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Step 2Picking a fork and stem!
The basic idea for the front end of your bike is:
the bottom frame has a stem with a bolt on handlebar clamp.
instead of a handlebar there, you use a spare front hub complete with axle.
the fork of the top bike bolts onto that axle.
The key of X:
Pick up the stem you want to use and measure the distance from the center of where the handlebar would be to the center of the expander bolt (the bolt that goes vertically through the stem to the little wedge shaped thing that goes into the forks). Call this length X.
On the forks, measure the distance from the center of the dropout (where the wheel axle goes) to the center of the steering axis. This is easiest on straight-bladed forks like I used. With curved forks this is trickier to measure. If this measurement is within a few millimeters of X, you're good to go. If not, find a clever way to bend your fork legs fore-/back-ward simultaneously to get that distance to X.
Alternately, you can put the hub in the stem, slide the axle into the fork ends and eyeball it to see if everything will be aligned.
the bottom frame has a stem with a bolt on handlebar clamp.
instead of a handlebar there, you use a spare front hub complete with axle.
the fork of the top bike bolts onto that axle.
The key of X:
Pick up the stem you want to use and measure the distance from the center of where the handlebar would be to the center of the expander bolt (the bolt that goes vertically through the stem to the little wedge shaped thing that goes into the forks). Call this length X.
On the forks, measure the distance from the center of the dropout (where the wheel axle goes) to the center of the steering axis. This is easiest on straight-bladed forks like I used. With curved forks this is trickier to measure. If this measurement is within a few millimeters of X, you're good to go. If not, find a clever way to bend your fork legs fore-/back-ward simultaneously to get that distance to X.
Alternately, you can put the hub in the stem, slide the axle into the fork ends and eyeball it to see if everything will be aligned.
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