to make them not be deathtraps. Fortunately, the teams all moved on to some corporate ra-ra motivational thing while I worked before the presentation ceremony where the kids at a local charity came to receive their new bikes. I shudder to think about how many of those kids wouldn't be alive today if left to the devices of the most confident (and usually the most inept) member and therefore leader of the bike building teams. LOL


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## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

SuperUltraKel said:


> Apparently a relatively popular corporate event is to do "bike builds" as a sort of team building exercise. At one such event, I was hired to do "safety checks" on the bikes and assist the teams if they had any questions while building them according to the instructions in the boxes. They had about 20 teams going and I was walking around giving advice whenever I saw something egregiously wrong. Of the 20 bikes, I would say that on about 8 of them, I had to advise them to turn the fork around. After they were all built, they came over to my stand and I basically had to rebuild most of them to make them not be deathtraps. Fortunately, the teams all moved on to some corporate ra-ra motivational thing while I worked before the presentation ceremony where the kids at a local charity came to receive their new bikes. I shudder to think about how many of those kids wouldn't be alive today if left to the devices of the most confident (and usually the most inept) member and therefore leader of the bike building teams. LOL


That's great

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## Kevin Van Deventer (Jan 31, 2015)

I once purposely installed my lowers backwards to see what the reduced offset hype was all about.🤓


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

Backwards Trust Message linkage fork, to make the "world's toughest race" even tougher.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Well, I was going to post the wall mart bike I saw on the back of a car a few days ago, but that's way better...


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## TylerVernon (Nov 10, 2019)

I saw one Tuesday on the greenway trail. I only had enough time to yell "Nice backwards fork!"; not enough time for a pic.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

From CL.

Looks a little cramped.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Somewhat. Lol

God help us all.


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## John Kuhl (Dec 10, 2007)

I bet they did it backwards because that's the only way the front brake cable is long enough.


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## Redlands R&C (Dec 14, 2013)

Varaxis said:


> Backwards Trust Message linkage fork, to make the "world's toughest race" even tougher.


Why hasn't @Nurse Ben commented on this yet?


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## downcountry (Apr 27, 2019)

Backwards fork makes any bike more playful.


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## davez26 (Dec 2, 2004)

downcountry said:


> Backwards fork makes any bike more playful.


Brilliant! 
If a bike is too slack, BB too high, you can adjust by flipping the fork! 
Why bother with flip chips, multiple point shock mountings and other suspension doodads?
Adjustable suspension bikes have been here all along right under our noses.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

davez26 said:


> Brilliant!
> If a bike is too slack, BB too high, you can adjust by flipping the fork!
> Why bother with flip chips, multiple point shock mountings and other suspension doodads?
> Adjustable suspension bikes have been here all along right under our noses.
> ...


The realization that we've come full circle is a tough one to bear.


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## Redlands R&C (Dec 14, 2013)

Backwards fork, meet backwards stem!


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## Eliasmp (Feb 20, 2021)




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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

I'm dragging this thread back out because I never thought I'd find one in the wild... that brake lever position also looks super ergo.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I'm dragging this thread back out because I never thought I'd find one in the wild... that brake lever position also looks super ergo.
> View attachment 1924763


Oh my, that's full of assembly fun!


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

His and her's bikes, with matching backwards forks


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

Thing is, jokes on you, these anrnt "backwards forks" they are super new geometry bikes...everyone (well, all the super awesome riders that is) will be riding them next year


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

mik_git said:


> Thing is, jokes on you, these anrnt "backwards forks" they are super new geometry bikes...everyone (well, all the super awesome riders that is) will be riding them next year


This guy must be one of those super awesome riders adopting that super new geo.










_Ready to ride!_


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## walkerwalker (Jul 17, 2020)

^^^ did those forks see a trash compactor at some point? Or first time rider swan diving a 10ft drop?


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Pick up from Scarborough too. Hometown proud.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)




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## huckleberry hound (Feb 27, 2015)

It looks like someone was sampling the hard seltzer while assembling this one.


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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

FB special... oh my.





__





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www.facebook.com


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## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

SuperUltraKel said:


> Apparently a relatively popular corporate event is to do "bike builds" as a sort of team building exercise. At one such event, I was hired to do "safety checks" on the bikes and assist the teams if they had any questions while building them according to the instructions in the boxes. They had about 20 teams going and I was walking around giving advice whenever I saw something egregiously wrong. Of the 20 bikes, I would say that on about 8 of them, I had to advise them to turn the fork around. After they were all built, they came over to my stand and I basically had to rebuild most of them to make them not be deathtraps. Fortunately, the teams all moved on to some corporate ra-ra motivational thing while I worked before the presentation ceremony where the kids at a local charity came to receive their new bikes. I shudder to think about how many of those kids wouldn't be alive today if left to the devices of the most confident (and usually the most inept) member and therefore leader of the bike building teams. LOL


That probably explains why there was always at least one really grumpy mechanic in every shop I worked in. 



SuperUltraKel said:


> I shudder to think about how many of those kids wouldn't be alive today if left to the devices of the most confident (and usually the most inept) member and therefore leader of the bike building teams. LOL


This part of your comment particularly rings true for me.


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## Desert Ryder (Aug 27, 2021)

facebook find.


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## OpikBidin (Jan 5, 2022)

Sometimes, backward forks are purposefully installed.

For this bike, reasons are to minimize flop, as flop fights against the stabilizing force of trail









Steering Geometry of Short Wheelbase Recumbent Bikes


I’ve been riding and studying recumbents in all their forms intently for about 12 years now, and ideas have been slowly forming in my head regarding what they should and should not be, mostly…




rothrockcyrcle.wordpress.com





For a given wheel and tire size, there are only two independent variables among the four remaining variables (the four we’ve been talking about – head tube angle, rake, trail, and flop). The head tube and and the rake themselves aren’t of any particular importance, in a sense. They, in and of themselves, don’t dictate how the bike will handle. What actually matters are the trail and flop figures.

head tube angle to 85 degree, and with the negative 40 mm rake fork got me the trail figure I wanted, which was about 70 mm, and a very low flop of 6 mm. This is a whopping trail-to-flop ratio of 11.66.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

Ok, it's not just the fork that is backwards and I guess it doesn't matter as it is being sold as an "exercise bike" with the trainer.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

How to make a really crappy bike really even crapper.


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