Track Fork with brake - no no or go go?

hey folks,

when reading about fitting a brake on a track fork, apart from the unholy "drilling a track fork" issue lots of guys saying that these forks are not stiff enough because they are not oval lengthwise so that the will bend when braking a bit harder.

comparing my track fork to ma colnago super´s steel road fork they are right as the road forks are quite thicker in diameter and stuff..

but i do see a lot of track bikes with drilled forks and obviously used with front brake which means it should work .. or not..

issue would be if fork bends and with that tight clearance the tire touches frame .. u can guess the end of story...

happy to hear your experiences / thoughts.

have a nice weekend

yes!

or perhaps no!

well..

use drilled forks perhaps. Solves the problem

thats not the point!
dont want any shitty road fork. just want some experience from guys who maybe did the same to their fork or have a track bike with drilled original fork who can tell if its b(l)ends or not.
as i said, there are obviously lots of steel track frames with their original fork which have additional holes for taking a brake..

i wouldnt

buy a new fork

I say do it!

I ride a drilled track fork that has very thin round blades with a brake no problems.

I do all my long rides on this bike - so have logged several thousand miles in this config, no problems.

You want to check how much clearance you have between wheel and downtube. The fork will flex more than an oval bladed road fork but if its not enough to hit the downtube then you're fine.

I asked this same question to many people, nobody was ever able to answer clearly enough at the time. (post above seems like good news though...)

In doubt, not wanting to put other forks on the bike, and not wanting to risk bending the original forks (french steerer, very long, would be real hard to source other forks...) I went for the rear clamp on brake, home made from an aluminium block drilled and filled...

Yes, it is not "road legal" (still considered as one brake only I have been told), but keirin racers use them, which can not be uncool, yo, and if you don't trust me, ask Coppi.

/\/\/\ ... oh and I did not want to drill the forks either...

My forks came drilled - I feel it'd be a bit irresponsible of the manufacturer to provide a drilled fork if it wasn't safe to ride it on the road with a brake. Even if the intention was only for occasional use.

thanks for your pics guys.

upstart, clearance on my bike is quite tighter than on the mercian.
so if the fork slightly bends it may touch the dt.
and if your forks came already drilled maybe they might be a bit stiffer ?
hard to tell from the pic but they look like mine

was also thinking of fitting a rear brake like yours, vello. but i think front brake is more effective / better looking / maybe accepted as "two brakes" when cops want to piss on you.
but this would be an option if theres now way to fit any brake on the front.

but there are these dia compe systems with clamps to fit brakes on track forks.
not good-looking but apparently people are buying these and they seem to work.
i thought of an home made option with more elegant brake fitting..

My forks came drilled - I feel it'd be a bit irresponsible of the manufacturer to provide a drilled fork if it wasn't safe to ride it on the road with a brake. Even if the intention was only for occasional use.

Absolutely...I suppose Mercian know what they do!
It might also depends on the crown design, some look sturdier than other...

so if the fork slightly bends it may touch the dt.

Only if you're going to crash.

aezy - if in doubt, don't risk it. You can have a very nasty crash if you do - somebody on here did, will try to find the details.

Only if you're going to crash.

what makes you so sure about this?
clearance tire - dt might me 0.5 cms maybe max. 1 cm with thinner tire.
so this isnt unrealistic

thanks for your pics guys.
upstart, clearance on my bike is quite tighter than on the mercian.
so if the fork slightly bends it may touch the dt.
and if your forks came already drilled maybe they might be a bit stiffer ?
hard to tell from the pic but they look like mine
was also thinking of fitting a rear brake like yours, vello. but i think front brake is more effective / better looking / maybe accepted as "two brakes" when cops want to piss on you.
but this would be an option if theres now way to fit any brake on the front.
but there are these dia compe systems with clamps to fit brakes on track forks.
not good-looking but apparently people are buying these and they seem to work.
i thought of an home made option with more elegant brake fitting..

Another reason why I went for the rear clamp option, is that I did not want to spend money on the front Dia compe clamp-on. Although my forks are round, I was considering the option. I might not be talented enought, but I could not find an easy way of making a home made clamp-on brake using recycled materials, or I did not have what I needed to hand at the time. The rear clamp was quite easy to make, plenty of clearance around to install it.

I agree with what you say, rear brake is not as efficient, and not so good looking... basically my bike is more like a brakeless for when you cant be bother moving your ass out of the saddle! It also gives a break to my crankset, I am heavy and tend to round square tapers when skid stopping... Finally, even if it's not as efficient as a front brake, not being an expert at skidding / stop skidding (yet!) it gives a bit more confidence to go faster in traffic... I have been using the bike (not daily) in that configuration for the last 2.5 years.

what makes you so sure about this?
clearance tire - dt might me 0.5 cms maybe max. 1 cm with thinner tire.
so this isnt unrealistic

the force need to push the fork toward the DT would be at a horizontal direction.

The force of the road vibration would be at a vertical direction, rather.

If you hit a brick wall, or a rather large pothole, or simply misjudge hopping the kerbs, then the fork would be more likely to hit the DT.

totally agree with you guys.
mabye a crankset brake with internal cable would be the solution :)

Or just get another fork.

the force need to push the fork toward the DT would be at a horizontal direction.

The force of the road vibration would be at a vertical direction, rather.

If you hit a brick wall, or a rather large pothole, or simply misjudge hopping the kerbs, then the fork would be more likely to hit the DT.

when braking, centrifugal force pushes you forward but tire connection to tarmac results in vertical directed forces. totally natch, isnt it?
thats why road forks do have forerun..

Just how tight is the clearance? I seen track frame with tighter clearance than upstart and still comfortably run a front brake.

sorry for bad quality but i think this answers your question

believe me I've seen tighter than that, but I reckon the best outcome would be to simply get a new road fork.