Bicycle fork

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:Bikefork.jpg A bicycle fork is the portion of a bicycle that holds the front wheel and allows one to steer. A fork consists of two dropouts which hold the front wheel axle, two blades which join at a fork crown, and a steerer to which the handlebars attach allowing the user to steer the bicycle. The steerer of the fork interfaces with the frame via a headset.

On most mountain bicycles, the fork contains a set of shock absorbers. The suspension travel and handling characteristics vary depending on the type of mountain biking the fork is designed for. For instance, manufacturers produce different forks for cross-country (XC), downhill, and freeride riding.

Contrary to the traditional diamond bicycle frame, for which the forces can be very accurately modeled mathematically, the more complex shape of the fork does not allow such precise calculations. Perhaps as a result, forks tend to fail more often than frames.

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