1999 Saeco

[woof]

A guy I know has a 1999 Saeco. It is a a bit special in that it is black and gold. I cannot find this in the catalogs. The Serial indicates a build date of 99...

The bike came with a broken fork, and he needs to replace it. It is definitely 1" and it is definitely threaded. To throw a little wrench in, the previous owner put a 1 to 1 1/8 adapter in and was running Richey stem.

I do not have the mechanical chops on old school threaded headsets. Part of the issue is I do not have one so I cannot look at one.

The fork he has is a CODA, and the steerer tube appears to be between about 157mm and 153mm...

Anyway, I found a fork from a 1998 Saeco that measures 177 or 177.5mm for the steerer. I cannot believe they are so far apart - 2cm or more. What gives? And would the 177.5mm fork fit his bike? What are the options? What would account for such a large variation? Ideas? Can he use spacers?

Alternatively, what does it take to convert to another brand such as a Richie Comp or similar. They exist out there, but as you know they are threadless. Is there a quick easy way to convert to threadless. This is an area that I have been meaning to grasp for some time. This is just the perfect opportunity to ask. Thanks!

Shane

 

[black lightning 1987]

Since head tubes get longer as frame sizes increase, steerer lengths are going to vary with frame size. You can put a 2 cm spacer under the top nut of a threaded fork. The steerer could also be cut to fit the frame, assuming it's threaded down far enough. It's no problem to switch to a threadless fork, just remember that the steerer will have to be at least 40 mm longer to allow for the stem clamp. The headset will obviously need to be changed, as will the stem.