Changing the fork on a steel frame, what do I need to know?

So I have an old steel track frame that I’m planning on building up but being new to riding fixed I’d like to have a front brake. The current fork isn’t drilled for a brake so I’m looking at replacing the fork with one that’s drilled.

What do I need to know when searching for a replacement? I’m guessing steerer diameter and length mainly. Does anything else matter? Geometry etc?

Any advice would be great!

Yes diameter of the steerer, most probably either 1 inch or 1 1/8, steerer length ofc and whether it's a threaded or a threadless steerer. You mostly want to match the axle to crown length of the old fork, you could probably adjust it 5mm either way without it having any noticeable affect on the steering.

You could just take the old fork to a bike shop to drill it for you, or do it yourself but you'll need a powerful drill and some good quality bits to get through a fork crown.

Thanks for sharing this information!

What do you mean by matching the axle and crown length?

Yes I had thought about getting the current fork drilled but I’m really not sure there’s enough real estate to accommodate it! It’s hard to know

Can you get a clamp on front brake for current fork?

Yes, that was my other option! Tho doesn’t look quite as neat and tidy

Since the fork rake should match the head angle, finding a new set may not be as simple as it seems.

Surely the obvious (and cheapest) answer is to drill the existing forks.

It's best to give this job to a frame builder - the hole must be accurate or the brake will not be in line with the rim.

If you do try to do the job yourself, the very minimum of equipment would be a pillar drill.

Do you think it’s possible to drill a hole in this fork? It seems like there’s not enough space to me but what do you think?

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Probably room to drill it but you’ll likely have to space the caliper away from the crown a bit to clear the headset cups.

Depending how close the tyre sits to the underside of the crown you might also be quite limited in what callipers you’ll be able to use.

Okay, thanks for this advice! I guess the best bet is to just get it built up and see what I’ve got to play with. If I can’t get a brake to work I’ll just have to pootle about the park with it till I’ve got the hang of it haha.

Riding brakeless anywhere other than the velodrome is inadvisable when you know what you’re doing, when you’re new to riding fixed it’s downright stupidity.

Yeah I do agree with you tbh, which is why I’m so keen to get a break fitted haha. Hopefully if all else fails a clamp on will do the trick

I'd give the Dia-Compe track brake a try if you don't fancy drilling and want to keep the geometry.

Yep, it’s on my radar! I’ll have a chat with my local frame builder and see what their thoughts are. If not I’ll try out the diacompe

Axle-crown length is the length between the axle and the top of the fork crown, increasing or decreasing it pivots the bike about the rear axle and affects your headtube angle (amongst other things), increasing it decreases the head angle and vice versa.

As I said, a few mill either way won't make much difference. If you buy another "track" fork, it is likely to be a similar length/rake so won't change the handling. I'd just get another fork and fit a brake on it to get you going.

Fork-mount and quill-mount front brakes are a bit of a compromise. They won't give quite as much stopping power in my experience. If you get the fork drilled, make sure whoever does it has checked there's enough clearance for a brake to work and your tyres to clear. Having been down these roads before, my preference would be to find a doner fork, given how tight your crown is.

There's a BLB track fork on sale here.

If you do get another fork, check your current fork is ISO (26.4mm crown race). JIS and ISO crown races aren't compatible.