The triple trees i’m using allow for a 1 1/2inch OD fork tube which kinda limits me to the material i need to use. Mild steel piping dosn’t come with a OD of 38mm (1 1/2″) and machining down the next size up mild steel pipe would leave me with no side wall so my next best thing is to use chromoly tubing. Unfortunately i’m not qualified to weld chromoly so i am in the process of mocking up a front end out of exhaust tube then i’ll send that away to get replicated out of Chromoly. I’m sure if i look hard enough there is also the option for using steam pipe or similar but at least with 4130 chromoly tubing its extremely strong and has a memory ( which means when it flexs it flexs back to its original state)
I cut the insides out of a old wooden pellet to support the front wheel in place while i work around it. It’s at this point here when i do my trail measurements so that i can sit the wheel in the correct place. For me i’m setting it up with a trail measurement of 1 1/2 – 2″.
At the moment what i’ve done is bent up some 3/4 pipe so that it goes from one end of the axle and bends around the back of the tyre then meets up with the other side of the axle. This will be the rocker that pivots up and down when the wheel goes over a bump. Some people use just a piece of plate either side of the axle as thier rocker which is also fine and probably easier to adjust trail settings but for me i’m using the rocker style that joins both rockers together so that they can be garunteed to move as one.
I’ve made up a bracket that i’ve TIG welded in place to the base of the fork. For now i’ve made it out of 3mm plate but the final bracket will end up being thicker. This bracket is welded to the fork and then eventually bolted to the rocker so that it becomes the pivot point for the front end.
I have taken a rear shockie off one of the farm bikes i have lying around so that i can mock up top and bottom shockie mounts. The idea is if you draw a line down the length of the shockie then back along the rocker to the pivot point then back up to the top shockie mount you should have a triangle shape. If you do then the shockie will work more efficently and handle better.
Now that i have the general concept mocked up i got a few things machined up so i can start putting it all together. Pictured here is a new longer axle plus a couple of extra bushes made up for the ends of the rocker for the new axle to go through.
